Franson Funny Farm

I Am So Blessed!

2012-01-22T13:45:00.000-08:00

While Kimberlee was living at home we would be having a conversation and the words to a song would pop into my head that were related to the topic we were talking about. It would almost always be a country music song. She often made fun of me for comparing my life, or hers, to a country song. Well, guess what....here we go again.

All last summer and fall I could not get a particular song out of my mind. I really felt (and still do) that it applies to me. You may have heard it. It is Martina McBride's "Blessed." These are the words:

I get kissed by the sun each morning,

Put my feet on the hardwood floor.

I get to hear my children laughing

Down the hall through the bedroom door.

Sometimes I sit on my front porch swing,

Just soaking up the day.

I think to myself, I think to myself,

This world is a beautiful place.

(chorus)

I have been blessed.

And I feel like I found my way.

I thank God for all I've been given

At the end of every day.

I have been blessed

With so much more than I deserve,

To be here with the ones who love me,

To love them so much it hurts.

I have been blessed.

Across the crowded room

I know you know what I'm thinking'

By the way I look at you.

And when we're lying in the quiet

And no words need to be said,

I think to myself, I think to myself,

"This love is a beautiful gift."

(chorus)

When I, when I'm singing my kids to sleep,

When I feel you holding me,

I know.....I am so blessed.

And I feel like I've found my way.

I thank God for all I've been given

At the end of every day.

I have been blessed

With so much more than I deserve.

To be here with the ones who love me.

To love them so much it hurts.

I have been blessed.

Anyway, the chorus is probably my favorite part because of the words. I do thank my Heavenly Father every day for all He has blessed me with. For a time, last fall, I was having difficulty falling asleep at night. My mind would get racing with all the things I needed to be doing the next day or upcoming week and I could not relax. One night these words came into my mind so I started thinking of all the things I was blessed with. It didn't take long to relax and fall asleep. That became my habit each night.

Today in Relief Society our lesson was on how much we really mattered to our Heavenly Father, and how important each one of us is to Him. The sweet sister giving the lesson commented on how her life had become somewhat stalemate and how she didn't think she really mattered to the Lord. This last year she has had some profound things happen to her that made her realize how important she was to Heavenly Father and how he had been carrying her thru her life. I thought of that and also of how I get trolling along, so super busy and caught up in my every day things that I forget to continually communicate with Heavenly Father each day. After a time things will get so bad (in my mind) that I do not think I can go on another minute or I just don't know how to handle a certain situation at home and I am reminded...I just need to ask for help. He is always there waiting to help me if I will just ask. And help He does!!! Invariably, things will turn around and be better. Or I am just at peace enough that it helps the situation.

I am just truly blessed! My last blog post here was about our busy year last year. What a year it was! But soooo many blessings! It was a year filled with such wonderful and positive things. Even my mother's passing was such a blessing. She is now free of her earthly body and reunited with her eternal companion and many other loved ones. My brothers and sisters and I had the opportunity to work together to help her just before she passed and to also plan her funeral and spend time together. For me, the time was not long enough. I so enjoyed being in Edward & Kathy's home, (the house I grew up in) visiting with them and getting to go see where Tim and Barb live and visit with them. That visit definitely wasn't long enough! I don't get to do the visiting I would like to very much because Jud keeps me quite busy, but this time was great. I hadn't been up to my hometown of Salmon for a number of years, so going up there was so good. I realized I need to take the kids and go more often. Of course, now it is really only Jud at home. KC is here too, but he is hardly home and will be jumping ship soon. Still, I hope we can make more trips up there and maybe even have the older kids and their spouses tag along to come see the beautiful place I grew up and all there is to enjoy up there!

Just so many blessings! I love where we live here in Blackfoot. I remember when John was transferred over here. I cried. I loved living in Magic Valley, in Rupert. I really didn't want to leave there. And to live in BlackfooT?! Who wants to live there??? I mean, really! But, boy was I ever wrong! We were so blessed to move into a fabulous neighborhood and an even better ward. The friends we have made over the years have been so great! I hope I never have to leave here. Many times I have expressed the desire to live farther out in the country and not so close to town, but now I realize how blessed I am to live close to town, mostly because it is close to the hospital when we have needed to be when Jud has his seizures.

I am blessed to have really really good kids! And now I am blessed to have two fine sons-in-law. I am blessed to be able to do foster care for the state of Idaho. Especially to be able to care for these sweet little ones who come into our home. We have a sweet little almost 3-year old in our home right now. I hear about the home he came from, and I think of the homes and situations of all the other little ones we've had in our home, and I think how blessed I am to have grown up in the family I had. No home is ever completely perfect, but my home was close. Sometime I will have to blog about my home life growing up. It was great!

And now, I look back at my writings here and think...Life is just great! I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and am blessed to have the knowledge I have of a loving Heavenly Father who helps me every day in all I do. Isn't it awesome? I also am blessed, because of this membership in this church, to be married to my best friend, not just 'until death do us part,' but for all eternity! So cool!

These are just a tiny portion of some of the blessings in my life. What about you? What are some of your blessings? I think, for this year, we should all concentrate mightily on the positive things in our lives. Even when something bad or tragic happens, let's try to find the blessings from it. I learned from my father how good life can be when you concentrate on the positive. I challenge you to do just that.

As my beautiful missionary daughter says..."Have an action-packed day (week, or year!)!"

A Year in Review

2012-01-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

I didn't get Christmas cards & letters out this year. I think it was because I was busy getting wedding announcements out and used the postage for that. Instead I have opted to post a year-in-review here on my blog. I must say, it has been a rather eventful year for us.

January--not too much happened this month aside from John doing his traveling for work and also his birthday.

February--another month of travel for John, but also finally received the much anticipated mission call Kim had been waiting for. On the 25th, at 4 p.m. she found out she had been called to the Tennessee Nashville Mission and was asked to report to the Mission Training Center in Provo on May 25th. John and Brittany were on the phones listening as she read the letter. Her Franson Grandparents and her Grandma Tolman were here with us as we opened the letter. Two days later we celebrated Kim's 21st birthday.

March--spent making plans getting ready for the garden, making the new 'hoop house' greenhouse for the garden and also traveling to Utah for the start of several of Brittany's baby showers.

April--another baby shower for Brittany, here in Blackfoot, more getting geared up for the garden and attending the Logan Temple with Kimberlee as she goes for the first time. Our dear friend, Lis, rode down with us and Brittany & Scott and Scott's parents, Richard and Connie, met us there from Salt Lake. We sure do appreciate how supportive Richard and Connie are with all our children and not just Brittany. Kim also had a close friend and her husband travel down from Blackfoot to attend with her. Grandpa & Grandma Franson were also there.

