Merry Christmas...from This Side of the World!

My hat goes off to moms around the world who, in times past, have not had the conveniences of technology as their boys have served missions.  I’m especially grateful for Monday emails…and am looking forward to a CHRISTMAS PHONE CALL!  But, with all of the commotion right now in the Ivory Coast and the missionaries having to evacuate to another country…there’s absolutely no hope at all that Bailey will receive any of our holiday packages (kind of a bummer!).  So, we got together the other night with Brent’s family and put together some Christmas wishes to send in his email this week!  For we know…more than anything else…that the holiday is about honoring and celebrating the birth, life and resurrection of our Savior.  It’s about our families, serving others and making time in our lives to become more like Christ. 

Westin, KayDee, David, Kimber, Kayt, Jessica, Jordan, Whitney, Courtney, Tyler, Stacie, Tom, and EJ...some of the cousins, sisters and brothers wishing Elder Shaffer a Merry Christmas!

Here's a wish from Grandpa and Grandma Shaffer!

Uncle Brian, Uncle Larry, Aunt Julie, Aunt Sherri, Mom and Dad say, "Joyeux Noel, Elder Shaffer!"

(How's our French?)

Togo..it is!

Togo.  One year ago I'd never even heard of the country...now it's Bailey's home.  We received word today that the non-African elders in the Ivory Coast Mission are safe and sound, just in different countries.  I was excited to find out more about the country of Togo...this is what I learned!



Togo is about twice the size of Maryland and is on the south coast of West Africa.  It borders Ghana, Burkina Faso and Benin.  The full name of the country is Togolese Republic.  It's capital city is Lome.  There are about five million people in the country.  The country is situated just a little above the Equator. The area includes marshes, lagoons, savannas and plateaus. The climate is tropical and humid for seven months and from November to March the desert winds bring a bit cooler weather.

About 75% of the people live in rural villages.  French is the office language, but tribal languages are also commonly used.  Togo is a poor country.  Roughly about 43% of males and 47% of females (over the age of 15) are literate in Togo. 

Togolese usually have two or three meals per day, each consisting largely of a startch product such as cassava, maize, rice, yams or plantains.  A hot, spicy sauce is served with their midday or evening meals, consisting of fish, goat, beans or beef.  Women and men are kept apart in most social gatherings.  Women usually eat after men, but before the children. 

Bailey's excited to be there...to be able to be out teaching the gospel and sharing the message of Jesus Christ with the people in Togo!  I'm VERY EXCITED to talk to him on Christmas and to hear all about his adventures.

So Much to Be Thankful For!

During the past month or so, tensions surrounding the presidential election in the Ivory Coast have intensified, causing the missionaries there to be grouped all together and kept inside where they would be safe from the escalating danger.  Throughout his mission, Bailey has reminded us of the blessings of living here in America.  However, this little experience has brought to our minds so much more for which we are thankful! 

Today, I'm so thankful for the knowledge of the power of fasting and prayer!  We are thankful that our Father in Heaven listens to our prayers and is mindful of His missionaries.  What a blessing it is to have a stake president, mission president and priesthood leaders from the other side of the world looking out for the safety and health of the missionaries.  We're so grateful for miracles and for tender mercies!

Christmas Devotional

It's a tradition...and a wonderful way to start off the Christmas Season.  Attending the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional is one of our family's favorite ways to spend a little time together each December.  We drove to Salt Lake with Whitney and met Jessica and Jordan at the Conference Center for the devotional.  The Tabernacle Choir sounds so amazing in that building!  The messages delivered by our church's leaders was a perfect reminder of the reason we celebrate this time of the year.

I especially loved Pres. Uchtdorf's talk!  He started off by quoting the Grinch from Dr. Seuss's book, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."  He then said that if we look for what is wrong with Christmas, we will certainly find it.  But if we look for the good, we can see Christmas with new eyes...perhaps even with the eyes of a child.  He suggested three ways that we can focus our celebration of Christmas this year. 

