A family connection

(picture link)

It seems like every year it gets harder and harder to keep up with our extended families.

Two of my sisters live in Idaho, one of Ken’s sisters lives in Washington, and some of our nieces and nephews live in neighboring states, while others live clear across the country.

We don’t always get together as often as we would like.

(Besides, weddings and funerals are just not the best times to enjoy each other’s company and catch up on all the news.)

My niece Kelli is living in West Virginia while her husband is attending medical school and she has taken on the responsibility of keeping the family united through a family newsletter.  Every couple of months she sends us a reminder that it is time to shoot off a little update about our family.  She then compiles them and emails them to everyone.

Some are really long and informative.

A few are short and sweet.

Most include some fun pictures and updates.

It is always fun to see what is going on in each household and to feel a part of their lives.

Here is a little sampling of the Hall family news:

Good luck to Aunt Mardene as she has cataract surgery this week.

Thanks, Jeff, for taking care of her!

Congratulations to Lynzi and Regan as you head off to different colleges.  Good luck with the soccer and softball teams, Regan!

Yeah to Karli for getting to start dating!

Hope your Blueberry Morning cereal tastes delicious Joanna and Eric. (Your kids are so cute!)

Happy first birthday, Lincoln!

Congratulations on passing your exam Julie!

Hope your foot heals quickly, Linda.

Have fun on your trip Michelle and Katie!

Did you enjoy the ducks at the farm, Joshua?

Glad you had a great vacation Liz and Karl!

Jenni and Brady, we love the new cabin!

Holly and Preston we look forward to seeing you soon.

Audrey, I love the baby quilt and the house projects.

Melissa, good luck at the new Nordstroms opening!

Chris and Ally, can’t wait to see little Blake.

Diane, we both have boring lives!

Anyway, you get the picture. 

It is fun to read about  and see the little day to day happenings, celebrate the big occasions, and support each other during times of illness and sadness.

THANK YOU, KELLI, for organizing this and keeping it going!

Families are important.

(I think everyone agrees.)

♥

JoAnn

What do you do to keep your extended family connected? 

 

Joyful noise….

I’ve turned into my grandmother.

All the time I was growing up, my grandmother loved to hear us make music.  I’ve mentioned before how she would gladly wash the Sunday dinner dishes if one of us would play the piano while she worked.  We often had a mad dash to see who got out of doing the dishes. 

She would send her words of encouragement from the kitchen to the living room (Our house was not a modern “open concept” house).

“Play that part again.  It was lovely.”

or

“I think that was a sharp, dear.”

Every visit to our house required a little performance time for her.  She enjoyed music, she loved her grandchildren, and she couldn’t get enough of the combination.

It didn’t matter if we had friends over.

They had to sit in pretended interest (sorry Barbara and Michelle) while we satisfied her desires.

(Maybe she knew it was some of our only practicing time during the week!)

Tonight I realized a small part of that passion.

Our son, Robbie, had some friends over for a musical evening.  One of them is going to audition for a musical school and she needed an audience.

She played a Chopin Etude so effortlessly.  It was beautiful.

 

Then we had a great flute duet.  Lovely.

Followed by some beautiful singing.

They  even pulled out all our old neglected instruments, including Ken’s old accordion.  He was shy about performing, but gave a few quick tips to help them figure it out.

The house was filled with music. ♪

I think grandma would have approved!

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…”

Psalm 100:1

JoAnn

 

Leaving the snow and cold behind….for a few days at least!

Isn’t it nice to just pick up and go some place where the weather is warm and balmy?

Forgetting all about coats, hats, gloves, and boots…

Running bare foot in the sand…

Exploring….

Relaxing….

Having fun!

Making memories…..

 

“Today was good. Today was fun.

Tomorrow is another one.”

-Dr. Seuss

I hope you are having a great time!

We miss you!

♥

JoAnn

 

Green Jello…

 

(credit)

I’m sitting here at  my computer tonight,

ten years after the Salt Lake City Olympics.

In honor of the occasion….

I’m eating some green Jello (with crushed pineapple).

It is delicious and refreshing.

Just so you know,

I LOVED the 2002 Olympics!

(I’m also a fan of green Jello.)

♥

JoAnn

I regret that I was not able to pick up this Olympic pin at the time.

 

Looking back…..

One of my New Year goals was to get some of our old photographs scanned in to the computer.  Some of the pictures are starting to fade and just won’t last unless we do something to save them.  Plus, it is nice to have a back up in case of a fire or disaster.

My husband has been busy the last few days pulling a lot of old pictures out of a scrap book and scanning them (pre-digital camera days). 

I’ve had a few sentimental moments as I’ve looked back at earlier times.

This picture made me smile.  We had a little fun between camera takes.

This poor picture was a feeble attempt at a Christmas card photo.  As you can see, not everyone was willing or happy to cooperate, and notice how we just grabbed everyone “as is” for the picture.

(It was probably just before Christmas and I was feeling desperate!)

This picture at Disneyland, of our baby, Liz,  caught my attention, as she is packing to take her family to Disney World.  I can see a resemblance to her own daughters.

And this picture brought on a few tears as I remembered how young our children were when we buried my parents.

(Yes, I take credit for the big hair, Heidi. But, permanents were in style back then- at least in Idaho!)

It is a lot of work going back and trying to organize and scan old pictures, but wouldn’t it be sad to loose them!

I’m so lucky that my husband is willing to help me.

I wonder what other interesting finds we have hidden away?

Probably plenty of unflattering hair styles and lots of polyester clothing.

JoAnn

 

Getting along in a grown-up world….or “How long does this viewing last?”

I loved this little collection of shots of Joshua at the viewing last week. 

A picture really does speak a thousand words!

JoAnn

P.S.  This little guy is going to be a big brother soon!  Yeah!

Congratulations, Irene and Andrew!

Lucky finds and a little elbow grease…

           Before                                            After

My sister loves to browse in thrift stores and she often finds some real treasures.

She found this old secretary’s desk which was needing some tender loving care.  She sanded and painted it and her husband put a light in the top. 
They bought some glass shelves to allow the light to shine all the way down and now it looks brand new!  Cute, isn’t it?

The total cost of the desk, paint, light, glass shelves, and  dimmer switch for the light came in around $100.  Not a bad price for a quality piece of furniture!

She also refinished this little cupboard.  (No before picture, sorry.)

She put a nice stencil on the sides.  This picture shows it in progress.

Don’t you wish she hired out?

BUT

She won’t be doing any projects for a few weeks, since she is recovering from foot surgery. 

Hurry up and get well, Linda!

(I’m sure there are some great finds out there waiting for me  you!)

JoAnn

It was a nice farewell…

Beautiful memories….

Laughter….

Gorgeous flowers….

Lots of family (including all 18 grandchildren)!

A serene setting on the hillside overlooking a beautiful valley…..

 

Rest in peace.  We will miss you!

JoAnn

Cinderella dressed in yellow……First grade babies, second grade tots…

“Strawberry shortcake, blueberry pie,

Who's gonna be my lucky guy?

A-B-C-D…”

Thanks, Ken!

JoAnn