Let's Take a Trip!

A recent article on CNN.com made the statement that experiences, in the long run, "make people happier than possessions". For me, at least, that statement rings true. Think for a moment about purchasing a new sofa. Of course, you wanted the new sofa and enjoy shopping to select the perfect one. You look forward to the day it will be delivered and can't wait to sit on it and admire it in your room. But as time passes, you get over the newness, the excitement wears off. Experiences on the other hand, create memories - often happy ones - that remain with you long after the event has occurred.

Experiences also provide a sense of "relatedness" to others. Sure sitting on the sofa with your spouse may make you feel close to that person, but not the way a shared adventure can bring you closer to friends and family.

Val and I just returned from a week-long vacation to Nauvoo with a couple with whom we have been close friends for over 25 years. Many years ago, in 1989 to be exact, we took a vacation with them to the East Coast. We left six children (3 each) behind in the care of loving grandparents and set off on our great adventure. We were gone 10 days and enjoyed many great experiences from Maine to New York. Before we set off on our most recent trip, I pulled out the old photographs from the trip all those years ago. What fun it was to look through those photos and relive all the fun we had!

Our most recent vacation with our friends was just as fun as the one we took 22 years ago. Once again, the guys rode in the front, the girls in the back. We talked and laughed as we drove. It was different however, in that we left no little ones behind. We did not feel the need to check in to see if our children were all right and not giving grandma a hard time. This new sense of freedom felt great. Don't let anyone kid you, it's great to be able to travel without worrying about the little children you left at home (or worrying about the people you left them with). We enjoyed every minute of our trip.

I've posted a few pictures from our 1989 trip and some from our 2011 trip. Please don't be alarmed at how youthful we once looked. Yes, it is sad that we have gotten older - but it happens.

Here we are on the USS Massachusetts (Big Mamie) in Fall River, MA. Apparently, we couldn't find anyone to take a group shot because this is the ONLY picture we have of all four of us.
We went to New York City and spent one day there sightseeing. This is the picture of the skyline of lower Manhattan at that time. I find it quite poignant that we flew home from our 2011 trip on September 11, 2011.

Here are Kevin, Shauna (yes her name is Shauna too) and I on the top of the World Trade Center. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to ride to the top of that building and look out over New York City. This is a memory I will always cherish.

Kevin, Shauna and Val on top of the world.

2011

At the airport before flying to St. Louis.

At the Nauvoo visitor's center with an original sunstone from the Nauvoo temple.

The four of us at Carthage Jail.

At Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store enjoying a Root Beer.

Graves of Hyrum, Joseph and Emma Smith

Inspiration Point overlooking the Mississippi River

The Nauvoo Temple at night

The Shaunas in front of the Hotel Nauvoo

The four of us in front of the Willard Richards Inn after our private tour.

Yes, we are literally in the top of the St. Louis Arch!

Busch Stadium - Cardinals vs. Braves

Our trip to Nauvoo and the Church History Sites was something I had wanted to do for years. It was an amazing experience and I will cherish the memories of the special, sacred feelings I had while I was there. I am also so grateful for the time Val and I had to spend together. We seldom get to travel when it is not work-related, so this trip was a special treat to be able to spend every day together. And finally, I will treasure the time we spent with our friends. This trip was worth more to me than any furniture or car. Now I can't wait to plan our next trip!

Just Say Thank You

I have a confession to make - when I got married I did not write thank you notes! It was the trend at that time to give out little scrolls with a preprinted thank you message at the wedding reception. And yes, (gasp) I bought into that lazy idea.

I have always regretted the fact that I did not express my sincere gratitude to all of the generous people who helped Val and I get our start in life. Since then, I have tried to write timely, sincere expressions of my gratitude for gifts, kindnesses, favors, etc.

So often, we just assume that people know we are appreciative of a kindness or gift. Some people even go so far as to say that they do not send (or expect) thank you notes and others will just have to get used to this and accept it. How sad to miss this opportunity to bless others! In Thessalonians the Apostle Paul teaches us, "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." If it is God's will that we give thanks in everything, I believe that he had a good reason for wanting us to act on this principle.

