For Baby

I like to craft, and every now and then I see something that I must do!

When I saw this idea it was done with paint. However, this is super easy if you have a vinyl cutting machine (or a friend with one ;). -- I have a new granddaughter who needed her own personalized soap and lotion.... What do you think?

It was fun!  Just remove the labels from the soap and lotion (peel them off), clean off the sticky residue with this:

and rinse the  bottles with soap and water.

The spray is Pure Citrus Orange Room Spray available at Amazon.com and Home Depot.  (This magical spray takes sticky off of anything.  It also removes indelible ink and crayon off any hard surface.  Remember, I teach first grade and I KNOW.  It smells nice too!)

When the bottles are clean, apply the vinyl and you have a fast, easy, personalized baby gift.

Fast, cute, and fun!

And a big thank you to LaNae at Its Written on the Walls for featuring my post!

WELCOME!

Smiles

I teach first grade and there is something to smile about everyday.  Today's charming funny is this:

We were making Mother's Day cards.  There was a "form" for the children to fill out and one of the items said, "My mother is ____  years old."  The answers are always kind of funny, but one little boy was completely puzzled.

 He said, "I really don't know how old she is."

I said, "Well, how old are YOU?"

He: Six.

Me: Well she must be older than six then.

He:  My brother is 17.

Me: She's probably older that 17 then too.

He: I really don't know.

Me: Well, what do you THINK?

He: I just know she's really close to OLD!

:)  It made my day!

It Could Have Been Worse!

This post is for my daughter Emily who challenged me to write about the last few month so as not to forget that, "It could have been worse!" It's rather lengthy, but what a story!

Our youngest son, Clark, married the love of his life, Brandy on September 24.  Early in the morning on September 23, after having worked all night, he had something a little more dire than a fender bender on his way home.  He met up close and personal with a phone pole and totaled the car.

He walked away with bruises. Not even a stitch.

Less than a mile from home. 

And they'll live happily ever after.

As you can see, he made it to the wedding in one piece. Thank heaven!

By the wedding day we knew that both of our daughters were expecting babies.  Our oldest daughter had been quite ill, but was feeling better by the end of September (baby due in late January). Our youngest daughter was so "under the weather" with her pregnancy that she was on bed-rest and twice daily IV's via home health care just to keep her partially hydrated (baby due in mid-May).

October and November were fairly disaster free months with the normal ups and downs of family life. (Shoulder Surgery for son-in-law, anticipated tonsillectomy for the new bride.)

December 12 rolled around and life was kicked up a notch.

My husband, Chris and I attended a church Christmas "Choirside."  This is a tradition in our area and all the wards in our stake (congregations from a specific area) perform two musical numbers.  There are short stories  told between the songs that tie the event together and its quite lovely.  I sing a little so I enjoy participating and Chris is a great audience member.  We arrived home around 9pm and I jumped into my jammies for the evening.  Chris answered email and then headed off to jump into his jammies.  At the top of our stairs that go to the basement we keep a gate to keep the grand-babies from taking a dive and to keep our little Lucy dog from choosing to "go" in the basement rather that letting us know to take her out.  For some reason Chris decided to step over the gate rather than open it, and he caught his heel and took a dive all the way to the bottom of the stairs. Luckily he was screaming so I knew he was alive, but I also knew he was hurt.  It was immediately evident that he had a badly broken left wrist.  I'm certain that he should NOT have been moved, but he was insistent that he wanted to get up "NOW" and go to the hospital.  I asked all the correct questions and helped him up the stairs.  I got him seated in the living room and told him I'd jump into clothes and be right with him.  I'm sure I dressed in less that one minute flat.

While helping him out to the car we realized that his suspenders (he always wears them on Sunday, I think he has 20 pairs!) had broken and his pants were falling down.  It was the least of our worries, but it was kind of funny to try to help him along and hold up his pants at the same time. -- In the midst of this I also called Devin (our son-in-law) to meet us at the hospital to give Chris a blessing.  Poor Chris was really in great pain.  SO, Devin and Anna, and Clark and Brandy (who all live together since Clark and Brandy are building a house) headed out to meet us at the hospital.  Being the good children that they are they also alerted the families of Jared and Emily to the fact that Dad had a broken wrist and was being rushed to the hospital by Mom.

We live about 10 miles from the hospital in a rural area. It was a snowy cold evening.  About 1.5 miles from home we hit a deer.  It was a BIG deer with a rack of antlers.  This is what my car looked like when I took a picture the next day.

Did I mention that I just got this "new to me" car in November?
Did I mention that I changed car insurance companies on December 1?

