Easter 2021

I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of Him I know I will see loved ones again. Recently, "My Heritage" website has made a tool to animate photos that are uploaded to their site. My son Steven passed away at 3 weeks old and I have very few photos of him and no videos. So it's been fun to see a small animation of him. Likewise, it reminds me of knowing I will see him again.

 Random  Photos...

My brother Adam had an unexpected open heart surgery. Everything has gone well. We continue to pray for him.

Found this photo of me and my siblings. 

It's the early 80's I believe.

and this one 1959

Scoot & Locke celebrating St Patrick's Day...

Grandad snoozing with Benjamin.

I planted tulip bulbs from Angie in the Fall and they came out beautifully.

April Fool's Joke...nasty!

Ready for General Conference.

Me too!

Easter Bunny brought some exciting things.

***Happy Easter***

May we all 

have hope and peace in Christ.

"When Jesus suffered for our sins and weaknesses, died on the cross, and rose again, the Savior rewrote humanity’s story. Because of Him, we do not have to deal with our frailties, sins, and fears alone. Because of Him, death is not the end. Resurrection will come to all who have ever lived. Because of Him, families can be together forever. Because of Him, guilt becomes peace, regret becomes relief, and despair becomes hope. We are given second chances, clean slates, and new beginnings. Because of Jesus Christ, we celebrate Easter. And Easter is all about peace and hope." 

~Russell M Nelson

January & February Happenings

Here it is March 1st and my resolution of blogging monthly has already been broken but here are a few things that I'll report on so far this year...

I got my haircut and the hairdresser said that all my color is about grown out. It has taken over a year to go officially gray.

We celebrated our 38th Wedding Anniversary 29th January

This is a coat of arms my dad had in some of his genealogy. I don't know if this is something official or made up later.

These are two featherweight sewing machines that my mother had. I wish I knew more history about them. She kept good care of them.

I've been sewing with the black one. This is an old project that I started years ago and never finished. I'm so glad its finished now. Finding these machines has given me motivation to do some quilting.

I found an old quilt that is beyond repair so I made this centerpiece to put on the table for St Patrick's Day decor.

I've been wanting to do a photo display of ancestor's for a while. Dave put up these ledges and so this is it. It feels so good to have some pictures on the wall.

Here's cute Benjamin with a new haircut.

Scoot & Locke making a big train track...

Rootstech was totally streamed live this year. Saturday was the church's "Discovery Day" where a general authority speaks and its always real special. This year Elder & Sister Holland spoke of their experiences growing up in Southern Utah...

The best take away was his message of love and how the power of doing family history can strengthen and heal us in a most profound way...

“Now hear me out on this crucial point: I promise you that it is [through] engaging in our personal family history, and the temple experience it leads to, that we discover the reality of our eternal relationship as brothers and sisters in the family of God. 

“That great realization can repair family rifts, if there be any. It can heal bruised hearts, if there be any. And it can unify otherwise strained relationships, if there be any — all in an undeniably powerful way. 

“If we understood this truth, how much better we would treat one another, how we would lift up hands that hang down and strengthen feeble knees. Let’s not just call each other ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ — let’s show one another what it means when we realize we are one big eternal family.”~Jeffrey R Holland

I came away from Rootstech feeling that I need to tell more of what I know in my family history so that the ordinary stories won't be lost. Sometimes I think we think that our stories have to be extraordinary to tell. Even though the extraordinary is important, sometimes it's the small and simple things are okay to record.

Fun Over the Holidays

 Even though we didn't have all our children home at Christmas, we were able to see them soon after. We spent Christmas Eve with Angie, Edward, Scoot & Locke and with Jake, Lauren & Benjamin. Then Carson & McKenna visited after the New Year, Also Jessica came. Dave and I also went to Savannah, Georgia and visited with my sister Martha & brother-in-law Hugh who were visiting my nephew Tommy and his wife Jacqui and kids.

Having fun with grandkids

Singing time

Eating time

Pinching time

with Santa at Bass Pro Shop

Cookies...yum, yum!

Decorating...ready for Santa.

Tommy, Hugh, Martha, Jacqui & family

Downtown Savannah, Georgia

The Port 

Checking out the pier

Fried pickles

 We can't pass up Mexican cuisine

Mi Casita's with Carson & McKenna

Jake & Benjamin

Special gift painted by McKenna

Caroline & Jess masking up

In spite of the conditions in the world, we feel extremely blessed. I like the quote from the Christmas Devotional this year from the church by Elder Brent H Nielson.

 “My hope during this Christmas season is that no matter our circumstances, no matter where we are, and no matter how we may be separated from family or friends, we will remember that He, the Savior Jesus Christ, is the gift”