Comment Attempt

I tried, and tried to post a comment to Elder Landbeck's missionary blog, ("Geeks, Games & Gospel" over there in my sidebar on the right) without sucess.  So here is what I tried to tell him: 

This morning I read 2Nephi 11:4 "My soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from thr beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him."  Thought of this blog entry.  It all testifies of Him.  You can find similarities, examples, object lessons that teach truth in everything!  Love your missionary blog!  Can we invite the ward to read it?

Couple Photos

Fire Hydrant Party

Before the meeting convened, a big, black garbage bag in front of the podium hid it. SUPRISE! The city was so thankful for his work of cleaning/repainting 67 hydrants that they gave him a decommissioned, gutless, trophy!

Max is Back!

The Maryland State Boychoir TOUR CHOIR are home from their 2 week tour. They went north, all the way to Quebec. Max told the story of how impressed he was with Niagra Falls. They sang "Happy Birthday" to Maxwell in the middle of one of their songs--very cool. I cried at the end of the concert, thinking of all the years of rehersal and driving and tuition and uniforms and hours of sacrifice to support him in this--and the relief of it coming to an end. Great experience, and he learned lots, but I regret the time he was away from Church youth night...Did we sacrifice too much? Met a friend of MSB, a big supporter/patron of the arts who is also a Mormon--who only learned at the concert that Max is, too, when they announced he was graduating and going to BYU for school. That kind of gives it away. He asked about how our beliefs meshed with the religious songs the choir sings. Doctrinally, some of the hymns we don't sing in our congregations, or different verses, or even words changed to fit with what we believe. I told this supporter that it has been a good religious education for our son, great opportunity to learn about others' beliefs. And overall very uplifting, inspiring. Good group of young men with high standards and the choir is very strict. They do have fun, but clean fun. The choir consists of boys from many faiths and backgrounds, and they their repertoire includes many faiths.

Lois' Quilt & Polly's (for Pioneer Day)

I have had more time to sew. What really happened: I cleaned up the sewing room before Emma came home, and it made it easier to sit down and work on specific projects that have been on hold. First, I dutifully worked on Polly's quilt. Ties her husband wore and favorite t-shirts. Add in some great African-looking fabric to represent their meeting in Ethiopia...

Preview for Polly: just the tie blocks all scrunched together. They are now sewn in with the t-shirt blocks, waiting for another iron pressing and then off to quilter for quilting!


Lois gave me 26 of these flower blocks. She had bought them at an antique store. Do not know who pieced them. Machine appliqued, raw edged. Pink polyester centers, so old & new fabrics, mixed. Very pink. Some flour sack fabrics. I added blue flowered sashing.

And made one more block, to complete the quilt top, 7 rows of 4 across a nd wide side borders. No destination for this quilt. It was relaxing to sew, mindless, soothing therapy.

Two quilt tops done in two days of sewing! Finally, some quilting to show!

On Line!

We've been waiting for this! I have looked around at many of the missionary blogs from Billings, Montana LDS mission, finding out that they drive trucks in the snow, take wonderful "Field is White" photos in front of wheat fields, work hard, love the people they are serving...

I tried to leave a comment here this morning, scroll down to "5th Grade Hero" story. My comment was: I am impressed with your story. Well written, and real. And a good reminder for me this morning. For those of us up-rooted during school years, it is tough! So glad you are a missionary! Thanks for sharing your testimony of Christ.

Elder Landbeck is part of a mission participating in online prosyleting. He has been out long enough to start...and we were sent instruction on how to support him and NOT distract him.

"Do not make an effort to contact your family through Facebook. They may be your friends and follow your efforts through Facebook and your Blog, but avoid casual communication with them through these programs. Facebook is not intended to replace your weekly emails to your family."

Got that? But I can tell you where to find his writings, as soon as he writes them...

Techno-savy children! This is a great generation!

U CAN-CAN Butter! ?

This is what came to mind when the women at Church talked about canning butter for your family's year supply food storage. How can you can butter? Wouldn't it melt?
It takes time to prep the jars, sterilize everything, normal canning practice...

And the big secret: yes, you have to melt the butter. Unwrap it. SLOW & LOW heat, stirring, boiling it for 5 minutes so it is really hot.

After lids "ping" seal, and the jars are cool to touch, you SHAKE to mix, so the ghee isn't left on the top. Put in fridge for an hour (shake more, if not mixed).
Store in cool, dark place. Good for 3-5 years. Pretty amazing.

This butter was made in April. Texture was weird-gritty, but great taste. If you spread it on hot bread, or use it in cooking, you wouldn't notice. Recipe credit from here. But there is a warning about botulism that makes me a little nervous...

The Patina Was My Favorite Thing

Gorgeous colors!
Emma's boyfriend taught us that the seat back rolls forward or back, so you can change the direction you are facing. Roxie liked shoveling coal (soft, not the real thing) in the tender.
Sam moved a switch that changed the tracks outside.
John really wanted to ride the train to Paradise through Intercourse, PA. We passed the Red Caboose Motel where we had honeymoon reservations.


Suzanna with serious face pose. (Great background!)

Family @Dewey Beach

Roxie was ecstatic to get these...
So she could play here! Crowded day, but we had perfect traffic on the way down. The van's air conditioning conked out, and the wheel needed air by the time we got down to the Ocean and noticed. But we made it there and back, with no fire!



All the kids went to the midnight showing of Harry. Today Suzu was avidly reading it all again.
Sam is wearing the UV protection shirt and swim trunks Max wore last summer. Little loose, but not by much.

While we were there we watched an extended family: obvious grandma (the adult daughters were calling her "Mom" and the little kids, "Grandma!") four sisters, two brothers, a sister in-law, brothers in-law. It took us awhile of watching to figure out how the couples were linked together (kisses give it away!) Lots of little kids. One of sisters very pregnant. MODEST swimsuits. No tattoos. No beach beer. No swearing. Clean-cut haircuts (one weekend bearded young daddy). Happy. Kind to each other. Full of light. Cousins playing together. Accidentally calling an aunt mom, because she looked like their mom.

I love seeing big families, the physical resemblances, the way sisters/mom will stand next to each other and you can see they obviously belong to each other--leg shape, posture, coloring.

But our big question, "Do you think they are Mormons?" Do we stand out like that? This is with a crowded beach full of bikini beach bunnies, wild groups of people having fun...

What would you have thought?

Right before we left, I went and asked the grandma. I complimented her on her beautiful family, said we had enjoyed watching her grandchildren play kindly together, and figuring out how the families were related. Paige was flattered, explained why her husband wasn't there (I was glad Grandpa was still alive!), and quizzed me on which were her children, which were "out-laws" and married in. And then I asked it, "Are you Mormons?" "No, just irresistible!" She said they have been asked that before, but this was the first time another Mormon had asked her. I listed the things I had noticed, the reasons I knew they were a good Christian family. While growing up they lived next door to a Mormon family that had moved away, and they really missed them.

Good talk. Her pregnant daughter came and talked with us for awhile. I told her how beautiful she looks and one of my favorite quotes from my mom: "The best gift you can give your children is siblings!"

Paige asked about my children. I told her about Elder Landbeck serving, where we are from, why Church is important to our family and why living a Christian life matters.

She said I had made her day. She made mine!

Happy Birthday!

She asked for this pose, on this pier, facing this direction. My beautiful baby, growing up quickly!

Family Night Fun

There is This Place...

If you are new in town, visiting, we will drag you to the northern part of the county, make you walk .5 miles to see Kilgore Falls.