Il Divo - Amazing Grace

Mary Mary - Shackles (Praise You)

Off to California!

Grandma Jayme, with Kezney and Ally, drove off to California this morning. Kezney finished 3rd grade with all A's and an H for Honor Student.  Ally graduated from Kindergarten with 100% on her final testing.  They both have worked hard all year!  Now for some fun!  My daughter gets "Grandma of the Year" award for all the fun she provides for these girls!  This is a switch for me.  In years past, I was waiting in California for their arrival.  Here I am living in Utah and saying "Goodbye".  Times they do change! 

Nothing so Fun as Christmas Party Nights!

Robin. Sarah. Natalie. Misty.  Smiles!!

Tracy!  Becky! Always put a smile on my face!

Let the party begin!

Layton Ladies Rock!

Surprise!  Christmas Carolers!

The absolute fun of a party comes with a little preparation but keeping it easy on yourself is a must.  Some tips:

• Potluck is great!  A theme such as Appetizers and Sweets. 
• Plan on providing the Christmas Punch, water and coffee.  Hot Chocolate (lots of whipped cream!)  or Hot Apple Carmel Cider is a nice alternative. 
• Christmas Punch.  Ginger Ale.  Hawaiian Punch.  Rainbow Sherbert.  Pretty punch bowl.
• Prepare a hot appetizer.  Costco meatballs with homemade Bar-B-Que sauce in crock pot is a popular (easy) dish.
• Even though it is Potluck, prepare enough foods for those who "forget" "come right from work" or miss reading Potluck on your invite flyer. 
• Have enough food on hand in spite of it being Potluck.
• Easy appetizer:  Block of Crème Cheese smothered with Raspberry Chipolte Sauce and served with wheat thins.
• A punch bowl full of ice cubes and water and lemon slices is nice alternative to bottled water (and prettier).
• Pinwheel sandwich platter from Costco.  Not much work and assures plenty of food.
• Chips and Salsa.  Easy.  You'll never go wrong!
• Shrimp tray with cocktail sauce.  (And if you don't care to keep it easy, I have my sister's fabulous Shrimp recipe I can share with you!)
• I find that lots of people bring sweets, so I tend to beef up on providing the easy appetizers rather than sweets.
• Lots of food on hand!
• A game!  Everyone brings wrapped gift.  Draw a number.  Choose a gift.  or steal a gift from someone.  Make sure there is stealing to make it fun!  The laughter will fill the room.
  
• A fun wrapping for your gift:  Print out pictures from your last year's party.  Use as wrapping paper tied with a big red bow. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Always have an extra wrapped gift on hand.  Invariably there will be someone who forgets to bring a gift.
• Lots of food on hand!
• Christmas music softly playing.  Even with conversations going on, add so much atmosphere.
• More games,ice breakers.  Depending on your crowd.
• Read the Christmas Story from Luke.  Preface this with some Old Testament Prophecies fulfilled in the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It's why we are here.  Celebrating "For unto us a child is born...."
• Christmas Carolers coming to the door is such a nice surprising touch your guests will not forget.
• A basket full of hand crèmes (or other appropriate gift) is a nice touch.  Hand them out as guests are leaving and you are thanking them for coming.
• Christmas Party! Easy Peasy!

Movie Ladies Kicking Up Some Fun!





We've now been together for a year!





Monday Ladies! Together since September! 









Dinner Together Mondays













Valley





L



we are in love with her!

 This precious and beautiful girl at 11 months and one month later on February 8th!  She is one year old.  Our beautiful great granddaughter, Mila Grace! xoxo 

Where would you rather be living?

praying for mila and ally from head to toe

HEAD

My daughters, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.—Proverbs 2:1–8 (NIV)

EYES

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.—Proverbs 4:25–27 (NIV)

MOUTH

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.—Proverbs 10:11 (NIV)

HEART

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.—Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

HANDS

Diligent hands will rule.—Proverbs 12:24 (NIV)

FEET AND LEGS

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.—Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

I am committed to praying for Mila and Ally and from head to toe. 

based on  Legacy of Prayer by Jennifer Kennedy dean

jayme and her mama

This is the year!

One of my favorite sites is sweet blessings where she has so many practical projects, plans, products, etc.  Much of this is taken from www.swtblessings.com and then I incorporated my own twist for the year.



