Christmas wishes....

Staying close to home this year...

feeling peace

feeling blessed...

So grateful for the innocent babe

born in Bethlehem.

The source of all peace and comfort!

When Alain passed away,

I decided I needed to make the room next to the bedroom

into

 my retreat!

It's taken these 21 months to

put together a room that is

starting to be

ME.

(but it is far from finished I must add...dreaded painting!)

I have collected things that make me happy!

Wire baskets, a farm table, twinkly lights and my latest creation...

POM-POM garland!

I know Alain appreciated my creative side,

and this very room lends itself to that.

He was amazed when we got married 

at how much I loved to decorate our home,

especially for the holidays and seasons of the year.

I went away last Christmas...

I couldn't bear to decorate and not have him here.

He was the tree putter upper...

the light maintenance man

(all things electrical),

box getter and box putter away-er...

placer of all tall ormanemts,

and reminder of the 

baby whose birth we were celebrating.

He loved to listen to Christmas music

and sing at the piano.

Alain loved me for who I was,

and I believe he would want me to continue to be that person,

SO...

I am finding room in my heart

and feel the energy coming back more and more

to continue on life's journey,

with a grateful and happy heart!

I think he's proud of me!

The gathering...

 Thanksgiving has past,

But not the grateful feelings

that are like the 

"left-overs"...

...still in our hearts reminding us of

 all we have.

Jamie & Aaron, 

and Aarons parents,

Gary & Lynette,

 joined me for a really grand Thanksgiving meal.

After our Thanksgiving Feast

we gathered in the "Sitting Room"

to listen to Anna

perform her very first piano recital.

Applause was giving 

and autographs signed

following her debut!

 My I-Pad is the first thing my grandchildren want to play with 

when they come to my house.

(Whah...I thought they loved ME?)

Carter (2) can navigate it like nobodies business!

Following, are just a few hundred of the pictures

they took that day!

Hope your day was as smashing as ours!

Well, I don't know what to say....  Here I go anyway!  

This is my sweet Alain a few summers ago.  

Memories are what I have for my reality.  Dreams even fill a big void at times. 

 He was just the most hard working, loyal, true, kind person I have ever met. 

 Because of who he was/is, our short years of marriage here on earth are "golden" to me 

as if we spent a lifetime...

 but I am so "thankful" that I know we will be together again 

and continue on happier and stronger than ever before.

The months are marching by without him.

I find myself more private about my feelings.

 I loved this quote....

& I try to have empathy for the many things 

that "haven't happened to me, but have happened to others.  

This one though.... 

I truly understand!

There are lot's of things I miss about Alain,

 but there are more things that I appreciate about him now.

So thankful for the time that we did have together!

(time does heal....but just a little!)

Mr. Sunflower

Mr. Sunflower

came peeking over my backyard fence.

He said,

"Summer's almost over, but don't be sad...

I will cheer you up until then!"

I am a child of God!

I was able to fly to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to see my newest little granddaughter. 

 Her name is

 Joslin Emmeline!  

Michelle, my daughter, and I were a bit overwhelmed.  

Joslin came into the world with a great pair of lungs and she was here to say 

"who was in charge."  

This Nana wasn't sure if we were all going to make it.

I was able to stay 2 1/2 weeks and it was really a joy to welcome her into this world!

She is precious and a keeper!

Lucky 13!

My little lucky 13th grandchild...

How blessed am I?

Mom and baby doing just fine.

Michelle was a rock star!

Introducing...

Joslin Emmeline!

Flying to Oklahoma...

here I come sweet baby girl!

Huckleberries & Secrets

Brandon and Amanda arrived for their summer visit to Idaho...

with their five little ducklings and the new family dog, Gwen!

 Aaron and Jamie called and said they were going to go
 HUCKLEBERRY-ing!

(Not sure of the proper name for that...)...

and would we like to go along?

That would be a YES we said!

Our first stop was not very "fruitful"  (tee hee)

We drove further up the canyon and scored!

Ice cream buckets, cottage cheese and yogart containers

we being carried by seven little ones,

and the big people!

I was on "spider duty" most of the time, yelling,

"Aughhhh...don't walk through here...giant spider and web."

Then of course they all came running.

There is a unspoken rule here in Huckleberry Land...

You don't tell people where "your" spot is for Huckleberring...

don't bother asking...

they won't tell.

There are general area's that everybody can get to,

but a true blue, dyed in wool Huckleberrer will not tell you.

Grandpa's go to their graves... just don't ask!

We took our berries home and Aaron went and bought all the ingredients

we would need to make home made huckleberry ice cream.

(Below are our hero's!)

