Life’s Little Adventures….

Recently some of our children went to Moab, Utah for a fun get-away weekend.  The beautiful red arches and unique desert plants made a scenic backdrop for a fun adventure of hiking, climbing, and enjoying nature’s miraculous wonders.

While some of the grand kids were free to explore and climb, others needed a little more guidance and control.

(I used to hate to see kids in harnesses, but I’ve since learned how helpful they can be.  Besides- wearing a backpack is kind of a cool thing.  Right?)

 

This earth really is stunning!

 

It’s been a crazy week here (you might call it a wild adventure). 

We’ve been testing at school.

Our daughter had surgery.

A friend had a miscarriage.

Ken’s dad is struggling to adjust to his new assisted living apartment.

A brother-in-law lost his brother (much too early).

There have been plumbing problems.

AND SO ON.

Sometimes life is just plain hard.

Don’t you wish you could control which adventures you got to have?

Since we really don’t have any choice in the challenges that come our way, isn’t it nice that people offer support to each other?

 

I’ve seen a lot of love- from shared dinners- to flowers- to offers of babysitting.

(While I was taking dinner to my friend, someone else brought in a lovely meal to our daughter’s family.  Caring seems to go full circle.)

This journey of life is much better if we look beyond our own problems and help each other.

source:  pinterest

Thank you to all of you for the thoughtful things you do!

I’m going to try and be more aware of ways I can help others, too.

JoAnn

P.S.  Thank you for letting me share your photos, Liz!

P.P.S.  Prayers go out to the people of Taiwan and Nepal, with devastating earthquakes.

 

Spring time… (except for that one snowy day)

After a very mild winter, we have experienced a lovely Spring.

The blossoms really delivered.

They were stunning.

 

Even from inside the house, the view was delightful.

(I don’t have good luck with window shots-too much light for my camera.)

 

And then it snowed.

First we had 60 mile an hour winds, followed by black rain from all the dust (wish I’d taken a picture of the dirty cars in the parking lot at school-sort of looked like the jeeps you see after an off-road event through the mud).  Then the snow started as we headed home from work.  It snowed about six inches here.  It looked like the snow storm we had wished for back in December.  

It was quite beautiful.

Thankfully, it all melted the next day.

The new Spring weather called out for a little door wreath.

(My Saturday haircut just happened to be a few blocks away from Hobby Lobby.)

 

It has been nice being able to work in the yard and being outside.

 

Don’t you love Spring?

JoAnn

He Lives….Blossoms….A little gift

If you are Christian and will be celebrating Easter this coming Sunday, you might want to watch this video.  It is a sweet reminder of the life and example of the greatest person to ever live on this earth-

Jesus Christ.

He Lives

(Click above to view the video.)

 

By the way, our crab apple tree is peaking right now-three weeks ahead of schedule.

This picture was from last year, since it is now dark outside and I’m ready to post this.  (And you all know how impatient I am.)

I’m looking forward to Spring Break, coloring some eggs, spending time with family, and listening to our church’s General Conference.

Should be a great weekend!

P.S.  Missing these two cuties!

P.P.S.  Look what Andrew and Irene gave us:

You might want to avoid getting cornered by my husband or me for a while.  We’re pretty proud.  Thank you for the brag book. 

We love it!

JoAnn

An Eggshell Crackle Spring time-fantasy and reality

Just playing around with the filters on our photo editing program.

(Eggshell Crackle-Microsoft Digital Image Pro 9)

This shot from the back yard of the house I grew up in makes me a little nostalgic and eager for a trip home (Soon!).

I love how the world on the farm starts to come alive again after winter’s hibernation.

The reality is that often the crops are slow getting planted due to spring’s snow melt, rain showers, and soggy fields.  Farmers probably get a few gray hairs worrying how soon they can get their crops started.

I love the old remaining sheds and structures left on the farm from the early days when my dad was growing up. 

Unfortunately, this old grain shed (I wanted to say grainery, but spell check didn’t think it was a word) is now empty and in need of some tender loving care.

This old milk cow could be a cousin to the cute California talking cows who want you to be happy and eat their tasty cheeses and yogurts.

 

The reality is that she is is sometimes associated with unpleasant farm smells, often attracts flies, and requires twice daily attention from the milking machines.

 

The beautiful Cache Valley mountains are especially scenic this time of year against the pretty green grasses.

In reality, they are quite spectacular and beautiful all year long!

So you see, I’m kind of a country girl at heart,

I just  don’t get to live there like I used to.

