#1 Granddaughter

We are very excited to share the news of the birth of our first granddaughter; Avery. She was just about two hours old when we met her for the first time and as you can see she is absolutely beautiful. Happy Birthday baby Avery!!

My Favorite Corner

This is my favorite corner in my home. The reason it's my favorite is because this hutch is the piece of furniture that I love the most. It's country. It's distressed. It's antiqued. It's me. One of my projects for my "week off" was to take everything off of the hutch and either dust it or wash it and then put it back. I'm a very sentimental person when it comes to some of my "treasures" so I'm going to share just a few of them on this post.I bought this bear several years ago at a holiday boutique. I'm one who sometimes has a hard time parting with my dollars so I debated back and forth for several minutes about this purchase, but I think it's obvious why I couldn't pass up this cute bear. I love dishes and bowls and I keep my favorites here. This bowl in a family heirloom given to me by my mother-in-law a few years ago, it originally belonged to my father-in-laws family. I believe it is more than 100 years old. For many years I've eaten meals in her home served from this bowl. It is a treasure that I choose to display and keep safe for my daughter.In a home as small as mine I have to use my space wisely, so I hide holiday bowls inside the ones that you see in the hutch. These are a few of my holiday bowls. I love the spider chip and dip set. The other bowls are made by Tag one of my favorite companies.On the bottom shelf is my Dr. Pepper crate. A few years back soda pop crates were all the rage. My mother-in-law found this one in her mother's shed. It came from the days when Michael's Grandpa had a motorcycle shop in Ogden. It was in mint condition and Dr. Pepper was my favorite drink for many years until I gave it up (16 years; 10 months; and 17 days ago). The crate has 24 sections and each one has a dishcloth in it.This picture was a Christmas card that we received from David and Christine the first year that they were married (1993). I loved it so much that I framed it and I display it year round (even though there is a Christmas tree in the picture).Last but not least is a little touch of whimsy; my "hokey pokey" block that my sister gave me for my birthday a couple of years ago. Every year that we go to the beach house our family does the hokey pokey around the camp fire. It's amazing that no one has ever fallen in.Well that was a little bit of nostalgia and sentiment from me. So here are a couple of questions for you. What do you love about your favorite corner in your home? And, does anyone know what the hokey pokey is all about?

Something I'm Grateful For....Grandchildren

This is a picture of me. It was created by my oldest grandson Adam who is six. He showed this picture to his entire ward as he said his part (when my favorite blanket ripped my Grandma sewed it for me) during the primary program last Sunday. Recently Adam said, "it's a good thing we're the best grand kids in the world." I have four handsome grandsons and a beautiful granddaughter who will arrive any day. Adam's right. They are the best grand kids in the world. Thanks Adam.

A Week Off!!!

Woo-hoo!!! Starting Monday I get a whole week off to stay at home and revive my former life as chief cook and bottle washer. Not that I've ever given up that life I've just added to it by leaving the home 2-3 days a week and working somewhere else. Over the last several weeks I've carefully formulated a plan that I'm hoping to execute in perfect detail. First of all, I haven't scheduled anything that would keep me from sticking to my plan. Second, up until a couple of days ago I didn't tell anyone that I was taking the week off. By adhering to #1 and #2 I feel confident that no outside force can deter me from my goal. I have quite an agenda that I plan to accomplish starting with a disorganized room in the basement that has been calling my name since Jeremy got married and vacated it. I'm going to get out my Dickens Village and my Christmas china and get a jump start on the holiday decorating. I'm going to load up the Silver Bullet and take a trip to the DI and drop off a few treasures. I'm going to de-junk and reorganize some drawers and cabinets in the kitchen. I'm going to clean my kitchen windows and blinds. There's the regular stuff too like shopping for groceries, cleaning bathrooms, laundry, cooking, floors, dusting and vacuuming. I also need to prepare a lesson for next Sunday, go to Young Women in Excellence on Wednesday with refreshments and props for the program in tow, I need to go to the temple, I've got to plan and organize our 4th Sunday family dinner which will be our traditional Thanksgiving dinner with our kids. I'm going to walk/run along the Legacy Parkway Trail (everyday). Of course I do need to go to lunch with my friend Linda, her day off is Thursday and I always work on Thursdays so here's our chance to lunch together. I got an e-mail invitation from Amy to go to bookclub Thursday night, I've never been to bookclub before but it's at Rumbi and that sounds yummy and apparently you don't even have to read the book to attend. I'm going to call Tiffany and see if she's going. Today I told Mike that I have so much time to myself next week I think I'll go browse around Costco and see if there's anything we need there (I usually only buy bread and gas at Costco), I told him I have so much free time that maybe I'll start our little fire downstairs and curl up in the lazyboy and watch a movie (I never do that, seriously). Of course I need to set aside an hour or so to do the budget and mail the bills, and whatever I do I can't forget that I'm in charge of the YM/YW combined activity the first week in December and next Sunday is BYC; I've got to have presidency meeting this week so we can get it all organized before BYC meeting. Oh, I've got to present a name to the Bishopric for a new Beehive President since our President just turned 14. This may complicate presidency meeting and organing the combined activity this week. Oh well. I can do it, and I'm sure I'll come up with a few more things to do, after all I have a whole week.