No kidding...

the best ice cream I've had in a long, long, time!

These cousins had just as much fun together as the first "batch of cousins."

I was so grateful to my handsome son and grandsons

for rolling up their sleeves 

and coming out in the back to help me "weed."

It was so fun to here them talk and realized

this was a reconnaissance mission..

"capture and destroy!"

Brandon made it fun for them and I was impressed with his

ingenuity and teaching methods.

We worked three solid hours

and came out

 victorious!

We visited the Idaho History Museum one day.

King Tut!

Time flew by and their visit came to and end.

I took a picture of Jason holding the very "Teddy Bear" that I gave to Brandon

over 34 years ago.

Can't be possible....that's crazy talk!

Yes....

time does fly!

Family...Summer...Fun Times...Food....Laughter....Love!
Grateful for the visit!

Whew!

Summer 

 has become a whirlwind of little visitors...

Angela, John & girls arrived two days early and

SURPRISED ME

at my friends house.

I just sat and stared at them all.

Couldn't quite wrap my head around why 

three little girls came running towards me yelling,

"Nana.....Nana!"

Getting together with their other cousins

was the highlight of their days...

playing on the swing set, in the play room,

coloring, cutting, gluing, stapling!

On my birthday we drove to Star Valley to take the girls to Star 6 Ranch 

and to go out to lunch at

Rocky Mountain Seafood!

This is a picture of the little ones in my sister's chicken coop

gathering her eggs for the day!

We also went down to the 

Pea & Raspberry Patch...

to our tummies delight.

Playing in the back yard

 running through the sprinklers and 

playing on the slip and slid, picking raspberries,

 was so fun for them!

Big Jud's 

 (in Archer, Idaho)

is a tradition it seems...

I love, love, love their fries, 

but we weren't too happy that it took our food 

1 hour to come to our table!!!

(This just includes the happy pictures... not the ones where we

started feeding the kids fry sauce...!)

We all went to church with Jamie and Aaron.  

We grabbed this quick pic before with new little Lila in it!

So grateful for these precious, sweet, noisy, wonderful grandchildren to touch and bless my life.

So many times Papa's name was brought up.

They miss him... it's just not the same!

2060 Stripling Warriors

 Helaman and his 2060 Stripling Warriors

President Cory Hanks from Bountiful, Utah

 led over 2060

stripling warriors

in the Handcart Days Parade, July 20th

in my hometown of Bountiful, Utah!

This year’s parade included an entry that will happen  

only one time and in only one parade. 

 Complementing this year’s theme, They Did Not Doubt, young men from all over the area 

came together dressed as warriors.  

They were led by President Cory Hanks, president of the Bountiful South Stake, 

who was dressed as Helaman.

For many years President Hanks has been involved with youth groups, 

dressing as Helaman, and telling the story of the 2000 stripling warriors.  

Years ago he thought about a parade entry that would include 2000 young men all marching in unison, costumed as warriors, but the time was never right. 

 Finally, in 2012, it has all come together.

Young men from all over the valley were invited to be in the march.  It was so inspiring to see.  

They were all costumed and each carried a wooden staff-like spear. 

Each of the staffs had a nail in the bottom.  

Every forth step, the young men would strike the staff on the pavement
which will make a thunderous sound unlike any heard before in a parade.  

They were all be wearing wrist bands that proclaimed the message, 

“They Did Not Doubt!”
At certain times on the parade route
they began striking their spears on the ground faster and faster,
then in unison shouted
"WE DID NOT DOUBT!"

 Danny, ( my friend Kelly's husband),

 helped plan this EVENT for over a year...

 

I drove to Utah with my friend Sheri and her husband.
We had a grand time watching the parade!
Good job Bountiful, Utah!

You touched me!

Sigh!

Another anniversary.
Sigh!


Today would have been 16 years.
Alain and I always teased each other
and laughed
that we would have to be in our
"90's"
to ever get a golden anniversary.
Blending two families together,
later in our lives,
took most of our time in the beginning of our marriage.


We really enjoyed our time in Idaho
since 2006
where we felt more like newlyweds...
 

I have the following verse next to a picture of us on my dresser...

I wrote it several years ago and gave to him.

Alain..

I've always loved your hands...

Hands that help, hands to hold,

hands together 'till we're old.

Hands that work, hands that pray,

Hands that help me every day.

Bless your hands & heart & mind,

Thanks for hands that are so kind!

Grateful for the precious time

we did have...

and will have!

Clever...

Anna Banana spent a little time with me 

(and my stash of construction paper.)

She invented the,

"Talk to yourself McDoodle!"