It shows a tremendous amount of character, maturity, kindness, and consideration for others to take the time to sit down and write a sincere, heartfelt expression of your gratitude. Often in our society, phrases like "I love you" and "thank you" can become shallow and empty. They are quick, auto-programmed words that are just thrown out there. Underneath, the graciousness of what we have received escapes us.

When we take the time to express our feelings of gratitude to someone, a wonderful thing happens. We get to re-live the moment and realize that the giver invested some of his or her time, money or talent in our life. So if you really appreciate what someone has done, prove it with an expression of thanks in the form of written words that they can see and keep.

I would like to challenge and encourage you to love and value those who have extended their love and kindness to you. Take the time to sincerely express your thanks in written form. Friendships are deepened, relationships are strengthened, and hearts are lifted and the desire of God's heart for our lives is fulfilled by our giving thanks.

COOKING WITH KIKI

First of all, let me state that I am NOT a gourmet cook or a "foodie". However, I do like to eat and enjoy cooking from scratch. After Kelsey got married and left home, I have to confess I got a little lazy. It seemed like too much effort to just cook for two and when Val was out of town, are you kidding me? I was NOT cooking just for myself. But now Kelsey and Kyle have moved in for a brief period of time and I find myself cooking again - and liking it! To be honest, I have missed many of my recipes! I really like my own cooking and have quite a collection of delicious recipes which I have collected over the years from friends, family, cookbooks, and the internet.

While eating out is enjoyable, indulgent, and exciting it can also be expensive, unhealthy and inconvenient. Cooking at home is a healthful, practical alternative. I must admit that my recipes are fairly mainstream. They contain, sugar, milk, yeast, wheat, gluten, peanut butter, and many other ingredients that some people must eliminate from their diets. I don't use organic foods although we do have a garden and enjoy the fresh vegetables. In a nutshell, I cook like a 50 year old Mormon woman!

During January, my sister told me that she had decided to input all her recipes into her computer and print them out into a cookbook. Not to be outdone, I thought "I'll do it, too!" So I began the process of typing in all my recipes. It did not take as long as I thought and I actually really enjoyed the process. It gave me the opportunity to clean out my recipe box and weed out recipes that I knew I would not use. I divided my cookbook into the basic sections (main dishes, soups, breads, etc). I used a larger font so that I didn't have to put on my reading glasses to read the recipes. Due to the large font, some pages have only one or two recipes but I like that. I put them in sheet protectors and a 3-ring binder. I have to say that I LOVE it! I beats my recipe box hands down. And I have the option to add recipes at any time. I just add them to the file on my computer in the appropriate section, print out that page, and insert it into the binder. An added bonus is it is so EASY to flip through the book when trying to decide what to make for dinner.

This is the cover of my recipe book. Pretty Betty Crocker, huh.

This shows my section divider pages.

This shows the format of the pages.

For Valentines Day, I decided to make a book for my married children. I printed out four more copies and put them in binders for them. I included a Cafe Rio gift card with a note that said "something for when you want to cook and something for when you don't". The girls ask me for recipes from time to time and I thought it would be nice for them to have everything.

Love my recipe book! It was the perfect solution for me.

"Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice"

Anyone who is reading this blog who is also a facebook friend knows that I recently became a grandmother again. Can I just say that I totally ADORE being a grandma or "Kiki" as my first granddaughter has christened me. I never ever thought I would have a "grandma name". I always assumed I would be just "grandma". But Baylee changed all that. She called Val her Papa and she would only call me Kiki so I delightedly switched gears and now that's who I am. ( It is interesting to note that her daddy, my son Travis, called my mother "Muggie" and my children still call her that today. )

When I was expecting my first child, I broke the happy news to my parents. My mother's response was "Well, I am not a babysitter". I have to confess that I was quite taken back and made a mental note at that point to only ask her to babysit when I was desperate. (she doesn't read my blog so I'm not too worried that she will read this -however, it is a fact - that is what she said.) I, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get my hands on those babies ASAP after they were born. It's fun to have them come over with their parents, but I really enjoy the times we spend just Kiki and baby. I have been fortunate to be able to help out both my sons and their wives by watching Baylee and Mason while their parents were at work. I have really enjoyed this opportunity to get to know these two precious little people on a one-on-one basis. I know their likes and dislikes and their schedules so having them all day or overnight is relatively easy and stress-free. With our recent new addition, I look forward to getting to know her unique personality and enjoying her as an individual.