May--starting the countdown to a busy month. Kim gave her 'farewell' talk in church on the 15th. She did fabulous! After church we had a get-together at our house to celebrate Kim's new chapter she was embarking on and to celebrate Mataya's upcoming graduation. We had a wonderful turnout of family and friends and really appreciate all the support they give our family. That was also the last family gathering my mother attended. She was admitted to the hospital 4 days later with an unidentifiable infection.

The 17th was Jud's 8th birthday so, of course, we had to have a party and celebrate that!

On the 24th John, Kim and I headed down to Salt Lake to stay overnight with Scott & Brittany prior to taking Kim to the MTC. Brittany rode down to Provo with us the next day. The drop off was quite funny, actually. All along the street there are pairs of 'Elders' (young men attending the MTC for training prior to serving in their assigned countries or states). These young men are there to help the new missionaries unload their luggage and direct them where they need to go. As we pulled up to the curb and I got out and opened Kim's door, one of the Elders greeted me then saw Kim and said, "Oh. A Sister Missionary." Within seconds there were a half dozen Elders gathering at our car. All were eager to greet her and 'help' her unload her luggage. Once our hugs were given and goodbyes said, John, Britt & I got back in the car and headed out of the parking lot. Brittany kept chattering away, which I was grateful for, but then just stopped talking all together. That is when I lost it and started to cry. 18 months seemed like a really long time at that point.

John & I traveled home that afternoon and the next day I was in Pocatello talking with the Hospice nurse, trying to work out the details of Mom's release from the hospital to go back to her apartment at the assisted living center where she had been living. She was unable to take care of herself, even to the point of feeding herself or sitting up in bed on her own.

Friday, the 27th, was spent in preparation of Mataya's High School graduation that evening. It was a really nice evening. She got all graduated and spent the night at the school at her 'all night party.'

June--The last few days of May and the beginning of June were spent on the phone a lot talking with the Hospice nurse and family keeping updated on Mom's condition. The first weekend she was back home from the hospital she rallied and did very well. We thought she was on the mend. By tuesday of the next week she quit feeding herself and pretty much quit eating all together. By that weekend she couldn't be left alone so my sister, Jane, brother, Edward, took time from their busy lives to come stay with her 24 hours. I was able to go down a couple of times to relieve them so they could go home to take care of things there. Finally, on the 9th she gave up the fight and returned home to Heavenly Father. During the time Jane & Edward stayed with her and the rest of us came to visit her there were some precious moments we were able to experience and share with her.

We had Mom's funeral in Salmon on the 17th. We left Jud in Rigby with Grandma & Grandpa Franson. We knew it would be too hard for him to understand all that was going on and it would just be too much stimulation for him with all the events that had been unfolding up to this point. He did fabulous with Grandpa & Grandma and we were able to relax and enjoy our time in Salmon.

After all this, we were on the wait for our first grandchild to make his appearance. Finally, on the 23rd he decided it was time and Stockton Heinz Sawatzki made his appearance in this big, wide world. Brittany did great through the entire labor and delivery process. I think Scott even made it through with minimal stress. :)

June is the month of mine & Scott's birthdays and Brittany & Scott's anniversary.

July--another month filled with activities. The weaken of the 4th started off with Judson's baptism on saturday. He's such a funny kid. It was so great to see him be so excited for his baptism. We were unsure of how much he understood about it all but so happy to see that he knew this was part of what he needs to do and to be so excited about it. After the baptism, before he & John got out of the font, he turned to the crowd, gave a big grin and two thumbs up.

On the 4th we had a barbecue with some of the Franson cousins. Then, later that week we celebrated KC's 17th birthday on the 8th. On the 9th John, Taya, Judson and I went over to Raft River and Burley for the annual Tolman Family Reunion. There is a family in Raft River that has turned their yard into a big play area with two giant slip-n-slide water slides, a mud/volleyball pit, a couple of pavilions, a huge zip line and a candy cannon made from an air compressor. We were there for about 3 1/2 hours and not one time had to worry about where Jud was or if he was getting into trouble or mischief. He LOVED the water slides and spent the entire time running up to the top, sliding down, and going back up again. We could hardly get him to stop long enough to eat.

This month Mataya moved down to Salt Lake to live with Brittany & Scott so she could babysit Stockton for Brittany when she had to go back to work. We also attended our Corbett Family Reunion in Riverton and had Stockton's baby blessing in church the next day.

August--we hosted the John & Kathy Franson family reunion here at our house on saturday the 13th. That was a fun time having family here and letting the cousins just run around and play.

The rest of the month was spent enjoying the garden and getting ready for school to start. It is also the month of Brittany's birthday and John & I celebrated our 24th anniversary. We also make another trip to Salt Lake to help Mataya move into her apartment for school.

September--started off the month with the Eastern Idaho State Fair and Mataya's birthday. Brittany, Scott & Stockton came up for the weekend and Mataya and her new boyfriend, Kaleb also came up from Salt Lake. Mataya was getting ready to start school at the LDS Business College.

I decided to enter some things in the fair this year and got 2 blue ribbons and one red. I made a crocheted baby blessing outfit with the dress, bonnet and booties, plus a little girl's sundress & hat and another little girl's dress with a white pinafore over top. That was pretty fun to see those ribbons on what I had done. Made me start thinking of what I can do for next year.

After the fair it is time to concentrate on all the canning and cleaning up of the garden. That is quite a chore in itself.

October--I think the most exciting thing that happened this month was Mataya getting engaged to Kaleb Klingler. We have been so happy for her that she has found such a wonderful young man who loves her and treats her so well. They are so perfect for each other and very cute together.

KC has managed to keep quite busy with school and work. He is on the Student Body Student Council at school and works at a local restaurant. If he isn't working he is busy going to the ball games.

We also did really well with our pumpkin patch and had a lot of fun letting people come and wander through and pick their own pumpkins for Halloween.

November--worked on wedding preparations, dress shopping and the start of bridal showers. We also enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner at our house with John & I, Mataya, KC, Jud and Grandpa & Grandma Franson.

December--More bridal showers and wedding preparations, along with Christmas shopping. John, Jud and I went up to the hills to find a Christmas tree and had such a fun time. It was good to let Jud play in the snow. Wish we could get some here so he could have more fun in the white stuff. He sure does love playing in it.

Christmas was great. We had Mataya & Kaleb here with us. Jud was so excited he hardly slept all night long. Finally at 5:30 KC came up and asked if we could get up because he didn't think he & Taya could keep Jud down there any longer. By 6 a.m. all the gifts were opened. We went to church that morning, then came home and cooked dinner and waited for Kimberlee to call so we could Skype with her. Oh it was so fun to get to see her and talk to her. She is doing so good and looked awesome. How grateful we are that she chose to serve a mission and teach people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have seen so many blessings come to our family because of her service. She is such a beautiful young woman, trying so hard to do what is right. We are quite proud of her.