1. Rejoice in the birth of our Savior.
2. Ponder His influence in our lives today.
3. Look steadfastly for his coming.

He ended his talk by saying that maybe if we focus our celebrations this Christmas Season on the things he suggested, then maybe we will be able to say with the Grinch, "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store.  Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

GO, AGGIES!

Woo-hoo!  We love it when the Aggies pull off a win...but we especially love it when they win BYU!  Jessica and Jordan went early in the afternoon to save us seats. After work, Brent and I  headed up to the game.  We had lots of fun, enjoyed each other's company and cheered the Aggies on. 

Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies

Yesterday, Brent went with Larry and David up to Wyoming to cut wood for the winter.  I wasn't able to go because I needed to be at school...but still wanted to send along some yummy treats.  I found this recipe for the yummiest cookies I've tasted in a long time.  I sent some with Brent, and took the rest of the cookies to school to share with the faculty.  They were a hit!  You've got to try these!

Peanut Butter Candy Cookies

3/4 c. chuncky peanut butter
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. flour
2 c. miniature peanut butter cups (cut into quarters)
1/3 c. milk chocolate chips

Beat peanut butter and butter together until well blended.  Beat in sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add egg and vanilla.  Add flour and mix until combined.  Stir in peanut butter cups.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Form dough into balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Cool.

Place chocolate chips in plastic bag.  Microwave at 30 second intervals, kneading bag between heatings until chocolate is smooth.  Cut a very small hole in one corner of the bag.  Pipe chocolate onto cookies.

ENJOY!!

Our List of ABCs

It's the first week of school!  While it's a very busy time, I've been reminded by the passing of a couple of dear acquaintances of the importance of taking time to be grateful for what we have been blessed with.  I've been reminded of the importance of family, of faith and of the little things.  So, tonight I've taken a few minutes to reflect on some of the things I love and things I'm thankful for...and since it's the first week of school and the ABCs are on my mind...here's my list!

A: AROMA CANDLES! I spend too much money on them. I love how “comforting” they can make you feel. The sense of smell is definitely a powerful one.
B: BRENT…my hubby and very best friend! He’s an amazing husband, father and son!
C: COTE D’VOIRE…it’s amazing how much we already love the people of Africa and look forward to learning more about them, praying for them and serving them as Bailey serves as a missionary for the next two years.
D: a DAY started early with lots DONE before lunch! The trick is not sleeping in (which I also love to do sometimes!).
E: ELDER SHAFFER serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We pray for his success, health and safety several times a day. Our hope is to follow his example.
F: FREE TIME! It’s always great to discover a couple of hours in the week to plan something to do to relax, have fun or learn. (It just doesn’t seem to happen often enough.)
G: my GIRLS…truly two of my very best friends. We always have so much fun when we are together. They are there to jump in and help me out whenever I’m in a bind! I’m so blessed to be their mom.
H: HARVEST. It is our life…both spiritually and temporally.
I: INTERNET…what would we do without it? In addition to online shopping and web searching, I love that we’re able to hear about Bailey’s experiences from Africa just a second or two after he pushes send!
J: JOY GIVERS…I love being around people who are “joy givers.” Too many people these days are negative, pessimistic and zap your energy. It’s so refreshing to be around others who are happy and positive. They seem to build you up and leave you feeling better than when they arrived.
K: KNOWING how to COOK…I love cooking! One of my favorite TV channels is the Food Network. I love planning menus and trying new recipes. I always wish I had more time to spend in the kitchen.
L: LETTERS in the mail….LETTERS from loved ones….LETTERS from a missionary! LETTERS from a missionary in Africa!
M: MONSON (PRES. MONSON)…having a prophet to lead us is a blessing every day of our lives. We love him and are so thankful we have a living prophet to guide us.
N: NICE PEOPLE…like the guy who helped us at Sam’s the other day. We were loading three new filing cabinets into the back of Brent’s pick-up. He just hopped up into the truck and helped Brent and then just hopped back out and went on his way. Being nice should be a way of life for all of us. Something I need to continually work on.
O: ORGANIZED CLOSETS, DRAWERS and CUPBOARDS! I’m so much happier when everything’s straightened and organized. I love feeling organized and can’t stand it when things are a mess or are unorganized…DRIVES ME NUTS!
P: PRINCIPAL…hmmm…a principal. I can see in my mind’s eye what a “principal” image might be, and it isn’t one that I want to embrace. I want the school(s) that I work at to be better because I was there! I want to be a positive force for better educational opportunities for every child.
Q: QUIET ANGELS…people who continually walk into our lives, unannounced, help us however they can and quietly leave. We’re blessed by “angels” everyday.
R: the RISING of the SUN! It seems like everything’s always better after a good night’s rest. I love being able to see the sun rise every morning…it’s the best thing about my drive to work. I’m reminded of having a fresh new start and new opportunities every day.  I always am able to put things into a better perspective after sleeping on it.
S: SCHOOL! Love it! Always have!
T: TRANQUILITY HILL…that’s what our home teacher, Ted, officially named our home. To us, it’s the perfect name!  One of my favorite places in the world.
U: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY AGGIES…Love them! Go, Aggies! Go, Aggies! Hey! Hey! Hey!
V: fresh VEGETABLES from the garden. There’s nothing better than a summer supper of corn-on-the-cob, cucumbers, watermelon and a tomato sandwich…all grown in the garden. YUM!
W: WHEAT…reminds me of two of the greatest guys in the world…Brent and my dad! It reminds me of their hard work, their faith, their efforts and willingness to trust that every season will be better than the last.
X: X-TRA AMAZING SON-IN-LAW have blessed our family. Jordan adds a lot to our family. He is such a hard worker and good husband to our daughter. We’re sure grateful for him.
Y: YOUNG children…seriously! I just love them! They seem to be able to always brighten my day.
Z: ZUCCHINI from the garden. We love it dipped in egg, fried and served on saltines. We love yummy baked treats using it…especially zucchini bread and zucchini chocolate cake. And, this year we even tried bottling zucchini relish.