This year I want to.......

love BIG, seek God first, live less out of habit and more out of intention, listen intently, daily spend time in the Word, choose with no regret, play with abandon, choose a narrow path, EMBRACE CHANGE, own my mistakes, be brave enough to start a conversation that matters, try new things, see the good, look for the good, challenge myself, forgive more readily, guard my time, let kindness rule, learn something new, look for the best in others, ask for help, be GRATEFUL, assume the best, dream BIG, give lavishly, celebrate tiny victories, write more letters, give myself grace, give others grace, be present, donate often, spread kindness, eat less junk, drink more water, consistent in gym experience, give away more than I receive, scatter joy, do unto others, look for and SEE the people God places in my path, DWELL, give the benefit of the doubt, not be anxious about anything, rejoice always, read more books, invite women into my home:  for meal, for fellowship, for fun, for escape from the mundane, for a movie night, for examining a bible verse, for coffee, for tea, for a refuge, to hear about Jesus.  make friends in my new environment, meet more neighbors, walk more, be intentional about my health, appreciate my dutchman, invest my time in ally and mila and kezney and Frankie and brooklin and marshall, cry less, laugh more, memorize scripture, linger in prayer.....







Our kids!  So blessed!  Jayme and James and the grandkids and great grandkids! 

2016

2016

A New Year...in many ways, a new life!  No longer living in California.  Jobs have changed.  No longer in my home where I loved to entertain.  No longer ten minutes from my sister, whom I love to spend time with.  No longer at  People's Church, which holds the dearest of memories.  (Thankful for podcasting)  No longer sitting out on my flowering patio in January!  No more orange blossom smells permeating the entire house. No more Tuesday Night Ladies Bible Study in my home.  No more coffee afternoons with any of my bff's or weekend retreats.  No longer down the street from my gym.  No longer a couple hours drive to the coast, my favorite spot on the planet!  And a whole lot more in changes.  Change.  Transition. Difficult. Hard. Sometimes very hard.

Yet, so many blessings! The greatest is our kids!  They all live 15 to 20 minutes away!  Time with them, priceless!  There is nothing like Jayme calling and asking to come over and cook us dinner.  Or Jayme's call asking if we will be up at 6:00 a.m. so she can come over for coffee.  And nothing like Ally's Saturday overnights.  Nothing like conversations and time with Shannon,  Settling in and becoming content with this home. A new church. Part of a small group of some wonderful people.  An excellent children's program at Washington Height's and Ally loving it!  Watching Mila take her first steps.  Christmas Eve with the family gathered at our home.  Kezney, Frankie, Brooklin and Marshall close enough to now be in their lives.  New friends.  New life.  Let's see what 2016 holds. 

Isaiah 43:

"Behold, I am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you perceive it? 

 I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert."'



Lord, I confess my lack of expectancy for fresh experiences of You.  Your power.  Your truth.  Your intervention.  I am looking forward to a year of watching You move, as only You can, in my life,  in my home, in my family.



Now if I could just figure out how to manipulate this computer and get back to posting pictures on my blog.  For some time now I have not been able to download any pictures on my posts.  The only picture is under the Header and it is huge!  Something's wrong here....

A Season of Changes!  Some major, some minor.  Nonetheless, changes can be unsettling.  They can also be exciting.  And fun.  And hard. And riddled with anxiety and stress.  A few things happening around here include: 

• We sold our house!  Put it on the market this spring.  A week ago Friday I came home to the Dutchman packing.  He said "it's going to sell this weekend!"  and after an Open House on Saturday, it sold on Sunday.
• We will be moving  850 miles away - California to Utah.  This California girl sees this as big change!  California has been good to me.  And then there's"  How can I possibly leave my sister?!
• Still working, which is a change from previous years, since I am a seasonal employee. Seven months so far.  It's good. 
• Training and a new job this year.  Very difficult to learn.  Humbling.  A season of concentration and tears. It felt as though they were speaking Yugoslavian - a language I've never spoken!  They say it takes about 3 years to really learn it.  And now I am leaving!  Maybe I will have same job in my new home state.  I am just not ready to give up working yet.
• My Ally came for her summer visit and was with us for four weeks!  Wonderful!  If not tiring, since I was working throughout her stay. That meant  4:00 a.m. mornings.   Four year old children have a LOT of energy and want to play! play! play!  I love to play! play! play!  Lots of opportunity with my Ally and Mila and the other kids when we move.  Yes.  Many things to look forward to.

The changes don't end with this.  But certainly that is enough for me to even think about now.  And through it all, HE is always there!  My God never changes.  He is the same Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!  His faithfulness is my shield and rampart. 

this recipe is for the best sweet 'n sour crockpot beans you'll ever eat!

This recipe is for the best pot of beans you will ever eat - thank you Alleen Bock!  One look at the beautiful cooked beans and your mouth will be watering.  However, you will just have to take my word for it.  For some reason, blogger is not letting me download pictures.  So no step by step photo recipe today.  Since it was so popular at our Christmas Eve party and so many have asked for the recipe,  I decided to post it without pictures. 

