Family History in the Making

I am convinced we should all take more photos, especially at family holidays, family gatherings.   And either blog more, or write down somewhere what we are thinking.  Who we love.  What we are doing.

Kisses from Max on Mother's Day (LOVE THE NEW CAMERA!).

Crab, Maryland style!  I love eating crabs with extended family!

Great Grandma Billie likes the mustard.

John & his mom on Mother's Day.  I laughed looking at this picture--their t-shirts crack me up!

Me with Sam.

With Roxie.

Sam with Great Grandma!

Suzanna Ruth, borrowing the camera, up on Queen/King Seat.

Playing with old photos of Great Grandma Ruth.

And William & Rose, her parents.  Really wish there was one of them closer together, wedding photo, anything.  It looks like his knee might be bumping into her leg.

The whole family in front of THIS house in Paris, ID.

Which I am trying to find on google map street view and making myself motion sick!

This summer we are spending time in Bear Lake, ID, and I want to go see significant family history places.  Grandma Sandy said they tried to find this house, nobody knew where it was...

In William Shepherd's history:

A

...and a little bit about Ruth:

A paragraph?  I want more details!  This is my husband's grandmother.  She inherited the strong & sturdiness from her mom.  As have 2/3 of my daughters.  (Emma is more delicate, more Gma Lucy Babcock stature.)

Makes me think I should write in my journal today, update things some.

Update:  John's GRANDPA William Budge book online here!

12 Ways of Christmas: "Realize" Day 5

"Realize Symbol: Candle
Scripture: And now behold, I speak unto their seed, and also to the Gentiles who have care for the house of Israel, that realize and know from whence their blessings come. (Mormon 5:10)
Ideas: Let your light so shine. We are blessed beyond measure to have the restored gospel in our lives. How can we seek to bless the lives of others? How do you/can you “pay it forward?”

Sharing a birth DAY with a family member can be tricky. My mother-by-marriage loves German chocolate cake, so I try and make her one every year. I doubled the recipe (yes, I use recipes, inspite of my concept cooking practices), Palmer cousin style, and used the extra frosting inside graham crackers surrounding the cake. Suzu's cake is white vanilla cupcakes with peppermint blue cream cheese icing and rainbow sprinkles. They sang to each other: "Happy Birthday to US!"

I don't have a candle quilt block--but here is an exchange attic window block. Candles in the window are one of my favorite Christmas decoration. That is stretching the imagery a little, I know. There are a couple of candles printed on red fabric almost cut off on far right side. If I can find/make a candle button, I could sew that on any part of a 12 Ways of Christmas quilt/tree skirt...thinking/brainstorming.

Grandma's House

Sandy Mom, my husband's birth mom (yah! THANK YOU FOR HIS BIRTHDAY!), collects Nativity figurines. She has a whole village--elaborate set-up every year. Suzu helped, and I gave her the camera last night to document the village.


I can't remember his name, but I think the spotted lamb follows a Christmas story book Sandy read to our children one year. I altered him, gave him his spots, gifted him to Sandy one year. She has over 10 cats througout the village, lots of birds. She loves animals.

I like the carpet seller. I think his rugs look like great quilts!

This year she added Salt Lake temple square to the collection. That's John Wayne standing behind the temple!

Thresholds

Busy Saturday!
Sam mowing like a man! Rite of passage, complete.
Grandma Sandy is running for office this fall, after much encouragement by her peers. Today was a photo shoot for her webpage of her family living in town (so there were grandkids and 2 daughters missing). Lots of honks from people driving by and waving at us! An army of purple!


This is Great Grandma Straw-Billie surrounded by 5/6 of our kids.


Grandma Sandy and her sweetie!


Gpa John gave us $ for Rita's Italian ice afterwards. Max mixed S'mores + caramel apple, and made us nervous with his Incredible Hulk impersonation trying to kill yellow jackets by clapping them to death.

Sam asked about tractor driving licenses, what he would have to do to get one.

We still have a bbq with friends tonight, I have a quilt Wild Threads meeting, and I hope to squeeze in a date with my own sweetie.