Well, back to the evening of the crash:  I pulled over and called 911 to report the event, but told the 911 woman about needing to get Chris to the hospital.  She told me I could continue to drive if I'd talk to her as I did so.  I popped in my headphones and we continued on.  About a mile from the hospital our kids met up with us and, of course, were horrified to see the smashed car.  They quickly implemented the White grape vine and again called Jared (who lives 2 hours away in Pocatello, ID) and Emily (who lives locally in Logan.)

In hindsight, there is no way the car should have been able to get us there, but it did.  An officer met us a little later at the hospital to take the accident report.  He arranged for a tow truck since all the fluids from the car were on the ground!  Miracles never cease!!

By yet another miracle a nurse with a wheel chair met us at the door and Chris was quickly taken in and given pain medicine. This next photo is not for the faint of heart, but you'll see that the wrist is not quite the right shape.

Wait till you see the bruising!

Well, the team at Logan Regional Medical Center put Chris back together to the best of their ability.  The wrist was set, splinted and the patient was sent home with a supply of pain medication and directions for returning in a few day for casting.  It was determined that surgery wasn't an immediate need and that time would heal the wrist.  ( Now for a little more of the "It could have been worse..."  It was the left wrist, lucky since he's right handed.  The car lasted to get us to the hospital. AND he didn't break his neck when he fell down the stairs!  We were both alive after the fall and the crash.)

Within a short time of arriving at the hospital ALL of our children were there, even Jared from Pocatello.  He had decided to come down when first called.  (What a fine wife he had to let him jump and run when he feels he needs to!) What a blessing to have them nearby and willing and able to come to our rescue! The boys gave Chris a blessing and the girls showered him with love and were a great support system for me.  Our daughter Emily had worked in the Emergency area so she took our insurance cards and had all the paperwork done before we could blink. -- Jared also decided to spend the night and leave early the next morning so he could be sure that Dad was good through the night.  He drove us home when Chris was released. (Remember that our car was towed away!) All of the kids responded above and beyond the call of duty.

A week or so later Chris was casted.  It required a cast from shoulder to fingers!  Here is the promised photo of the bruising just prior to casting.

We later found out why this bruised so badly, but I'll tell you when that part of the story comes.

Life, again, went on.  Chris in his cast and quite miserable, but all in all OK.

Then January 4 arrived. We had promised to help a dear friend with her wedding on January 8.  Her reception was taking place in Provo, UT, about a 3 hour trip.  We were running last minute errands for wedding supplies when we were rear ended!  Now, my car was still in the shop recovering from the deer incident, so we were in a rental car.  The poor woman who hit us slid on ice.  All the traffic had stopped for an emergency vehicle, and she slid.  The damage to our rental car was primarily on the bumper, but both Chris and I suffered a little whiplash. -- We were feeling, again, blessed that it wasn't much worse.  I was beginning to think our new insurance company might ask us to take our business elsewhere!

We left home on the afternoon of January 7 to attend the rehearsal dinner for the wedding in Provo.  While at the dinner we received a phone call from Emily's husband, Chase, to let us know Em was having her baby!  A very short while later (while still at the dinner) we were informed that the baby was here, and very shortly later that the baby, Henry, was being transfered to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.  At the time we didn't know all the particulars, but now I can fill you in....

Baby Henry has a very small lower jaw and a cleft palate.  The condition is called "Pierre Robin" and there are varying degrees of the condition.  The only two problems he has are the two mentioned above. Again, a blessing! -- The small jaw made it impossible for Baby H to breath unless he was on his tummy and he couldn't eat with the combination of the two problems. Henry's cleft is all inside his mouth.  His lips and gums are all intact. Again, a blessing.  -- The teams of medical personnel at PCMC are amazing.  Henry has had a surgery to place an appliance that lengthens his jaw.  The appliance was place INSIDE his face and will be taken out in a few weeks.  His cleft palate will be repaired before he is a year old and the chances of any future problems are nominal.

Before:  Look at his chin.

After:
You can see his improved chin and his "antennae" that is
really the screw that turns the appliance to extend his chin.
He has one screw by each ear. They come out in
a couple of weeks.

Henry is a calm and happy baby.  He's learning to smile and we are all thankful since not smiling could have been one of the side effects of the surgery.  We think his doctor, Dr. Grant Fairbanks, is the coolest thing since sliced bread!!  I should mention that Henry only had to stay at PCMC for 6 weeks.  When he was able to come home, his parents were trained to turn his device, he came home on a feeding tube, but his mommy taught him how to drink from a Haberman bottle.  He has only had Mommy Milk and he is thriving!