The 5-K

This morning I'm a little bit proud of myself. I set a goal and I accomplished it. This morning Kristin, Emily, and I ran/walked in the Gobbler Gallop 5-K run. I finished in 42:25 minutes. I know that's a lot, but I finished. When I was done I told Mike that I thought I was the last runner in. He assured me that I wasn't, "...the man with the oxygen tank still hasn't come in..." (seriously, there was a man with an oxygen tank). He came in a few minutes later and then still a few more runners after that. I'm grateful to Kristin and Emily for staying with me. Kristin (our marathon runner) could've pulled way ahead and come in much sooner but she said, "we're going to stay together." I've really enjoyed running in the last couple of months and I plan to continue. Maybe next year I'll make it back before the guy that ran barefoot.

Happy Birthday Jeffy!!

29 years ago today Jeffrey was born. He arrived at 7:21 am on Monday November 5; what a great way to start the week!! From the very beginning Jeffrey was a joy to us, he was always a good baby; this is part of what I wrote in his baby book on October 16, 1980, "Jeff is such a special spirit. I have never seen a baby so content all of the time....he just loves to be loved." He was a beautiful baby as well, I entered him in the Duchesne County baby contest where he was chosen as a semi-finalist.From the time that Jeff was just a little boy I recognized some of his unique skills and talents. He has always been very neat and organized. His room was always emaculate as well as his appearance. Our hairdresser once wanted to use him as a hair model for a workshop she was teaching, she said to me, "...Jeff has the best hair." I knew early on that Jeff would be successful at whatever he decided to do in his life.We held a garage sale when Jeff was just a young boy. Mike supplied the boys with a box of Dr. Pepper gum which they could sell to the neighbor kids. Jeff made a sign advertising the gum at 10 cents each or 2 for 25 cents. The neighbor kids were all buying it at 2/25. I was telling that story to a group of women several years ago and they all started to laugh, I said to them, "don't laugh, it was your kids that bought the gum." That has always been one of my favorite Jeff stories. When the boys were young I had their pictures hanging at the end of the upstairs hall. One day Jeff asked me why Andy's picture was always at the top? Good question. I immediately moved Jeffs picture to the top. As a young teenager Jeff campaigned for his own room. He got his sidekick (Jeremy) to help him with a presentation to which we were all invited. The two boys, dressed in shirts and ties presented a poster illustrating why it would be advantageous for Jeff to have his own room; he reviewed it with us using a pointer as he discussed each reason. Can anyone guess what happened? We moved everything around so that Jeff got his own room. Is it any surprise that Jeff is a successful owner of two Delis!?! Jeff is one of the most loyal people that I know. He loves his family and friends. I know that anyone who is associated with Jeff can count on him 100%. He's very family oriented and when he's in charge of an activity (like superbowl party; prizes) it's always the best! He is the best Uncle, he is always so happy to see his nephews and they are especially happy to see him.He will soon have his own baby and I know he's going to be such a great Father. I'm go grateful that I'm Jeff's Mom. He is such a great example to me and to all who know and love him (please share a Jeff story in the comment section). He is such a blessing in my life and I want him to know how happy and proud he makes me. Les ("you can call me Mom") loves you Little Boy XOXOX

We Also Sing! Choir To Perform Saturday

By Jennifer Francis
Mormon Times
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008

"Ha'a mai na kama me ka makua," conductor Merrilee Webb chanted.

The English translation: "Dance forward you children of your Heavenly Father ... "

Webb and We Also Sing!, a choir made up of 364 women, were rehearsing for their concerts Saturday at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Salt Lake Tabernacle as part of the Temple Square Concert Series.

The melodic Hawaiian chant was written by Cy Bridges to celebrate the 150th anniversary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Hawaiian Islands.

"(People) can expect a fantastic evening of music," said Marilyn Lorensen, program director of Temple Square performances.

Lorensen said expectations are high after last year's increased demand for tickets and positive feedback from concertgoers.

On the night of the last open rehearsal recently, the parking lot of an LDS meetinghouse in Taylorsville looked like stake conference, choir member Jean Turner said.

Inside, the singers filled the pews and folding chairs that crossed the opened dividers between the chapel and cultural hall. The women come from around the Salt Lake valley and places as far away as Vernal and Evanston, Wyo.

Besides the Hawaiian number, they also rehearsed songs in French, Italian and Latin.

At one point, Webb said, "I don't want nice, pretty and cute -- this song has to rock. Picture yourself throwing fish sticks in the microwave and the kids ripping out pages of a book."

"It's more than a rehearsal, it's like a fireside," choir member Elizabeth Visser said.

"I feel like each week when I come the (lyrics) mean more and more to me," said Ashley Barney, who commutes from Provo to be a part of the choir. "We have to be what we sing."

To order tickets for the concert, go to www.lds.org/events or call 801-570-0080 or 1-866-537-8457.