Mataya and Kaleb were married on the 29th in the Salt Lake Temple. The night before we attended the Jordan River Temple with her for her first time going to the temple. Both days were just wonderful and beautiful. Their wedding was so awesome! We had such great support from our family and Kaleb's family. The reception that night was very well attended. It was a steady line of guests greeting the bride and groom for almost 2 hours.

Now we are looking forward to 2012 and all the fun and blessings it will bring. John & I are already thinking ahead to the yard and garden and what we are going to do. We had such success with our first greenhouse that we are going to build another. One we will fill with tomatoes again and the other we hope to fill with watermelons. Our watermelons did well and were sooooo yummy. We hope to figure out to grow a bumper crop so we can sell them and share the goodness with others. We are also excited to keep the pumpkin patch going again this year with maybe some more improvements to make it a little more fun for people to come pick out pumpkins.

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Make it a year full of purpose and service and positivity.

Picnic Anyone?

2011-08-09T13:53:00.001-07:00

I have a hard time throwing things away if I think I have a purpose for them. I have saved all our jeans that have worn out over the years with the intent of making jeans quilts with them. I think I have only ever gotten one made. Just recently I came up with the idea of making picnic blankets. I found a shop that sells heavier canvas-type fabric at a super good price (some of it is only $3 a yard for 54"wide fabric). These sew up really quickly and because of the heaviness of the jean blocks and the material for the back there is no need to put a batting in the middle. So far in the last 3 weeks or so I have made 3 of them. I have been giving them as wedding presents but am entertaining the idea of possibly selling some. I still have 4 plastic tote tubs full of jeans! Gotta use them up! When I thought of starting the first one, it was before Kim left for her mission. She gave me the idea of putting the bandana fabric on the blocks to make them look like patches. I didn't do it on the first blanket I made but have on the next two and quite like the look it gives.

I think we all could use a picnic blanket and take time out from our busy lives to just go enjoy a lunch hour or afternoon outside relaxing a little bit. How long has it been since we have done that?

Finally finished!

2011-08-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

I love finished projects! Sometimes it takes me a while to finish something I have started because I either get bored from working on it so much or I get distracted with other things that take precedence over the current project. I started this log cabin quilt almost exactly 3 years ago. I wanted to use up scraps of material I had. Like a dummy who hasn't made one of these quilts before, I just started cutting out strips without much thought of how wide they really needed to be cut. As I started sewing them up I realized what I had done. By then I was determined to keep going because I don't like throwing things away. Once I finished the top I then had to find a back for it. That took a while until I found the material I liked. Once that was done I could send it over to my friend, Shanda, in Boise. She does machine quilting. She did this one and the one below for me. I just finished binding them and am so excited with the finished results. Because of the narrowness of the strips on this one, after it was sewn up I figured there are just over 6,800 pieces of material in it. Crazy huh!!!

So when I got ready to make this one I was much more wise and planned ahead before I started cutting. I wanted to make this for a very dear friend for her wedding. I knew these were her favorite colors so I went to work. I absolutely love the colors in this one and how it turned out! In a way I cannot wait to make another one! But...I have too many other things I want and need to get done first. I am just thrilled that they turned out as nice as they did!

Finally at peace

2011-08-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

My mother, Elizabeth (Beth) Corbett Tolman passed away June 9, 2011. She is finally free from all the pain and suffering her body was inflicted with. I have to say, it was a relief to know she doesn't have to endure the hardships of diabetes, congestive heart failure, and 'old age' that her mortal body went through. Also, to know that she is now reunited with the love of her life, Rex, her Celestial Missionary son, Mike, her parents, Ed & Maud Corbett, her grandson, Caleb, and great granddaughter, Zoey. What a reunion that must have been! I know how much she loved these people so to be able to be with them again must be wonderful!

The Paulbearers: Six of her handsome grandsons. From l to r--Mike Forsgren, KC Franson, Malachi Tolman, Seth Batz, Jonathon Forsgren, and Weaton Forsgren. She wanted to have one grandson from each of her childrens' family but Tim's son, Andrew, was unable to make it. How she loved her grandchildren, especially her grandsons!

Finally her mortal body is layed to rest along side her beloved Rex...

and next to her son, Mike....

not far from her parents.

I really do like funerals in the fact that they are more like reunions for us. We get to see family members and friends that we rarely get to otherwise. These are two of my beautiful nieces, Rachel and Josie.

Josie and Rachel with cousins, sisters Jeralynn and Nancy.

Edward's children, Gideon, Tiffany, Josh and Malachi.

The 5 of us together. I love how all our eyes nearly squint shut when we are smiling.

Hair Flowers

2011-04-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Pretty much everyone that knows me knows I like to make things. I love to crochet anything from doilies to baby blessing gowns to afghans. I sew (I do custom sewing). I love making quilts and baby blankets, burp rags, most anything baby. I make stick horses. You name it I like to do it. I had 3 girls and loved making all kinds of hair bows and things for their hair. These hair flowers are the latest of many things I like to do. I have started selling them & had someone ask me if I had a web site. No...I'm not that smart, but I can post them here on my blog. So here you go. Most the flowers here are $5. There are a few smaller ones that are $3 and $4. Specify which one you want and I will let you know for sure the price. I also make headbands that the flowers can clip to. If I can find the color of flower you want I will custom make one.

I don't have many white ones pictured because I ran out of flowers. I will have more done up this week.

I also am always keeping my eyes peeled for black flowers because I get several requests for them, so if anyone sees any in their shopping excursions let me know.

You can either comment here on my blog or email me at lfranson@q.com for any questions or requests. Thank you!

Our Distinguished Dude

2011-04-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last year the Junior Miss committee decided to add a fundraiser to the program. They started the 'Junior Mr.' here at Blackfoot High School. This year the title, 'Junior Miss', has been changed to 'Distinguished Young Woman' so they changed the fundraiser to 'Distinguished Dude.' The boys do essentially the same things as the girls...have an opening number, introduce themselves, do a fitness number, a talent, and the 'strut', which is self-expression for the girls. KC did not say anything about doing it this year. In fact, I didn't hear anything about it until I got a phone call one evening while KC was at work. It was his best friend, Matt, calling on a Monday night (the program was set for that Thursday) asking if KC would want to do this. They had 2 or 3 boys drop out because of the state BPA competition so they needed to fill their spots. KC practiced three times with them, did a talent with Matt and another friend, Layne, and strutted his stuff. What did he get for his efforts? 2nd runner up to the Distinguished Dude, out of 17 boys. Plus he one the 'Strut' competition. Pretty good I'd say! This is a picture of some of the boys. Third from the left is KC's friend, Matt, fourth from the left is Colton, who one the title of Distinguished Dude, next to him is Layne, then KC on the far right. All 3 of the boys winning the title or runner's up are in our ward. Pretty good huh? Way to go KC! These next two pictures were last fall during Homecoming Week. KC was one of the cheerleaders for the Junior Powder Puff team. Not so sure about the 'distinguished' look here. :)

Go KC!

