Christmas Memories

I've been entering Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Christmas Countdown Giveaway this week and the prompt was, "What was your most memorable Christmas gift as a child".  

Perfect timing!  Just last night I was sharing with the family, as we returned from our Caroling, While Delivering Pumpkin Bread activity, my memory of this HORRIBLE little doll I received one year.  She was frightening, to say the least. 

If you don't believe me...click on the link below and watch the commercial for Baby Laugh-a-Lot

My Most Memorable Christmas Present
(excuse the swear word at the top of the YouTube title)

What were my parents thinking?  Did they really think it was cute and funny and that I would love it?  Or did they think I was rather sad and needed some cheering up?  Or did they think it was funny and would make a great practical joke?  I have no idea! 

I put the thing in the back of my closet and would hear it randomly cackle if something fell on it.  My happiest day was when I realized the batteries had coroded in the back and the doll could no longer LAUGH MANIACALLY for what was probably just half a minute or so, but what felt like hours.

Parents - take note.....practical jokes are fun and funny, scary dolls are not!

In Memory

My Uncle, Hans Dammaschke passed away this morning, Sunday, November 8, 2009.

He was a good man with a big heart and laugh to match.  He was interested in other's lives and stories and always enjoyed putting a good spin on a story if he could.

When I was a little girl I was alternatively fascinated and frightened by him.  He seemed larger than life and I was a timid child who watched from the sidelines while he jumped in with both feet and pulled everyone around him into the action with him.

Hans was my Boss for a couple of summers.  He ran the Amusement Ride Concession for Murray Park in the early to mid 70's.  I don't remember exactly how old I was.  Somewhere between 14 and 16.  I was old enough to know that his Corvette was Cool and I was Not.  Old enough to understand that I didn't know how to get the boys to look at me, Not cool enough to know what to say to them if they actually did look at me. 

We had Airplanes, Mini-Go-Karts, a Merry-go-Round and a Ferris Wheel (although I was never allowed to run the ferris wheel if we had paying passengers). 

I found this picture online.  It is from the University of Utah Library Archives.  This picture was taken in the 60's, so some things had changed by the time Hans got the lease for the concession.

Murray City Park Amusement Rides

Hans is my mother's youngest brother.  I know she will miss him.  It has been fun to watch her establish a good friendship with her siblings and their spouses over the years.    I wish I were closer so I could be there to lend her some support through this coming week and to share a hug. 

Finished!

Wow!

I'm not sure I would have started this project if I'd known
#1)  I was going to start working
#2)  I was going to get sick last week and not feel like sewing (let alone thinking)

However, it was fun learning how to do it and now I have all the little "ISSUES" worked out for next time (if there is a next time).

Our Gift to Brittany and Baby

(Sue, Emily, Emily & Alaina - thanks girls for letting me play with this idea

and being willing to share the cost of the fabric with me). 

In case you can't tell --- It's a lined Baby Sling!

We saw on her registry that she was interested in receiving a baby carrier.  I poked around online and found some good tutorials and thought it would be fun and interesting to learn how to make a sling.

I loved "wearing" Alaina in her infant sling when she was a baby and she loved it too so I am a big supporter of BabyWearing.  I think it's good for the baby and good for the mother.

Lessons learned:

#1)  The fabric is really cute together,

but lining the sling with this fabric makes it a little on the heavy side

and it is too much fabric for the regular size rings. 

I should have either made it with one fabric OR gotten larger rings.

#2)  The tail is too short for a pocket! 

This makes it very difficult to adjust the sling as the baby gets larger. 

Also, the pocket adds even MORE fabric which makes it even MORE difficult to adjust the sling.

YIKES! 

Brittany may have to remove the pocket.

(even if it did turn out pretty darn cute).

#3)  Now I know what I'm doing,

so IF I decide to try making another one

it will go much faster and easier

and I will definitely not trust the websites that say 72" is long enough.

