Trimming the Tree

This year we decorated early. It seems like we are more prepared for Christmas this year than I can remember being for many years. The shopping is one gift short of being finished, the handmade things are nearly done and now the trees are up!!!

This year we were blessed with a lovely pine tree from the hills. It is beautiful, full and even has pine cones clinging to the branches. It smells wonderful. We got it the third week in November. Since we had the tree we decided to put it up. It was a wonderful Family Home Evening activity. Not only did we learn a little about being prepared and working together, but we worked together to be prepared for Christmas. We also put up our favorite of all artificial trees - a gift from a special person last year. ☺

While we decorated trees, a few of us got side tracked. We wanted pictures so Naomi favored us with those. Here are a few...

Decorating the artificial tree...

Decorating our lovely pine!

OK - here Naomi got side tracked in figuring out that you can do cool things wit h the camera.

A jerk to the side...

A wiggle...

 And back to the business of taking pictures...

An ornament...

Here, the lights are going up on the ceiling -
 that is what she is looking at.

The artificial tree nearly done!

The real tree nearly done!

When Naomi put the camera down, Beth started playing with it... She recorded how the fish decorated for Christmas... no surprises there!!!

There was lots of swimming....

And more swimming!!!

I love the lights of Christmas. I love the colors, the sparkles and the gift wrapping. I love the nativity ornaments that help us remember why we celebrate Christmas. I love the music. I love the giving spirit. I love the crafting and the baking. But most of all I love doing and enjoying those things with my family! What a joyful time of year.

Merry Christmas!!!

The Popcorn Prince

In October the Scouts started selling popcorn in our area. Since Myles is a scout he participated in this effort. 

When Myles does something, he does it well. He wasn't satisfied with just selling a little bit of popcorn - he wanted to do a good job of it and he DID!!! He sold nearly $1500 worth of popcorn to those in our area. He would come home from work after having brainstormed where else he could go to sell more - then once he was home he would spend a fair bit of time talking to those people and taking their orders. Each sales margin he closed would have him looking to the next to see if he could reach it as well. He had a goal and he accomplished it very well.

Myles is such a hard worker. In the last 3 months alone, since school started I have had a number of people seek me out to tell me how respectful and kind he is, how good a worker he is. They know him to be responsible and trustworthy. He is goal oriented and wants to do his best. What a joy it is to have a son such as this. In general conference this past fall in one of the talks we were taught that the greatest gift a child can give their parents is obedience to eternal truths and principles of the gospel as they live a righteous life. I am so blessed to have children who seek to do good, be good and share good. Each time they do so they give me that great gift, one that brings me such great joy. As John said, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." Good children are such a wonderful source of joy. I am so blessed.

Saying Goodbye

Death is not an easy thing to face - especially when it comes suddenly to someone who is still relatively young. This was the case this month as we learned of the passing of an uncle who was still in his 50's. Some of his children firmly believe and know where their father has gone and others are less certain. It was a very sad time for the family. As we gathered to remember him we were able to share laughs and tears that bring healing and comfort in this time of grief.

We even got a few family shots while we were there...

One of the pictures on display was of his parents. This was a picture that I've never seen before. I was so glad I had my camera handy to capture it.

Jacob and Anna Neitz

I guess death is a wake up call. There was lots of talk at the memorial service of forgiveness. Even after as the family visited  I heard several express regrets, wishing that they had taken the time to put their differences behind them and forgive so that they could have had a special family bond and the associated joy that comes with it. Now the onus is on every person there, to decided if the message of forgiveness is good enough to apply in to their own lives or if it should just apply to everybody else. That is a personal decision, but I know that the Lord eagerly waits and watches to see if hearts were softened enough to practice what was preached.

I am so grateful for the healing power of forgiveness. It has brought such extensive joy to my life that it is nearly impossible to describe. It is worth every effort and challenge that it takes to get there. And the blessings and joys that come with it are beyond anything of earthly value. Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves, it frees us from bitterness, hatred, guilt and every thing that is depressing. It is liberating and wonderful. It would seem that if we love ourselves - we forgive others - then we can keep loving ourselves.

Supervising

Supervising -- that is what we have been demoted to - yes demoted. I'd much rather be able to get my hands on things and help out - especially when things need done right now, but no, I have to supervise along with my husband who also has to just supervise....

A couple of weeks ago Chad had an accident that, until it heals, prevents him from using his left hand. Within days of the accident we had to take down the scaffolding we had borrowed and return it to the owner since he needed it. Well, we have a great  and willing work crew - normally we work with them, but due to both our health, we had to supervise...

I decided to supervise with a camera in hand...

There is the west side of the house without scaffold up anymore...

 The scaffold was 3 levels high with large planks on it. The kids did an amazing job of listening to instructions and carefully disassembling it one level at a time. Myles, Naomi and Melodee worked on that while Beth stacked the things they sent down to her.

 Here is a piece of scaffold coming down and Beth is receiving it. Chad is supervising like a pro, keeping everyone safe and where they need to be.

 Almost done, you can actually see the house now. I'll never get over how much I like it! Chad did such an amazing job!!!

 There we are stacking the last of the planks and getting ready to take down the last set of scaffold.

As you can see from the snow in the picture, it was a little chilly out there so I headed in to warm up. It took quite a while to accomplish the task, so I was outside long enough to get chilled. We were blessed with a little extra help from some special family members that came down to assist as we loaded it into the truck. I even drove the load back to the owner and they had people there who unloaded it for us.