Oh, we're so blessed!

One Last Package

While Bailey's been in the MTC, we've tried to send some sort of a package every week.  We know that sending packages to Africa may be few and far between...so we thought we'd really try and make an effort to make sure Bailey got package at the MTC.  Well, Bailey is scheduled to head to Africa on Monday, so last week we put together his last MTC package.  David (our nephew) had been staying with us for the past week and helped us put the package together.  Here are some of the things we included:

• an ipod and charger (loaded with lots of church approved music, conference talks, and podcasts...and thank goodness David was here to help out his old aunt and uncle)
• a really cool CRT ring
• a card reader (so Bailey can just put his camera card in and download his photos to a website)
• a photo book (filled with photos of family and life around the farm)
• an harmonica (missionaries can have a musical instrument in the Ivory Coast)
• food like trail mix, granola bars and poptarts (just in case there really isn't anything too recognizable for him to eat when he gets to Africa)
• and Dave's favorite addition to the package...TOILET PAPER!

Farmer's Market

Since January, Whitney has been making plans for the Farmer's Market in Logan.  She was finally able to take produce over to the market last Saturday.  She's made plans to take produce over every Saturday until Halloween.  The Farmer's Market is such an interesting place and there are a lot of people who take time each week to stop by.  Whit had to recruit David and me to help her out this first time.  It was a very successful day and she pretty well sold everything!  Fun!

(I especially love the cute corn bags!)

Harvest Time

August...what a month!  It's just such a crazy, busy time...but one that we love.  All of Brent's hard work and effort come to fruition.  Not only does he continue irrigating and caring for crops that are still growing, but is busy harvesting sweet corn and grain.  I've never taken many photos of the grain harvest, but we wanted to create a little book for Bailey to take on his mission showing what his home and life in Utah are like.  I got to thinking that I really should document more of just our normal day-to-day life...it seems like I always try to wait for the "special" or "outstanding" things.  But, you know, I'd LOVE to have stories and photos from my dad's everyday life now that he's passed away...maybe everyday life should be more memorable than we sometimes think...maybe it's really more "special" and more "outstanding" than we believe it is.