Initially, I thought the sling would be a breeeeeze to make and felt silly having one sling be a gift from four of us so I picked up some flannel that will be cute with the bedding Brittany is registered for and made her a receiving blanket and matching burpies. 

I've seen a couple of receiving blankets (and quilts) done with the edges all frayed and worn  and thought they look kind of cute and updated....fun for a boy too....ya know, a little more messy.

I probably should have washed it one more time before I packaged it up....but time got in the way.

I hope the baby shower is lots of fun.

You should be able to click on the pics to see them a little bit larger.

By the way - if you are interested in making a sling - this is the site that had the best tutorials.

http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/index.html

Happy Halloween

Alaina loves HALLOWEEN!

She loves ALL Holidays (as you can tell if you ever read her blog)

She loves coming up with amazing and unique costumes

This year she decided to be someone living out of their briefcase

I wish I knew how to get better pictures of all the little details that she put into this

Click on the pictures to see them bigger

Then try to figure out all the fun items she included

Who ever comments with the most accurate list gets a prize!

(tbd)

Sami even tolerates getting dressed up for Halloween

She sits in the living room with us while we pass out candy to all the trick-or-treaters who stop by

I enjoy decorating for fall.

Alaina likes to kick it up a notch and decorate for Halloween.

This year we didn't get pumpkins

(I was sick, Rob was too busy)

Instead of Jack-o-Lantern's

Alaina put out hanging lanterns along the walkway

She added bats and cobwebs to the wreath on the front door

(excuse the sideways picture, somehow Blogger rotated it and I don't feel like messing with it tonight)

Cute pumpkins and Cobwebs add to the ambience

Yes, that IS a Haunted Castle hanging in my house with a large Snake guarding the stairs

Why do you ask?

This little guy used to hold candy for trick-or-treaters 

Alaina decided he needed to be a little more Rock & Roll

Dead Roses are the final crowning touch to the

Decor of the Day

We got many compliments on our house

and passed them all on to Alaina

when she got home from trick-or-treating with her friends

I wonder what our house will look like next year when a certain someone isn't here to decorate for us?

A New Hobby for ME

I've wanted to try digital scrapbooking for a long time.  I had myself convinced that I needed to purchase Just The Right Software - and had no idea what that was. 

I'd read reviews online, I'd ask the young moms in the ward what they were using. 

I never felt like I had the extra $$$ needed to buy the "recommended" software so I never moved forward.

This morning I was browsing around DigitalScrapbookPlace and discovered (in the tutorials) that I can use Microsoft Digital ImagePro (which, unfortunately, has been discontinued) for digital scrapbooking! 

Hallelujah! 

I don't have to spend $50 (or more) on software because I've been using ImagePro for years and years.  It's my go to Photo Editor and I know how to use it
and
I love it.

I got a free download (love, love, love Gifts!) for registering with Digital Scrapbook Place which included background paper and fun elements.

I am pleased to present my very first digital layout. 

in case you can't read the text it says ...

After a cool and rainy summer, it was nice to have some warm days as Alaina kicked off her senior year.  She has always loved being able to take advantage of opportunities to read outside.

Photo Fun

Our Artist

as art

Our TechGuy

in technology

Try your own at PhotoFunia

Happy Birthday

Eighteen years ago today, we welcomed Alaina Luise into our family, our home and our hearts. We have been charmed with her since day one and will continue to be throughout eternity. How glad I am that we have eternity with our family.

Alaina, there are so many things that I love about you.  I love your personality, your wit, your imagination and creativity, your intelligence, your sensitivity, your loyalty, the unflappable way you control your destiny, your love of language, your style, your confidence, your positive attitude, your spirit, your faith.

Alaina has always had an affinity for animals.  Even as an infant she preferred stuffed animals to dolls.

Alaina embraces her innate creativity and finds multiple ways to express it.

When she was young she surprised us with her ability to use and understand words that were way beyond the normal vocabulary for children her age.  She made up stories and poems and freely shared them.  She also made up unanswerable questions and INSISTED on answers.

