Pool fun

Michelle and the girls are staying with us a few days. They love to spend time in the pool. Here are some pictures of them enjoying the pool. In one of them, Holly is eating her lunch on the deck. The deck is not finished yet. David is working on it this summer, trying to redo it. He has only a little time now and then and the priority has been to make sure the pool is secure from little ones being able to getting through the fence. Caroline, of course, found a way into the pool right away, so Poppy had to put up more chainlink fence around the deck, but it is pretty secure now. The pool has provided lots of fun over the years, but now with small grandchildren around we have to be diligent with safety measures.

Camping at Queen Wilhelmina Park

This weekend we went for an overnight campout at Queen Wilhelmina State Park. It is located in the Ouachita Mountains and is about and hour south from where we live. The whole family went, except for Matthew (who is working away in Brazil) so we had a great time. There was a bad storm that moved through our area just after the kids left for the campout and before we left for it. I was a little frightened and David called from work to check on me. Ryan and Sarah got hit by some pretty bad hail and now their cute little Volkswagen has hail damage.

When David got home we packed up and left for the campout. When we got there, the kids had our tent up and ready for us. David said he could get used to camping like that! The temperatures were about perfect, which is what I enjoy. We had lots of fun being with the kids and grandkids and talking and laughing. We grilled a couple of beef tri tip roasts and hamburgers, hot dogs and bratwurst. We were so full after eating that we decided to save the dutch oven dessert of apple crisp to make for breakfast.

There is a little train that runs through the park that people can pay 4 dollars and go for a ride and see the great view of the Ouachita Mountains and the parklands. Before we got there, the kids went on it and enjoyed it. The tracks for the train ran beside our campsite and whenever that little train went by Caroline and Holly would get so excited and wave. I had fun going for a walk down the tracks with the little girls. We saw beautiful wild flowers and butterflies and woodland (Caroline called it the jungle where the bears live).

The park people came by and told us to be sure to put all our food in the car because a lot of bears were in the area. Michelle was worried about using her sweet smelling lotion. : )

A heavy fog and mist moved in during the evening hours which was pretty cool looking. We all settled into our tents for a nights sleep. Of course at 2:00Am I woke up and needed a quick trip to the restroom which was hidden in the fog. I drove to it. There was thunder going on and I figured I better go before the storm hit. Diana wasn't so lucky. When the rain started her husband and her got up to make sure everything was put up safe and then she had to go to the restroom. She walked up there in the pouring rain.

By morning the rain stopped and the fog moved back in. The sun coming up through the fog was really cool. I took lots of pictures. The fog soon burned off and we had a beautiful day to enjoy. We had eggs, sausage, fried potatoes, biscuits, and apple crisp for breakfast. No one went hungry on this trip! David and I took Caroline and Holly up to the lodge to look around and play on the playground while everyone else went on a hike. Later it was time to pack up and go home.

It was a great time. The only part that was hard, was that I missed Matthew so much. He would have loved being there with us.

Two cuties

My oldest daughter Michelle and her family came for an overnight visit. They went to the Tulsa zoo yesterday and got here late. This morning we all went to church together. The girls wore their adorable new dresses that Michelle made them. They are the prettiest flowers in the garden!

orange lily after the rain

I just had to add one more picture of this beautiful orange lily. We just had a sudden cloud burst and the raindrops on the lily are really fantastic. To really get a good view of it, click on it to enlarge it. WOW!

Lilies in bloom

My lilies are blooming. They are so gorgeous. There are only a few that have burst forth so far, but there are tons of buds coming along. I love to go outside and look at them. I can see them from my kitchen window and it gives me joy to look outside and see them so tall and beautiful along the fence. I have dark pink and medium pink ones, and orange ones blooming now. Soon I will have deep rose colored lilies blooming and finally huge pure white lilies will bloom. What fun!