Baby Henry with sleep smiles.

Henry's big sister, Grace, had a marvelous time while her parents were busy with Henry.  Her first night was spent with Clark and Brandy, then Jared and Monica {along with cousins Michael and Daniel} took her home to Idaho,with them for two weeks.  Then she got to spend two weeks with Anna and Devin/Clark and Brandy, and then two weeks with Mimi (me) and Papa (Chris).  She was a very good girl, and a delight!

Gracie and Michael are quite the team!

Daniel and his Dad, Jared

By mid March Chris was still having a great deal of difficulty with his hand and wrist.  It was {finally} determined that he'd sustained some nerve damage and that surgery would be required.  The surgery was set and it turned out to be much more extensive than anticipated.  It seems that the fall had severed an artery (hence the bad bruising) and that it had clotted off.  Luckily, Chris had another artery that looped through his hand  providing the needed blood supply, so he still possesses his hand and fingers.  The nerve that sits by that artery was also badly damaged, but due to the great skill of his surgeon that little nerve has a "sleeve" and is healing well.  He now sports a 6 inch scar to brag about.

Our youngest daughter, Anna, was still feeling quite miserable.  Her pregnancy was difficult all the way through and she was getting rounder and rounder....

Anna thought she might pop!

Anna had lots of pre-term labor and was just plain tired!  On April 21 she was feeling crummy enough and was having regular contractions so they headed up to the hospital.  After monitoring her situation for an hour or so it was determined that no progress was being made so they sent her home at about 9 pm with directions to take some tylenol, get some rest, and see her doctor in the morning.  -- Midnight rolled around and she was still very miserable and in pain to the point of shaking.  She asked Devin to give her a blessing and she continued to try to rest.  At one o'clock she asked Devin to please call the hospital and see what else she could do since she still felt so bad.  They assured Devin that she was shaky because she was so very, very tired and suggested that she take some Lortab and try to rest and be sure to see her doctor in the morning.  At two o'clock she decided she'd probably feel much better if she used the bathroom.  While doing so she felt a "drop," and knew she'd better get to the hospital fast.  She said, "Devin, we have a problem, please call 911." The long story short is that the ambulance got her to the hospital and baby was born very shortly thereafter.... in about 20 minutes!

Cora Adeline was born at 3:31 am on April 22.  Although the actual delivery was quick it was soon determined that Cora had a serious problem and she was Life Flighted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.  Chris and Devin drove to SLC to be with Cora and I stayed with Anna so I could take her down as soon as her required recovery was completed.

Cora's condition, Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in the Newborn (PPHN), happens about once in every 700 births, and has varying degrees of severity. For further information on this condition visit:  {http://www.thechildrenshospital.org/wellness/info/parents/20830.aspx}  This is a condition with no real determined cause.  Sometimes it just happens.

Cora's condition was dire, but the Life Flight team and the PC NICU teams are amazing. The faith and prayers of many have worked well. She is doing well and ought to be home in a week or two.  This condition is most often treated with medications and careful monitoring, but when "fixed" it should never pose a problem again.  It is, in very simple terms, a backflow issue.  The change that ought to take place when a child leaves  its mother and begins to breath on its own is interrupted by VERY HIGH blood pressure, so high that the blood forces a couple of valves to remain open (with back-flow) and therefore does not allow the blood to be carried to the lungs to get oxygen to supply the body.  We hope to have baby Cora and her parents soon home safe and sound.

 Cora Adeline -- Minutes after birth.  Notice that you can see a line straight down her tummy that shows the side getting good blood flow vs. the side with a lack of oxygen.  (The head bruising is birth related and is now nearly all gone.)

Well, if there were an award for the longest blog post I might just win... I've left out lots: job losses and new jobs, a wedding, Brandy's tonsillectomy, Devin's shoulder surgery, other illnesses, and a few things to private to mention....Suffice it to say that we've had a very busy time at The White Silk Purse and we hope things slow to a dull roar soon.  We, however, all remain thankful for the tender mercies that have us all here loving and supporting one another.

It could have been worse... TRULY!

Dana

PS  I linked this post to a blog hop from Chocolate on My Cranium March, 2012.

Both babies are doing well.  :)

Laundry Soap

{Note:  I recently added the recipes for both the paste and powdered versions of this soap to the Recipes tab at the top of this blog. There is a print feature at the end of each recipe that makes it easy to print a copy without all the blog blather included :) }

I became interested in making my own laundry soap as a creative/cooking/money-saving plan and found I quite enjoyed the result.  I began by doing a little research, recipe reading, and experimentation and came up with something that works really well for me. 

