Gone but not forgotten

    Our family has gone home, we had that's 12 grown children(including us), 10 growing children, and 8 dogs with rain, mud and cold!  

The troops have gone home but they are not forgotten.  The back door has muddy handprints allll around the door knob, the red carpet has dog hair deep and plentiful, but you have all left your loveprints in my heart, for that I'm grateful.  Thank you for being here.  It was a glorious time of laughter, squeals, game playing, dogs running, dogs growling, dogs vying for attention, wet smelly dogs coming in from the rain, grandkids with eyes sparkling and the most beautiful of all was when the grandchildren presented the Nativity.  Ahh, yes! Memories to last forever.

   I think as a family you did much better than you've ever done before about leaving things for Mom to figure out whether to throw away, save or send.  Maury left her 3 hour mints in her Santa Sock; Mike left EVERYTHING in his, (hand warmers, snickers etc).; Curtis left his whistle from his Jacob-made fire truck...(I'm sure his parents are not sorry.); both Curtis and Alyssa left their new Christmas ornaments from Aunt Jena.  
There are half pairs of socks, pairs of socks, some clean, most dirty; one volume of Lowe Quality Music Vol 2 made by Maury; a shower caddy; Christy's green jacket, Maury's brown; a lion pez dispenser.  All the decks were left here for the Hand and Foot game.  Do I take them to the cabin or just leave them here?

While writing Christy called to inform me that the Lowe Quality music is her's; so that's taken!

As with last year, this has been the best Christmas ever! Thank you one and all for being a part of our family.  You are loved.

Samantha (Jamie's) said as she was hugging me good-bye "Are you ready for the quiet?"

Charlie, our Rottweiler, is!  She's been reveling in her "I'm the only dog here" situation.

Our snow is all but gone; as Christy said, "My snow is gone...now my backyard just looks like dirt...that's what it was before; but..."   There's just something special about  snow covered hills and mountains here in Dixie; out of kilter but nice.

   Happy New Year!  Be safe, be happy, youREALLY are loved.  Mom

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!!! Dec. 20

   Thursday, the 18th, was my favorite man in the entire world's birthday.  The handsome, older gentleman whom I married is now a young 66!

    To show how much he is loved, the sky showered down snow, snow, and more snow, just to frost the world for his birthday!  Then our metal roof sent it down in an avalanch of snow and ice  to block our sidewalk and gate from any intruders who might be out there!

    When Ed heard that Emily had to go into work at the hospital while the rest of her family was going to be home...school was cancelled; he insisted that Emily drive our 4-wheel drive car to work.  That's the kinda guy he is.

   Soon,Matthew, was heard outside scooping the snow.  He cleared the path  just in time to sample Ed's happy birthday lemon mer. pie.  He felt well paid for his labors; plus I pushed a few of the famous Lowe caramels in his pocket for good measure.  (Sorry Joel...they are all gone, wish you were closer so we could share with you!)

  We waited for all the trucks to clear the freeway so we could drive safely to St. George to celebrate the birthday with dinner, a movie and a bit of shopping (a snow shovel was first on the list...he wanted a grain scoop like he used on the farm...no-could-find!)  It was a beautiful day, crisp, but not windy.  We went to Olive Garden and enjoyed the quiet just-the-2-of-us meal.  then a cute couple sat beside us with a darling baby who smiled at us most charmingly; he must have known he was looking at a birthday boy.  We saw an anglo dad and the hispanic wife and Ed asked if they spoke Spanish...'no'.  turns out she's East Indian.  The proud papa said that he hoped his son would be tri-linqual as his wife speaks Hindi, while the babysitter speaks Spanish.  

  We went to Costco, where Ed saw a huge sled that said it was for 2 people.  He decided that it could hold 3 little girls, if the middle one held onto the first; and bought it. The 3 Hillsider girls got to try it out that evening. The squeals that were heard were delightful.

  After a visit to Home Depot, he decided that he was birthdayed out and just wanted to go home. I was in accord.  It's awful to have two limpers in one family...we enjoyed our trip home and our warm house.  We had had more avalanches while we were gone; so Ed got to use his Happy Birthday shovel and scoop it away.  What a great idea! then I tried it out getting the snow off the deck.  It's a duel delight!

   Thank you for the phone calls, the beautiful renditions of Happy Birthday, the singing Rabbi,the snow scooping, the cards, cookies etc.  We love you all.

   Today, he's celebrating his birthday plus two by watching bowl games, reading, eating fresh bread toast, cooking sausage and eggs and generally enjoying life.  Who could ask for anything more???? Not us!

While the Cat's away, the mice will play...

This is Carla,... finally...my debut...I want you to know that while Emily was working at the hospital we were all playing.  I took the pictures.  Never have been a good picture framer but they turned out pretty well...my humble opinion.  

  We came into the house after sliding, eating snow, making snow angels, making snowmen and all the Hillsider girls stripped...kind of in the garage.  We went in for ham sandwiches,  hot chocolate, more sandwiches and hard rolls...bread anyone???  I've always been one for balanced meals.