Our Mother's Day Phone Call

Last Sunday was Mothers Day. It was a wonderful day. A day of family and church and enjoying the many blessings of motherhood. It was also a day to talk to my son, who is serving a full time 2 year mission for the LDS church. We only get to have a phone call on Mother's Day and Christmas, so it is extra special. We talked for about an hour, (oops, it was only supposed to be for 45 minutes).
He sounded wonderful. He is only 20 years old, and he is living far from home, learning another language, and working hard everyday to share the message of the Gospel with God's children. I can't express how much joy it brings me to see how mature and strong he has become. He has always been a great kid, but his mission is refining him into a wonderful man. His love of the Lord and the people of Brazil is a shining light in his life. I miss him tremendously, as he misses us, but we all accept and recognize that this is his time to serve the Lord exclusively.
He walks everywhere, gets very tired, struggles with the heat and humidity, and sometimes doesn't get enough to eat, but he gains far more than he suffers. He gains joy, peace, happiness, and satisfaction. He sees lives changing for the better. He sees people accepting the Lord's message and turning their lives around. He has learned to rely on the Lord like never before in his life, and he is gaining an understanding of the great love our Father in Heaven has for each of us. He fully understands how important his family is and how much his family has done for him. He is very thankful for all his blessings.
How do I know these things? He has communicated them to us in letters and in the phone calls. Also, I too, served a full time mission. I may have walked different paths, but I walked similar paths. I know what it is like. So does his Dad. There is just nothing like a mission to turn a lump of coal to a diamond. The diamond may need some more polishing as time goes on, but the foundation is laid for life.
Even though he can't read this now, "I love you Matt (Elder Lee)".

My Mother's Day message from the Santa Maria Mission

Mother's Day is in one week. This is a very special day for the families of LDS missionaries because we get to have a phone call from our son. We only get phone calls on Mother's Day and Christmas, so it is a much anticipated event! I was pretty excited to check my email yesterday and found that I had a Mother's Day message from Matt's Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Myhrra. It had this picture with it. Matt looks marvelous and happy. I can't wait to talk to him.

I emailed the mission office and asked for the names of the other Elders. Elder Christensen emailed me back and this is what he said, "Hi this is Elder Christensen, the Financial Secretary from the Brazil Santa Maria Mission. I arrived here in the mission just 1 transfer after your son, and he was in my zone during the first few months of my mission. He´s a really good guy. I can´t tell you exactally when it was taken, but I can give you the names of the missionaries ok? (Left to right) Elder Marinho, Elder Moreira, Elder Lee, Elder Frame, Elder Leite, and Elder Meireles. I hope this helps!"

Elder Lee and Elder Meireles with a cute Brazilian girl...

Matt's companion, Elder Meireles is getting transferred tomorrow. Matt will get a new companion, and he will have a friend from his first area back in the district with him. Elder Breinholt is coming to Sao Borja. They should have some good times!

Elder Meireles emailed this picture, with the following description:
"isnt this the cutest baby you've ever seen??
hahaha!!
;)
Meireles:

Pandemic Awareness

Lately I have been thinking more and more about our family's preparedness. In our church we are counseled to store food and water and other essentials. We have tried to follow these guidelines with our family. We have been working on updating it recently. One of the things that is always a possibility is a pandemic. With the recent news about a possible pandemic starting in Mexico and now spreading to the USA, I have been thinking again about how important it is to be prepared. If a pandemic starts, there is a very real possibility that authorities could quarantine people to their homes. Are we prepared that we could get by without having to go to the store?

Here is an article about the new flu that is raising fears:
New swine flu likely widespread, experts say.

and here is a link to the Provident Living site:
Pandemic Preparedness Planning

Finally, here is the Link for the government's site:

PandemicFlue.gov

I hope and pray there is no need to worry, but pandemics have been something the human race has dealt with for centuries, and we most likely will again, so it is best to be prepared.

