Choir Christmas Concert

Bridget accompanied the choir last night for two of the songs. She did an awesome job. She's getting a 4.0 this semester. She has applied to her schools of choice and now waiting to see where she is accepted. Yeah BRIDGET!! We're proud of our beautiful daughters!!!

Congrats

Congratulations goes to Nicole for getting a 3.7 gpa on her third semester at BYU-I. She was afraid to look at her grades and now she's dancing around the house. Way to go Nicole.

Thanks

Thanks to Nicole I have a much nicer look on my blog!! I've been wanting to do it for some time now and she did it for me so fast!!!

I won a BYU watch at the Xactware Christmas Party. I'm so shocked as I never win anything. It was a very nice event. We rode with Barry and Alice as the roads were treacherous. THANKS Barry & Alice. It was a great evening.

Bridget and Rachel drove up to SLC to get two pieces of Rachel's bags Saturday night and it took them 5 hours to get home. They got lost, sliding off the road etc. So THANKFUL that they made it home in one piece. They have quite the story to tell of all the nice people who helped them. Thanks to Phyllis in Arizona and Map Quest to help them get home. We were at the party and couldn't help them.

Sunday Nicole made it home from her week end trip to Cedar City. She had fun baby sitting!!

Let it Snow!

We've been getting a lot of snow lately! It finally looks like Christmas! After work I came home and shoveled the sidewalks and driveway. I got my work out in.

Steele's Choir Preformance!

Before school on Mondays and Wednesday, Steele has choir practice. He's one of two boys in the choir. He had a choir performance Wednesday, with the choir from Utah Valley University.

Blessings

I had a great weekend. Friday I had my hair done and then went to Lynnette's to see her home all decorated for Christmas-- Beautiful. Saturday, I went to IHOP for breakfast with Mom, Lynnette and Bridget. Then I cleaned out the garage with Steele and Don. Bridget and I went to a nail place in the shopping center by Harmons and got a pedicure and manicure done. The BEST place we've ever been to. I highly recommend them. Then I took the activity day girls- 8-12 years old to see the Christmas Carol at the Hale Center Theater. I love seeing their production of this play. Every year they do an excellent job and I never tire of it. After the matinee of the play we went to the Monroe's where they had a spaghetti dinner and banana splits for dinner. On Sunday we went to church and Steele was set apart as the secretary in the Deacon's quorum and had many wish me a happy birthday. I went home and took a two hour nap. Don set the table with china and started dinner. Lynnette brought over the fixings for a rice dish and shrimp. We had the Monroe's and Jared and Jason and Sue come over so I made a rice pilaf and more shrimp to make sure we had plenty. We had two cakes. I had lots of phone calls from friends, neighbors and relatives. On Monday the girls at work bought me lunch from Costa Vida. THANKS to all for a great day -- week end. I truly am blessed to have a great family and friends.

Christmas 2008

Steele, Bridget and Nicole decorated on Friday morning. They do an awesome job. I'll post more pictures later.

Toby, Gracie & Becky

I am loved by friends!!

Game Day Party

Give Thanks

"When we give thanks in all things, we see hardships and adversities in the context of the purpose of life... We are meant to learn and grow through opposition, through meeting our challenges, and through teaching others to do the same... the Lord will not only consecrate our afflictions for our gain, but He will use them to bless the lives of countless others."--Dallin H. Oaks, "Give Thanks in All Things," Ensign, May 2003, 95

more pictures

Week End

Thankful Thursday

Bridget brought home her report card and she has straight A's!!!! The classes are very difficult ones so am very proud of her. ie: calculus, medical anatomy, art history, ap English with Mr. Downs to name some of her classes. Congrats Bridget!!

Steele also has straight A's and loves learning. They are learning about the Egyptians and right after school he comes home and does extra work for that. Congrats Steele!!

Steele and Bridget are doing the musical number in church on Sunday. Bridget will play the piano and Steele will read a scripture.

Steele often times will help Bridget with her homework and am positive he is learning along side her.

Nicole is doing well at BYU-I. I'm so thankful that she has the opportunity to get her college degree.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Steele!!! Your 12th birthday!! You're awesome. We love you!!

Happy Halloween

Steele Designed his costume. I did the sewing for him.

"The Princess"

Bridget had to dress Toby as a Princess this year for Halloween.

Steele's Eqgyptian Funeral

Shopping, Hiking and Swimming

On Friday after work I picked up Bridget and Steele and Mom and Toby and we stopped and got a Subway sandwich on the way out to Highland to Just Sew. We were there shopping for material for an hour and had a great time we even forgot that Toby was in the car.