I wanted something easy to make and easy to store. Most of the recipes I read called for a lot of water (for liquid soap) and, therefore, a lot of storage containers. The dry soap recipes all seemed too complex and cumbersome. {UPDATE:  See the Recipes tab above for my SIMPLE dry version!}

I keep my soap in quart-size canning jars with plastic lids and I have a long handled tablespoon I use to put the soap in the washer. I add the laundry soap as the washer is filling and rinse the soap into the washer from the spoon. (One quart of this soap will clean 64 loads of laundry!)

As with the soap I purchase (or formerly purchased) at the store I sometimes use bleach or oxyclean for extra whitening.  I don’t find I do this any more or less often than before.  If I have a tough stain I rub in a little of the concentrate and it seems to take out everything I’ve tried it on.

All of the ingredients are available in the laundry aisle at the grocery store.  If your store doesn’t carry one of the products, look online.  All of them are available at Amazon.com.

It costs about 1.7 cents per load (Tablespoon) of this laundry soap.

The following is my highly concentrated recipe.  One tablespoon of soap does a whole load of wash! (I have a high capacity washer.)

White Silk Purse Laundry Soap

~ makes 4 quarts {one gallon} of concentrate ~
~  that's 256 loads of laundry! ~

2 bars Fels Naptha

2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax

2 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

6 cups of hot water (+ more water as needed)

Put 6 cups of water on to heat. It will almost boil by the time you are done.  While the water is heating, grate the Fels Naptha.  I cut the bars in half the long way and run them through my food processor with the grater attachment, but it could be grated by hand. Add the soap to the water that is heating, and stir frequently.  This part takes 10 – 15 minutes.  Keep stirring until the soap is completely melted. Don’t let this boil or you’ll have soap all over the place. (Don’t ask!)

When the soap has melted turn off the heat and add the Borax and the Washing Soda. (Do not confuse Washing Soda with baking soda.  They are NOT the same.  Washing Soda is in the laundry aisle.) Stir and stir and stir. You will stir for about three minutes.  The powders will dissolve into the liquid.

Pour the liquid equally into 4 quart jars. Now, add just enough water to bring the contents up to the “shoulders” of the jar.  This will leave about 1 ½ inches of headspace.  Put lids on the jars and let them sit overnight (about 8 hours).

The soap in the jars will separate while it is standing. This is OK. There will be firm soap on top and kind of gel-like soap on the bottom. Sometimes "crystals" form at the bottom of the jar, don't worry.

This next part is really quite fun.  Take one of the jars and cut up the firm soap.  I just stick a knife down into the jar and cut it up like a pie. Next, pour all of this into your blender of mixing bowl I have a BOSCH. Now, because I am frugal I pour about 3 tablespoons of water into the quart jar and swish it around to get all the rest of the soap out.  If there are crystals, I use HOT water and stir a bit. I add this to the blender too.

 Start on the lowest speed of your blender or mixer and increase  the speed gradually.  Your result will be something that looks like really thick, pale yellow whipped cream. You may need to scrape the sides down with a spatula a few times to get it all the way blended/mixed. It's like creaming the butter, sugar and eggs when you make cookies. (I can blend/mix two jars at a time in my Bosch bowl.) 

Pour/spoon the now blended soap back into the quart jar(s).  Your jar(s) will be all the way full now and you may even have a little more for another jar. Pop a lid onto the jar(s) and your soap will keep indefinitely. It gets a little firmer in the jar when it sits, but it stays spoonable.

Just a few notes: The following makes 12 quart jars of laundry soap--

ª     •  6 bars of Fels Naptha (.99 each), 1 box of 20 Mule Team Borax ($4.15), and 1 box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda ($2.79) {then there was a little tax - .86 cents}

ª     • I made 12 quarts of concentrate for $13.74.  That means it costs 1.7cents per load J. That also nearly uses up the above ingredients. (Sometimes I find the products on sale for even less, then I buy more!)

ª     • I had a little Borax left over… It’s good for lots of stuff. Read the box.

ª      • 12 quarts of soap would do just over 14 loads of wash a week for a year!

ª     • I thought I’d need about 18 quarts for a year’s supply at my house.

ª      • The supplies for the soap are easy to store.  I don’t feel compelled to make it all at once.

ª      • I use a Bounce Bar in my dryer.  I think it is the best anti-static and smell good invention of all time.
    
