Epilogue...

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog. Maybe I'll start another one....who knows, but in the meantime, this one's going to print. I hope you will remember some of my words and maybe read them to the next generation. It was fun writing them. ~ NLP

California time...

One day I was preparing to go to Primary and I had a contraction. No way, I thought. This baby isn't due for two more weeks. So I went to the church and every ten minutes or so I would have another contraction. By the time we arrived home, I decided it was time to go to the hospital. That night a sweet baby girl was born at 10:00pm California time. My doctor asked me what we were going to name her and I said, "Kimberly"...he said, "No, she's an Amy"....So, Amy is her name. She is the typical middle child, very quiet, the peacemaker. She is still loved as much as that first day 37 years ago. Happy birthday, Amy, I am so proud of you and love you so much!!

Pitocin

Thirty years ago today, I was hooked up to pitocin in order to induce labor so my husband could leave town...can't remember why. But, four hours later a baby boy came into the world. When he popped out, the nurse gasped. "Oh no!! What's wrong??," I thought. But the nurse said, "Why, he's the cutest baby I've ever seen!!" No kidding!! He was a very active boy, burning off every calorie I could put in him. Being the youngest of our five children, he was sometimes tormented, but he was loved very much. He grew up to be very musically talented, very athletic, and very fun!! and yes, he's still very cute!! I'm so proud to be his mom. I love you son!!

New Year

It's now January 2011!! The past year has seen many changes in our lives. Our children are spread out now from the east coast to the west coast and we rely on Skype, emails, text messages and cell phones to keep in touch with each other. Change is a hard pill to swallow. We miss the children and grandchildren that we don't see as often. We love having our son and daughter-in-law close by so we can interact with them and watch their three little girls grow and develop. We are blessed to be near our aging parents. Change gives us challenges to overcome and decisions that make us stronger. I want my husband, my children and grandchildren to know that I will love them forever.....and that's a long, long time!!

The new son...

Thirty-nine years ago, my husband left town for three days on business. I assured him our baby would be born while he was gone. He didn't agree, so off he went. At 1:00am that morning, I awoke with contractions. My mother-in-law took me to the hospital and our baby was born that afternoon. When I called my husband to inform him he had a new son, his response was "of course I do". "No, really!!" I exclaimed. He really thought I was teasing him, so I had him speak to the nurse who convinced him, that yes, he did have a new son. That son has never ceased to amaze us. He's talented, smart, funny, and an all-around great guy. I love you, son!! and always will!!

"The Night Before Christmas...a grandparents tale"

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The house was decked out, the porch lit up bright,
We’d put up our feet for a long silent night.

When, out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
We sprang from our chairs to see what was the matter.
Away to the window we flew like a flash,
Tore open the blinds and looked through the glass.

The moon on the crest of our driveway below
Gave a luster supplied by electrical glow.
When, what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But three mini-vans, a Honda, and a Suburban out there!

More rapid than beagles the grandchildren came,
And we whistled and shouted and called them by name:
Now Jared! Now Nathan! Now Jacob & Ben!
On Ali, On Tyler, On Kaelie Christine!

Come Natalie, Ashley, Emma & Katelyn!
Andrew & Avery & Audrey Lurleen!
To the top of the porch to the top of the hall,
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
So up to the house the children they flew,
With Toby & Molly, the grand-dogs, too!

They were dressed in pajamas from their heads to their feet,
And they begged us for candy and other sweet treats,
A bundle of toys we had hidden out back
And we brought it all out fearing frontal attack.

Their eyes—how they twinkled! Their dimples, how merry!
Their cheeks were like roses, their noses like cherries!
Their droll little mouths were drawn up like bright bows,
And their faces lit up like candles aglow!

They were chubby and plump, like good little elves,
And we laughed when we saw them, in spite of ourselves.
They opened their gifts and filled up their bellies
That shook when they laughed, like bowls full of jelly.

Then they sprang to their feet, as their parents gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like a guided missile,
And we heard them exclaim, ‘ere they drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

~ Christmas 2008

Two from Galilee

I just finished reading the book "Two From Galilee" by Marjorie Holmes. I read this book many years ago and have decided I will read it again every year at Christmas time. Not only does it tell the beautiful Christmas story, but it also describes the difficulties faced by Mary and Joseph as they traveled to Bethlehem and prepared for the birth of the baby Jesus. "No room in the inn," they were told. Surely God would provide a place for His son to be born. Surely the baby would not be born in a lowly stable. Surely God would not require the same pains of birth for His son. Surely that which began as a miracle would end in a miracle. Surely angels would lift her up and spare her the agony of birth. 'But, alas, he came forth out of Mary, his mother, and Joseph held him up for her to see. And they looked upon him together and marveled at him, his wholeness, infinitely small and red and perfectly formed. And when he squirmed in Joseph's arms and uttered his first cry, the thrill of all mankind ran through both of them, for this was life, human life, and they knew that indeed a miracle had been achieved.'

