We girls love to cook and EAT

Special friends from junior high and high school. So fun to see them again!

Best Buddies, Mack and Trenton

After a big meal, sleep overcomes him!

And how limber is Ryan?

The Family!

Carolee trying to beat the 8 year old

Cousins and Buddies

well, here are the pictures from Jenny Gravell Jensen coming to visit. It's so fun to have her for a visit. Carolee and her are such great friends,

Easter was wonderful. We ate a lot, laugh a lot and made more fun memories,

the pictures show the arm wrestling contest, stretching exercises, eating, and of course our big Easter egg hunt. By the way Trevor was the lucky one with the $50.00 egg.

After our special Easter of being all together, I headed over to Arizona to attend my 40th high school reunion. It was a blast. Really it was so special to see old friends. It just seems crazy to think 40 years have passed. What's really crazy is that in your mind you feel like an 18 year old but unfortunately you do feel that OLD body!

Arizona was great being with Melissa and Candice. Melissa taught me how to can meat in a pressure cooker and Candice picked out some new clothes for me, and cut my hair. I sure love being with my girls!

It's good to be home again!

A little catch up

Well, needless to say I loved going to PA.. but it was so sad to say goodbye to the kids and Carolee, thanks goodness the Biehn's were coming here in a month.

Now they are here and I just love having them home with me. The kids are having such fun playing with thier cousins on both sides of the family. Trenton already told me he wants to stay here with me.

Today we had a fun day with Jenny Gravell Jensen at our house with her 5 kids! They are all so well mannered and cute. The twins are just adorable. I'll post some pictures later.

One thing I did take notice today when there were 16 kids here, that there are two options about my front door, every kid either left the door wide open OR they slammed the door. Annoying!
but I'll live through it.
Easter is in a few days and we'll all be together. We'll do our annual easter egg hunt which has become quite the tradition, we hide money in the eggs instead of candy. Believe me this makes even the adults excited to look for eggs.
so more to post later

My trip to Erie

I just got back from spending a week with the Biehn family. I had such a great time and the days went by way to fast! The kids are growing up and they are so sweet. I love being with Carolee. I love being with Jeff but he wasn't there much! We went shopping, got some new fun things, and made some great food. I taught Carolee how to do freezer jam. We did 24 pints of boysenberry and strawberry jam.

While I was there it was Trenton's 4th birthday . He went to his favorite place Chick fil-A, and had a pirate cake ( please note the creative cheap decor!)

Also please not there was NO snow. I had to take a picture in front of Carolee's house for proof, but it was sometimes dang cold. One night the wind blew so hard it kept me up all night! so at least it seemed like it.

The last night we ate a Thanksgiving dinner ( yum) at her friend Emily's house the the kids did Sleeping Beauty . Brooklyn was one of the fairies and Trenton played his part as the prince very well, he kissed the little girl even.

It was sad to say goodbye, but we'll see them in less than 3 weeks.

( by the way, Trenton played the Memory game with me and he WON every time!)

Stake Enrichment

Last night was our stake enrichment on Peace thru Prepardedness. We had great turn out, and the speakers were wonderful.

Had a nice time. Nice to have it over with! Now the question is, what have you done today to make yourself more ready for the future? Try to do something each day!

Happy Days

In my last post I talked about my sister Carolyn who had passsed away. But now I want to share some really happy news. Her daughter Cara just found out today that she is expecting twins. This is truly a miracle! For you see Cara wasn't able to get pregnant so she went to the Czech Republic over the Christmas holiday and had Invito done . It worked and she is having twins! yahooooo.

I know my sister is doing the happy dance right now.

Now, you may ask why would they go to Europe.. it's many thousands of dollars cheaper!

anyway, I look foward to helping her when the twins come.

I'm enjoying the rain, we need it so much, and it's making my garden grow grow grow.

I also got a new car. I'm getting used to it. But the two things I really love about it is the rear view video and the Blue Tooth thing I can use with my phone, and by the way who came up with the name like Blue Tooth anyway? crazy huh?

The other picture I took when I baby sat Nate while mom and dad had a little 2 night work meeting/vacation. We had a good time together. I made some new hairbows for the little sister coming in June, Nate was a good sport to model them for me!

I'm going back to Erie the first of March, I got a terrific price on Hotwire and I can hardly wait to see the kids and Carolee and Jeff! BRRRR, I bet it will still be cold.

My sister Carolyn

This week will be my sister Carolyn's birthday. She would have been 65 years old on Feb. 5th.

We lost her 3 years ago suddenly. Carolyn was my oldest sister and very special. My mom and dad thought thier lives begun when Carolyn was born. She was such a delight to them. She was adored by all of her uncles and aunts and grandparents. Carolyn grew up to be very beautiful and talented young woman. She could play anything on the piano whether or not there was sheet music, and she could transpose the music if it was too high or too low of a key. She was amazing really in this area. When Carolyn was a senior in high school she won Arizona's Jr. Miss. It was quite the pageant back in her day. The year after she won, Diane Sawyer became America's Jr. Miss!

Carolyn was the perfect hostess, she would make everyone feel so important. She had many many friends who loved her.

Carolyn was the BEST cook. Really, a true Paula Deen, but even better. She could make anything, and it would also look so beautiful.

Carolyn loved her children and grandchildren. I know they miss her very much, but I know she is watching over them, and still an influence in thier lives.

I don't know why she was taken so soon. We all miss her so much. She did have poor health her last couple of years but you would never hear her complain.

She adored her husband Jerry Nielsen, and loved doing things for him. I know this separation has been so hard on him.

She was a great sister.

here is a family picture of long ago!

I love you Carolyn

hmmmmm the swearing in

Well, I'm trying NOT to be negative today, but I'm not happy that we have a new Democratic president! I think he has a nice family, and I think his little girls are very pretty, but I surely dislike what the Democrats stand for! He says he's going to reverse what Pres. Bush did for pro choice.. That to me is the worst to NOT protect the unborn. Yes, I have many issues with this new president, and YES , I'm so bugged that the press is so one sighted. But I guess life will go on.
Other than that LIFE is Good! I"m loving this beautiful California weather, and I'm so HAPPY that Carolee and family are coming the first two weeks in April. I miss those kiddies so much!

Hey, I've made the homemade soap that the Duggan family uses! I really like it and it's so cheap to make and to use!

not much else going on.