 June, 2011 -- I've tried the recipe dry this summer and have been happy with the result; especially happy that it only takes about 5 minutes to make and then does the job just as well.  Here is the recipe: Grate two bars of Fels Naptha, then run the blade in your food processor that turns it into "powder."  It won't be quite as fine as real powdered soap, but very close.  Then add two cups of Borax and two cups of washing soda.  It only takes TWO TEASPOONS to do a large load.  I have a soup spoon that holds two teaspoons that I use to measure. -- The hardest part is thinking that two teaspoons will do the job, but it does! -- I do keep a jar of the paste kind on hand to rub into tough stains.  I live in a farming area and have a friend who says it even gets ground in cow plop out of her husbands jeans (apparently that is her toughest stain to conquer).

Welcome Summer

Today feels like the first REAL day of summer! Yesterday I cleaned house, and today has been one of those perfect weather days and a day of visiting with good friends! My dear friend, Suzanne, came visiting clear from Phoenix, AZ. Later, one of the dearest young ladies I know, Shalane, stopped in for an unexpected visit. Just a few minutes ago Zanette called and said she'd drop by this evening.  What a lovely day!

I kicked off the summer by participating in the Bijou Market last weekend , a handmade craft fair in Provo, UT.  I was flattered to be accepted as a vendor in this show and had more fun than words can tell! -- The creative portion of getting ready was great fun.  I made zipper flowers, unique handbags, and folded book sculpture. I also sold vintage earrings, and I must say they were a hit!  I would probably do this again, but I think I might love the vintage jewelry business!  The fair itself was held in a beautiful fruit orchard with the vendors stretched out among the trees. The weather was just right for shopping!

One of the founders of Bijou, Emily, is a lovely woman that I've known since she was 3 years old!  She is now a mama and her sweet baby, Hayes, was safely entrusted to us while his busy mom was supervising the fair. What a glorious day we enjoyed.

Check it out! http://www.bijoumarket.com

FIT or FITS???

Well, I've done it...joined a gym.  I HATE to exercise, but I've decided to try to improve my health and overall fitness level. I am on day two and have found that it isn't terrible after I'm there, but getting there can be a challenge. I am quite spoiled by my commute to work which involves walking across the street. Getting to the gym involves getting into my car and driving into town, about 10 miles. Needless to say, if I'm going to drive that far I ought to do any town stuff while I'm there. That means I need to take clothing to change after the workout which means I REALLY ought to shower. Yesterday I thought I had it all figured out. I took everything I needed.....except a towel.  I'm very glad that I thought through to this oversight before I was dripping wet. -- Luckily, my daughter lives in town and a quick phone call enabled be to drop by and shower at her house with one of her towels. So far I feel like I'm packing for a week-long vacation just to go to the gym.  I hope I get adept at this and figure out a better way. (Suggestions are welcome!)

The gym itself is a lovely facility designed for the over 50 crowd. I like the idea of no "sweet young things" bee-bopping around in cute little leotards.  Also, thus far, it doesn't seem to be a pick-up joint. :)  The staff seems to be knowledgeable and all are very kind. Personal service seems to be their motto. The machines are all state-of-the-art. They were made for very SENIOR citizens so are quite easy to operate, not to mention the wonderful staff on hand to assist just a moment before you know you need assistance.

Today my arms and legs ache. I hope in a week or so the pains will be gone and the beginnings of the fit feelings will begin! Wish me luck!

Fatherhood

The "Wordfull Wednesday" challenge this week is writing about fatherhood. I am a day late, but with good reason. We were welcoming a new grandson to the family!

Watching my son be a father brings great joy. It is fun to remember the day he was born and see him enjoy the deep love and blessings that come with fatherhood. This sweet baby is #2 for him, both boys.

My son Jared  and his wonderful wife are, in my opinion, practically perfect parents. They adore their children and teach them well. I love being at their house at bedtime when scriptures are read and prayers are said.

Jared had a wonderful example in his own father. I am a great believer in the adage that actions speak louder than words. My husband always had time to do whatever the children wanted/needed and he still does. Nothing on his agenda is ever more important than what is happening in the lives of the children and our youngest is 20!  This week he has traveled 120 miles (each way) to see a new grandson, worked on a HUGE remodel for a daughter, babysat for our daughter who is a single mom, and gone house hunting with our youngest who is contemplating the purchase of a fixer-uper. All of this happened beyond his regular work schedule!