I survived the storm. We got some big hail. It was bigger than quarter size. The storm was very fast moving and so while we were in the thick of it the sky was clearing to the west which gave the sky a very cool orange glow to it. The orange glow was caused by all the smoke in the air. On the news they said that Oklahoma has a lot of brush fires and homes burning. I'm posting a picture of the hail, the orange sky, and a cool one of the street light that came on when the storm got really dark and then went off when the storm had moved on by. And yes, instead of taking cover like the weatherman said to do as a lot of rotation was approaching Hartford, I was out taking pictures. What a fool. With thunder, lightening, and rain all around I had to balance the camera on the car top, and while holding an umbrella over it hold down the shutter release. I went inside during the hail. That was some BIG hail. In the picture of the hail I have a quarter and a nickel in the center.

Dark and stormy night!

David has gone to Fort Smith for his High Council meeting and I'm here alone. There is a heavy thunderstorm moving it. It has been super windy this evening. I've even worried that the trampoline in the back yard will blow away. Looking at the radar, I see a heavy red line of storms just about to hit. Well If I have to go to the inside room for safety (the bathroom in this house) then I won't be too crowded.

I love all my family and friends. I hope they are safe as the storms blow through!

Babysitting on Spring Break!

I'm on Spring Break (one of the benefits of working for a school). My daughter thought this would be a great chance for me to spend some time with my granddaughters and she could paint her kitchen cabinets. I was willing, with a little help. I have a sore knee so my daughter Diana and her husband are also here to help out. Caroline and Holly are so adorable. I love having them here. They sure can make some messes though. It is really fun to take them out to the trampoline. They love to jump. Holly is almost 2 and she takes us by the hand and leads us to the back door and insists, 'Jump!'. Being a grandmother is such a privilege. I'm so grateful for the blessing of having these two girls in my life. I can't wait for more grandchildren. Here are a couple of pictures of the cuties too. Caroline is blowing a kiss to her Uncle Matt in Brazil and Holly is jumping on the trampoline.

My new opinion blog

I just started a blog just for my opinions on politics and news. Anyone interested in my thoughts on todays happenings should drop by and get an earful : )
Here is the link
http://speakingoutforamerica.blogspot.com/

Elder Lee's video of his transfer on a bus

Here is a video of Elder Lee on the bus during his transfer to Sao Borja. I really enjoy the part with the Sister missionaries, since I was once a Sister missionary! By the way, when she refers to Elder Lee being with his dad for 3 transfers, that is missionary talk for being with his trainer for 3 transfers. They refer to their trainer as their father, or their dad.
We just got this video along with others from Elder Lee. He has been in Sao Borja now for 2 transfers and he thinks Elder Meireles will be transferred this next week. They will know for sure on Monday.
The Other video is of Elder Meireles and Elder Lee riding with a family in Brazil. It is one of the few times he has been in a car on his mission.

A picture from Elder Lee

This week when Matt emailed us from his mission in Brazil, I asked him if he could take a picture and email it to us. I am always trying to picture where he is as he is emailing. So I was really excited when he sent this picture. Thanks Elder Lee! I love the picture! He has completed 8 and a half months of his 2 year mission. He is getting fluent in Portuguese, and has gained experience and has been having lots of opportunities to teach the gospel. He is loving it. I love him and miss him. Last night I had a dream about him. I just couldn't quit hugging him, so when I woke up I missed him so much. But I'm thrilled that he is doing what he knows is right. Being the mother of a missionary is a wonderful experience. While you miss your son, you are also very proud and happy for him. I know he misses us too, but he is happy to be in Brazil working as a missionary. Go Matt! Keep up the good work.

I'm so excited! I just found out that the new 'World Wide Ward Cookbook' that was put together by Deanna Buxton has two of my recipes in it. Michelle has two recipes in it too. Last April I got an email through my missionary moms email group that gave us the information to submit recipes for the cookbook. If your recipe was selected, you would get a free cookbook, so we decided to go for it. We submitted recipes and then forgot all about it. Friday, Michelle suddenly got the cookbook in the mail. It is really cool. I am supposed to get a new cookbook too.