Winter Wonderland

2010-11-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

When I took Jud out to the bus this morning, this is what greeted us as we walked out the door. The fog from last night had covered everything from the trees to the fence to even the spider web hanging from the roof. It was all so quiet and peaceful, all sounds were muffled. What a beautiful morning. Jud was totally fascinated with it all. I told him I thought the frost covering the pine tree looked like fluffy cotton. He tasted it and said it tasted like coconut. Funny boy.

This is what it lookes like from our driveway looking out to the garden. KC commented on how he does not hardly remember our snowpile (from scraping off the patio) being any higher than that. (Jud has helped flatten it some). I don't mind the snow at all. It is beautiful and fun for the kids. I just hope we don't get bitter cold along with it.

More snow in the forecast this week.

A School Birthday and a Park Birthday

2010-06-27T22:08:00.001-07:00

Judson's birthday was on a monday this year. He wanted a party so bad, but monday's are super busy for him. He gets home from school about 2:15 and has to be out to Camp Hippo for therapy from 3:00 to 6:00. We decided to have his party on Tuesday. He counted down the 'sleeps' until his 'school birthday' and until his 'park birthday.'
We HAD to take treats to school for his birthday so I made this SpongeBob cupcake cake. They were little mini cupcakes. I actually made two of them so he could take treats out to Camp Hippo also.They were soooo cheesy but the kids devoured them so I guess that is all that matters.
For his party, I thought I would be smart and have it over at the park so the kids could just play on the new big toy they have there and I wouldn't have to come up with games and entertainment. I am just not a 'games' kind of mom. I wanted to keep things simple and easy. Mother Nature had other ideas in mind. It poured down rain all day Tuesday. Yep--we still had it at the park, just inside the pavillion. I found a Pin-the-tail-on-the-Donkey game and got some crepe paper streamers for the kids to play 'Spider Man' and wind them all over the pavillion. They had a blast doing that. Then we opened presents, had cake, and ran Jud through the spanking machine, cleaned up and went home. It lasted just a little over an hour and he was one happy little boy.

This was his 'Park Birthday' cake. He is really into dinosaurs. Especially T-Rex's. At school, when it is the child's birthday, the teacher has them stand on a little podium and call on their classmates, one at a time, to tell them what their favorite thing about them is. Almost all the children said Jud makes a good T-Rex when they are playing at recess. It made me smile.

Please don't call me a Saint

2010-06-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

About 8 years ago John and I decided to apply for a Foster Care License. It took us a while to fill out the paper work, because it seemed a little intimidating at first. Then we had our background check and home study and all that stuff. If I remember correctly, we were notified that we passed everything and would soon be getting our license in the mail, then, BAM! I was in a car wreck and ended up in the hospital for a week then in a hospital bed in my living room for 8 weeks. The week I got home from the hospital we received our license in the mail. I remember thinking, "Wow! We waited for this and now we can't do it for who-knows-how-long." I think I forgot about it after that because my next few months were filled with healing, therapy, surgeries, etc. My mother came to live with us for a time, I went back to work substitute teaching. and prepared for summer to hit. One day...
I answered the phone. Caller ID said, "Idaho State Government." CRAP! What did we do? It was a service coordinator for Children & Family Services telling me they were taking a 2 week old infant into care and would we be interested in taking him? OF COURSE!
Over the next 7 years, to date, we have had 17 foster children. Most of them have been infants, but we had a 3 year old girl and her 8 year old brother, and another brother/sister pair that were 9 and 13. The 13 year old girl was something. She taught us a lot in the 4 days she was with us!
Just last week we got our 17th baby, a little girl. She is the most precious thing!
I love doing foster care. It is very challenging dealing with the family because they can be very hostile at times, but I focus on the fact that we are taking these precious little ones into our home to love them and care for them in the short time they are with us and, hopefully, give them something they can draw on later in life.
Our first little 2 week old baby boy ended up becoming ours forever. We knew when we consented to adopt him that he was a drug and alcohol baby. We would not know for some time, if ever, the problems he might have from it all. As it turns out, he has a seizure disorder, which can be very serious (we almost lost him once--had to Life Flight him to Salt Lake), he is developmentally delayed in many areas, and he was just diagnosed last year with Autism. He is an extreme challenge but everyone who knows him will agree that he is the most loving, friendly little (big--he is over 4 1/2 feet tall and 100 lbs & 7 years old!) boy they know. He loves everyone! And everyone should love him.
Through all this, I get the comment, quite frequently, that I am a saint. NO I am NOT! To me a saint is someone who is right up there next to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in perfectness. Not quite perfect but close. I am nowhere near that! I lose my temper frequently, (I even swear more than I should), I do not keep a perfectly clean, organized house, I sometimes have a problem with judging others too harshly, I don't read my scriptures like I should and many, many other things that do not land on the 'Saint' list. I just try my best to be patient, listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit to help guide me, and remember how much I love my family and am grateful for all Heavenly Father has given me. Because I have been given much, I, too, must give. This is the way I can give!
So, please, don't call me a Saint, because I am not. I am just a normal person who happens to love what I am doing and knows that it is my calling in life at this time.

Pretty Princess and a Cool Car

2010-05-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was High School Prom. With each daughter, we told them they could get one new prom dress while they were in High School. Do you know how much prom dresses are??? Anyway...when Mataya got asked to Prom she asked us if she was going to get a new dress. John told her he would either buy her a new dress or put$400 towards a new scooter for her. Guess what she chose?! The scooter. She borrowed a dress, which I thought was beautiful.
Once she saw what color her dress was the wheels started turning. The following pictures are the outcome of her creativity, meaning the hair and shoes. Aren't they just fun?!

The traditional prom picture in front of the willow tree with Jud in the picture.

Mataya and her date, Josh

Get a load of those shoes! She said that was the most comfortable dance she has gone to yet. I love it! Wish I would have been smart enough to think of that when I was going to formal dances.

Another great view of the pink highlights in her hair.

And look what he picked her up in!!! A brand new Corvette! His dad brought it up for him to use for the evening. Mataya said it was by far the coolest, classiest car there. And driving through town with the top down was the best! Even better than a limo because everyone could see who was in the car.

She had a super fun time and her date was a perfect gentleman the whole night. It is such a relief, as a mom, when your kids come home from a big date like that and they have had a great time. Thanks Josh and parents for making this such a memorable evening for Mataya.
p.s. Isn't she just beautiful?