                           

Bubba's Produce

It's officially been 10 years since Brent and the kids started Bubba's Produce.  They've come a long way from those first few rows of sweet corn!  That first year they earned just enough money to purchase everyone a new pair of skis.  This year, Brent's planted nearly 40 acres of sweet corn and they've added a hoop house full of tomatoes.  He's also planted all kinds of pumpkins, beans, potatoes and peppers!  Quite a "garden!"

Each year, Brent and Bailey have tried to become more efficient.  Last year, they purchased a corn picker and this year they spent a good part of the spring designing and building a sorting wagon to pull behind the corn picker.  Brent had to put on the finishing touches after Bailey left on his mission and today they used it for the first time.  Other than having the kids on the wagon get motion sick because of all the movement of the conveyor belt and the wagon, it worked perfectly and should really speed up the picking process.  This is a picture just before Brent painted the wagon.

And here's a picture of Brent on the day that he sprayed the red paint.  The wind would not quit blowing! I'm sure he won't be very happy with this picture, but it's pretty funny. 

Disneyland!

Jess, Jordan, Whitney, Mom and I took a quick trip to Disneyland over the weekend of 24th of July.  We had amazing accomodations in the Disneyland Hotel and we were able to spend time with Mom (Grandma) seeing all of the sites.  Todd's family joined us and we met them for dinner a time or two.  Of course, the kids had to ditch Mom (Grandma) and me once in a while to enjoy the fun rides.  It was perfect weather and we had a great time. 

...Our Disney Top Five...

1.  SUPPER AT THE BLUE BAYOU...more for the experience (inside Pirates of the Caribbean) than the food.
2.  DISNEY CHARACTERS...no matter how old you are, you still LOVE Mickey and the gang!
3.  YUMMY AMUSEMENT PARK FOOD...cotton candy, caramel apples, churros, and even hotdogs!
4.  ESPN ZONE...truely a guy's heaven on earth!
5.  CALIFORNIA SCREAMIN'...one of our favorite rides!

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission

I've decide that it's a lot easier to sing that song...and mean it...when your boys are young.  Taking Bailey to the MTC was a littler harder on Mom and Dad than we thought it would be, but we did survive!  We left early enough in the day to be able to take some time enjoying lunch together.  Bailey chose to go to the Pizza Factory where Matt and Gail and their family joined us.

After lunch, we drove up to the Provo Temple to take some photos together!

"The Original Kids"

Jessica, Bailey and Whitney

After taking some photos, Matt and Gail said goodbye to Bailey and it was time to drop him off at the MTC.  When we pulled up, we couldn't believe it, but Elder Clint Smith from our ward, was there to assist Bailey with his luggage and take him into the MTC. I've never thought of Clint being a tender mercy...but maybe he was!  It was a lot more comforting for us to send Bailey off with one of his good friends.

And...just so everyone knows...it wasn't just Mom who was a bit choked up at the MTC!

Time to Go!

Okay...so it's the middle of July!  Where has the time gone?  I can't believe that the summer's half way over...so many fun things to do and enjoy in the summer!  But, I've got to catch up on a few important events from the past couple of months.  In fact, they are more than important, they are life altering!

On Sunday, May 30th, Bailey gave his farewell talk in church.  So many wonderful friends and family members attended, offering their love and support.  Bailey gave an amazing talk (of course, his mom would think that!) and following the meeting we had a celebration in our yard.  The girls (with help from their aunts and cousins) made cupcakes...five of Bailey's favorite kinds and we served them for dessert.  Bailey chose sweet pork burritoes for lunch.  Our good friend, Steve Wood, stepped in and helped Brent warm the tortillas.  Friends and family brought everything else and it was fabulous. It was a great day!

On Tuesday, June 15th, Pres. Menlove set Bailey apart as a full time missionary.  After the setting apart, we had the "fam" over for sundaes and one last get-together before Bailey left.  It's such a great thing to look across the room and see all of the cousins hanging out and having fun together.  We're so blessed to have such a wonderful extended family!