 You Go Little Girl!

Announcing little Lila!

My daughter Jamie gave birth early Friday morning to her little daughter Lila Geneal.    This is our 12th grandchild and 8th granddaughter.  She was supposed to come with fireworks on the 4th of July, but decided she wanted to be at the parade with her family next week.  She weighed 7 pounds and measured 20 inches long.  I was privileged and blessed to be able to be with Jamie and Aaron during her arrival.  I felt so blessed to see her come into this world, and to such loving and welcoming parents.  I was so very proud of Jamie. She is tough and Aaron was so sweet to her throughout!  They are a special little family! Aaron says he feels old now.  NOT... they are young and have so many blessings.  Congratulations!  PS.  Did I mention she is going to be another little red-head!  Too fun!

Genuine sorrow...

I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from my daughter.  She said, "Mom, Paige is having a really hard time about Papa and wanted to call you." Paige is 6 years old.  Between broken hearted sobs, Paige tried to explain to me how badly she misses her Papa.  "I just (sup-sup) miss him SO bad!  Nana, do you remember when we wrote notes and put them in balloons for Papa... and it was raining?  I just don't think they got to Papa.  I think they popped!"  Tucking my own sad heart away, I told her, "No honey, I watched the balloons go all the way up, and I know Father in Heaven made sure that Papa got our balloons and notes."  She then asked in a questioning tone, "You think so?"  "Yes, I do honey!" "Oh, she said, that's what my mom told me.  It's just that I miss him SO bad." 

I didn't understand when I decided to let the grand-kids write notes and put them in helium balloons to let go at the cemetery, that many if not all of them "literally" thought Papa would receive their notes. 

Angela tried to explain to her that Papa wouldn't want her to be sad right now.  Paige replied, "But how could he know how we feel, because he is the one who died and we are the ones missing him. It feels like we're the one's dying and Papa's alive. 

She makes a very good point! Sometimes the pain does feel like we're the ones dying!

I told Angela to try to explain that although we miss Papa, he is the one who left ALL of US!  He has so many more people to miss than we do. He would know how we feel. 

I know Alain had such a deep love for family... and he loved these little ones.  I feel confident that he is watching over us ALL and truly would want us to be happy!

(But that doesn't mean that we still don't miss him every single day!)

 Miss Paigie Waigie Puddin Pie...

This is Summer 2011 when we let our balloons go up to heaven!

These are the three little girls who truly miss their Papa!

Here are some ways you can help your children talk about death:

» Pay attention. Listen to your children's questions and ideas. Notice when they want to talk or ask questions about death. Do not ignore the children's questions. They are young, but they have questions now.

» Make sure you know what your children are asking. Sometimes you might want to ask a question in return to help you understand the child's question. You could ask, "What do you think?"

» Try to give short and simple answers. Make sure that your children can understand. Do not use too many words.

» Accept your children's feelings. Let them know it is OK to be sad, angry, or confused.

» Be honest. Do not make up stories or try to hide the truth. You may say that you do not know the answer or that no one knows.

» Share your values. Explain your religious beliefs. It is important to share what you believe, even while your children are very young.

» Do activities with your children to help them understand death.

» Talk with your children about the words used with death. Some of these can be confusing to your children. Some of them can have more than one meaning. For example, some people say, "I just died!" when they were embarrassed. You might say that you "put your dog to sleep." You may also tell your children they need to go to sleep. Help them understand the difference. Ask your children what words they know related to death. You could read some children's books to help find words to use.

Minus a little chandelier I think....

Finally picked the colors for my "Retreat Room... "

                   

This only took 14 months to decide.  My closest friends know that every wall in my house is white and that I'm afraid to death to paint!   

"Maybe I'll invite the grandkids over for a

painting party!"

  

 

                                                                            

Polka-dot grass... Oh my!

 Well this is embarrassing...

Once again I take the bad with the good with the bad...

Trying to take care of my yard by myself has gotten

HILARIOUS!

I promise 

this is a true story...

Dandelions!

Pesky beautiful things.

I was just going to mix up some Round-up

and go drown those  little varmints.

And boy did I soak them good.

A few days later...

"Hey...  I thought Round-up just killed dandelions."

 A wise friend said,

"Well you won't do that twice!"

 

Now...

taking the good with the bad,

 3 cheers for me...

I started the motor of my edger
all by myself, and twa-la...

Pretty good for a beginner!

I also bought a new tree.

It is a Quick-Fire Hydrangea Tree.

Blossoms bloom white, then turn pinkish-red!

Last but not least....

my vintage wagon and tricycle.

I think they are so cute

and once again...

they give me joy!