My little 'Cooker Man'

2010-02-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

Jud says when he grows up he wants to be a 'Cooker Man.' Last week John's sister, Dawn, sent him an email with a link to a web site of her business, Dawn to Dusk. She makes little aprons with matching hats for kids. John saw them and immediately placed an order with her for an orange (John's favorite color) set for Jud. We got them in the mail today and I got no peace until I started supper so he could help me. He cut up the onions for me. This is the first time I have let him use a sharp knife. He usually hacks away with a butter knife. Hope I haven't created a problem for myself. He was so proud of his new stuff and that he could help Mommy now. Thanks Dawn!

He is so proud he gets to use a big person's knife.

His eyes started burning from the onions. I was helping him try to get it stopped.

A Year and a half in the making

2010-02-02T12:16:00.001-08:00

For a long time I have wanted to make a Log Cabin Quilt. One day, going thru my scraps of material I decided I was going to start. Being the idiot I am, I gave no real thought to what I was doing, I just started cutting out strips of material. Not until I started sewing them up did I realize how small those strips were going to be once they were sewn up! Oh well! I wasn't going to stop now!!!
I started in July, a year and a half ago, working on it pretty steady, in between gardening and canning and such. Then I had to put it away to work on Christmas projects. Another project came along, then another, then I was sewing dresses for Brittany's wedding. After Christmas this year I was pondering on some resolutions I would like to make and one thing that came to mind was "Finish some of your projects." This quilt top was on the top of the list.
I am proud to say, "I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED IT!!!" It is King size, made to fit our bed. It is just the top right now. I plan to buy some material for the back, some batting, and take it over to Boise to my friend to quilt it with her long-arm machine. No way am I going to quilt this by hand!
It is not perfect, by any means. Some of the seams are crooked, the color scheme wasn't in any real order, (was just trying to use up scraps of material I had), so I won't show the actual product to too many people so they can't see the sloppy job that was done. I hope my friend doesn't cringe too hard at all the mistakes. But guess what???!!! I am proud of it! I did it all by myself and it is my first one! After this, the strips will be bigger and much easier to put together, and all the seams will hopefully be straight and line up!

This is a close-up of a couple of blocks so you can kind of see how it was put together.

Next project? Well--I have a couple of dresses to make for my nieces, then I have some more squares cut up to make a twin quilt. They are much easier! When that is done, I have tons of old jeans I want to sew up into quilts for camping and using for picnics and such. After that....Oh man, do I have lots of ideas and patterns of quilts I want to do! I hope my children like homemade quilts because I plan on keeping them supplied!

Fun in the snow

2010-01-31T16:07:00.000-08:00

This is the kids favorite thing to do when we get enough snow. Since we don't have any hills or mountains close by we have to get a little creative. We use to use the golf cart but now we have the 4-wheeler it is much funner. (You can get going so much faster with it!)

KC likes to 'practice' with his snowboard.

Jud's word of the day

2010-01-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

Most everyone knows what a huge imagination Judson has. One of his latest things is to play dress-up. He likes to go down into Mataya's room and get a jacket or big shirt of some sort, get one of her scarves and wrap it around his neck, put her shower cap on his head, hang one of her bags over his arm and slip on a pair of her shoes. He will come parading upstairs as "Grandma." It gets quite hilarious some of the things he comes up with.
Today he decided he wanted to dress up his big teddy bear. He was asking Taya for things and informed her he needed the 'masks.' Mataya came upstairs almost doubled over in laughter. It took her a few minutes to figure out what he meant until he demonstrated for her. His 'masks' was a bra. We got a good laugh outa that one!

p.s. she talked him out of putting a 'mask' on the teddy bear.

Homemade Christmas Nativities

2010-01-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

I have a thing for Christmas Nativities. I especially like to find patterns of ones I can make. This year John bought me a buffet cabinet so now I have room to display all the nativities I have collected. It is kind of fun! These are some that I have made over the past few years. Some of them were Relief Society Super Saturday projects and the bottom wood one is the very first one I made. They are kind of cheesy, I guess, but I like them!

This one is a countdown until Christmas. Jud loves to move the star each day.

This is the first set I made. I got the pattern out of a magazine and cut it out with our scroll saw. I am not a very good painter but it sure was fun to do.