The over-riding emotion attached to fatherhood is love, a love so wonderful and deep that my husband's favorite quote of all time is: "Of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that could be given him, God himself, he who is the highest of all, chose to be addressed simply as Father." (Boyd K. Packer, 1972)

Nurturing Love and Friendship in Marriage-- A pat on the back for my spouse.

For Christmas this year my Chris gave me season tickets to a musical theater that is 3 hours from home. -- Six shows all far away. The tickets came with a coupon for overnight stays each time we see a show. What a wonderful treat. Six mini-vacations. At least 6 hours of visiting with the to and fro drive each time. -- AND, the tickets are for a theater in the town where one of my dearest friends resides! She sent him a thank you note for the gift too! -- I'd say this man KNOWS how to nurture love and friendship in marriage!

Wordful Wednesday Challenge: Do you and your spouse have a song that is yours?

We do!  It will date us in a big way, but our song is “Two Less Lonely People” by  Air Supply.   I don’t know that there is any big reason this is our song, but we both liked it and were delighted to have found each other. – We still are. (It will be 30 years in June!) Whenever we hear this song we stop and dance.

This idea of songs for people, however, extends to our children. In this day and age of ringtone choices we tag our children with tunes that remind us of them for various and assorted reasons.  From time to time the tunes change, but here is the current list:

If they call Mom, this is the tune she hears:

Jared – “A Wink and A Smile” from the movie, “Sleepless in Seattle”  --- He picked it for his wedding.

Emily – “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – She is a true blue, dyed-in-the-wool, “Wizard of Oz” fan.

Anna – “He’s a Pirate” from “Pirates of the Carribean” – Loves  Jack Sparrow!  ‘nuf said.

Clark – “Superman” Theme Song – This story is a little longer. When I was expecting Clark his brother and sisters REALLY wanted us to name him Superman. As it turns out, his Great-Great and Great-Great-Great Grandfathers were both named Clark.  We appeased our older children by telling them we’d give him Superman’s REAL name (but they all know who he REALLY is).

If they call Dad, this is the tune he hears:

Jared – “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” – He loved this song when he was a two-year old. He’d dance wildly whenever it came on the radio!

Emily – “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You” – She is also a true blue, dyed-in-the-wool NSYC fan. And that is putting it mildly!

Anna – “He’s a Pirate” from “Pirates of the Carribean.” (See above.)

Clark – “Superman” by Five for Fighting

And, of course, for each other: When Chris calls me I hear “Pop! Goes My Heart,” from “Music and Lyrics.”  And, when I call Chris, “Two Less Lonely People.”  Can you tell who the romantic in our family is?

What plays when your loved ones call you??

My Family -- At Home

My family at home has changed dramatically over the last few years. The children have grown. They've gone on missions, moved out, gone to college, married, divorced ( :(  ), moved home, moved out, married ( :) ) and now our once full house is seeming rather empty. Only one son remains at home with us (well, that is he sleeps here and eats here most of the time) and since he is old enough to make any of the above mentioned choices,we'll soon join the ranks of the empty nest club.

Chris and I are the happy parents of 4 wonderful children, all of them mentioned many times previously on this blog. We are delighted with them and the good choices they are making. We love the fact that grandchildren are entering our hearts and home. ~~

We'd been married 13 1/2 months when baby #1 joined us. I remember the drive to the hospital that HOT July day in Phoenix, Arizona! I recall saying to Chris, "It will never be the same again." And, it wasn't. It was far better than we ever expected!

We are fortunate that  all of the grown children live within 3 hours of home at present. We get together often and enjoy spending time together. Some of our favorite activites are:

* playing Scrabble
* the Isaac Asimov quiz on Sunday evening
* cooking together -- and of course, eating
* reading and writing (the kids are all great writers!)
* playing "beauty shop" - the girls don't believe the boys should sport unibrows!
* playing "Name That Tune" with HUGE music collections
* popcorn and movies -- we have a theater-size popcorn machine and we LOVE it
* in the spring and summer we love to fly kites, fancy ones that look like dragons and pirate ships

Chris and I are still busy making new resolutions to find ways to re-connect with the children growing and going their own ways.  For Christmas, he gave me season tickets to WONDERFUL theater productions about 3 hours from home. We look forward to the time in the car to visit on the drive back and forth. We'll make a weekend of it when we can. We love to travel and see new places. I'm sure we'll work in some plans for something exciting in the future.

We also love to have company.... We dream of owning a bed and breakfast someday... Maybe right here at home. We'll see. Maybe someday you'll visit our fair city and stay here, at "The White Silk Purse."

Getting Ready for the Holiday Season...