She always preferred making up songs and arrangements to practicing the piano. 

She laughs with unabashed delight when something tickles her fancy.

Alaina relishes traditions and holidays and plans for them with GUSTO. 

Alaina OWNS her Uniqueness and Style and is more comfortable in her skin than almost anyone I know.

Family is, and always has been an integral part of Alaina's life.  She treats close friends like family too. 

Alaina, You Rule!

I Love You

Validation

Do you have an extra 15 minutes in your day to spare?

What if I promised that you'd have a big smile on your face at the end of the 15 minutes?

Try it.

You'll like it. 

Then,
pass it on.

Blankets, Blankets, and more Blankets

Last spring our stake Relief Society presidency challenged the sisters in the Naperville Stake to collect 2009 blankets.

The deadline was the General Relief Society Broadcast on September 26.

The collected blankets would be divided up and donated to three charitable organizations.
#1 Project Linus
It is their mission "to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

#2 Newborns in Need
This group is "dedicated to making a baby’s introduction into the world one complete with basic necessities and as stress free as possible for the family" by providing baby necessities, bereavement support and premature baby support.

#3 LDS Humanitarian Services

Each organization had different requirements for the blankets that could be donated which was good because as you'll see from the pictures blankets were donated in every size, color and material conceivable. Most were handmade; crocheted, knitted, tied and quilted and some were purchased, but all were given with love.

The atmosphere Saturday night was electric as the stake Relief Society gathered together for dinner, in what had to be one of THE BEST attended events in years, before the broadcast began. Want to know the secret to ensuring great attendance at an event like this? Issue a challenge and watch the sisters come together in service, unity, fellowship and excitement.

As we walked into the gym all of the blankets were displayed on and around the stage.

On the right side of the stage were the recieiving blankets which were being donated to Newborns in Need.

The three playpens were completely full with stacks of receiving blankets in front of each playpen and there were more blankets displayed on easels behind them.
The remainder of the blankets were being divided up between Project Linus and LDS Humanitarian Services. Alaina and her friends tied some fleece crib-size blankets at Girls Camp and then tied several more at home and they are somewhere in that pile of blankets.

It was really overwhelming to walk past the stacks and stacks of blankets. Countless hours were spent in this service opportunity and I know our stake Relief Society presidency were so grateful for the support the sisters of the stake extended as they embraced this opportunity to give of themselves.
By the way ...

The final count...

...

...

3009 blankets, quilts and afghans

Happy Birthday Emily

Twenty-two wonderful years and many more to come!
Emily, you have filled many shoes in your life and you have done so with grace and loveliness and joy.



You are the oldest daughter, the middle child, the little sister, the older sister, the sister-in-law, the wife, the friend, the confidant, the musician, the cleaner and organizer, the listener, the stylist, the student, the cheesecake baker and the couch-potato (after all the hard work you do, you deserve a break).



We love you and we hope you continue to strive for excellence in your life and in all that you do.

A GREAT idea for school art projects and papers

I've discovered a blog called The Idea Room that I quite enjoy visiting several times a month. You should take a minute to go check it out. It is well written and has helpful pictures and tutorials along with clever ideas for everyday living.

In the process of looking for organization ideas for my "Everything Room" I found this post about organizing all the art projects and papers that come home with your children from school.

School Work Binders

This is a brilliant idea and one that I would have embraced, if I'd known about it / thought about way back twenty-something years ago. It has all the hallmarks of an ideal organizing system. It is easy to use, it involves the children, while still giving mom control over the amount of stuff and is an ideal way to keep things sorted by year, plus it's super easy for the kids to pull their own binder out and revisit their past.

I have three boxes of things in the basement and although most of the papers were labeled, not all of them were and invariably, due to the boxes being looked through or moved, the pages get out of order. I doubt I'll change over now. In fact, next time you all are here visiting we should maybe go through those boxes!

