Christmas Morning

We had a fun and enjoyable Christmas day together. This is in the morning before the kids came down. We loved our tree this year. We loved giving gifts and receiving them. We hope you all had a great day as well.

Nibblet

Paige gets very attached to her toys and chooses a 'special' toy every once in a while. This special toy gets to go everywhere with her, do everything she does and be a part of the family for as long as she decides it's special to her.

Her latest special toy is Nibblet. Nibblet is a bunny that was given to Preston on his first Easter, but we all know most toys go in the free-for-all box before long. You can pull his tail out and the whole bunny vibrates as the tail goes back in. Since Paige has decided she loves bunnies and especially Nibblet, here is a sample of the special treatment Nibblet gets.

Next to Paige watching TV.

Again, watching TV. Notice Nibblet is sitting in a position where she can actually see the TV.

At the dinner table.

Can you find Nibblet in this setup?

If there is ever a time when we leave the house without Paige's special toy we don't hear the end of it until it's safely with her again. We make an effort to find whatever toy it is before we leave the house. We're glad to have Nibblet as part of our family for a while.

An intricate web - and a serious twist you didn't expect!

On Sunday a friend in my ward commented that another girl who just moved out of the ward is pregnant. She saw the announcement on her blog.

I thought it would be interesting to try and find her blog. Lo and behold, I didn't realize how easy it is to find all kinds of friends - old and new - by going from one person's blog to another. I have found out more about people than I ever did by being a casual acquaintance. I'm not sure if I should make any random comments. "Hi _____, this is Shauna ... you know, in the ward? I liked your post." Maybe they'll think I'm stalking them. Maybe people stalk me. I'm feeling a little bit nervous now. I sure wish I could trust people. Not that I have a problem with trust in general. I do trust my friends and family - it's the other people lurking out there who are up to no good thing. You can't blindly trust in our day.

So I will take this opportunity to say that I believe the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants - all testifying of the return of Jesus Christ to the earth for one thousand years of peace. At the risk of being ridiculed, I believe with all my heart he will return and I believe the time is short before this comes to pass. I want to raise my children in peace. I want them to know Christ (whether he is here in the flesh or not). I want to be able to send them outside to play without fear of someone harming them. I want no rich and poor. I want no sickness and no greed. And wouldn't it be a nice world if there were no alcohol, cigarettes or pornography? It takes a certain kind of person to appreciate that last comment, but that is bliss to me. I guess this is on my mind more because of my friend, Sue, who I posted about earlier.

I wish we could post our honest feelings, our last names, our locations, pictures of our children and families without fear of someone using these things to abuse or hurt us or our families. I long for a day of peace. Don't you?

Ode to Sue

My friend, Sue, passed away on December 1st at 2:24 p.m. She was diagnosed with leukemia in May of 2008. She had finished chemotherapy and was at home recuperating. She began having problems again and went back to the hospital for another round of chemo when she came down with pneumonia. Her body couldn't fight it off because of her weakened condition, even with antibiotics. She slipped into a coma and died. She was 50 years old.

Those are the details, but I wanted to say some things about Sue that I will remember.

Sue, Kathleen, Gerri and I went to lunch together quite often when we were all working. We were good friends. I've kept in contact with Sue and Kathleen since leaving my previous employment. The three of them did all the room decorations for my marriage to Doug. They paid for them and set them up. It looked pretty and I appreciate what they did for me. I always had fun with Sue. She has a great sense of humor and loved to make us laugh. The four of us had a tradition of doing a progressive dinner at Christmastime so we could see each other’s decorations. We also had lunch at a fancy restaurant at Christmastime where we gave each other ornaments for our trees.

This picture was taken at my wedding. I apologize for the poor quality. It's a picture of a picture. From left to right is Sue, me, Gerri and Kathleen.Sue is a practical person. She kept herself in great shape, ate sparingly, grew a garden, kept an immaculate home and loved her two children. When I moved to my present location Sue and Kathleen came to visit and gave me a housewarming gift - a fancy nested bowl set for the kitchen. They are both always thinking of others and trying to make life a little fancier. That was fun for me since I'm a simple gal.

I could say more, but I will leave it at that. I will remember sue fondly and I look forward to seeing her again one day.

Thanksgiving feast

Thanksgiving was fun this year. Most of our siblings and their families met at Renee's house to celebrate and stuff our faces. Unfortunately, I forgot to put new batteries in my camera. Here are some of the few pictures I was able to get. Here's the two people who made all this possible. My mom and dad - two of my favorite people. Speaking of 'Thanks' I am thankful they had 8 children. I don't know how they put up with us. I have a hard enough time with 2. However they did it I am grateful to have not only 7 sibling friends, but in-law friends who are every bit as much family to me. I love them all.What's better than two Doug's? They spent most of their time in the position you see pictured here - on the couch, hanging out. One belongs to me and the other to Michelle. Can you tell which is which?Paige and Benjamin. Paige was excited about her hair being done up with beautiful bows.This is the only picture I got of Preston. He is sitting with his playmate of the day, Nathan. They are both getting to an age where they play together instead of push each other down. That is a relief to both me and Renee'.Matt and Cathy. It's sad what happened to Cathy after her last hair-do. You wouldn't know it, but that is her permanent face. At least she looks somewhat happy. It would have been even more sad if she had more of a downturn to her mouth and looked scared or sad. We're glad she's stuck on the happy look. It's easier to deal with and I think she gets less comments at church and when she's out shopping. We love you anyway, Cathy! You have a special and sweet spirit.Jonathan, Jacob and Samantha.Nathan, Athena and Hazel.Benj (as we call him) and his brother, Christopher.

POSTUM!!!

This is my last bottle of Postum. I reserved it for when it got cold. If anyone knows where I can get more I'm all ears. I thought you might like seeing it and thinking about it for a moment.Mmmmmmm ..... Postum ..... (and in my favorite mug too).

"Fer"

Preston: Mom, fix this 'fer' me.
Me: I can't right now. I'm fixin' this 'fer' Paige.

Why do my kids say 'fer'? I blame my parents. They taught me how to speak. And now I'm teaching a new generation of children to speak 'hick'. I'm so embarrassed.

I better go fix some lunch 'fer' my kids.