Something to Think About

Check out this video!  With the passing of healthcare reform, I've become even more concerned about where our country is heading.  I believe that it's becoming more and more evident that the quiet majority needs to become much more vocal!

Prophets Warn Us of the Dangers Facing America

Lifting Others

I just love this thought that President Hinckley shared in an Ensign article (Feb. 1985)!

"If you sometimes get discouraged, consider this fellow. He dropped out of grade school. Ran a country store. Went broke. Took 15 years to pay off his bills. Took a wife. Unhappy marriage. Ran for House. Lost twice. Ran for Senate. Lost twice. Delivered speech that became a classic. Audience indifferent. Attacked daily by the press and despised by half the country. Despite all this, imagine how many people all over the world have been inspired by this awkward, rumpled, brooding man who signed his name simply, A. Lincoln." (Wall Street Journal.) 'It is important to know, when you feel down, that many others do also and that their circumstances are generally much worse than yours. And it's important to know that when one of us is down, it becomes the obligation of his friends to give him a lift. I hope that each of us will cultivate a sensitivity toward the feelings of others, and when encouragement is needed, make an effort to extend it. Be a friend, and you will have a friend. God be thanked for wonderful friends.'


I can't begin to count the number of times wonderful friends have lifted us and given us the encouragement we need.  Brent and I have truly been blessed with wonderful friends!

A Favorite City!

San Antonio has got to be one of our most favorite cities to visit.  We love the River Walk, the Alamo and the history of the city.  It's a beautiful place...a bit romantic, filled with great food and fun!

Week in Review

Monday, March 15th:  A surprise came for Bailey in the mail today...a letter from President Monson, issuing a reassignment for his mission!  Bailey's still going to Africa, but will be serving in the Ivory Coast, Abidjan Mission.  Besides the Ivory Coast, the countries of Benin and Togo are located in his mission.  He'll still be speaking French and will still be leaving on June 16th!  Bailey's pretty excited...especially the more he learns about the countries.
Tuesday, March 16th:  Since it's Bailey's spring break, he and Brent have been working hard on the addition.  Today they finished the braces on the large beam...beautiful!  Bailey also was "so excited" to get the rest of his mission shots!
Wednesday, March 17th:  Bailey and Brent spent the day snowmobiling.  They said it was a beautiful day.  Brent ended up rolling his snowmobile, being thrown from it and losing he cell phone!  At school today, I drank some "magic leprechaun punch" and it turned my feet green...right in front of the kindergarteners!
Thursday, March 18th:  The guys spent the day picking up rough timber for our wood walls and working out in the shop...and buying Brent a new cell phone!
Friday, March 19th:  Brent and I went out tonight with our wonderful friends, Bret and Tami.  We decided to try Smokin' Blues Barbeque in Logan.  It was pretty yummy...but more important than the food...a good time with great friends.
Saturday, March 20th:  It was a busy day working on the addition.  Jessica and I painted the dining room and the addition.  The guys installed lights.  Later on this afternoon, the boys made a cement pad out by the sleigh riding hill for the new skeet thrower.  Everyone (except for Jess and I...we were STILL painting) spent the afternoon and evening working on several brackets for Whitney's hoop house.  It's going to be fun to see how it works!
Sunday, March 21st:  Today we all got together to celebrate Brent's birthday.  We grilled burgers, had homemade chip dip and chips and german chocolate cake for dessert...all some of Brent's favorite foods!

One Perfect Day

There really aren’t too many absolutely PERFECT days, are there? However, today was definately a perfect day!  This morning Bailey went through the temple for the first time. It meant the world to me to have all of our children in the temple with us. The spirit bore testimony to me about eternal families and what life is really all about. It was great to have aunts and uncles, grandma and especially COUSINS there, too. I know that the temple brings us closer together as families and brings wonderful blessings into our lives. It really was a PERFECT day!

