Beauty in Family History & Travel Wish List (Hey, Santa!)

There is a post office for sale near where my great grandmother was born, in Hopeman, Scotland. When I googled that far off place, I even found a picture of her, Jane Sutherland Davidson, posted on my mom's cousin's blog. And this photograph:

Photo credit.

I emailed my husband about the PO. New job opportunity? We had a good laugh. I do want to visit Scotland someday.

And back to Belgium/France but next time with John (I found a Liege gauffre at a local grocery store. 450 calories, just opening the bag it smelled right, and as I divided it up for the whole family I told them to imagine it warm, sticky, big sugary carmel on the outside).

Paris. My Church mission sent me northwest to Valenciennes, east to Nancy, north to Liege, and southeast of Paris to Mulhouse, but Paris was in a different mission. I really, really want to go someday!

Rome. (When the LDS temple is finished in 2013?! Plus I want to see all the art, architecture, everything!)

Greece. (sister Luanna's trip photos are gorgeous! Stark contrasts, and the great blue colors...)

New Zealand. (Grandma Lucy & Grandpa Jack went and brought me back a kiwi necklace. Our children want to see the Lord of the Rings sights. Family trip one day?)

Guatamala. (Grandma Laura Carlson served a mission here. On my tour list for cool history tours, go with a BYU Book of Mormon tour group.)

Hawaii. (drool, drool for those beaches I've only seen in photos/films, or send me back to St. Thomas, please! More snorkelling!)

Maine. (Seriously. I have never been that far northeast.)

Texas. (John will be there for work next week, sadly without me, but I will practice the harp and think happy thoughts, that his trip will be making a payment on our musicness.)

MONTANA! (I really hope son Elder Stewart is taking more pictures of that gorgeous state! And the people he is working with!)

Happy Birthday

My parents are serving a second Church mission together. This time, Chile.

This is for my mom, a true queen. (Free download translation in English if you click on link.)

Hoping Brother-by-Marriage, ROGER, also has an awesome birthday! Glad both of you were born! Happy BODY Day!

Jaw Time

This is what I learned this morning. Photographer Peter Hurley talks about your jaw.

Can you see a difference? Not just smiley vs normal face. Look at my jaw. Try it again:

How I normally hold my face when confronted with a camera in my face:

And doing the Peter Hurley jaw out forhead tilted towards camera to eliminate jaw droopiness:

AND I TRIED TO KEEP THE SAME EXPRESSION ON MY FACE. He says, "It feels weird, but it looks good."

3 Jens

Three Jens @ Thanksgiving!

Food, Friends, Music & Family

Thanksgiving 2012 lunch session. Turkey stew Ethiopian-style, eaten with our fingers with the spongey lavendar-colored rolled "bread" and flat bread. Couldn't find my camera during the corn-sack races, or to get a picture of the 3 Jens in attendance.

Beautiful Music

Max, Suzanna, & Sam sang in ward choir today, beautiful hymn listing thankful blessings...

Then later Sunday afternoon Max came with me to the Baptist church on Druid Hill to hear Sister Jenny Oaks Baker play her violin and two of her 4 children play (9 year old on piano, 7 year old on cello). We heard a Jewish cantor and then a youth choir sing, in a gathering of faith celebration.

Suzanna is teaching me how to play the harp. The new Russian harp is a beauty, too. Amazing music in our home...

I am thankful for music!

Combined Seminary Activity

The invitations said, "Come to Jerusalem" with a sheep from teacher section of dollar store.

Activities included make a Roman soldier helmet from aluminum foil. Spit Pit (look up all the times spit is mentioned in the New Testament!). Scoop from the well with ladles into a bowl and balance pool noodles (pretending they were water)in a bowl ON YOUR HEAD and race to a traffic cone and back first before the other team.

Make an oil lamp from oven-bake clay.

Race sheep vs. camel vs. goat vs donkey. Sheep kept winning. (Cut out animals from cereal boxes, punch hole in top, string on 15 foot strings and tie end to chair-or volley ball net holder- and shake string up and down to get it to move along string to finish line. My mom made this party game when we were young, using turtles vs rabbits.)

Everyone brought a pillow for the feast: warm salep (almost like eggnog), homemade Naan, 5 types of hummus to sample, olives, a Middle Eastern coconut cookie, and John the Baptist trail mix (with a mini Butterfinger instead of chocolate covered locusts). Eaten lounging around tables flat on gym floor and battery candles to light the meal, Hebrew music playing in background.

Scriptures read at each station relating to the activity.

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Suzanna's Homecoming dress. Thrifted black dress with modified back to make the column dress. Hair & makeup by EstherT.

(Christmas Is Coming)

50% Halloween candy always gets me. Stocking up for a pinata.

Suzanna's harp teacher connected us with a grand Russian pedal harp for sale. Guess what her birthday/Christmas present will be this year (and next, and a few years after that, too!)? I should have taken a picture when she test-played it. Beautiful, full sound. She is ready for it. We hope to pick it up by the end of this month. She will have it for her school winter concert.

Favorite moment yesterday: full belly-laughs from my little friends jumping on the trampoline. Another good picture un-taken. Brother & sister giggling and acting their age. It was a joyful moment. Wistfully remembering my babies at that age. We made peanut butter playdough (big hit) 1 1/2 cups pb, 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup powdered sugar, but then it needed more powdered sugar for humidity here to make it not so sticky...

New seminary tables (another picture opportunity) arrived and make it harder for my students to sleep. They are narrower, easier to re-arrange. Only 11 students consistently coming. They are brave, and I admire their courage and determination. Sobering to think of them on their own soon. I have one almost 18 year old Young Man. Will he be ready for a mission when he graduates? Have I helped him prepare enough? Two non-member teenagers still faithfully coming to class. I need to tell them more often how much I admire them.

I am thankful for a month of counting blessings. Naming them one by one.