I love making baby items for my "precious angels" as I call them. I have recently added to my baby layette repertoire car seat covers, wrap liners for the carseat, and designer burp cloths. The ones shown here are for my newest precious angel, Taylor. I also made a set for my grandson, Mason, who was born last December.

This is the liner wrap for carseat. I saw one of these at a baby shower and decided I HAD to learn how to make it! A local fabric store had some that they had made, but when I asked if I could purchase the pattern (I purchased the pattern for the carseat cover and various blankets there) I got a strange response that ended with No. NBD I decided I could design my own pattern. After some trial and error, this is my finished product. It is a modified clover-leaf design with slots cut in for the carset straps.

I used coordinating fabric on the opposite side and trimmed it with rick rack. It wraps around the baby to keep her warm, still allowing her to be securely buckled in the carseat. This wrap is flannel on both sides.

The carset cover is made from poly/cotton in coordinating fabric. The underside is also a coordinating fabric. I lined the cover with a mid-weight interfacing because I wanted it to be a little stiffer so as to hold the shape better.

I had seen flowers like this on another carseat cover and decided I wanted to give them a try. I have to confess, they were quite labor-intensive but I would make them again for another baby. They are SUPER CUTE. I attached them to the tabs on the handle with giant snaps so mommy can take them off when she launders the cover.

I love the fabrics Liz (my daughter-in-law) chose. They are so pretty and feminine. This was a fun, fun project and I look forward to making more for future babies. Next I am going to attempt a design for a carseat slipcover which will fit snugly over the carseat with elastic to cover the inside padding, still allowing the straps to come through. I have seen them at the mall and am dying to see if I can come up with a do-it-yourself version.

Last but not least are my designer burp cloths. They are made from run of the mill cloth diapers with either flannel or cotton scraps sewn on and decorated with rick rack, ribbon, buttons, etc. They can be coordinated with the carseat set, or other blankets for a totally put together baby! Can I just say that I . AM . ADDICTED to making them. Obviously, these are for a girl, you should see the boy ones! They are darling as well. Much cuter on your shoulder than a plain cloth diaper and defintely more stylish. A friend of Tara's told me they look like a mini scrapbook page! I loved that.

I realize tons of people probably make this stuff, but I enjoyed doing it and look forward to making more. Definitely a fun project for any grandmother!

17 Miracles

Val and I had heard about this movie and decided it would be fitting to see it for Pioneer Day. It was made by TC Christensen, a local LDS filmmaker, who we know personally. The film tells the story of the Martin-Willey Handcart company and some of the miracles that occurred during their ill-fated journey to the Salt Lake Valley. It is definitely geared toward an LDS audience, but the acting was good and the story was compelling. Some of the accounts I had not heard before. It was a little slow to start, but as I watched the background information about the featured members of the company, I found myself drawn into their stories. The stories and their theme are familiar to those of us who are members of the LDS faith, but they are valuable reminders of the incredible sacrifices made by those who made that ill-fated journey. I am, without fail, brought to tears whenever I watch one of Brother Christensen's films. (He also directed Legacy, The Testaments, Joseph Smith - Prophet of the Restoration and was director of photography for The Work and the Glory.) I highly recommend this movie for those of our faith who have heard the story before and also for those not of our faith who are interested in hearing about this story of faith and sacrifice.

http://motleyvision.org/ldscinema/2011/06/review-17-miracles-b/

Baylee's Book

My latest project is a book I made for Baylee (my granddaughter). Let me know what you think!

http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/all/baylee-s-farm-day-5627272

My Obsession

I am obsessed with making photo books - really. I LOVE doing it. I have probably made thirty different books over the last 3 or 4 years. It so much fun for me. I have made wedding albums, vacation books, missionary scrapbooks, story books, you name it! I have a friend who does weddings and I recently made a sign in book for her for one of her brides. My latest project was this ABC Book that I made for my grandson. I gave it to him last night and he LOVED it. He loves books anyway, and he was so excited with his new book that was all about him. This particular website is a great one. It is reasonably priced and offers discounts and coupons all the time. It is flexible and offers the ability to import stickers and backgrounds so that your book is fully customizable. Below is a link to my recent creation.

http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/family/mason-s-abc-book-5588208