Today's Gratitude List

So many specific things for which to be thankful:
 

                                  View from our front window this morning

• Being able to be at home especially on days like today when it is snowing and blowing and cold!
• Greg who goes to work even on these nasty days and is happy I get to stay home!
• A big picture window where I can stand and stare at the beauties outside without getting even a tiny bit cold!
• My kids blogs where I can read all the cute things our grandkids say! They put and keep a smile on our faces! 
• The fact that I am in the GRANDMA phase of life. I love it so much!
• My Bosch mixer that I use almost every day of my life!
• My new sewing machine that I am enjoying so much.
• Energy again!
• A new MS drug to try.
• Our new (to us) 2007 Toyota Avalon provided by Greg's company for our driving convenience.
• The heated (and cooled) seats in said car. A definite "old fogey" feature I hope never to be without. Yes, I am spoiled!
• Skype and the opportunity to visit with our Florida kids and grandkids last night! It was as if I could reach out and touch little Eva, our newest! Love technology (when used for good)!
• A husband who still calls the two of us together for FHE on Monday nights. Love the Old Testament lessons we've been studying.
• Grapefruit! Love wintertime for good oranges and grapefruit!
• Looking for and finding the perfect Christmas gift for each of our 17 grandkids and all four of our children and their spouses.  There is something that is so much fun in this for both Greg and me! (And we do appreciate those little helps from our kids in our quest for those "just right" gifts!)
• Electricity! 
• My camera!
• Everything I need to make and keep me happy...family and the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

My General and Long-Overdue Thankful List

In no particular order:

1. Peace in my life.
2. My husband who gives his all to caring for me and our family, and who seeks the spirit constantly to fulfill his calling. That spirit blesses our relationship.
3. The ability to get out of bed and walk every day.
4. Snow for the holidays. I have so enjoyed just standing at the window and watching the snow fall (and fall!)
5. Thanksgiving and the opportunity to be with our kids and grandkids and extended family.
6. My Mom whom I love and look up to more than words can express. I don't want a day to go by that I don't let her know how much she means to me. I want to be just like her when I grow up.
7. My Dad whom I miss more and appreciate more every day that goes by. He has been gone for nearly 6 years now and you'd think it would get easier but in actuality, it is just the opposite. However, the Plan of Salvation and knowledge that I will be able to hug and kiss my Dad again makes me so grateful! I'm so thankful my Mom also understands and gains her strength to go on from this same knowledge.
8.  Greg's Mom and Dad whom I love like my own and admire for reasons too numerous to mention. They are a constant source of inspiration.
9. Precious little grandchildren who light up our lives with the adorable things they say and do. They bring so much love into our lives.
10. My Sunday School class...great kids who want to learn and apply the gospel and do a great job of it (and also make me laugh).
11. The holidays and the heightened opportunity to think of and do for others.
12. My Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered for me and asks so little in return.
13. A wonderful friend named Mooney who provides me the opportunity to read and study the Book of Mormon with her each day...and for her realization that Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation is for EVERYONE...and for her being willing to try a new way of living...and for  her acknowledging the Source of the changes for good she is seeing in her own life and that of her family. I love her with all my heart.
14. Priesthood blessings.
15. My husband's steady employment and that of our son and sons-in-law in these unsettled times.
16. The safe arrival of our newest little grandchild and technology that allows us to be a part of her life until we can travel to see her.
17. The scriptures that teach me many things, but one over-arching truth: Because Heavenly Father and Christ's only purposes are to bring us safely home to them, there is eternal safety in obedience to ALL they ask us to do. Therefore, I will do my best to do just that.
18. A warm home on these blustery cold days. I hope and pray that no one in our sphere of influence is without shelter and enough to eat.
19. Two necessary surgeries behind me!
20. Great friends and peaceful, friendly neighborhood in which to live.