I love to craft, but never quite know how to do it in small bits.  This year I decided to learn to make mittens from recycled sweaters. It has been a party at my house and we are buried in felted wool. I've made about 35 pair so far and my daughters and a few assorted friends have jumped on the bandwagon with me to make more.  We love the hunt for the sweaters and surprise of how they turn out when they are felted. -- We've accosted people at church to "compliment" them on their sweaters and add, "Is it wool????"  It is now impossible to look at a wool sweater without wondering just what it would look like felted.

The mittens are fun, but some sweaters don't quite felt right for mittens. Perhaps they are too thick or too thin. Well, they make WONDERFUL handbags! The part I like best about making purses is that you never really know what style the bag will be until the purse is done. It's kind of like the wool "speaks" and poof the purse jumps out. Now I know that sounds really strange, but it seems true as it happens.

For this holiday season felted wool is my fabric of choice.

Merry Christmas!

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Abundance..."Overflowing Fullness"

On this fine day, my birthday, it seems appropriate to speak of abundance. I am grateful for so many wonderful things and people in my life....and today I think I will name 50 of them. I will leave it to you to decide how I chose that number :)

1) A dear husband who always seems to love me no matter what.

2) My Jared. #1 son who whistles when  he wants me, married a perfect woman, and has always been a good example for his mom (and everyone else who knows him.)

3) Emily, the daughter who sticks to what she wants to do and sees a goal through to the end ... even if the going gets tough. Go Em!!!

4) Anna, the daughter who sees the bright side of all things at all times. She is the sunshine of our lives.

5) Clark, our Superman. Wise beyond his years and dedicated 1000% to what he believes.

6) Michael, Gracie and ? -- The best grandbabies any Grammy could wish for!

7) My lovely home: The White Silk Purse.

8) My brothers. Four fine men. (And their families, of course.)

9) A job I love. There is something to smile about every day.

10) Lucy, my sweet Yorkie. Hard to believe she'll be 5 years old this spring:)

11) My car. It takes me anywhere I want to go.

12) Heat.  There is snow on the ground and heat in my house.

13) Health...

14) Computers. I do remember life without, but I don't want to try it now.

15) Friends who share their talents:

16) Dottie who grows my garden.

17) Shirley who sews my clothes and knows me as well as I know me.

18) Deb who makes me cards and plays the piano for me.

19) Jackie who keeps me in cookies and plays the piano for me.

20) Kit who demonstrates the fine art of empathy.

21) Rosie who is all a good friend should be and more.

22) Mudd, my daughter shared with another mom -- my friend.

23) Books -- life would be such a bore without books.

24) My sewing machine.

25) My book club -- the conversations, the laughter, the friendship, the fun. (Em, Marie, Zanette, Christy, Felice, Shirley, Lucile, and me.)

26) Family doctors who KNOW our family. (And believe the mom.)

27) My pantry and the food therein.

28) Mousetraps and a son who empties them.

29) My iPhone.

30) Of course, the Church and every thing associated with it.

31) Great room mothers for my class.

32) Aunts and Uncles -- I want to grow up to be just like them!

33) The four seasons. I love living where the seasons change.

34) My internet "friends." I like the information and ideas gleaned and shared in cyberspace.

35) Sweaters, especially wool ones.

36) Electric blankets.

37) Spare time.

38) Meeting new people and building relationships.

39) Lists. I am such a list maker I couldn't function in life without my lists.

40) A mom who taught me how to label things. Labels keep order in my home :)

41) Paper towels -- they ought to be Brawny.

42) Abbie: Woman of patience and love. The MOST Christian person I have ever known.

43) TV, but only for the old channels and Public Television. (Perry Mason, Dick VanDyke, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, Antiques Roadshow, etc.)

44) Primary Songs -- and children to sing them.

45) The country I live in, the USA. I get to say the pledge every day. What a blessing!

46) Safety: I can walk my dog day or night and feel safe in my neighborhood.

47) The theater: I love live theater. I especially love opera and am fortunate to live near an Opera Company, Utah Festival Opera.

48) The garbage man who hauls away the trash every week.

49) Choices and the freedom to make them.

50) However many more birthdays come my way... I'm not even middle aged yet if you count from the life of my Grammy who lived to 104. Sweet!

As you can plainly see, I enjoy abundance in every area of my life. I am truly blessed. It's hard to stop once you get going with this kind of a list. I'll save more for another day.

10 Influential People

The challenge for Wordfull Wednesday this week is:

"Think about those who have had a significant influence in your life.

