I have to be careful at Christmas to not get so caught up in the preparations that I forget to enjoy myself and slow down and remember the reason for the celebration. I love everything associated with Christmas - family times, parties, treats, concerts, music, decorations, lights, tv shows, baking gingerbread cookies, shopping for just the right gifts and gift wrapping, cards & letters, etc. I am grateful for this time to remember & celebrate the birth, life and mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I like this quote by Edgar A. Guest,

"A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year;
He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season's here;
Then he's thinking more of others than he's thought the months before,
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.

He is less a selfish creature than at any other time.
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime.
Man is ever in a struggle and he's oft misunderstood.
There are days the worst that's in him, is the master of the good.

But at Christmas, kindness rules him and he puts himself aside,
and his petty hates are vanquished and his heart is opened wide.
Oh, I don't know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas man is almost what God sent him here to be."

Let's all enjoy our Christmas celebrations and preparations and remember the reason for the season. I hope we all feel our Savior's love, peace, joy and hope now and always!

Variety is the spice of life!

So I've been thinking about what a blessing variety is in our lives. I love the variety of a variety of things! So, Heavenly Father gives us potatoes, but not just one kind there are several (russet, yukon gold, sweet, red, etc.) and then there are many ways to prepare and serve them (mashed, hash browned, funeral casserole, french fried, scalloped, chips, etc). I'm grateful for the varieties of music (opera, hymns, classical, pop, children's, country, soft rock, instrumental, choral, etc). I love the variety of nature, the change of seasons, different plants and animals, different scenery, etc.) I can't imagine how boring life would be without the miriad of colors & shapes, sounds, scents, textures, flavors & spices. What a joy to see the many personalities, talents & gifts of the people around me. I'm so glad I have so many great activities to choose from (reading, singing, playing games, sports, handicrafts & art, learning, creating, etc.) Well these are obviously just a few examples of the variety that blesses our lives. I think it's fun to think about and makes me feel very thankful.

Joy in the Journey

Last night was our Relief Society Enrichment. We had a potluck picnic at our ward pavilion. The theme was 'Joy in the journey'. We received darling favors with quotes from President Thomas S. Monson's conference talk of the same title. Stefanie shared some of the talk and reminded us of this important message.

I have been thinking of the many things that bring me joy. They include in no particular order: watching & playing with grandsons, watching Lindsey play soccer, going on dates and outings with Ron, being a mom, being a homemaker, organizing my home and helping others with organizing, going to lunch with friends, having & loving amazing sisters & friends, listening to beautiful music, seeing & enjoying the wonders of God's creations, eating delicious foods (with all their variety of tastes, textures, etc.), watching college football games with Ron, walking, finding treasures at the Deseret Industries (toys & books for grandsons, etc.), laughing, reading good books, playing speed Rummikub with friends, having a leisure bath, working on home improvement projects with Ron, taking naps, going to bed early so I wake up early naturally and can have quiet time to commune with God, having a knowledge and testimony of God's loving and merciful plan for his children, worshipping in the temple.

These are just some of the many things that bring me joy. We truely have much to find joy in. I hope to remember always the reasons that I have to be joyful, the most important being my Savior Jesus Christ, his gospel and his atoning sacrifice.

Wow, how do people find time to keep up with posts? I obviously don't. I sure do enjoy looking at others though. My sweet husband gave me a new notebook computer yesterday. He loves electronics and tries to help me be more tech savy. I'm grateful and excited for my gift.




So here is a quick update on what's been going on with us. June was filled with Lindsey's soccer tournament. The highlight was her final tournament in Eden. See Michelle's blog (We are a happy family) for some pictures of our trip. Taylor got his driver's license so now he can drive himself to summer school. He has also earned his Eagle Scout award. Scotty is enjoying a leisure and fun summer with his friends. Michelle is expecting our 3rd grandchild on my birthday in February. Natalie is living at Ron's office for now to get ahead financially. I am enjoying being a grandma to my darling grandson's.



