I LOVE MY FAMILY!

This is me and my family. Not to brag, but aren't we good looking?!

I was barely able to get my kids to hold still long enough for this photo.

My son and his son got to come to AZ for a visit after the New Year and before the spring session of school. We had a great visit and I love, love, love getting to visit my little grandson. He’s so sweet.
We got to have a family reunion with all of our kids, most of their spouses, and all of our grandkids.

All of my grandkids fit on one little sofa. Cody feels awkward being the very oldest of the group. He's a one of a kind grandkid and wants to be considered as one of the kids, and not one of the grandkids. What can ya do???

We had Costa Vida, Hawaiian Haystacks, Tacos, homemade cheesecake (my son made this treat and we slurped it down in one sitting), apple pie and ice cream. We played Mafia and found out that some of us are really good at thinking of creative ways for people to die.

At Papago Park in Tempe, we had a picnic and had a marshmallow-shooting war. Great times! Several people gathered a safe distance away and watched us. Good thing was, the marshmallows were biodegradable, and the ducks and birds liked them.

The Hole in the Rock at Papago Park.

The Hole on top of The Hole in the Rock.

GOD, FAMILY, SELF

Have you ever felt like you might die of frustration? That one more dirty dish—one more bed to make might just send you over the edge? The mundane things of life are so, so mundane! This quandary brings me to two of my aunts, who I’ve referred to over and over through the years—one kept a fairly tidy house and spilt dirt from the potted plant (by my young son) seemed like a fairly big embarrassment as she fussed around to get it cleaned up. My other aunt had a laundry room with a mountain of clean clothes piled in it and every time one of the kids wanted something clean they’d get it from the pile and iron it. Messes weren’t a big deal. Her house was also reasonably clean, but it was a place that welcomed children.


So, a prophet of the Lord has asked us to get back to the basics—God—family—self. Does that mean I don’t have to waste time cleaning up anymore??? Please? Oh the luxury of having a maid! It’s something I’ve dreamed about (not literally, but figuratively). But I don’t have and will never have a maid. Bummer.

Back to the basics—does that mean I should quit writing and focus on church and family things? That would be ignoring SELF, and would certainly classify as hiding my talent in the dirt. One apostle said, “If we put God first, everything else falls into place.” This advice is actually very helpful for me.

When we pray for guidance in balancing our efforts we will gain the help and perspective we need. Even so, I find that I am continually having to scale back. My parents were both collectors of things, and thus I’m a collector by nature. Instead of collecting THINGS, I collect THINGS TO DO. Pretty soon, I’ve got things to do scattered everywhere and my life is too cluttered. I’ve got to scale back.

I know from experience that we CAN be trying to develop too many talents at one time, and we CAN have too high of expectations for the perennially dusty home. These things, though good, can bring a mountain of frustration and give us less time for temple attendance, less time to read the scriptures. How do we keep from continually tipping the scales?

It’s All About Family

I’ve been a bit out of commission lately—but it’s all good. My niece’s daughter got married and all of my seven kids gathered to help her celebrate. It was a great time. We also celebrated my oldest son’s birthday by going out to dinner and by having a nice family dinner at my daughter’s house the next day.

This is the bride and groom with the bride's maids.

This is a picture of my birthday boy.

My son and his wife and almost-three-year-old son came to stay with us for a while before they had to head back to Illinois. It was nice getting to make big meals and visit, but it wasn’t nearly long enough. Our time wasn’t without its drama though. Our little grandson was playing at the park and all of a sudden began screaming with pain. He hadn’t fallen, so we didn’t know what was wrong.



After a few hours, some Ibuprophen, and a call to the insurance company, they made a trip to the ER. Luckily it was a simple fix. His elbow had been semi-dislocated. All they did was give it a little tug and he was all better—until the next day, of course, when he put his hand on our cactus.

Here's the little guy with his cousin. He loved our trampoline.

He’s all boy, that one, and our short time together was reminiscent of my children when they were younger. It surely brought back memories of past trips to the ER for stitches, broken bones etc. etc. etc.



This next week is spring break and I’ll be spending my time playing catch-up. I need to catch up on my writing—I’ve got three articles waiting to be written and submitted, and a novel that needs finished. On my paintings, I’ve got two finished, one almost finished, one started (by started I mean sketched onto the paper) and a couple that I keep dreaming about.