It wasn't a big project, but it was definitely a family activity. We needed everyone. We had the little girls inside cheering us on and everyone else was outside working. Together, we did something that Chad or I alone could not do. That's what families are for. Together we can accomplish miracles - even when some have to stand back and patiently allow progress to be made. Even those supervising are putting as much effort into filling the need as they are able in a given moment. Together needs are met and filled. What joy there is in family support, in family activities and family togetherness. It is so awesome!!!

Building a Kingdom

This past week I began my third week in cubs as the Cub leader. It is not always an easy calling and I often come home tired - well in truth just getting ready is tiring, but this week our activity was something I was very interested in. One of the badge requirements is to build a model of a farmyard, or school yard etc. We  always have a theme in Cubs and this month it was Knights of Olde sooooo....

...we built a kingdom!

We started with craft floral foam and cut and shaped it into hills forming a place for a river and of course a bridge to go. Then we painted everything including the foam. It was gray which worked great because it added texture to the hills.

Next we glued in rocks on the river edges and a few into the hills. Then we constructed our buildings and added a few trees. That was as far as we got this week.

This was a pretty in depth project for 8 year old boys but I was very pleased with how well they did in beginning to build their kingdoms. The pictures are of mine because I didn't take my camera to the activity but theirs are every bit the model that mine is. It is my plan to continue over the next weeks and months to work on our models, complete the village houses, add people and animals and even wagons.

When the project is done it will be thrilling for the boys to take them home and show them off to their families. And that is really what it is all about! The joys we experience, the accomplishments we make all mean more when the people we love celebrate them with us.

This project was not an easy one to do with such young children. It kept me running for the full activity. 

I can't help but think that each family on earth is a kingdom. Those kingdoms - over time - grow and form sub-kingdoms. Each one is composed similarly and as more time passes the sub-kingdoms build their own sub-kingdoms. Each kingdom built brings joy to all the others. Yet in the days of Camelot there was a division that threatened the entire kingdom and the peace and security they felt. Of course we know that the true dark knight - the one that would threaten our own happy kingdoms - is Lucifer himself. The king of darkness and division. He works overtime to threaten the kingdoms we build up - that are a pure source of joy. When this happens there is heartbreak and division. Only light can overcome those things and restore joy once again to the formerly happy kingdoms.

I am so grateful for my kingdom - my church kingdom and my family kingdom. They may not always be as peaceful as preferred but they are a pure source of joy and even serving as the cub master in scouts, though it is hard, is something that helps me to feel the joys in my life more poignantly. May the sun break through and shine into our lives like never before....

Special Days

We've had another birthday at our house! It was a pretty eventful week so we were thankful that we were able to celebrate as we had planned despite everything else that was going on. 

I love this picture - it's blurry but somehow
Naomi managed to get the smoke
off the candles in the shot.

This birthday girl is happiest on a horse or near a horse. If she can't be around horses she loves to write fiction and read. She excels academically and has a wonderful way of sharing her knowledge in the things she writes. She is a delightful person to have in our family and is a blessing in our home. What a joy it is to be blessed with a child such as this!

Recycled Snow

This year we've had snow so much earlier than we've had in the last 4 or 5 years that it feels like Christmas. I loved that when I came home from the hospital the first thing that greeted me was the sound of Christmas carols playing. I love the feeling of festivity that the snow brings. I love that is provides another outlet of play for my kids - especially when we are so blessed with days warm enough to enjoy the snow but not so warm that it is gone in one day. The snow around here has been put to many good uses - you could almost call it recycled snow.

Just after the snows I looked out into my backyard to find:

All the snow off the back deck had been heaped into one central pile. A few days later that same pile of snow was recycled and now looked like this:

From above

From below

Yup! The kids put together their own hills for sledding. They played out there for hours and eventually played themselves out, so once again, that same snow was again recycled - this time to make a snow fort. I didn't get pictures of their fort, but the broke it into chunks and stacked it to make a fort to play in. Snow is pretty fun.

Along with the snow came a bit of a surprise. Living in town I don't think we've ever seen an owl nearby, yet only a few days ago we looked out our window and were surprised to see an great big owl perched in the tree just outside our window...

Winter is filled with delights. Often when I think of winter I am tempted to dwell on the harsh, cold elements that make travel difficult and the inconvenience of having to bundle up to go outside. Of course there is always the need to be careful when there is ice so as to avoid unnecessary injury. Life is sometimes a little like winter. There are days that feel harsh and cold, but those same days are also filled with the great possibilities for the fun and delight that my children found - we simply have to take advantage of the opportunities for good even in the face of harshness or unkindness. I love that there is joy in winter. It is a beautiful time of year made even better by the anticipation of Christmas. It is such a blessing to experience the changing seasons and even winter is a very enjoyable season at our house.

The Hands of Angels

It's amazing how quickly time can pass when you are busy and how slowly it goes when you are not. With each day I look for something new I can do and I am keeping busy in the 'take-it-easy' form. Over the past few weeks I have had lots of visits, phone calls and meals from the hands of the angels in my life. I am so grateful for those people that have cared enough to show it.

These angels have fed us very well:

They have come bearing lovely gifts:

And most appreciated they have  expressed their willingness to help, their love and their support. I am so thankful for the hands of the angels that help to bring joy into my life.