Reflecting Back

2009-12-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

Nine years ago, on December 12th, my parents stopped by on their way home from Salt Lake. My dad had been in the hospital down there (they had flown him down from Salmon about a week previous). His doctor could find nothing wrong, or so he said, and released Dad to go home. Our friends who brought them back were kind enough to stop here so we could see him for a while and give him a break from riding in the car. As I watched him struggle to walk from the car to my door I knew that if he continued on to Salmon he would not make it home alive so I insisted they stay here for a while to give him a chance to rest up. Little did I know that that would be my last opportunity to give service to my dad. His stay lasted just 2 weeks. He struggled to breath, he struggled to eat. We tried everything we could think of for him. I even put my chicken noodle soup in the blender for him to see if that would go down easier for him. The kids LOVED having their Paa-aa here for that long a time.
December 23rd I awoke from a dead sleep with the thought I need to go out and check on Dad. He was awake but having an awful time trying to breathe. He told me he thought he had better go to the hospital, but he wanted to try to shower first. When he got to the bathroom and realized he couldn't even do that I knew it was serious.
That day I had to make some of the toughest decisions a child should not have to make when it comes to their parents. Even though my mom was with us, she was not in the state of mind needed to make these kinds of decisions. After we got Dad into the Emergency Room on 100% oxygen and his sats were still at only 66% the doctor pulled me aside and told me we had to decide if we wanted to put him on life support to "try to pull him out of this." Dad asked the doctor if he didn't have something he could give him to take it all away.
Ultimately Dad was the one who agreed to the intubation but I still had to make the phone calls to family and let them know what was going on.
It was a hard time for us, having 4 little ones at home trying to get ready for Christmas, family coming into town to see Dad, watching out for Mom as she stayed there with Dad in the Intensive Care Unit and thinking I still had to fulfill my church calling. I am so grateful for wonderful friends and neighbors who helped us out.
Less than 36 hours later, as John and I were home on Christmas Eve getting ready to celebrate our little tradition with our kids of opening their 'pajamas', we got a phone call from the hospital. John & I left immediately, leaving the kids home alone until I could call someone to go stay with them. Dad had returned home to live with Heavenly Father on the Eve of our Savior's birth.
We opted not to tell the kids when we got home that night. We didn't want to spoil their Christmas. The next morning, after opening presents, KC hurried to get dressed and was putting on his shoes when I asked him what he was doing. He told us he was going to go see Paa-aa and show him his Christmas presents like we promised he could. It broke our hearts to tell him he wouldn't get to.
For a year or two after, I had a hard time at Christmas time. It has gotten easier as time goes on. Some years are tougher than others because I get in a more reflective mood, I guess. I remember all the fun Christmases we had when I was living at home. I remember the year after Dad's cancer surgery when we would ask him what he wanted for Christmas. "A new body and and a new truck," was what he would say. So we borrowed a mannequin from the clothing store and dressed it up and put it in a big box. We put it in the living room about 4 or 5 days before Christmas. Dad would walk around that box with a twinkle in his eye just chuckling. He was so curious as to what could be in that box. Then we bought a little toy truck, complete with horse trailer and horses and put it on a straw bale out in our calving shed. That was such a fun Christmas.
As a child, we would play Secret Santa to a family in the valley that we knew were less fortunate than we were. Mom & Dad would drive us and we would take the boxes to the porch and ding-dong-ditch the house. If we had enough snow my Grandpa (or Dad) would hitch up the team and wagon, or bobsleigh, and go up through the neighborhood, picking up neighbors and kids, come back and go out through the fields with the tubes, sleighs, car hoods and toboggans on back, then stop at the house for hot chocolate. Dad loved going sledding as much as we kids did and sometimes we would go up Williams Creek and sled down the road at night. We always had to wait, on Christmas morning, for Dad to get done milking before we could get up and open presents. If any presents were opened before he got there they would be his. One year I happened to spy a Barbie in my stocking before Dad got in the house. I didn't dare tell him because I knew he would get that present and I just knew he wouldn't enjoy playing with a Barbie near as much as I would.
My dad was such a fun loving guy who always had a twinkle in his eye. He loved to tease and he loved to laugh. He was friends with everyone and if you didn't know him, he would introduce himself and you would be friends in no time. He left me a great legacy that I will always appreciate. Of course, he wasn't perfect, none of us are, but he was a great Dad! I am forever grateful for the chance I had to have him in my home the last two weeks of his life, for the chance my kids had to have him near at Christmas-time. A friend, and family relative told me later that when they came into our home to see Mom and Dad during that time she noticed Dad sitting in the living room, with the Christmas tree up, and the kids playing there close by; she felt such a sweet spirit there. She thought that must be such a happy time for him to be surrounded with his grandkids like that.
As it turns out, Dad had problems with his esophagus and was basically starving to death. That is why he had such a hard time eating. But what was his undoing was he had been released from the hospital in Salt Lake with pneumonia. Because it went untreated, the infection spread into his chest cavity. He also aspirated fluid into his lungs. He died of asphyxiation and pneumonia.
Now I must always remember how blessed I was to have the father I had and to be grateful for all he did for me, especially all he tried to do while he was here with me before he died.
We love you Paa-aa and are very thankful for you and all you taught us. Merry Christmas!

The Symbols of Christmas

2009-12-07T08:10:00.001-08:00

Just a week before Christmas, I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I had just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door of the front room, and to my surprise, Santa Claus himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his fingers over his mouth so I would not cry out.
"What are you doin..." I started to ask but the words choked in my throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know.
He then answered me with a simple statement of "Teach the children." I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag fr0m behind the tree. As I stood there bewildered, Santa said again, "Teach the children. Teach them the old meaning of Christmas; the meaning that Christmas now has forgotten."
I started to say, "How can I..." when Santa reached into the toy bag and pulled out a brilliant shiny star.
"Teach the children the star was the heavenly sign of promise long ages ago. God promised a savior for the world and the star was a sign of the fulfillment of that promise. The countless shining stars at night, one for each man, now show the burning hope of all mankind." Santa gently laid the star upon the fireplace mantle and drew forth from the bag a glittering red Christmas tree ornament.
"Teach the children red is the first color of Christmas. It was first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood which was shed for all the people by the Savior. Christ gave His life and shed His blood that every man might have God's gift of Eternal Life. Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is the greatest color of all. It is the symbol of the gift of God."
"Teach the children," he said as he dislodged a small Christmas tree from the depths of the toy bag. He placed it before the mantle and gently hung the red ornament. Here was the second color of christmas.
"The pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round," he said. "This depicts the everlasting hope of mankind. Green is the youthful, hopeful, abundant color of nature. All the needles point heavenward-symbols of Man's returning thoughts toward heaven. The great green tree has been man's best friend. It has sheltered him, warmed him, made beauty for him." Suddenly I heard a soft tinkling sound.
"Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring for man to return to the fold. It means guidance and return. It further signifies that all are precious in the eyes of the Lord. As the soft sound of the bell faded into the night, Santa drew forth a candle. He placed it on the mantle and the soft glow from its tiny flame cast a glow about the darkened room. Odd shapes in shadows slowly danced and weaved upon the walls.
"Teach the children," whispered Santa, "that the candle shows man's thanks for the star of long ago. Its small light is the mirror of starlight. At first candles were placed on the trees. They were like many glowing stars shining against the dark green. The colored lights have now taken over in remembrance."
Santa turned the small Christmas tree lights on and picked up a gift from under the tree. He pointed to the large bow and said, "A bow is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of the brotherhood of man. We should remember that the bow is tied as men should be tied, all of us together, with bonds of good will toward each other. Good will forever is the message of the bow."
Santa slung his bag over his shoulder and began to reach for the candy cane placed high on the tree. He unfastened it and reached out toward me with it.
"Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the staff helps bring back the strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane represents the helping hand we should show at Christmas time. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keepers."
As Santa looked about the room, a feeling of satisfaction shone on his face. He read wonderment in my eyes, and I am sure he sensed my admiration for this night.
He reached into his bag and brought forth a large holly wreath. He placed it on the door and said, "Please teach the children the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love; it never ceases, stops, or ends. It is one continuous round of affection. The wreath does double duty. It is made of many things and in many colors. It should remind us of all the things of Christmas. Please teach the children."
I pondered and wondered and thrilled with delight,
As I sat and viewed all those symbols that night.
I dozed as I sat in the soft candle light,
And my thoughts were of Santa and all he made right.
To give and to help, to love and to serve,
Are the best things of life, all man can deserve.
Old Santa Claus, that jolly fat elf,
Is the very best symbol of Christmas itself.
He's the sign of the gift of love and of life,
The ending of evil, the ceasing of strife.
His message to me on that pre-Christmas night,
Has opened a treasure of deepest insight.
The one thing on earth we all ought to do,
Is teach all the children the right and the true.

Christmas stories

2009-12-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas stories. I have a book that has been put together with lots of stories and poems in it. I was typing up some more stories I had found to add to the book & thought it would be fun to put a few of my favorites here for others to enjoy.

Ready For Christmas

"Ready for Christmas," she said with a sigh,

As she gave a last touch to the gifts piled high.

Then wearily sat for a moment and read

Till soon, very soon, she was nodding her head.