We’ve got another wedding this Saturday. This one is the son of my husband’s niece. After that, break’s over and it’s time for the routine to start again.

This is our new gallery--painted to catch your eye from the highway. We're still working on the landscaping. Its official open house will be later this month. I’ll be giving a few watercolor workshops there and helping to work at the gallery.

Life and Death--Heaven or Hell

I recently read The Prologue: Two Brothers, by Chris Stewart. It was a well written book about a pre-mortal family and their struggle to get everyone on the Lord’s side so they could all come to earth and gain a body. In it, we get glimpses of Satan and his rise to power as the fallen one.


Although the characters were well written, I must say that reading about Satan isn’t one of my favorites—kind of gives me an uneasy/creepy kind of feeling. I know he won’t waft through the pages and haunt me, but just to make sure I’d rather not give him any more thought or attention than absolutely necessary.

It’s funny and even ironic then that the next book I picked up to read was, I Hated Heaven, by Kenny Kemp. I’ve had this book for a long time and didn’t remember reading it until I began reading it again.

Tom gets sick and dies unexpectedly of pancreatic cancer, but, on his deathbed he promises his wife, April, that he’ll come back and tell her if there is a God and an afterlife. Tom is a devout Christian and his wife only believes in science and things that can be proven.

So, Tom’s spirit-self ascends the stairs to heaven and finds himself in Paradise—a place where the righteous go while awaiting their final judgment. Jonathan, his spirit-guide or mystagogue is there to greet him. He’s a strictly-business guy who only gives Tom the shortest of answers to his questions, and is only interested in efficiency.

All Tom is interested in is keeping his promise to April. He knows that her spiritual salvation depends on it, and he has no interest in an eternity that doesn’t involve his beloved wife.

Jonathan does his best to distract Tom from his seemingly errant quest and sets him up in classes to learn all about the hereafter. He also sends him to be analyzed to know what kind of post-mortal job he’ll be good at. When Jonathan tells him that his memories of earth life and April will soon fade, Tom is determined to return to earth and keep his promise before it’s too late.

After coming across a crazy spirit named Stan, the pathway back to earth is finally made clear to him. He breaks all the rules to do it and after Tom finally gets through to April, Jonathan is there to return him to Paradise where he must face the Council and accept his punishment.

Mr. Kemp portrays an interesting view of Paradise—a place with buildings so tall they put the Tower of Babel to shame, and with lots of smudge-free stainless steel. The place is beautiful, however, and Jonathan has everything we all dream of in an afterlife—which is to reap the rewards of good behavior. However, he’s miserable there until he has the hope of sharing it with April one day.

Family is everything. The Prologue and I Hated Heaven are both good reminders of the importance of family and keeping our promises.

Thanks for the Holiday

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I love being with friends and family and celebrating with lots of good food—and with no gift expectations. I always feel nostalgic at Thanksgiving time. Until my parents passed away several years ago, we celebrated every year with my parents and siblings.

Mom used to put all the tables in her living room. It made a long procession from one end of the room to the back door. We always ate on her best china which made for a large and lengthy clean up afterwards. After it got to be too much for Mom, we started celebrating Thanksgiving at my house. I minimized cleanup by using paper plates.

So what am I thankful for—other than my husband and kids—which, of course are all on the top of my list?

I think grandkids count separately from the above-mentioned family. AND, grandkids really are as great as everyone says. It’s so fun being there when they learn to crawl and to walk, and when they learn to say their first words. With that, I must admit that I’m grateful for digital cameras—that’s how one son keeps me in touch with his son’s growth, milestones, and happy moments.

I have some pretty great writer friends who help and encourage me in my writing goals, and I’m very thankful for them. Without their support, I’d probably never have finished my first novel let alone my fourth. Unfortunately I’m not published yet, but these friends give me encouragement in that as well.

Some of the things that I’m thankful for that might not make it on everyone’s list—I’m thankful for flowers, hummingbirds, grass—I’m thankful for a variety of common and uncommon birds that share my backyard, and I’m thankful for our family dog. Even though she has grey hair/fur, she still thinks she’s one of the kids.

I’m especially thankful for memories—no explanation—we all have our own, and some memories are just too special to share.

I’m thankful for my job—yes, kindergarten teacher’s aide is the ultimate employment.

This year we’re having Thanksgiving dinner at my daughter’s house with lots of family and several friends as well. I hope you all have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! I will.