Life is great. What an amazing learning opportunity. There are so many things to be grateful for. Sometimes I wonder, why me? As in why have I been so blessed. I find inspite of hard things there is much to be hopeful and happy about. I am especially grateful for my knowledge and understanding of Heavenly Father's plan for us, his children and for my relationships with family and friends

Happy Mother's Day!

I want to tell my family how grateful I am to be a mother! My beautiful and talented children have taught me many important lessons, and they continue to amaze me and bring me great joy.

I appreciate the Mother's day thoughts and gifts my family gave me. If you haven't seen my sweet Natalie's blog she wrote for me, you might look at stammfamilyfun.blogspot.com.

This past week, I had a bad cold and my nose was getting sore from using rough tissues. Taylor was concerned about me and wanted to get me some lotion tissues so he texted his dad to pick some up on his way home. When Taylor heard his dad coming in the garage, he went out to make sure he had them, he and Ron went to the store to buy me some. I felt so loved and cared for by Taylor. Taylor unfortunately caught my cold and was very sick on Saturday. Sorry Tay!

There are many things that my children do and say that bring me joy. I think the greatest is when I see them doing good and obeying the things they have been taught. I love when they show kindness to each other and enjoy each others friendship. I love to see their individual personalities and talents.

On Mother's Day we had a get together at my parent's home. The granddaughters put on a little performance. Natalie helped teach and choreograph a song and dance number for all the girls to do. It was very fun and cute. Lindsey did a song with 3 of her cousins, she didn't know the words, so she did these random dance moves while the other girls sang. It was so darling and funny I laughed until I cried.

I love being a grandma too! I was able to tend both of my grandsons this past week and they are so adorable I can hardly believe it. What a joy to watch them grow and learn!

Women's Conference

I had the wonderful of opportunity of attending BYU Women's Conference the past two days with my great friends Bonnie, Lisa, Shelley and Carol.

Bonnie, Shelley and I began our vacation with a stop at the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival. Wow, what a beautiful and inspiring display! We also enjoyed a little shopping, dining out and making beaded jewelry.

The conference sessions I attended were very helpful and uplifting. I feel very enriched by the experience of getting away with friends to attend the conference and be taught. I have been well fed spiritually, physically, socially and intellectually.

I feel very grateful to my Heavenly Father for many blessings. I am thankful for Jesus Christ's strenth, mercy, kindness and love. I am thankful for kind, loving, righteous friends. I am thankful for the service of many people who made Women's Conference possible. I am thankful for all the knowledge I have been given. I am thankful for the beauties of this world and for beautiful music. I am thankful for my family and my home.

Spring!

I'm loving the sunshine, blue skies and colorful flowers today. Snow and cold and gray skies of winter make me especially thankful for Spring. I understand why opposition is necessary so we can be grateful for the blessings Heavenly Father gives us.

When I came home today from shopping, my neighbor Lilly had a basket of flowers she had picked from her yard that she was selling. I bought one from her and brought it inside and put it in a vase.

I realize I need to do better at looking at the bright side, thinking cheerfully and counting my blessings.

ramblings

Today I attended Lindsey's school spelling bee. She did very well and I am proud of her.

I am happy most of the snowfall we received yesterday has almost melted. Lindsey has a soccer tryout on Saturday and we are hoping for sunshine and dry ground. This is the time of year when I would like all the snow to fall in the mountains.

Scott learned how to ski and has been going to Alta resort in the afternoons with some friends when it is free. Yesterday Alta had 2 feet of new snow fall. Scott has learned to ski quickly and enjoys it.

I have been reading the No. 1 Ladies Decetive Agency books and want to watch the HBO series of the same, but we don't have HBO. If anyone does and would be willing to record it for me, please let me know. Thanks!

I received a phone call from a good friend concerned about me and how things are going. I sure am grateful for caring and loving friends.