Alleen  Bock’s Sweet ‘n Sour Beans 

8 Bacon Strips – Dice

2 Medium onions.  Cut in ½ and slice thinly

1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

½ Cup Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Mustard
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Can (28) oz) Baked Beans (do not drain)
1 Can (16 oz) Kidney Beans (rinse and drain)

1 Can (15 ½ oz) Pinto Beans
1 Can (15 ½ oz) Lima Beans
1 Can (15 ½ ox) Blackeyed Peas

Start in skillet.  Cook bacon.  Save 2 Tablespoons of drippings.  Sautee onion in drippings.

Add Brown Sugar – and all ingredients. 
Bring to a boil.

Then, put in slow cooker and add beans.  Cook 3 – 4 hours.

Serves 15 – 20 people.  (I often double the recipe, if your crockpot can handle it)

change

working on changing the face of this blog and the timeliness in posting.  this photo is precious to me.  these are the siblings mentioned in "more about me".  the year is probably 1956.  location is 619 5th street north, wahpeton north dakota.  daniel looks a bit bored.  charlene still had some of her beautiful blonde curls.  david was the baby and we were all crazy about him. me. four eyes.  from 6 years old on I was completely dependent on those glasses!  (or some such vision correction)  until January of 2014 that is.  cataract surgery and lens implants changed my life.  I do not even use reading glasses any longer. how does it make me feel?  like superwoman.  like I can take on the world.  give me any task and just watch me keep up with you. and that is just what I did this past year. ha!  youthful.  that is what it feels like.  with the exception of a few incidents such as:

• leaving a restaurant in riverpark.  dutch and I walking along and holding hands  suddenly we hear two teenage girls behind us say "look at those two old people.  aren't they cute.  holding hands!"  of course, we quickly looked around for the two cute old people holding hands. couldn't find them anywhere.
• or this one:  first visit with my new dentist.  examines my mouth and says "hope my teeth are as good as yours when I am your age" well, he was a kid, I have to admit.  probably out of dental school no more than fifteen years.
• hair color.  yes hair color.  almost tried to go with out coloring.  not a pretty sight.  so got that out of my system pretty doggone quickly.

and the list could go on.  maybe I will embellish at a future date.  For now, I will leave you with this thought: 
"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."  Isaiah 46:4

putting my week in perspective

Me: God, can I ask you a question?

God: Sure.

Me: Promise you won't get mad.

God: I promise.

Me: Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?

God: What do you mean?

Me: Well, I woke up late.

God: Yes.

Me: My car took forever to start.

God: Okay.

Me: At lunch they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait.

God: Huummm.

Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call.

God: All right.

Me: And on top of it all, when I got home I just wanted to soak my feet in my new foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?

God: Let me see, the Death Angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.

Me: (humbled): OH...

GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.

Me: (ashamed): Oh...

God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.

Me: (embarrassed): Ok...

God: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered.

Me: (softly) I see, God.

God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw outall of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in thedark.

Me : I'm sorry, God.

God: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.....in all things, the good and the bad.

Me: I will trust you.

God: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan.

Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.

God: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God, and I love looking after my children

this little girl and her cousin have made july 2014 a great summer!

  More photos to come soon. 
Ally, 3 1/2 and her cousin, Kezney, 6 years old, came to California.  It was glorious!  Their visit included a trip to Disneyland that will never be forgotten.  We had the time of our lives.  More pictures in about a week!  \

sisters

There is no better friend than a sister. And there is no better sister than you.

quail and the hawk

this quail family used to frequently stop by for a meal

 

We have always had lots of birds in our neighborhood and that included quail.  In fact, once in a while we would pull out of the driveway and stop before reaching the end of the block - to let a parade of quail cross the street, taking their own sweet time to safely arrive on the other side.  Lately we've been wondering where all the quail went.  the hawk!  Now it's not that uncommon for him to swoop down and prey upon our birds.  But this, sadly, is more than we would have predicted.  Yesterday he was perched high in our neighbor's tree and was making quail calls.  Seriously!  Did you know hawks mimic quail?  That was a first for us. In fact, I would not have believed it if I had not heard him.  Sneaky creature, no wonder they have disappeared.

 

saturday at home

 temperatures in the 70's and it's only February!  a day spent outdoors since there is lots of yard work to be done!  must have picked 200 grapefruit and there's still more.  so sweet this year!

hidden in the picture are doves - we've been listening to mating calls all day. they mate for life.

always have to have flowers in the house.  these tulips will soon lose their bloom for the year but how I have enjoyed them.

 



picture reflects a little of our home - candles, candy:  always have it out, even if I no longer eat it!  bible open and glasses on the couch  where the Dutchman has been in the early morning.  flowers.  single rose in a bottle given to me by a young woman I chatted with in line at walgreens the other day.  puts a smile on my face.