Then quietly spoke a voice in her dream:

"Ready for Christmas! What do you mean?

When only last week

You wouldn't acknowledge your friend on the street.

"Ready for Christmas, while holking a grudge!

Perhaps you had better let God be the judge.

Why, how can the Christ child come and abide

In a heart that is selfish adn filled with pride?"

"Ready for Christmas, when only today

A beggar lad came and you turned him away

Without even a smile to show that you cared!

So little he asked--it could have been spared.

"Ready for Christmas! You've worked, it is true,

But just doing the things that you wanted to do.

Ready for Christmas! Your circle's too small.

Why, you are not ready for Christmas at all."

She awoke with a start, and a cry of despair,

"There's so little time, and I've still to prepare!

"Oh Father, forgive me, I see what you mean;

To be ready means more than a house swept clean."

Yes, more than the giving of gifts and a tree,

It's the heart swept clean that he wants to see.

A heart that is free from bitterness, sin,

Ready for Christmas means ready for Him!

I sure hope I am ready for Christmas this year! Hopefully I can post a story every day until Christmas and you all enjoy them!

He looks like a normal boy....

2009-11-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

Most everyone knows the story of our Juddy Buddy. He was our very first foster baby who arrived at our home at the tender age of 12 days. Being our first foster child (and no training), we had no idea what to expect. They brought him into our living room and then told me he tested positive for Meth when he was born. My heart sank as I wondered if I was going to be up all night and all day with a crying, fussy baby. We still fell instantly in love with him. It didn't take long to know he was the best baby any mom could ask for.

Eventually we found out we would be able to keep him forever! What joy was in our hearts. We also knew we would be taking on a lot because no one really knew what the long term effects from prenatal meth use were.

At about a year old he discovered his brother's cars and would line them up on the ledge of our bay window. They were all front to back. Not one was out of place. At 18 months he still wasn't talking so I started getting him evaluated. There were a few signs of delays. At about 2 1/2 he started getting extremely upset at the drop of a hat and would bang his head on anything that was near; concrete, the floor, the wall, us....He also was displaying impulsive behaviors that, even though it appeared he knew they were wrong, he couldn't control them. By this time we were getting a lot of outside help for which we were grateful. We were also learning how others could be so extremely judgemental and close-minded. We would get looks, and occasionally, comments, on our inability to control our child. Some mothers would even tell their children not to play with Jud, just run away from him. He wanted to play with other children so bad but did not know how to initiate that social contact and behave right.

It has been such a heartbreaking but extremely rewarding journey. Once people take the time to get to know Judson they see what a huge spirit lives inside this (albeit oversized for his age) body. He has a love for everyone that goes beyond any social barriers we have all put up around ourselves. He tries so hard.

Even though we have known for over a year, the psychologist just officially diagnosed him with Autism Disorder. Dr. Christensen told us a year ago that he was sure that would be his diagnosis but then changed it based on the paperwork I filled out. When answering their questions about different issues I would state they were not much, if any, of a problem. I did that because we had learned how to deal with most of them. I had not been told to fill out the questions based on what another person would go through if they were taking care of Jud for the first time. This year I was wiser and was instructed better on how to fill out the questionaire.

Judson looks just like a normal little boy about 9 or 10 years old. However, he is only 6 and once he begins talking most would be able to tell he is not 'normal.' We have learned so much from this special child. As parents we have learned more patience. We have to work harder and not raising our voices in anger (at least not too much). We have learned we need to slow down our lives and try to keep a little calmer atmosphere in our home. These are just a few things, but most of all we have learned when we see a parent struggling with a child in public to not be judgemental. We have no idea what that parent is going through or what the situation my be.

We have also learned the blessing of adoption. I always believed that when you adopt a child that spirit was intended to come to your home from the beginning but unable to by normal circumstances. Simply put, that child was chosen to be yours here on earth but had to go thru other means to get here. We have learned you do not love that child any less than the ones you carried for 9 months and gave birth to. Once he is sealed to you & your family he is yours forever, not just binding on earth but binding in heaven.

Jud struggles with a lot of things. Verbally he has a difficult time expressing himself. He just learned how to button buttons and how to skip. He cannot ride a two wheeler but watch out when he is on his tricycle! He cannot tie his shoes and if there is a change in his routine without forewarning, heaven help us all! He is delayed in school and academically only functions at about a 3 or 4 year old level. Oh, but he is very smart! He will draw pictures till the day is long. He loves to build cars with his legos and if you are doing something while he is in the same room as you, even though you think he is not paying any attention, he can come and do exactly what you were doing. Visually he remembers everything and can imitate anything he sees on t.v., especially animals, to the exact sound. He loves music and maybe cannot say all the words but can hit the notes right on.

He is one precious little man and we are so grateful he is ours. The road may be tough and extremely frustrating and heartbreaking at times but, oh it is so rewarding. Especially when, out of the blue, I will hear "Mommy. I Love You."

Brittany & Scott's Wedding

2009-10-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting pictures posted of Scott & Brittany's wedding. What a perfect day it was! Thank you to everyone who came and helped make it extra special.

Grandpa & Grandma Franson

Grandpa Sawatzki

Scott's Family

Everyone who was at the Temple

Goofy Dad

My Handsome Boys &

My Beautiful Girls

The Bridesmaids: Kimberlee, Katy (Scott's sister)

Tara (Britt's friend), Mataya

The Groomsmen: Matt (Scott's brother), Mike (Scott's friend), Jon (Scott's friend), KC and Jud

I love this one!

They made such a beautiful Bride and Groom. The colors Brittany chose were so pretty and vibrant. Made everything just stand out and pop! What a wonderful and exciting day. We love having Scott a part of our family. It is crazy to see your children grow up and move on with their lives, but also very fun to watch.

Some BIG Onions

2009-09-30T17:59:00.001-07:00

I decided it might be a good idea to get my onions pulled and ready for storage. Especially since it was going to turn cold today. I thought we planted a lot of onions last year, but we almost ran out and didn't have any for storage. So we planted two rows this year. Boy did we ever get a lot of onions! And they are big ones too. The great big ones you can see in the pictures are Walla Walla's and they are about the size of small plates. I don't think I have ever grown onions that big. It is fun to plant the garden and then see and enjoy the fruits of our labors.

Another successful harvest was our spaghetti squash. I got three plants from the nursery and from them got about 40 squash! That's quite a bit for only 3 plants that I almost killed.

P.S. Sorry for the sideways picture. I still am not technologically smart enough to figure out how to fix that. I thought I did and this is what I got. You can still get the idea of how many onions we have.