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2: 11

The Tumbleweed Christmas Tree

The following is a true story...

“Don’t expect too much for Christmas this year,” we heard our daddy say as we sat on the sofa listening. “We don’t have a whole lot of money and we don’t want you to be disappointed in the morning.” I was 12 at the time, my sister was 13. Our younger brothers were 9, 8, 4, 2, and a new baby. The year was 1960. Dad was a homebuilder and a recession had taken its toll on the economy. He was working hard to save his business and provide for his growing family.

Mama had found a huge tumbleweed that had blown up against our house and had brought it inside, sprayed it with white paint, and hung blue lights and shiny silver balls on it. That was our Christmas tree.

On Christmas Eve, we read from the Bible about the birth of the baby Jesus; and then we went to bed, but not with visions of sugarplums in our heads. Our anticipation of Christmas morning was filled with little hope that there would be much under the “tree”. Daddy had told us that no one was to get out of bed before 6:00am, so we snuggled under our covers for the night.

At 5:00am, we were awakened by the sound of bells and someone running up and down the hall singing, “Jingles Bells” at the top of his lungs. “Wake up, wake up,” Daddy was shouting excitedly. “Come and see what Santa has brought.” We jumped out of bed and ran out into the hall in our pajamas. Daddy lined us up, youngest to oldest, and led us into the living room where our tumbleweed tree was shining with bright lights. Underneath it, we found ice skates for me and my sister and inexpensive toys for our brothers. Mama had made us new dresses and new shoes were unwrapped. Our stockings were full of homemade candy, cookies and fruit. No children on earth were as excited as we were. We watched as mama and daddy opened the gifts we had made them in school. Tears came to their eyes as they watched their children hug their gifts to their hearts.

We didn’t get much for Christmas that year, but we received a whole lot more. We learned to have a grateful heart, a generous spirit, and to treasure the love of a family.

The next year, daddy sat us all down again and announced, “Now, don’t expect too much for Christmas this year….” And we looked at each other and smiled.

Example

"Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." ~ St. Francis

Double Yum Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 - spice cake mix
1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 - pkg chocolate chips

Mix together and drop by tablespoon on sprayed cookie sheet.
Bake @ 350 for 12-15 minutes or until firm.

Cool completely.

Pudding

This morning at church, I noticed our grandson was guarding his scripture bag closely. I thought, "How sweet that he loves his scriptures so much!!" Shortly after that, he opened his bag and inside were his Matchbox cars!! It reminded me of the time I begged my husband to go with me to an organ recital. He carried his scripture bag into the church, but during the recital I noticed his bag contained a Tom Clancy novel he was reading. Lots of things appear to be quite different on the outside than what they really are on the inside.

Take my house, for instance. I've always thought I had a pretty clean place, but the past month, I've been packing, cleaning, spackling, and painting. Once the bareness was exposed, the house had lots of scars. Another grandson, threw open a door the other day at his house and put a dent in the wall. Of course, his parents were not happy. He just looked at them and said, "Well, dad, you can just put some pudding in it!!" I'm assuming he meant "putty". As I've been patching up the house, I've thought how great it would be if we could just put some "pudding" in our own scars and make things all better. We all have scars that we've gathered along the way. An unkind word, a snub, an offense, just little knicks and scratches, but too often, we don't smooth things out and get on with our lives. We keep looking at those scars and feeling bad and they don't get any better. In fact, they get worse. Maybe that "pudding" is really a balm of forgiveness, understanding and love. We can find the recipe in our scriptures bags.

Fabric of our lives...

I just took a trip down memory lane as I was going through baskets of fabric. I used to sew quite a bit, not so much any more, but as I picked up each piece of left over fabric I would remember what I had used it for. As I discovered a piece of black and white checked flannel, I remembered the jumper I made our teenage daughter. To avoid her disappointment when she realized it was homemade, I took a GAP tag out of an old t-shirt and sewed it on the jumper. I wasn't as smart as I thought. She knew it wasn't from the GAP, who was I kidding? Another piece of fabric was from the dresses I made our two younger daughters for their older sister's wedding. Fabric from Christmas dresses and baby quilts. A lifetime of memories. I've heard it said before, "She who dies with the most fabric wins!!" I think I'm in contention for 1st place.

Technology

I wonder if Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin and others knew what they were starting. Did they know that someday people would be so dependent upon electricity that we would go into withdrawal without it? Case in point, I switched internet providers and while registering over the phone, my cell phone battery died. I took my blood pressure medicine while it was charging. I was beyond frustrated and I stopped to realize how addicted I am to all my gadgets. We take every modern convenience for granted and when we are deprived of them for any amount of time, we freak out!! At least, I do!! As for me, I'm about ready to join the Amish. Their lives seem so simple. So free from the craziness we inflict upon ourselves. Modern technology is wonderful, but at what cost? Oops, I gotta go, I just received a text message.

