What is going on?

I'm not sure what is happening on my blog.
Tonight I couldn't find any of my posts and I'm not sure
if it was just on my end, or if my posts disappeared for everyone.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT I MIGHT HAVE DONE?
(A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!)

I was able to access things through the archives,
but nothing showed up when I opened my blog.

Do I need HELP or is this coming through o.k.?
(I realize if it isn't working , no one will know that I am needing help!)

I LOVE my new cupboards!

My husband is quite the handy-man!
He just finished building a set of cupboards for our home office.
It is so nice having a place to keep all the odds and ends that don't look good out on display.
(Try to imagine that the white walls are a different color!)

A few years ago he built these cupboards in our dining room.

I guess I'd just like to thank him again!

THANK YOU!!!

(Now, if all my cupboards were clean and organized.....)

It's my LUCKY DAY!!!!!

I never win contests! Ever!

Luck is not usually on my side.
But...
today I came home to find that I was the lucky
100th post winner on one of my favorite blogs!
http://granvillehouse.blogspot.com/

YEAH!!!!

Here are the things I will be receiving in the mail.
That is real, hand-picked cotton from Texas.
I LOVE decorating books!
And...
I need to redo my bathroom and I love the shower curtain!

THANKS, MELISSA!
You made my day!

Welcome to those of you who popped by to see who the winner was!

Already missing them.....

The house is quiet.
The clutter is picked up.
It's back to work again.
But...
It was a great weekend.
We LOVE our family!
Thanks!!!!

A fun weekend....

We had a nice reunion with ALL of our children home for the weekend!
(Heidi came from Portland. Yeah!)
In three short days we crammed in a LOT of Fun including:
Bowling with the Bairds
Lunch at Costa Vida
Hockey at the E Center (with cousin Brett)
Board games
Cooking Navajo Tacos
Playing with Maddie
Ham dinner with the Grandparents
(and our favorite Johnson sisters)
Midnight trips to the drug store for Maddie's medicine and a humidifier
(Ok, that part wasn't fun)
Hanging out and catching up
Laughing

His first car.....(the one before the Mustang)

A few posts ago I talked about meeting my husband for the first time and riding in his famous Mustang convertible. Before the Mustang, he co-owned another classy car.
I LOVE this picture of Ken and his sister Marcia (my future roommate)
sharing their first car,
the "Station Wagon"!
(It's a good thing they always got along so well.)

But...
He hasn't always shown such good taste in automobiles.
After we got married the glamor of a convertible just didn't seem as important
as the safety of a good old family car (with room for all those car seats).
So...
When the Mustang started showing it's age (after much wear and tear)
we traded it in for a.......

(gulp)
Ford Pinto Station Wagon!

(Can we say that we must have been crazy?????)

One more Valentine idea.....I know, the holiday is over!

I love reading this book to my students every year. It has a great message of
friendship and kindness and how people can make a difference in others' lives.
Mr. Hatch is a lonely man who works at a shoelace factory
who is mistakenly given a large package of Valentine candy by the postman.
His life changes as he begins to realize that someone loves him.
He starts interacting with people and doing kind deeds for them.
After he finds out it was a mistake he returns to his lonely, quiet ways.
but his neighbors and friends soon discover the problem and shower him with balloons, banners, and a shiny new harmonica. Someone does indeed love him.

You might want to add this book to your own collection. I LOVE IT!

Soft Sugar Cookies

My sister Linda is the best cook!
This is her recipe for

Soft Sugar Cookies:
1 cup whipped cream (not whipped)
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
(Cream together until really mixed-almost like whipping cream)

Add:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups sifted flour

Mix and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.

Roll out and bake for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees.
(Don't roll too thin and don't over bake.)
They are soft and delicious!

Thanks, Linda!


Linda and her cool family!

My annual "Ode to Winter...."

"I've had it with winter and indoor recess;
And weather too cold for a break.
I'm tired of inversions and unhealthy air.
I've had all the frost I can take!

I"m off to Hawaii (at least in my dreams),
To soak up some sun and some rest.
I'll lie on the beach and sip lemonade.
I'll become a permanent guest.

I won't miss the chatter and chaos of school,
Or assignments to plan and correct.
No long days with children; no parents to please,
Or school board decisions to accept.

I'll have my mail forwarded. I'll sleep in a tent.
I won't have a worry or care.
A beach bun I'll be and a happy one, too,
All I need is the courage to dare!

Tomorrow is Monday and what will I do?
I know you have probably guessed.
I'll wake up real early and head off to school
And try hard to give it my best!"

JoAnn Clegg

(Sorry, to those of you who already had to read this,
but the sentiments are still the same!)

How it all began.....a long time ago.....

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching,
I decided to follow Liz's example
and tell how Ken and I first became a couple.
Unfortunately, our start was a bit slow
and quite
"sticky".

Ken had just returned from a mission in Brazil. I was a wide-eyed-innocent freshman living in the dorms at B.Y.U. (a Maeser Moose) with his sister, Marcia.
Ken came by to visit our apartment and offered to drive us around town in his
golden Mustang convertible- with the top down!
Pretty cool for a Southern Idaho farm girl, don't you think?

Well, after the ride we discovered that my frozen home-made raspberry jam that I brought back from my parent's house had spilled all over the floor of the back seat of the car!

It took four years and a LOT of hanging out time to undo the damage,
but we did eventually end up together.

Thanks for the fun ride!

A great leader....

Tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birthday.
(We made top hats today in school to celebrate.)
He took our country through some challenging, difficult times
and was a wise leader and an amazing person.
Here are a few good quotes from one of our most popular presidents.

"I am successful today because I had a friend who believed in me
and I didn't have the heart to let him down."

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."

"If you look for the bad in people, expecting to find it, you surely will."

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."

He believed in a "...government of the people, by the people, for the people,.....with malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right. Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds."

What a great role model!

A fun blog to visit....

I admit it, I like to visit other blogs. One blog that has some fun ideas is 320 Sycamore.
Right now she has a link to a site where you can create your own font- for free! Check it out. She also has a link to a place where you can get a free photo book (hard bound). Visit her Tuesday, Feb. 2nd post. It is a fun blog with recipes, decorating ideas, and other creative things.

Winter wonderland

"There is no season such delight can bring
As summer, autumn, winter, and the spring."
William Browne

I borrowed these pictures from Liz's blog.
She is becoming quite the
photographer.
Thanks!

Discovering life is quite an adventure
when you're not quite two!

Birthdays.....I didn't really forget, but I am slow to post

Another reminder to be prepared....

A quick tip for food storage:
Don't forget to store some "comfort foods"!
Nothing tastes better when one is "stressed" than those
delicious, comforting foods you love.
I think the church's dry pack hot cocoa mix is delicious
and the dry pack apple slices make a nice treat, also.
What do you like to eat?

"It is better to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent!"
-Ezra Taft Benson