Here is a link to see it at Deseret Book.
World Wide Ward Cookbook

It was so fun to see our recipes in the book. There are a lot of great recipes in the book. Even Ethan was excited about some of the recipes.

Today was really warm. It may be February still, but it is starting to feel like spring. My daffodils are blooming. A sure sign that spring is coming is that my granddaughters came to visit and were excited to get to play in the pond. (My poor goldfish). Caroline was soon completely in. Then Holly, who has to do everything Caroline does, had to get in. But she didn't find it quite so much fun. The water was a little cold for her. (Cara said I better give her credit for taking the wonderful pictures!)

New Computer and New Safari Web browser

I just got a new computer. I really didn't want to buy one yet. I preferred to wait until a better time economically. My old Apple ibook G4 is dying and I knew it was a matter of time. I need a laptop to carry to work and back, and over the last 4 years of having one, I just can't stand the thought of not having one, so I decided to go buy a new one. My good husband wasn't thrilled, but he understood. He even understood when I decided to go a step up and get one slightly more expensive than I had planned. So there we were in BEST BUY at the apple section and I was debating which one to buy. I called Ryan, our family expert, and he was giving me advice and telling me what to look for. He had already done some research for me. I also finally got a blue shirted worker there to help me. Between what the two of them were telling me, I was convinced of the need for a dedicated video card and 2 gigs of whatever. You see, I don't really know or understand what goes on inside the computer, but I do know what I need it to do. I deal with LOTS of pictures and video. So I bought my laptop and then went to find my husband, who had wandered off, and then left to go out to eat.
I feel guilty as heck about the purchase, but whenever I get to feeling too guilty I get it out and discover something new and exciting about it. I love the onboard camera. I have been video chatting a couple times with Ryan and Sarah. That is so COOL! All my kids have got to have a webcam so we can video chat whenever we want. Wouldn't it be cool if my missionary son could video chat with us on Christmas and Mothers Day? Well the computers in Brazil barely do anything, and it is not allowed by the church at this point, but I see it moving in that direction some day, lucky dogs.
I just downloaded the new safari 4 web browser. All I can say is - Awesome! Try it out. It works for windows or apple.
It is faster and the start window is wonderful. Read about it here http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/02/24/apple_releases_public_beta_of_safari_4_browser.html

Download it free here: www.apple.com/safari

So far I am really impressed with it!

Blast from the past!

Dianne, my roommate from BYU just sent me a picture of the two of us hitting the slopes at Park City. Wow was that a long time ago. I grew up skiing, but Dianne (who we called Baggy back then) was new to it, but boy was did she pick it up fast. She was a natural. Those ski trips while a student at BYU were some of my favorites. I haven't gone skiing in years. There just aren't any good slopes in Arkansas. But I can still close my eyes and feel it. I wonder if there is skiing in heaven? Anyway, I sure appreciate Dianne sending me this picture.

Elder Lee got his birthday box!

I enjoyed Matt's emails yesterday. He has had problems with an ingrown toenail over the last few weeks and he thinks it's finally getting better. I sure hope so.

He got the 2nd birthday package I sent and he was excited. He says: "my dl (district leader) keeps telling me my mom is awesome. cause you send me cool stuff like m&ms. he says his mom keeps sendin him nerds. and yes i can buy the pasta here. mom you cant possibly know how much i love your packages. you can just see excitement radiating from my body. its like a part of home. plus i love using the stuff inside. i will be really excited to get the one you just sent though. but still, how many packages are on the way? i just need to know how many to expect. i am still eating the goodies. i already ate the combos. i still have the mandms. i got the package on friday. im waiting till my bday to open the presents. everything arrived well."

As you can see he doesn't capitalize anything! I hope when he returns from his mission and goes back to college he can adjust back to writing correctly. But I'm so excited that he got his birthday package. His birthday is next Sunday. One of the gifts is a photo book I made him. It turned out great. I think he will really like it. It has pictures of him, his family, and his friends. It has pictures from family vacations, camping trips, and holidays. He was wanting some pictures of those times and I thought this would be the best way to send them.