Neighborhood Visitors

The other night Rob and I were awakened to a noise in the wall behind our heads!

We suspected a critter had found its way into the chimney walls and lo and behold the very next afternoon Rob saw this little chipmunk sunning itself on our teeny tiny wood pile.

This did not make us happy so I immediately visited my favorite online information gathering site and shared with Rob several different ways to trap and remove those cute little annoyances from our premises.

The easiest (and least messy?) way seemed almost too good to be true. It consists of filling a five-gallon bucket not quite half full of water and dumping a layer of sunflower seeds on top. These float across the top and the little chipper thinks "OH, A Yummy Treat! Just For ME!" and jumps in to partake.

Chipmunks can't swim. That's all I will say, in case there are young children (or Alaina) reading this post.

Well. It rained this morning. Enough to raise the level of seeds in the bucket. Apparently our neighborhood squirrel, who has, up until this point, wisely stayed on the hill, away from our house, couldn't resist the offer of a free lunch.

Unfortunately, he is big enough that he just bends over, grabs a pawful of seeds and chows down. We even bought the ones that are already hulled so he doesn't even have to work for them.

Happy Squirrel.

I miss the owls that were around last summer.

Silly Bird

Papaya loves to explore the things that we eat.

She likes Cheerios, Doritos, Wheat Thins

(hmmm, what does this say about our eating habits?)

But, once in awhile she gets a taste of a real live flower and this is the result...

Happy, Happy Bird!

Look how many of the petals she's actually eaten.

One of these days I will figure out how to get a video of her bathing under the kitchen faucet.

Tamara's Big Fat French Wedding Reception

Emily, I told you that I didn't get any pictures of the reception, but I realized that I actually had pictures of the room decor from when I was there earlier that day setting up the foyer.

France had the head table set up on risers at the far end of the room underneath these gorgeous Arts & Crafts style windows. She had two cute little vignettes set up on either side of the head table and the dance floor just below.

This is the French Market Cart & Bicycle that France found and painted black. It was supposed to hold the gifts, but I think most of the guests were afraid to mess up her cute vignette so only one or two gifts ended up inside the cart (including ours - because I was trying to set the example) and the rest surrounded the cart on the stage and the floor in front of the stage. Michelle suggested adding a card to let everyone know that the envelopes were supposed to go in the wooden trug inside the cart. That was a good idea and ended up being very helpful!


This is the vignette from the other side of the head table. It is just supposed to represent a little French Street Corner. France painted the bench and sewed the cushions. I don't know if you can tell, but the green trim on the little black pillow is the leftover trim from Alaina's bridesmaid dress.


This is an overview of the room from the head table. I'm actually standing on the dance floor.


The centerpieces were either a tall candlestick vase with a lovely floral arrangement or a French style wrought-iron lantern with flowers arranged at the base. It was nice to have the mix of tall and short centerpieces.


Tamara (or maybe it was France) wanted a Sweets Table to hold the "wedding cakes" and treats that were supposed to be put out during the dance portion of the evening. The wedding cakes were cheesecake and a traditional French Croquembouche (a tower of cream puffs held together with a stiff caramel).

The Croquembouche sat on the cake plate on top of the square box and the homemade cheesecakes were in the cake plates next to it. France also made Madeleines and fudge to set out on the other plates on the table.


France made 3 New York style cheesecakes which were supposed to be decoration and then Tamara & Leighton were supposed to cut into one and serve it to each other around 9:00. At that point the wait staff was supposed to set out the Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes for dessert. BUT that wasn't made clear early enough and as the guests finished their dinner (which was very yummy by the way) they saw the cheesecakes and other treats and lined up for dessert. Somebody decided to cut into the cheesecakes and serve themselves and then everyone else followed. France was remarkably good tempered about that.

The Crocquembouche started leaning about halfway through the slideshow so they had an emergency early cake cutting and France decided to just go with the flow for the rest of the desserts.


Tamara and Leighton each picked out some of their favorite candy and had those available for munching on during the evening.