After shopping we drove to Lynnette's and Steele and I hiked with her up her mountain. It was a gorgeous day. Then we hopped in her pool. At the end we were all in the hot tub and Toby jumped right in and swam to me. We were all shocked.

On the way home we stopped to see Bruce and Barry and his family were there. We got to see his new hunting dog - German Short Hair. Cute dog!!

He had a very fun day!!!

Quilting

Just Sew is keeping me supplied with lots of projects. :) I have another quilt top just about finished. It's one that I designed on my own. I bought materials to start another quilt top and a pattern for the next. Mom even bought a project for me to do for her as gifts. So my sewing machine has been busy again. My last quilt is on display at the quilt shop now to help them sell the material that I made it with. I always need projects to do.

Spoken Word

Yesterday afternoon Bridget asked me when the Tabernacle Choir practiced. She said she needed to attend a choir performance for her choir class at school before Wednesday. So we got looking on the internet and decided to get up this morning early and go to the broadcast of the Spoken Word at the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Carol (Linda's sister from Cowley, WY) is in town visiting Linda so we invited them. They got up early and went with us. We got there early enough to get a great seat and we got to hear them go through the whole program once as a rehearsal and then the real deal. It was very interesting to see the whole production. The weather was abosolutely gorgeous. We couldn't have asked for a better day. During the summer they have the Spoken Word in the Conference Center so were so lucky to be able see it in the old Tabernacle.

Afterwards we walked through Temple Square and saw the Christus. Carol had never been in the Conference Center so we went there and had a tour of that building. It was amazing. We even got to see the Gardens on the roof. Our tour guide is a producer for KSL and does a service mission every Sunday Morning. She was very remarkable.

We were all very hungry by the time we were done (12:30 p.m.) so we ate a Kudo Bar and Sunny D on the way home. We dropped Linda and Carol off in Alpine and we headed home. We had tuna sandwiches and had a wonderful nap.

It's amazing that I have never been to the Spoken Word in all my years. I have seen it plenty of times on TV. It was a wonderful experience to share with Bridget and Steele. Thanks Bridget for needing to go for a school assignment.

Merry-Go-Round Quilt Top

I finished the quilt top. I bought the material at Just Sew (Linda and Alice's quilt shop). Now I need to buy a backing and quilt it. It will go on our bed under the bedspread. It was fun to sew again. It's good therapy for me. The pictures don't do it justice. It was a fun one to do. I have material to start another quilt top but need to pick out a pattern.

New Dresser

Sue gave me her old dresser while she is upgrading in her bedroom. Thank you Sue!!! Jared and Jason used their muscles and brought it over. Thanks guys. I have taken over Nicole's closet and Sue's dresser. That's one thing about this house it has little closet space but I still love it!!!!!!!!!! I moved her desk up into the den and put Don's computer on it and got rid of the white computer table that was there.

Salsa

I made Salsa this year thanks to Linda. She gave me Carol's recipe and it turned out soooo good. Mom was a big help. She helped me peel the tomatoes. It's been years since I last made salsa. Next year I'm going to use tomatoes from my garden to make salsa.

Leonardo da Vinci Museum

This week I took Bridget, Steele and Neil to "THE DA VINCI EXPERIENCE" that was held at the mall museum.

It had more than 60 precise and interactive replicas of Leonardo da Vinci's transportation, military, and mechanical devices along with his greatest paintings.

Think Spring

I'm already planning a great vegetable garden for next spring. I had our tree guy come dig out the tree stump in the back yard and the pine tree on the corner in the front yard. I am left with lots and lots of rocks. I've been screening the dirt and gathering up tons of rocks.

I planted some tulip bulbs that I purchased at Thanksgiving Point where the pine tree stood.

I started attending a 6 week garden class given in Provo by a master gardener for two hours each Tuesday. I'm all excited about a great garden in the SPRING!!!

Clock

As everyone knows I love clocks. Ray says I have too much "time on my hands." Any way Debi in her travels found this antique clock and she bought it for me. I reimbursed her for it and set it on my dresser thinking it didn't work. Well Steele got in a fixing mode and decided he was going to get it to work. He put some electrical tape on the cord and then plugged it in. He got a big shock. I told him that no wires could be touching so he re did it and it works. He's my fix it guy.

Birthday Party

Grandma's Lois' 85th Birthday Part

I didn't get pictures of everyone. I got those leaving last. We had a great crowd.

Alan, Anahi, Casey, Ammon, Brad, Lorain, and Family, Bishop and Renae Pelo, Amy, Neil, Becca Monroe, Aaron & Lychelle and girls, Patrick and Mandy and family, Lynnette, Sue, Jared and Jason

Thanks to all who gave cards. She received a total of 68 cards. I'm sure she'll get some tomorrow as well.