Bailey's Mission Call

Well, the big day has arrived. The post office called Brent this morning and told him that Bailey’s mission call was here. We contacted everyone and invited them over for the official “guess,” opening of the call and missionary sundaes. I couldn’t wait for 7:00 to come. I kept looking at that big world map and wondered where Bailey would be spending the next two years of his life.

As our family arrived, everyone placed a bet on where Bailey would serve his mission! Here’s what we all THOUGHT!

• Ty & Staci: Tonga

• Grandpa Shaffer: Alaska

• KayDee: Hawaii

• Dave S.: California

• Jim R.: Eastern Washington

• Bette C.: California (Spanish speaking)

• Grandma Allen: Mexico, Ghana, Russia

• Brian: Louisville, Kentucky

• Whitney: Bahamas

• Gail: Toronto Ontario Canada

• Grandma Shaffer: Nova Scotia

• Jordan: Denmark, South Africa

• Jessica: Norway

• Matt: Scotland

• Heidi: England

• Dad: France

• Westin: Switzerland

• David R.: Southern Brazil

• Kimber: Chile

• Larry: Korea

• Mom: India

• Julie: Phillipines

• Trevor & Ashley: Australia

We all gathered in the kitchen and listened to Bailey read his mission call from President Monson. He has been called to serve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa mission. Yep…that’s in AFRICA! He was so excited about his call and can’t wait to serve his mission. He telephoned friends and we all enjoyed sundaes together. What an opportunity for growth…for all of us!

When the Boys are Away...

The boys went to southern Utah to go snowmobiling for the weekend.  So...Jessica, Whitney and I planned some activities for ourselves.  We watched the Olympics Opening Ceremonies (and enjoyed Wok on Wheels takeout) on Friday night.  We also whipped up some fun pin cushions!

Saturday morning, the girls went to watch Courtney play basketball.  We started making some Valentine treats for the boys and then went to Logan to go to the movie.  LaDawn, Kimber and Courtney came, too.  We watched, "Dear John."  After the movie, we headed to Texas Roadhouse for lunch/supper (TONS OF FOOD!) and it was yummy.  We did a little shopping and then came home.  We watched the Olympics while we made something "springy."

On Sunday we went to church and prepared Sunday Dinner for the boys, Mom and Curtis.  I just love spending time with our girls...it's definitely one of my favorite things to do.

Memories

Isn't it funny how a fragrance, a song, a date on the calendar or a place can take you instantly back in time?  Valentine's Day is like that for me now.  Every Valentine's Day, my dad would show up at school with a few pink and red carnations in a vase for me.  He'd always carry them casually, so as not to be noticed by others.  He'd always attach a little hand written note expressing his love.

Friday at school, I arrived back in my office after a very busy morning and there was a beautiful pot of flowers on my desk.  They were from my sister, Gail.  She'd sent them knowing that I'd be missing that vase of carnations...and my dad.  Her thoughtfulness really touched me.  I'm so blessed to have a wonderful sister...and to have had a wonderful dad.

It's Official!

Well, it's official!  Bailey finished up his mission papers and met with the stake president last night; his papers are on their way!  Now, for the wait to see where he'll spend the next two years.  We're all pretty dang excited.  Last week I had a dream that he was called to serve in India.  I told Brent about it when I woke up.  I wondered if they even really called missionaries to India.

Brent's interpretation of my dream:  Bailey will be called to serve on one of the Native American Reservations in Southern Utah.  I think I'd be okay with that.

Where do you think Bailey will go?

Snowmobiling!

Finally, the snow has arrived and there's enough (and to spare!) for the boys to go snowmobiling.  Bailey and Brent spent the day Tuesday up Logan Canyon.  They went to Franklin Basin, feeling it was a much safer bet than Tony's because of avalanche danger.  They had a great time...infact, they had such a wonderful time. that they decided to leave early Thursday morning and head up to Island Park to ride.  They've been there several times in years past, but said that this is the most beautiful it's ever been...warm, nice snow, and no wind.  They enjoyed a couple of days riding and came home today.  The pictures were taken at Mesa Falls and Two Tops.  They call the snow creations behind them "snow ghosts."  They are really the tops of the trees!  They hope to get in as much snowmobiling as they can the next month or so...it'll be Bailey's last riding for a couple of years.  (Unless he's called to Alaska or Siberia on his mission!)  They just LOVE IT!