JoAnn

P.S.  Does anybody think I should switch the fantasy cow with the reality one?  The filter almost makes it look like the flies have arrived.

A simple black and white Easter picnic

Family memories weren’t always captured on film.

When I was growing up, we had an old box camera that was used very sparingly.  Film wasn’t cheap and developing it was even more expensive.  Sometimes a roll of film would last for many months (maybe even years).  I can almost count on one hand the number of family pictures taken when I was quite young.  While we spent a bit of time coordinating our outfits for our recent family picture, the few family photos I have from my childhood are definitely real,  spontaneous, candid, and not always very flattering (Yes, my hair is in curlers!).

While this snap shot isn’t really very clear or focused, it brings back some warm, happy memories for me.  (Unlike digital camera photos I didn’t have multiple pictures to choose from.)

Here are my thoughts as I study this picture:

♥ My parents look young, healthy, and kind of classy for a spring picnic.

♥ My hair was curled with little pink plastic curlers we called spoolies.  (This was a Saturday night ritual at our house, but I’m not sure why I’m the only one in curlers on this day.)  I would also bet I had a red mustache from the drink in my hand.  Awkward.

♥ Grandma Palmer, sitting on the back row, was always practical in her dress, with a scarf covering her head for warmth.

♥ It must have been a little chilly and I’m sure grandma insisted on Linda wearing the hat, while my sister Diane, standing in the back, looked cute without any jacket, hat, or curlers.  (They must have loved her more…..)

♥ We believed the hill behind us led to the home of a witch and we always delighted in climbing almost to the top before we ran down the hill screaming out for protection.  This park was in the tiny town of Smithfield, Utah.

♥  I’m thinking that Grandpa Palmer was the one taking the picture.  He was always the selfless one in the background and behind the scenes.

♥ I’m guessing that the picnic might have consisted of fried chicken, creamy potato salad, and maybe toasty hot cocoa in the thermos on the table (or red punch).

♥ Pretty sure we had a fun day!

♥ Too bad sister Julie hadn’t been born yet.

Sisters:  Linda, JoAnn, Diane

P.S.  Hair after the curlers…..I suspect my frown is from repressed curler humiliation memories.

P.S.  If you want to get your own set of spoolies they are still available.  Check out this link!  They even come with a 100% happiness and lifetime guarantee! (Smiles not always included.)

Some family time and a photo shoot

It is always fun to get the whole family together!

It is even more fun to actually get some pictures to prove it.

O.K. some might not actually enjoy the photo shoot part.

We were determined to get a family portrait taken while our daughter Heidi and her family were here visiting, but did I mention that we have nine grand children under the age of eight?

NINE!

That is a lot of wiggling, crying, trying to escape moments for a photographer to capture, while keeping the adults turned, smiling, and holding in stomachs, too.

We think Liz and Andrew’s college friend Katie did a great job!

 

We didn’t get all the grand kids in this picture (We tried!) but I love how it turned out.

Aubrey was a runner and we had to keep chasing after her, but she loved photo bombing this picture.

We are off for a little cousin time now, so I’ll post more later.

Have a great day!

JoAnn

 

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff

Chapter 2:  Make Peace with imperfection

(Richard Carlson’s book, Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff)

(The beautiful Midway, Utah valley)

Since I haven’t mastered chapter 2 of this little book yet, I tend to make a lot of frustration for myself. 

I really envy people who can do their best job and then sit back and enjoy the journey- come what may.

I tend to over-think, over-plan, and then over-evaluate things.

Instead of celebrating my successes, I tend to focus on my short comings instead.

(In-law’s former cabin built by my husband and his family when we were first married and then later sold.)

We are having our whole family get together this weekend, and I’m so excited. (Yes, that is why I am up at this very late hour writing a blog post-I can’t sleep.)

Unfortunately, I didn’t get all my cleaning projects finished and I haven’t even planned all my menus yet (plus I’m out of energy).  We are going to take some family pictures and I still don’t know what I’m going to wear.

Can I blame school stress and end of the term busy work?

(The charming Homestead Resort)

I feel a bit out of control.

 

I know my family will all pitch in and help, and that nobody really even cares what did or didn’t get cleaned (Yes, the sheets are fresh and the bathrooms are sanitized!)

(The Midway Town Hall)

Will we have a perfect family reunion?

Probably not by some standards, but

I’m pretty sure we will make some good memories.

Perfection?

No, but I think I can live with it!

JoAnn

P.S.  I took these photos last fall and never posted them. The Midway area holds a lot of memories for our family.  We spent many summers working on the cabin and attended extended family reunions there.