Music

I've been singing for as long as I can remember. My sister and I have sung together since we were very young. Our family reunion was held every summer and included a talent show. We would sing together accompanied by our uncle on his guitar. Grandpa also played the piano and his harmonica. My sister sang the melody and I sang harmony. We sang at retirement homes, church programs, and when we were older, funerals and weddings. When I was eight years old, my dad put a new roof on a home owned by the local piano vendor. Instead of payment, he brought home a brand new piano. I learned to play and accompanied my sister and I as we sang. When I was 14, I was the pianist for the junior Sunday School and when I was older I learned to play the organ as well. Music has been a huge part of my life whether singing lullabies to my children or just singing in the shower. It has shaped my life and defined who I am. I know I have passed my love for music on to my children and hopefully my grandchildren. Music is eternal...

The Plan

Yesterday I attended an awards ceremony where former BYU football coach Lavell Edwards was the guest speaker. He talked about how we won't succeed at anything if we don't have a plan. Then today, we attended a conference broadcast from the Marriott Center at BYU. The speakers were Elder Holland, Sister Beck, and President Packer. Excellent talks on how to have a plan that will take us back to our Father in Heaven. In that plan we should never rely on our previous testimony, but should renew our testimony every day. The Lord is voting for us, the devil is voting against us and we make the final decision. Faith is the key to spiritual survival in these latter-days. Having a plan will keep us on the right path, the one that will lead us back to our heavenly home.

Clam Chowder

Today I went with my sister-in-law to her family's cabin in the mountains. The elevation there is 9,000 feet. The temperature was 40 degrees when we arrived. The leaves are changing colors and it was a beautiful sight, with white barked aspen trees, pine and oak trees. The air had a crispness to it and made us look forward to the coming fall weather. I immediately thought of clam chowder, one of our favorite fall meals. I'm going to have to make some tomorrow. Maybe you should, too!!

Clam Chowder:
4 cups diced potatoes (I cheat and use frozen hash browns)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans minced clams
Simmer together until soft.
Make sauce:
2 sticks butter
1 cup flour
Melt butter and stir in flour to form a roux
Stir in one quart half and half. Stir continuously until thickened.
Add 2-3 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper
Add to potatoes, etc. Stir and serve.

Zucchini, meeny, miney, moan.....

A man had an out-of-town visitor and had taken him to visit many local places of interest. The final day of his visit was on a Sunday and so he was invited to go to church. After they had parked, the man made sure he had locked his car. The visitor asked him why he had locked his car since he hadn't locked it at any of the other places they had visited. Surely he didn't need to lock his car in the church parking lot! The man turned to his visitor and said, "If I don't lock my car, I come out and it's full of zucchini."

Zucchini meeny, miney, moe. Plant a seed and watch it grow.
Eeny, meeny, makes a lot. Like a magic cooking pot.
Eeny, meeny, munch a lot. Zucchini every meal you've got:
Zucchini bread, zucchini spread, zucchini casseroles,
Zucchini pies, zucchini fries, zucchini dinner rolls.
Zucchini juice, zucchini mousse, zucchini jam and scone.
Zucchini hash, and succotash, zucchini, meeny miney, moan.
(From the book, "Busy in the Garden" by George Shannon)

Zucchini Bread
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour

Mix together and pour into greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350.

Baby sea turtles

Last night our son and his three young daughters were walking along the beach when someone told them to be careful where they were stepping because baby sea turtles were making their voyage from their nest to the ocean. Our son took some video with his phone and emailed it to us. (You gotta love modern technology!!). We were able to watch the little turtles as they followed their instincts and made their way to the sea. If they don't make it to the water, they can be eaten by seagulls or other animals. Statistics show that only 1% of the baby turtles make it to the sea. So, it was a great victory to see the little turtles swimming in the water. We could draw lots of parallels to their plight and apply them to our own lives, but sometimes it's enough just to enjoy the miracles that are around us.

Happy Birthday Nannette!!

On August 12, 1969, I became a mother. An 8 lb. baby girl was born at Utah Valley Hospital and placed in my arms. Her skin was pink and she had peach fuzz for hair. We didn't have a name for her since my husband had insisted for 9 months that she was a boy. We decided on the name Nannette. Today she is the mother of four boys and she is a beautiful, intelligent and wonderful woman. I am so blessed to be her mother. Happy Birthday, Nannette!! I am so proud of you and love you so much!!

"There are no birds in last year's nest..."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the phrase "there are no birds in last year's nest". Every spring, the birds build a new "home". They never return to last year's nest, and so it should be with us. Past sorrows, regrets, and hardships should be left behind as we move on to new opportunities that await us. It does us no good to dwell on the past, but we should concentrate on the future by building a new nest and looking forward to a brighter future.