Jackson Getaway

Oh, how grateful I am for a few days getaway to our beautiful condo timeshare unit in Jackson (actually Wilson) Wyoming! It's the same week every year and many times we cannot go for the entire week, but it is still wonderful to anticipate and even more wonderful to actually enjoy while there! This year we were able to make it by Tuesday night and stay until Saturday morning...longer than usual. It is always made more fun by our Wilson family being up there at the same time. They usually stay in our condo but this year decided to buy their own and were joined by the Tribe family for their vacation. Since we were not up there from Sunday night until Tuesday night, Todd and Dillon made the top floor of our condo their "man cave" (as they called it). And they continued to stay up there even after we arrived until they all had to leave on Thursday morning. I'm sure it wasn't nearly as cool to be in the "man-cave" when two old fogies were downstairs, but they made the best of it! We were so sad to see both families go, but enjoyed eating at Bubba's with all of them and also watching the ice-skating festivities on Wednesday. We appreciated being included in the fun.

While there we loafed some, did crossword puzzles (which Greg has me hooked on--I'm using my brain and it feels good!), read (Greg... the new Priesthood Leadership Handbooks, me...Pres. Monson's biography), studied the scriptures, Christmas shopped for grandkids (is there anything quite as fun as finding the perfect gift for the perfect little person?) and made Greg a warm quilt for HIS "man-cave", the den. I took my new sewing machine and further learned how to use it. Greg was great help in getting the quilt cut out and put together ready to machine quilt and in helping to feed it through the machine during the process. It is so bulky it would have been very difficult if not impossible without him. I appreciate how he is always so willing to help me with projects...of course, this one was for him, but he would have helped me regardless. The quilting capabilities on this machine are so fun! We are still going to tie it, however, just because it will look better! We came home Saturday night and bound it on the machine as well. It looks great and for a first try, it turned out well. When it is tied I will take a picture of it.  We love the colors! Thanks, Lori, for taking me to "The Gathering Place" once again and helping me find just the right fabric! Why is it you can't walk out of that store without spending $50 - $100.00?!!! Love that place!

The weather was pleasant on the trip up and all week until Saturday morning when we awoke to plenty of snow! So beautiful!!!!! We decided to pack up and come home during the daytime but certainly didn't hurry! We had the new company car (new to us) and it had great tires. I knew we had Greg at the wheel so I really didn't stress at all. We came home to several inches of snow. So beautiful! It has really made me excited for Christmas! I took this picture of the famous "climbing" tree in our backyard. I love it so much and am very protective of it! This year as we have not had a hard frost yet, there are still many leaves remaining and in combination with the snowfall, its branches are weighed down pretty heavily. I have been going out with my broom and where I can reach, shaking the snow off the branches. As you can imagine, I look like a snow bunny after. How I love this tree! I know it's just an ordinary Little-leaf Linden tree, but we planted it right after we moved here and now it provides much-needed shade in the summer, a place for grandkids to climb, and something beautiful to enjoy all seasons of the year.

Todd Holds the Aaronic Priesthood

                                                                               Love this Wilson Family! 

It was great to also be able to see Kate and Jack in their Primary Program. They had their parts memorized and said them with feeling and understanding. And they knew every word of every song...impressive, Kate and Jack!!! Good job!

Love this pic of Grandpa with his two Wilson guys!

What a special time it was to take Grandma J with us to Rupert to be a part of Todd's special day when he graduated from Primary, received his Faith in God Award and most importantly, received the Aaronic Priesthood. It is doubtful that Todd even begins to understand how much heavenly power he now has access to as he learns to use that priesthood to serve others. But as time goes on, he will see and understand! It is wonderful to see that in his family he is already acquiring those virtues that allow him to exercise that power in Christ's way: virtue, persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness and meekness, and love. We are so grateful he has a dad who exemplifies those qualities in all that he does as he uses his priesthood to serve his family and others.

We hit the jackpot by also being able to enjoy their ward's Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation. Kate and Jack did a great job on their parts and knew all the songs so well. We love the Primary songs...they are so full of gospel doctrine taught in such simple and powerful ways.  We are grateful that both important events happened on the same day...what a treat!

After the ordination, we came back to Lori's for chili, cheese baked potatoes and then we cleaned up and they loaded the van to head to Jackson for their family condo week. Greg headed on to Burley and Nevada for a two-day business trip and Mom and I rode back to Blackfoot with Brad and Lori. Brad then drove Mom's car home (with  her) so she didn't have to drive after dark. Brad, thank you so much! Lori and the kids followed and picked him up at Mom's. It just couldn't have worked out better all the way around.  What a wonderful day! Love you all!