Parade of States

Today was Lindsey's 5 grade Parade of States. She did her state report on Kentucky. It was fun helping her decorate her float. I found a toy horse that we decorated to look like the Kentucky Derby winner, complete with a blue ribbon and floral lei. She also displayed 2 of her brothers model Corvettes, because the National Corvette Museum is in Kentucky. The float also had a KFC bucket and a black stove pipe hat to show that Kentucky is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.

It was interesting to see the variety of floats and learn some things about the different states. One of my goals this year, that I haven't kept, was to learn about each of the 50 states. This peaked my interest again & I hope to still accomplish this goal.

I learned some things from this experience helping Lindsey. I need to enjoy the process more and not stress and grumble so much. I need to listen better and be more patient. Hopefully I'll do better next time.

Happy Birthday!

Saturday I celebrated my birthday with my family. Our original plan was to go sledding at Soldier Hollow in Midway and eat lunch at the Dairy Keene in Heber, but we changed our plan because some of our family had colds. At Scotty's suggestion we decided to go to FastKarts, an indoor racetrack. The guys raced first while the girls watched and took care of the Brandon and Chandler. Then the girls raced while the guys watched.

After racing, Ron treated us all to a trip to our traditonal 7-11 for drinks and treats. About 7-11 being a tradition, I guess I should explain. On Saturday mornings while our children were little, Ron would take the kids to his office to help him scrap aluminum from old automatic doors (his business sells and installs commercial automatic doors - grocery store, hospital, etc.) After they got their money from the aluminum he would take the kids to the 7-11 by his office for a hot dog, drink and treat. The new clerk at the 7-11 was amused & amazed by our entire family coming in this past Saturday. He even graciously took a family photo for us.

We came home and cooked a yummy dinner and played the wii. I love being together with my family! I had a very happy birthday and appreciate the many people who made my day special!

Life is great!

Isn't life great?!! I have so much to be grateful for and rejoice about. I'm never sure what to share on my blog, so I guess I'll just do some catching up on the last two months.

In November I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner. I used a roasting oven to cook my first turkey and it turned out very well. I made my traditional rainbow jello, my children's favorite Thanksgiving dish. We had my Grandma Winnie's stuffing, real mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, celery with cheese, homemade rolls and jam, green bean casserole, and pie. My parents, Natalie, Scott and Chandler joined us, so we had a total of 10. I made cute little paper bags (orange) with a turkey sticker and our names to hold our nuts and candy and to serve as place cards.

Our Christmas celebrations included some very enjoyable activities and parties. I had the opportunity of attending the Tabernacle Choir concert with my mom, it was glorious! Ron and I sang with our ward choir for our Stake Christmas concert and also our Sacrament Meeting program. Michelle, Natalie, Lindsey and I had our traditional baking day. We made gingerbread cookies, cathedral cookies & chocolate covered pretzels. I was in charge of the Osborn Family party. We had a delicious dinner and a program. Mr. and Mrs. Santa came as guests, they were a very fun suprise!

We had a very nice Christmas Eve dinner at Michelle and Jared's in Heber. They fixed a delicious traditional turkey dinner. Christmas day we all were together. We got a wii this year and it was fun to watch our children play. The grandson's were especially fun. We ate lunch at my parents and exchanged gifts. We suprised my parents with a new rocker recliner. We were happy for the suprise of having our nephew and cousin, Andrew home from the Navy. We hosted our annual Holiday Open House for our friends and neighbors. It was well attended and the food was yummy!

So here we are at the beginning of a new year with so much hope and possibility ahead. I'm looking forward to the coming year and all it will bring. One year ago, Ron had cancer surgery, and we are so greatful for his good health! I anticipate this year will bring both joys and sorrows. I hope I can face anything that comes with grace, faith, courage and humility. I hope 2009 brings many wonderful experiences, opportunities for growth and learning, and blessings of peace, prosperity, and happiness. I want to make time to play, serve, laugh, wonder, learn, create, love & enjoy family and friends.