Sunday, June 17, 2012

This and That and of course FAMILY

The light at the end of the tunnel is clear...
I have found the yard...
There are just a few things...
But not necessary...

Angie and Jayden were here one day to help...
They cleaned the downstairs for me...
They are getting real good at that.
They know what I expect.

They also helped outside.
We had a lot of old contact paper and paint to scrap off the picnic table and benches...
It was actually calm...
NO WIND!
It was a perfect evening to do it.
Chris Sierra and Reigan joined in as well when they got there.

Sierra and Reigan helped me another day.
The patio was a mess and so many things had to be completed.
They washed chairs and scraped paint.
I scrubbed and painted as well.

We raked the area where the Jordan and Dylan cut out dead branches and I planted grass seed.

Stan and I went to Logan.
I went early and did two sessions in the Logan temple.
 All temples are beautiful.
All temples accomplish the same things.
BUT...
The Logan Temple...
is where we became a family.

A view of Cache Valley from the temple...
 Stan went to Logan in his pickup and had tires to have repaired in Tremonton...
He had other business at Campbell Scientific etc.
We did meet up for lunch at 'the ol' Grist Mill'.

'Elder Campbell' went out with the missionaries Thursday.
 Can I just say how much fun it is feeding them...
Having them stay over night and feeding them again!
I love it love it love it.
Elder Hall and and Pimentel (Elder P)
They had a baptism.
They needed to make up the program for the baptism...
I just happened to have the template the Deland Elders put on my computer.
I was thinking of deleting it.
I mean, why would I need that here in Juniper?
The Lord must have caused a stupor of thought...
Which isn't hard for Him to do with me...
So that these Elders could use it.

Speaking of missionaries...
ELDER MAXWELL DOXEY called.
He is getting married in August...
 Elder Doxey left...
At our table a lot..
Elder Merrell it on the right.
 Elder Doxey on the right
Left: Hyer Rydalch and Brown.
 Elder Doxey Center blue tie!

 Elder Doxey with Stienmen
 Typical grin for this great guy...
When I cut his hair...
It was a process...
It had to be just right!

I am glad he has found a wonderful wife...
She has a powerhouse of energy to enjoy!


I know I get teased a lot for using contact paper on the benches...
But you have to admit it does freshen things up...


Saturday morning I was out spraying and the sun was coming up and everything looked so beautiful.





Many years ago...
Esther found a barbecue at a garage sale for us.
It had seen better days but it worked so we couldn't complain.
By know it was looking nasty...
I almost junked it.
But when I was purchasing some paint...
There was paint for barbecues that would withstand high heat.
I got some...
Yes this is the same ol' barbecue...
See the white spot on the right table?
You got it...
It didn't take those ______ birds two seconds to make their contribution.

 It is amazing what a little paint and contact paper can do to an old piece of junk.


 The Poppies popped over night!





 That sand box would look great red...
Hum....

 If anyone wants  some snow in the summer (lower left corner) I am going to plant grass here.
 I have three grape plants growing with flowers in between.
Don't know if we will get grapes but hope so.


The wild roses are really out doing themselves this year.

Dani has acquired her mother's gift to create.
She took the Fishing Frog her mother made me...
She redid everything except the eyes.
The No Fishin' sign goes on the pond.
Joe made it for me years ago.
(He was still in high school)
I spray painted the old weathered board...
She took my theme of red this year...

 
ONE YEAR AGO...
We were asked to leave Orlando and were transferred to Deland.
There we met Carole Keane.
What a miracle.
President Hall was in tune with the spirit.
He knew...
Carole got her Patriarchal blessing today.
As she puts it...
It is just another step to the temple.
What a giant.
I wish everyone could know this person.
We are better people for knowing her and her husband Bob.


"...Some people in this world have stopped looking for beauty, 
then wonder why their lives are so ugly. 
 Don't be like them. 
 The ability to appreciate beauty is of God. 
 Especially in one another. 
 Look for beauty in everyone you meet, and you'll find it. 
 Everyone carries divinity within them.
 And everyone we meet has something to impart."

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Families Who Work Together....Stay Together...

Our family has always worked together...
On the farm that is just what we did.
Well...
The grandchildren who come to the farm or live here...
Get to work with Grandma and Grandpa as well...

Last week Chris' girls...
Angie Jayden Sierra and Reigan helped me clean up the area around the duck pond...
We cut out a bunch of vines weeds and ground cover...
Monday....
This week Chris' girls and Ben's kids (Dani, Olivia, Dylan and Ross)
 Helped finish the job....
We had a pile of wood and wood chips gathered from the trees that were destroyed with the snow from 2009-2010 winter.  It doesn't look like  much, but there are  a TON of trees represented here.
 Jayden and Reigan Ross Sierra Dani Olivia Dylan and Angie behind the tree.
This pile of rocks were brought in so I could use them around the yard.
They have been here a long time...
Yes I have used from it...
I needed them in the duck pond.
SO...
They moved the wood to the wood pile...
and the chips around the pond and trees...
 
Dylan Olivia Angie
They worked hard...
 
 Had Otter pop breaks...
 A lunch break...

AND...
The Ultimate reward....
 A water party and cook out!

 Did I say they worked hard?
Reigan has a few bites before she fell asleep.