Wonderful Rewards

2009-08-30T16:35:00.001-07:00

I am sure that all of you who read this know we do foster care. Mostly we take babies but a few times we have had older kids. Babies are much easier for us because Jud is does better with them. Plus I love taking care of the tiny ones. The last foster baby we had we got when she was 5 weeks old. We ended up having her for a year with only a 2 1/2 month break in which they were trying to reunify her with her mother. It was unsuccessful and we got her back. A few months later her aunt and uncle were finally able to get licensed so they could take her. They were very much hoping to be able to adopt her. This adorable little girl turned 3 this month and has been with the aunt and uncle the whole time. The birth mother lost her parental rights and appealed the decision. The ruling was upheld this summer. I knew approximately when the appeal was to happen but had not stayed in very good contact with the aunt & uncle and didn't want to bother the social worker too much.
Anyway-as I was getting ready to take Jud to school Thursday the phone rang. It was the aunt calling to tell me the adoption hearing was that morning in an hour and could I come? Of course!!! I would not miss that! What a beautiful healthy little girl she was! And so loved! It was the neatest experience, aside from our own adoption. My heart overflowed knowing what a wonderful chance this little girl has now with a family who adores her and takes such good care of her. To top off the morning, the aunt, before the hearing, told me they were changing her name, to Katherine Linette. They wanted to give her my name to honor the first year of her life that she was in my care and to let me know how grateful they were for what I did. That touched me like I can not even describe.
So many times I have wondered what has happened to those 13 children I have cared for, some for only 24 hours, some for only 3-4 days, some for much longer. I have seen a couple of them around and have quietly been able to watch a bit of their progress but most of them I have no idea what their little lives are like now. This experience was a reaffirmation to me that what I do does make a difference somewhere, somehow. This has made it all worthwhile for me. I cannot wait until the temple sealing when I will be able to witness the joy this family will receive to have their whole family together in the temple. Wow! What a blessing it is to have the gospel in our lives and to have the knowlege we have of a loving God who wants only what is best for us!

Judson's "Bambi Bike"

2009-08-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

This summer I had KC and Mataya clean out the shed. In the process they put the elk horns out on the lawn. Of course Jud found them and had to play with them. He would hold them up to his head and pretend he was Bambi. Next thing we knew, one night while John and I were on a date, KC calls and says Jud wants to tape the horns to his bike. KC did, according to instructions and this was the result. As you can see he got quite creative with his balls and 'sticks'. He has received quite a few comments on it.

Jud's First Day of School

2009-08-28T12:43:00.001-07:00

Monday, August 24th was Judson's first day of 1st grade. He had been counting down 'how many sleeps it was' for the past 11 days! He was so excited that morning. Mom is excited too! I like having quiet days do regroup and get things done. Let's just hope and pray it is a good year for him.

2009-08-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

Monday I took Kimberlee back to Provo to get her moved out of one apartment and into another. We are getting pretty good at this moving thing. One problem I did notice though, was each move seems to be bigger and bigger. I told her to quit aquiring stuff.
Actually Monday we only made it as far as Brittany and Scott's in West Jordan. It was Brittany's 21st birthday so we spent the night with them and went out to dinner with the Sawatzki's. They are such a fun family. Brittany sure got lucky to get such great in-laws.
Tuesday morning we kinda dawdled a little so we could go show Kim Gardener Village before we headed down to Provo. Brittany took me there last fall and I have wanted to go again ever since. It is the cutest little village of shops. So much fun to go look around in. Anyway, as we started down the street we heard a very out-of-the-ordinary sound the car was making. Sure enough--flat tire! Thanks to some very wonderful neighbors of Britt's we got it changed and got it over to the tire store to get fixed. In the meantime, while the car was at Les Schwab, we crossed the street to browse around the Quilted Bear. Another FUN store! Needless to say, we were a little late getting on our way to Provo.
We did manage to get Kim all moved over to her FLSR (Foreign Language Student something-or-other). We pretty much dumped everything in her apartment, gave her hugs & kisses and left. I was going to be late getting home as it was and I hate driving after dark.
I dropped Brittany off at her house and headed on home. I passed Malad and was almost to the next little exit when a ding sounded and a light came on the dash. I had totally forgotten about GAS!!! I was so grateful I was able to get off at that exit and slip back into Malad and fill up. I put a little over 18 1/2 gallons into a 20 gallon tank. Talk about being watched over! The rest of my trip was uneventful and I made it home safe and sound to find the house and contents all in one piece. Thank goodness for great kids!

Warm River Fun!

2009-08-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday, the 22nd, we made our annual excursion to Warm River. We took Brent and Zana Bitton, Tayler and Dakota (we missed you Dallas) and also Kim's friend, Jonathon. We had tons of fun. It was a perfect day to picnic and float the river. The river is perfect. Not too deep and the float is only about a 1/2 mile. Someone stays at the campground and brings the pickup down to load us all in and take us back up. We all went down at least two or three times (some more than that). Jud loves it because we put his life jacket on him and he plops into the river and hangs onto the rope that goes around the boat and just floats all the way down. At first the river is a bit cold but by the end of the float you are use to it (or your just too numb to notice). This is an outing the kids look forward to every year. We missed having Brittany and Scott with us this year so hopefully next year! I think we are going to have to invest in more tubes or boats though! And maybe even make it an overnight trip. The campground there is really great!

Funniest Story Ever!

2009-08-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

So tonight, at aproximately 10:45 pm, Kimberlee decides to finally go down to her room to pick up her clothes she has scattered throughout the room. After a moment, we hear a bloodcurdling scream (I thought it was on t.v.) and she comes bombing upstairs. She swears there is something down in her clothes like a snake or something. Whatever it was it rattled! and moved! Of course I, being the mother, had to come to the rescue to start the process of sifting through each article of clothing from the door to the wall. After everything was picked up and shook out and I moved the suitcase, her face turned red as she bent down and spun the wheel on her suitcase. That was the ratlling sound she heard. Some snake or rodent! I'm afraid this is one we won't let you forget for a while Kim! (by the way-she DID wake up Jud so I made her put him back to sleep) .

Hello all!

2009-08-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings fellow friends and family! This is Kimberlee, daughter #2. My mother (Linette) has been asking me for quite some time to help her set up a blog. I thought that today, while I am visiting home, would be an excellent time to do so. However, just as I start asking, "What do you want to call your blog? What kind of background do you want? What do you want to say in the 'About Me' column?" I received the same answer: I dunno, you pick something. And then she goes off and works and I don't know where she is. I thought it rather silly to create a blog and have no posts, so at least here is one to help get started until you can hear from her yourself. Hopefully in enough time she can figure out how to use this as well as facebook, which was also created by her fabulous first daughter. Maybe I should leave some step by step instructions posted on the wall next to the computer... Just kidding Mom! Love you lots! And from all the crazy Blackfoot Fransons, we're glad to be on board and we love to hear from you all as well on your blogs. Ciao!