The entry turned out to be a real highlight for a lot of people. Ladies that just worked in the center walked by and commented on how fabulous it looked and what a special idea it was. France somehow found wedding pictures, or at least couple pictures, of almost every couple four generations back. Michelle and I laughed and laughed when we saw France's wedding picture. Tad had hair and France and Tamara look soooo much alike but the best part was the crocheted headband that France wore across her head (like a hippie?) with a big pouf of net billowing out the back of her head. SOOO 1997! I wish I'd thought to take a picture when we finished.

The dance was fun and a lot of people actually stayed past 9:00 pm. Dad & I danced and even made Alaina proud by doing a pretty good Swing! We tried to embarrass her by slow dancing (bear hugging) like we did in the 70's and 80's but she just laughed and showed us the "Proper" way to dance (very Ballroom).

Sorry I didn't get pictures from that night, but I hope you get a little sense of what a special event France created.

A Bridal Shower For Tamara

Our good friend and neighbor, Tamara, is getting married Friday in the Nauvoo Temple. We have been friends with her family since we moved into this neighborhood 11 years ago. When she announced her engagement I offered to host a shower for her. Luckily, Michelle J & Elaine B, stepped up and offered their help too (Rebecca C also offered to help with the food which we Gladly accepted - if you know Rebecca you know why!). Together we pulled off a fun and fantastic shower to celebrate Tamara's upcoming marriage.

Tamara didn't have a theme in mind for us to use, but I always think it's fun and easier to have some kind of a theme to work off of so we went with the "SHOWER" theme and used umbrellas. Michelle suggested looking at clip art online for umbrellas since she didn't have a die cut umbrella shape for her Cricut and it was too expensive to purchase enough umbrella stickers for 45 invitations.

While looking online for images of umbrellas I found this design blog through Google. Who knew there were so many wonderful artsy things to do with umbrellas? I (ahem) happen to love umbrellas so I really enjoyed browsing the images on this site.

This is the invitation (well most of it)
I adjusted the opacity of the photograph and played around with it a bit then added the words on top of the image. We matted it with a solid light-green piece of cardstock and tied a lavender ribbon right above the word "Shower". They turned out really cute, but I didn't want to take the time to scan the finished invitation so this is what you get to see.

As the guests entered I had a little table set up to greet them. Michelle had picked up a balloon bouquet for the foyer with a HUGE mylar umbrella shaped balloon as the centerpiece, but it POPPED as she was walking out of her garage with it! AUGH - I hope the party store gives her money back. We taped the popped balloon to the wall by the stairs, but it just wasn't quite the same as the big balloon would have been.

The guests filled out their address on an envelope which will save Tamara a few minutes when she writes out the thank-you cards. I had Tamara pull two completed envelopes out and presented door prizes to the winners.

I used the same image from the invitations and printed out a game of "Famous Pairs" for those who wanted to play. Amazingly, the top three winners had 44, 41 and 37 total pairs! Everyone else seemed to stop around 20 pairs. Luckily I had enough prizes prepared.

Alaina was one of the winners so I gave her the dishtowel without the extra lavender soap. She told me later that she was disappointed because she really wanted to win for the soap. I thought she was just doing it because she was coming up with so many ideas when the ladies would ask for suggestions.

Michelle and I had planned on hosting the shower in the backyard. We'd been having such PLEASANT weather and our yard was still looking pretty good from the wedding reception that we thought it would be fun (and a lot less crowded) to have the ladies gather outside. I spent all day Thursday weeding and deadheading and just trimming things up since I hadn't worked outside once during the whole month of July. It was really looking great and I was SO excited! We were going to hang some of my umbrellas (ahem) from the pergola as decorations and use patio umbrellas to add a little extra shade for seating areas out in the lawn. It would have been very cute and very fun.