Happy Birthday, Boys!

Bailey and Jordan all have birthdays within a couple of days of each other.  To make sure we could get everyone all together, we took time Sunday afternoon to celebrate.  We invited Mom and Curtis up for dinner.  We had sweet pork burritoes, chips and salsa, and black beans.  For dessert, Whitney made an amazingly yummy oreo cake and Jessica brought cookies-n-cream ice cream to serve with it.  Not our typical Sunday Dinner, but it was good. 

We were really excited to give the boys their birthday gifts.  We picked up a smartpen for each of them.  These little gadgets are unbelievable...and something we think they'll all use in school.  (Of course, we think that we'd like to pick one up for ourselves one of these days.)  In the picture you can see the three of them trying to figure out their pens.  We then spent some time playing "Word on the Street" before everyone had to leave. 

We're blessed to have such a wonderful guys!  They are very hard workers and are trying to do what's right. They are good examples to us and are always so willing to step in and lend a hand.  We hope the year ahead is a great one for each of them.

Prayer

Prayer

I love this short video about prayer and the miracles that can come about in our everyday lives when we take the time to communicate with our Father in Heaven.  Brent and I see little miracles everyday...probably nothing that anyone would call spectacular or amazing...but miracles to us nonetheless.  I know that our prayers are heard and answered.   (Click on the prayer link to watch the video.)

Mission Prep

Isn't strange how you can hope and pray for something your whole life, and then, as that prayed for event begins to come about, you wish time would slow down?  Last Sunday, Bailey met with the bishop for his initial missionary interview.  They met again last night to get things set up on the computer to begin completing his mission papers. 

Mission?  When did Bailey get old enough to go on a mission?  It's always been something we were looking forward to, something in the distant future.  Now, here it is...where has the time gone? 

It isn't that I don't want Bailey to go on a mission, I do. It's just that he's our "baby" and is such a bright, happy joy in our home.  He's helpful, obedient, friendly, outgoing and funny.  He's willing to "hang out" with his dad and mom.  He's always been such a good boy...and I guess that's what I'll miss...is always having that good boy around. 

We've got great times to look forward to, yet...there are days when I miss the old times.  I miss the times when we could read a bedtime story together, tuck the little ones into bed and know that they were safe and sound for the night.

And, maybe the question I'm really asking myself is, "When did I get to be THIS OLD?"

Jessica's Quilt

I guess it's just the mom thing that when your daughters get married you think you need to make them a special quilt...at least that's how it was in my family.  Both of my grandmothers were always making quilts for granddaughters and grandsons.  My mom's continued that tradition.  We received quilts at Christmas, for birthdays, for showers and for wedding gifts.  Although I LOVE to piece quilts and I enjoy tying quilts; unlike my grandmas and mom, I don't particularly like to quilt.

Jessica got married on 8/8/8.  Her wedding was in our yard and we spent lots of time working outside in the yard, building a gazebo, etc. and I just was never able to get her quilt finished  before the big day.  Then it was time for school to start, and just when I thought I was going to be able to get it finished, my dad passed away.  This brought about a whole new schedule for us.  Our daily schedule now involved checking up on and helping my mom out, figuring things out for my dad's farm and trying to make sure all the little details were taken care of.  It's taken a lot more time than I ever dreamed it could.  But, gradually, I've been able to work on Jessica's quilt and just finished binding it yesterday.  (I was able to check off at least one of my 2009 goals!)

I just love how it turned out!  I had Matt's sister machine quilt it and she chose to do a paisley pattern in the stitching and I think it just ties the whole quilt all together.  Maybe this year I'll make something for Brent and me!  (Or maybe I should start one for Bailey and his future wife??)