Besides the Savior, Heavenly Father, and your family, list ten of the most important and influential people in your life. Write the reasons why they are and have been so important to you. Some of these will be people you have known, but some might be people you have only heard of or read about." (Mary Ellen Edmunds, Peculiar in a Good Way, pg.23)



This seems a good month to think of those who have had impact on my life....I'm sure there are far more than 10 people who deserve a mention on this list. Eliminating family is hard, but please know that  they are not forgotten, just on the FAMILY LIST.


Here is my list, in no particular order.


1) Mr. Wilson, my 7th grade English and History teacher helped our class make a book.  Not just a leaflet, but a real book. It was a joke book and we all had great fun finding contributions. My mom was a good parent and good sport who typed much of the book. (This was in the days BEFORE computers were available.) -- He taught us that we could accomplish great things, that we could make plans, set goals and create a product.The book had more than 100 pages.


2) Dr. Hobbs, a professor of Elementary Education at Utah State University. When I returned to college, an "older" student with many obligations, she challenged me to do more than the run of the mill student. I loved her classes, her poise, her southern accent, and the high standards she held for all students. She taught how to strive to surpass yourself at all times. She was always prepared and held herself to the same high standards. She is a marvelous example.


3) Abbie is my next-door neighbor and a dear friend. She is the best example in the world of charity, kindness, caring and love. For many years  Abbie managed a program at USU called "Upward Bound" that assisted struggling HS students and enabled them to gain admission to a university and then supported them as they met the challenges of getting and education. She retired when her granddaughter was born and she decided to stay home and be the caregiver so her daughter in law could return to the workplace. -- When I began teaching school the granddaughter was in my first class of first  grade students (I taught 2nd before 1st). Abbie volunteered in my classroom daily. She has done so every year since. Her granddaughter will graduate from high school this year. Abbie is 85 years old. 


4) Kit sees miracles in everyday life, believes completely, and has the gift of sensing the unspoken feelings of others. She knows if you are hungry, thirsty, tired, happy, well, ill, etc. She meets the need she senses and truly loves unconditionally.


5) Carolyn Keene, author of  Nancy Drew.  Now, I know that Carolyn Keene is fictitious, but the hours spent reading about Nancy, Bess, George and their friends certainly had influence in my life. I spent hours reading of their adventures and going to marvelous places while solving mysteries in my own head.  Childhood wouldn't have been nearly as fun with out Nancy Drew.


6) Sister Stecker. Oh, how I wanted to be old enough to be in Sister Stecker's primary class!  It was in the olden days when Primary was on Wednesday afternoons after school. Sister Stecker's class got to make a Jerusalem Village with salt clay dough and chenille sticks. There were houses and stables, people and animals, and after it was made and dried, you could paint it! What patience this lady must have had! I think she taught that same class FOREVER. (When I was 12 and went to my first dance, Sister Stecker's son, Leonard, asked me to dance! The song was Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue.") -- I hope I'm half the primary teacher Sister Stecker was.


7) Judy: Judy was my mom's best friend in the town where we lived. She was always available if mom or any of mom's children needed anything! We all knew Judy's phone number as well as our own. Interestingly, I don't really remember Mom and Judy doing very many things together, but I do know that they needed each other. They are still good friends.


8) Mr. Kennington was the principal at my school for a couple of years. He was (and is) really a people person. He meets someone once and is fast friends with them. He knew the name of every child in the school within the first month of school. As marvelous as that is, he wins a spot on this list because he invited me to write an important document. The result was many thousands of dollars to support an endeavor that our city desperately needed. Prior to this I liked to write, but the experience taught me that I really liked technical writing and that I am really good at writing boring material. I appreciate his insight in helping me find a hidden talent.


9) Spencer W. Kimball, the prophet of my teen years. The beliefs we have are so directly related to what we commit to and decide to do during our teen years. Many of my strongly held beliefs are directly related to the teachings of President Kimball. I am who I am because of this man's dedication to serve.


10) Steve and Brenda are my son's in-laws. They have been great examples of grand-parenting to us as we blunder through the process. They love our son, they share their daughter, and they share our sweet grandson with us. I found out, quite by accident, that they let their sweet daughter know that it would be especially important to allow us lots of time with Michael since he was our first grandchild. I know they have made great sacrifices of time to allow us to enjoy Michael time. I continue to love them more and more each day. (They count as one because they are one -- one in purpose and one in deed.)


There you have it. 10 of the most influential people in my life. It seems that the majority of influence comes when we are young, but that we have great power to influence others when we are older. What a huge responsibility.

Six Little Words

Grammy: Best Name In The World!