Well...living in Chicagoland means unpredictable weather. By Thursday night the forecast called for RAIN and extreme HEAT on Saturday. That meant I had to spend all day Friday getting the whole main floor company ready. I still had decor left in the dining room from Emily & James' reception that needed to be put away. Alaina was very helpful and got the kitchen cleaned up for me while I was out shopping and Rob got up early Saturday morning and mopped the tile quickly while I prepared the quiche.

I guess it served us right because we did put on the invitation that the Forecast Called for a Shower.

I made up about 15 of these and had them hanging in the windows and off the mantel in the family room. But my favorite part was setting up the buffet table.

We had four different kinds of quiche -- Quiche Lorraine, Spinach, Spinach & Mushroom and Sausage & Red Pepper. We had Double Chocolate Muffins (which hadn't arrived yet when we took this picture), Cinnamon Streusel Mini-Muffins, Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake (SOOOOO YUMMY! - Definitely the hit of the party), Zucchini Bread and amazing Fresh Fruit with a light Lemon Dip. We also served Orange Juice, Brunch Punch and Lime Water.

We had a great turn-out. I think we figured we had around 35 guests. We had a chance to get together to visit and chat, eat great food and spend a fun morning together as friends. Tamara was surrounded by family and friends who love her and who wish her the best and she got some great gifts to start out her new life as a married woman.

It's always fun to plan a party and it's a lovely excuse to clean the house.

Sneak Peek

What a Wonderful, Spiritual, Special, Beautiful, Amazing, Awesome, Busy weekend we've had as we've been surrounded by family and friends who gathered together for the marriage of Emily & James Duncan in Nauvoo, Illinois.

I have lots of pictures and fun stories to share but while I am pulling my thoughts together, I thought I'd let you take a Sneak Peek at some of the pictures that our photographer put up on her blog.

ErinBPhotography (click on the name)

I love how these turned out and am so excited to see the rest of them in six to eight weeks (unless she can get to them quicker).

Twenty-Eight Years and Counting

June 23, 1981 My sweetheart and I were married for time and all eternity in the Logan Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you look at eternity, 28 years is just a drop in the bucket.

I'd love to wax poetic, but I don't have time because we have another wedding to attend to coming up this Friday (and a husband who just finished making an anniversary breakfast hollering, "Come & Eat")!

But this quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley seems appropriate....

"Life is just like an old time rail journey ... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

It's been a great journey so far and I'm looking forward to the ride ahead.

Pleats

I was ironing pleats this morning for Emily's temple dress and I had a fleeting memory of standing in Oma Dammaschke's front room watching her make pleated drapes on a large table that practically filled the room.

I don't remember how old I was. I know I was old enough to be able to hold still long enough to watch her and be amazed at how precise she was, I was also tall enough to see what she was doing without needing a chair or stool to stand on.

I wish I could remember that day more clearly. I wish I could go back and ask her if she found satisfaction in that job. Did she find joy in creating something that would add beauty to someone's home or was she just focused on getting the task completed so she could get paid?

As Emily's dress is coming together I am finding such joy in creating this for her. I'm more patient now than I was in my early sewing days, more willing to take an extra hour or more to make sure the fit is good and that the final look is appropriate.

This is the dress she will be married in. My sister, who works at Hancock Fabric, helped me choose the fabric and offered a couple of suggestions that have made me smile with delight as I've seen how beautifully they've turned out and have added to the simple beauty of the dress.

I can't wait to see Emily wear this for the first time in the Chicago Temple on Friday, in the Nauvoo Temple on June 26 and to know that she will be wearing it again and again as she and James attend the temple together as husband and wife.

Burgers, Brats and Beautiful Music

Emily is taking part in a vocal competition this weekend along with 9 or 10 other singers from BYU, and 2 professors.  We planned her arrival home to coincide with this event.  It seemed wise and prudent to only pay for one plane ticket.

Emily invited her friend, Emily B, to stay with us for the weekend.  She also invited her voice teacher (who says, "Hi Brian & Kim") to bring her studio students out to the house for a barbecue.  At the time, Emily thought they'd be in the city and it would be an easy matter for them to hop on the train and come out.  