Jordy and "Willy Wonka"

No photography of any kind allowed at the Colonial Theater for the IF Youth Arts Centre production of "Willy Wonka" much to this grandma's chagrin! This pic is from the program. You've got to love her smile and those cute pink bows! Cindy said she was able to take some pictures before the matinee performance that I'm sure she'll post.  The production was marvelous but I know I missed many parts simply because my eyes were keyed on the cutest darn towns person and squirrel you ever did see...namely, Miss Jordyn Teichert!  This really was a top notch production and a joy to see. We loved every minute of it and are so glad Jordy was able to participate though we know it was EXHAUSTING for her and her whole family with so many long rehearsals. I'm quite sure she will not forget the fun of performing, however, and the chance to make new friends both adult and kids who just fell in love with her and her perky little personality! Good job, Jordy! Grandma J, Grandpa and I are so proud of you!

Eva Picture Update!

For those without access to Facebook, I am again "borrowing" pics off Matt's Facebook account to post here. These latest photos were taken by Sara's good friend, Amy Lopez. As you can see, she is an amazing photographer...but as you can also see, she has has beautiful subjects to photograph! Thanks Amy for capturing the love between a mom and her newborn!

Rain, Snow, Sleet, or Hail....

I just had to post this picture. Can there be any doubt how much ranch life and the love of cattle and horses is ingrained in my sweet hubby?  A friend took it this spring and emailed it to us. A picture is worth a thousand words! Who else but a true cowboy could call this fun?

Our Oldest Grandson, Todd, Turns 12 - A Momentous Birthday!

How can 12 years ago seem like yesterday in so many ways? We remember so vividly the day our little Todd was born !  Never had we seen a more beautiful baby boy, and never have we seen (before or since) a baby with more dark hair! It was thick and came way down over his ears! Then, there were those sideburns...he looked like Elvis!  We all commented he was the first baby to need a haircut the day he was born! So adorable! And now 12 years later, it is such a thrill to see how this amazing little baby boy has grown into such a fine and handsome young man--ready and eager to receive the Aaronic Priesthood and take on those duties that Deacons are called on to do. We are excited to be with him for his ordination.  I did my part in giving him an opportunity to serve when the three kids came to spend a few days with us last March. I needed help cleaning up the yard and getting ready for spring and the kids very willingly came out and raked leaves, cleaned out flower beds, and took turns jumping in the big city garbage can to make room for more debris, etc. We had more fun that day! They also helped me clean the food storage room and put away several cases of canned goods. It was such fun having them here and I was totally impressed with their hard work and non-complaining attitudes!  I'm thinking it sounds like a good plan for this coming spring...don't you?

It has been fun over the years to see Todd's personality develop. He is so intelligent and articulate. He has the mind of an engineer and has always loved to build and create with Legos, Imaginext, and other such toys. He is a good student in school and tries to be kind to everyone. He has a great voice and has been a willing (well, most of the time) participant in many Rupert and Burley musical programs. He was in the chorus of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" with his sister, Kate, because Lori had the Narrator role and Brad was one of the brothers. They decided to make this a family project and though it was very time demanding, I think they all enjoyed it very much. Todd has played baseball, and golf and is an amazing swimmer! He is taking piano lessons and is heavily involved in scouting where he has been progressing steadily through the ranks. We are so happy he received his Faith in God award and will now be starting into the Duty to God program. We know he will be well-prepared to serve a mission because of his diligence in accomplishing these goals, but also because of the blessing he has of being raised in a gospel-oriented home where scriptures and prayer and gospel application is a natural part of each and every day. We love to watch the way he treats Kate and Jack. He is quite kind and patient and seems to love to play with them even though there is such an age difference.

On the afternoon of his birthday, we were able to arrive by about 3:30 and have some time to spend helping the kids with homework, playing games with them, visiting with Lori and Brad, attending Todd's first choir concert, then coming home for delicious Taco Soup and ice cream and watching Todd open his gift from us.  We gave him the "Why" book, the same gift we gave Regan for her 12th birthday.  We love you, buddy, and are so proud of you!  See you Sunday for the big day!