  When I took the Hillsiders home(Matthew's family live on Hillside Dr.) even my 4 wheel drive would not let me up their steep driveway.  I began sliding into the rocks and Matthew deemed it of value for me to let them out at the base of the driveway.  We carried wet girls, sleds and very wet clothes in then I slipped and slid all the way home.  Wish you'd been here, Emily!

  Sorry, no pictures on my part yet.  One baby step at a time, ya know!!  

 Maury, hope we see you tomorrow.  We're excited.

Well, it is a Sunday and we again are reminded to think of the Lord and all that he has done for us. I wonder if I too often go through the week with little thought for Him who made my life worth living. When I think about the poverty, the simplicity, the rudenes of the life he chose to live and the richness,the fullness of the life I have been allowed to live I wonder that I could ever hope to return to be His joint heir in all that the Father has. And yet that is just the hope that Paul gives to us in Romans and ever the very purpose for which we were born.
Next Sunday Carla and I have been asked to speak in Sacrament meeting and we have the responsibility to try to convey a little speck of what the tremendous life and atonment of the Savoir means to us all and why we celebrate Christmas. It is a little overwhel
ming.
I do want my family to know that in a very real way I am aware of the significane of the Atonement. I know that Christ suffered my sins that I might repent and come unto him that I may be washed in his blood until I may qualify for a place in Heavenly Fathers Kingdom. I cannot imagine that I am worth, but He has promised that If I would do my part, He will qualify me. The Spirit itself beareth withness to my spirit that I am the son of God, and if a son an heir of God even a joint-heir with Christ; if so be tha
t I suffer with him that we may also be glorified togeter. (Paraphrased from Romans 8:16-17)
I love Paul, he really "got it"! I also love to quote Hipshot Percussion the old gunfighter in the comic strip "Ric O"shay". In my favorite strip, Hipshot looks out over the beauty of God's creation from the advantage of a high mountain peak and exclaimed.
"Chrismas is the promise, Easter is the fulfillment!" I wish I could show that strip, but it (along with the creator) was retired in the 70's which was a sad day for me. Maybe Matthew can find it for me. I wonder if it was ever archived on-line. I doubt it, shame.
Carla has been decorating the house for Chrismas without her decorator














Maury so there has been a lot of whining. Here are a few pictures of her decorations.


Well another Sunday came and went and Carla and I talked in Sacrament meeting. We got lots of compliments but I knew we had done OK when I ment into the mens room after Sunday School before teaching my Priesthood lesson. There was a little boy in there wash ing his hands. He looked up and said "Hey, I really liked your talk!" I was quite surprixed. Well Santa's workshop is closed to my children until after Christmas. It has really been nice working out here when it is cold outside. My pellet stove is doing outstanding work. Yesterday it snowed enough to cover the lawn and on the cars there was about 2 inches of snow. Well this morning it started to snow and it has snowed all day. I think we got well over 6 inches which is a lot for Utah's Dixie country. It has been so beautiful. Of course the kids big and small had to play in the snow. Sledding and of course a snowman.






Well I am not having a lot of luck with the clicking and draging so you can mentally put the pictures in the order that I wanted them to be.
Merry Christmas to all, we will be seeing most of you who will read this in about 10 days.
Congratulations to Maury Sue who will be getting Hooded tomorrow for her Masters. That makes two Masters in our family to go with Carla and Jennifers BAs, Christy and Jamies AAs and my Dr. degree, Emily's RN and in the not too distant future David, Jenna and Marks degrees. We are proud of all our kids accomplishments whether they have college degrees or not. One of the things that I am most impressed with is Mike's electrical contractors license. I know that is something that I could not do. Anyway we are proud of you all. Ed/Dad

I'm a (B)logger

     "I'm a logger, just came down from Coos Bay, Oregon, played football in High School, quite possibly the toughest man in the country!"  OH, excuse me this is blogging, not logging.  Oh well I just could not help myself, old Ray Stevens lyrics just keep popping up from time to time.  Well Matthew insisted that we have a blog, so here it is.  Can't clog so might as well blog.   

     Matthew is forcing us to enlarge our horizons.  He took me rappelling yesterday.  Not that is a scary sight, a fat man on a rope!  Your mom insisted that we had to send pictures so I will sent one or two.  Anyway the rope proved up to the task and I rappelled the mighty cliff.

     We have been busy.  I got most of the upper cabinets built and installed in the cabin.  We got one of the new beds put together and set up.  They are quite darling.

     I tried to put that picture down here but it went in ahead of the other two.  Who knows the mind of the blog?  Boy I look like an old fart in that picture.  I think I was tired from hanging cabinets and putting together the bed, crawling all around.  That is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  

     I should send you a picture or two of the cabin, but who knows where they will end up.  Well here goes........Yup up to the top left in the reverse order that I put them on.  Well Matthew or Emily will show us how to arrange them I guess.  Well That is all the Blogging I can stand for now.  Ed/Dad