Well, their hotel is actually near O'Hare so the only way to take a train here from there is to ride the Blue Line into the city, walk over to Union Station and then take the Metra out to Aurora.  Emily also discovered that Brother Babbidge was coming and bringing his students.  Suddenly the logistics got a little more complicated.

Rob was up for the challenge.  He was excited to host this barbecue because he knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to meet her peers and her mentors.  So he traded the convertible for a mini-van for the day and with Emily driving the truck they squeezed everyone in and brought them out for dinner.

The only time they were all standing still was for the blessing on the food so I never got an accurate count of how many were actually here.  After dinner they split up - some went downstairs to play MarioKart, some went into the family room to play Guitar Hero / World Tour, some went into the living room to talk, some stayed in the kitchen to talk and they all took turns practicing their audition pieces.  It was loud and a little chaotic and musical and actually quite wonderful.  

Do you have any idea how fun it is to listen to OPERA SINGERS sing Hotel California!  Or Sweet Home Alabama, or any of the other songs on World Tour?  Bro. Babbidge complimented Rob on his singing.  Niiiiice!    

There were also some special unexpected treasures from the evening.  I got to hear a countertenor sing tonight.  Wow, what a unique and powerful sound that voice technique creates.  I kept saying, "Is this still Ben?"  We also got to hear Emily sing, as a singer, for her teacher, with us eavesdropping.  Also, once all the singers finished running through their numbers the accompanist invited us to listen to a piece that he wanted to play as a thank-you for us opening our home to this group.  I loved hearing him play the piano all night long but it was such a special treat to hear him perform "Ondine" by Ravel, just for us.  It was so amazing, and we were interrupted just as he finished so I didn't get to adequately thank him and express my compliments.  I can almost close my eyes and hear the music again.   

Thanks to everyone who came to our home tonight and shared their special gifts and talents with us.   Anytime you want to sing for your supper we will be more than happy to feed you.

Graduation Day at Utah State University

I was thrilled that we were able to go out to Utah for Mark's graduation. With a wedding right around the corner, a broken footed daughter at home, a budget that seems to be getting tighter each month, not to mention other various commitments I wasn't sure we were going to be able to make it, but I wanted to be there so much.

There was a point in our history when we weren't even sure Mark would make it to college. He struggled mightily in school for more than a few years and as the mother in this story...I struggled right along with him.

From second or third grade on there were plenty of parent / teacher meetings, IEP meetings, reminders, double-checking homework, nagging, groundings, even tears and prayers. Sometime, around age 17, something just seemed to click and Mark got it. He was doing his school work and homework independently, holding down a job, participating in really fun extra-curricular school choirs and having a positive and fun social life.

Now look at him!

All grown up and graduated cum laude from Utah State University.

It was a rainy, rainy day in Logan. But we were so proud to be able to stand along the walkway to the Spectrum cheering as the graduating class of 2009 paraded by.

Mark graduated from the College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation Science / Professional Pilot. (I hope that's correct - if not I will be back to edit this part)

What's next for our son and his beautiful wife?

We aren't sure yet,

but as parents we are certainly supportive

and PROUD!

It was fun to share the day with family and friends.

The Grandparent's were there to show their support and love too.

Emily planned and put together a celebration barbeque. It was supposed to be at the park behind Grandma and Granddad Hendricks' home. Due to the POURING RAIN Grandma generously opened her home to the festivities.

Emily also made a fantastic cake for Mark's celebration party. She taught herself how to roll and color and use fondant.

The cake was stunning! The party was a huge success!

Wow Emily! You Rock!

Rob spent the first half of the party outside grilling brats and burgers in the pouring rain. Cody Scheffer (Mark's cousin-in-law) grilled for the second half.
Emily and Kristin did a great job organizing and arranging the food.
The circle of life continues. What a Beautiful Blessing.

I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend than to be surrounded by

Family and Friends.