Monday, November 8, 2010

Holidays are for families

Every day is for families, but really, holidays are for spending time with family, laughing, making memories and eating!  I love this time of year.  The weather changes - yes even here in Arizona, it does cool down under 100 degrees!  That's how you know it is winter time.  Even though I love the sun and hot weather - love being in the pool - what's not to love about a fire in the fireplace and some good hot chocolate?

Decorating for Halloween is fun, but my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.  I have such fond memories of Thanksgiving Day from my childhood.  It was all about going to my Aunt's house, eating all day, playing with my cousins and coming back home when it was dark.  Yeah, there was always the football game too.  That's how I became a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

I will try to keep up with pictures and post updates - and share my holiday experiences with everyone.  Enjoy, don't let stress ruin your holidays.  Focus on what is truly important and just have fun.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

November, 2010

This blog will be updated shortly - check back soon.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Time to update my blog!


Okay, so this is a little more current - this was Valentine's Day 2009.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!














































Well, it's New Year's Eve day and we are helping Megan and Brock pack up the U-Haul and clean out the apartment. They are doing the last minutes things they need to do and saying goodbyes to family and friends before they head off to Texas for school. There was the box carrying contest . . . the last of the stuff . . . the cleaning - pictures on Megan's camera - loading the car on the trailer . . . sisters saying goodbye . . . the family pictures . . . and, of course, the U-Haul driving away! Then there is the picture of the U-Haul as it rounds the corner at the end of the street. Bye Megsi and Brock. Don't worry, all the grandparents will party with the kids, keep them up late and feed them lots of junk food!

Rian's Birthday Party







Well, it is Saturday, December 27th and we are celebrating Rian's birthday - she actually turns two on December 31st, but Mom and Dad will be a little busy packing up the U-Haul, so we are partying today instead. We went to Peter Piper Pizza and had her party. Here is Rian with her Daddy and her Grandma Johansen. Rian got everything a girl needs to be a princess. Auntie Brittany says she will teach her everything she needs to know about becoming a princess!






















More Christmas Pictures - well, you know me, it takes a while to get my pictures where I want them, so here are some more pictures of Christmas Day and our family dinner and then Sunday dinner - the last roast and potatoes I can make for Brock for a while! Christmas Dinner - and the Mad man still on the table. There's Brock (not sure what he is doing), Nate and the Mad man sitting on the counter. Jaten and Brittany opening their presents. Jaten showing his blanket and Brittany showing off her new cookbook that she got. I made cookbooks for all three girls with our family favorites in them. Here are Diesel and Ellie posing by the Christmas Tree. Diesel had lots of fun this year taking my hand-made beaded candy canes off the tree and chewing them up. He also liked to lay on his back, under the tree and get his feet tangled up in the garland. I'm glad he had so much fun with the tree. Now I remember why I put it in the front room last year!!!

Monday, December 29, 2008

It's almost 2009

Well, the new year is fast approaching. Tonight our family went to see the ZooLights. They are always wonderful - but it was crowded. Then we came home, had hot chocolate and chips and dip and played the Wii. Megan and Brock missed the game playing, because the little babes were exhausted and they took them home to go to bed. We only have tomorrow and Wednesday left before the Caiti and Nate head back to California and Megan and Brock and the babies leave for Texas. It is so wonderful to watch your family grow up, get married and begin their own families - but reality hits when they move away. We will be sad to see the kids leave, but we will be welcoming Weston home in March and we will make sure Brittany and Jaten get their fill of being home while they are still here. Other than juggling doing things with the kids this week, I actually got all the Christmas decorations put away and now I am trying to get the house back in order and cleaned. I also have to finish all my Primary stuff for the new year. There is so much to be done. I have to get the notebooks with the lesson manuals and pictures ready for each teacher, the lists of the children, update the birthday list, get the lesson schedule typed, basically, update all the lists and door signs and have everything ready to begin a new year. I actually look forward to another year in Primary. I feel like I am just getting the "to do's" of this calling down. I am still having fun working with, playing with and training my dogs. My poor Diesel boy has been sick for over 7 months now with Valley Fever. We just got his test results back today, and he is still sick with active Valley Fever. He is such a good boy - we just keep giving him his medicine and have to give him to get well. My other dog, Ellie, is doing good. She just wants someone to play with her all the time. She is silly. That about covers what is going on this week. I am off work for another week - yahoo! I don't even miss it. I am very grateful to have such a good job, but I am also very grateful for vacation time.

Remember, there are only a few more days left to get your New Year's Resolutions written up. What a great time of year. We are just closing the season that we celebrate the birth of our Savior and then the new year approaches - giving us a specific time to reflect on the past year, and make plans and goals for the upcoming year. I love this time of year. I can tell anyone who is reading this - from experience - that every year that I have taken the time to contemplate what I want to accomplish, what I want to change, and where I want to be in another year, AND WRITTEN IT DOWN SO I CAN REFLECT ON IT OFTEN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR - I have actually accomplished every goal I have ever written down. The years that I just think about it, and don't write anything down, I look back and realize that I did not accomplish much. I would encourage all of you to reflect on your life, see what you want to improve on, or change or make better in your life and the lives of those around you. Write down your goals. Keep them where you can reflect on them often. It is a wonderful blessing that we have each new day to be better than we were the day before and to make a difference in someone else's life!