The finished project...
 The wood chip pile went here.


The wood went here....
 All cleaned up!
 As you can see there are still rocks in the back ground...
BUT 
We used half of them in the pond area....


Wednesday...
I went with Chris' family to Salt Lake City...
It was Sierra's annual checkup.
She had a shunt put in her brain when she was a baby as a result of her Hydrocephalus. 
This year the doctor said she has a clean bill of sale...
Unless she has symptoms that something is wrong...
(sever headaches)
she doesn't need to come back.
YES!
Primary Childrens Hospital
is a fun place to be...
Jayden Sierra Reigan Angie...


Pictures from the roof of the parking facility...
It was a cold wet day.
BUT
We are so grateful for that rain!
 Primary children's hospital and University of Utah Hospital
 Utah's capital building...
 Down town SLC
The U for University of Utah...

Thursday...
We did do our Temple assignment.
It is a wonderful few hours to be there serving other.
We have a lot to learn...
It will come.
By the temple we have the state flower.
 The state flower is a Syringa.
Mock orange...
Lilac family.
The temple gardens are beautiful right now.

An added surprise was Larry and Jordan came out and put up our lights...
He also repaired the siding on the front porch where they put in the new door...
and he finished off the outside of our windows. 
It always great to have Larry part of the family.
He is friendly...
Works hard and efficiently...
And we love his company.
Jordan was the one in the attic doing a lot of the placement and attachment.
BUT 
Larry...
All six foot four inches of him got up there several times to do the wiring...
I can barely stand up at the tallest point up there.
 
 Jordan...
 Larry...
He can stand on the floor and put a light bulb in reaching over the cupboard.
He is tall.
 Stan the man is very grateful that Larry and Jordan did this...
It has been weighing heavy on him...
Larry makes it look so easy.
 Before...
 
 After....


Becky and Larry have been married 18 years.
So they went to Sun Valley/Island Park for a nice break.
Sydney and Jordan are staying with us...
I love it when parents think they need to get away...
We get to enjoy their children!
We of course had to break some child labor laws before they could play...
About 15 years ago...
I had Tammy Henrie working for me...
We went crazy building ponds.
We started with the waterfall pond...


 That was an engineering feat in and of it self.
We did some other smaller ones...
BUT the duck pond was huge.
It is about 4 ft deep and 30 feet in diameter.
We dug it ourselves... 
(well if we could get a guy involved we would welcome their help)
 (Remember we live on a lime rock mountain)
Ben brought in a dump truck full of sand...Gravel... and Rock.
We went to a dairy in Almo and got some silage plastic.
We used tires to shore it up...
We put the plastic over it...
We then added sand then gravel and rock.
Each year rock fall down...
OR...
picked up off the top and thrown in by grandchildren and neighbors.
After two years of not being here to maintain it...
It was a HUGE job.
The children working on this project are going to police this like hawks.
They now know how hard it is to repair it.
 Ross
 Dani Olivia and Sydney
 I told them to get the inside finished and we could start filling it while they worked on the outside.
They wanted to play in it.
 Ross and Dani

 Sydney
 Dani
 Olivia
 We have a gator sighting...

 Lost pair of flip flops...
 There were a lot of cedar berries and cedar needles...
The kids took turns cleaning it out.
 Sydney Olivia Dylan Dani Jordan...
Dylan Olivia Jordan Sydney Dani

Jordan cut down branches in the duck pond and around the garden up there.
They worked hard cutting and hauling it all off.
The pond was cold but after all their hard labor...
It was refreshing.

Finished product...
 

 The stairs needed a lot of work...
They look good now!


 
 The area Dylan and Jordan cleaned out...
Mary's boys Dylan and Jordan started this project last April...
It is now finished!
I will plant grass there...
I don't need anymore flowers.
 
 I cut vines weeds grass and trash out of the area beside and in back of the pump house.

Becky hadn't seen the yard since April...
She was so impressed....
 
I had to take a picture of our memory garden...
It still needs a lot of work...
but it is looking so much better.
 
 Five years ago this next August...
Our daughter her husband and little girl Audrey were killed while traveling to Juniper.
I made the above memory garden from my already quiet garden at that time.
The dress below.
Audrey would be eight this year.
I would have made her a baptism dress.
I chose a little girl in our ward who was getting baptized and am making her this dress.
It has been such a fun project.

I have heard my children talking about a book called...
Hunger Games.
Melissa gave me a summary this week at the water party...
I thought maybe I would like to read that.
It is a violent book
I don't know if I would recommend it.
BUT..
Through all the hard times...
and that is what it is all about...
It is the family unit that prevails.
I am so grateful for our family.
They are wonderful
They really do love each other.

Thank you family for being who you are!

Families Can Be Together Forever

1. I have a fam’ly here on earth.
They are so good to me.
I want to share my life with them through all eternity.
2. While I am in my early years,
I’ll prepare most carefully,
So I can marry in God’s temple for eternity.
Chorus
Fam’lies can be together forever
Through Heav’nly Father’s plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.
The Lord has shown me how I can.
Words: Ruth Muir Gardner, 1927–1999. © 1980 IRI
Music: Vanja Y. Watkins, b. 1938. © 1980 IRI
See also Hymns, no. 300.
D&C 138:47–48
Alma 37:35