Christmas

Christmas week is here and we are excited and happy. This year has been a wonderful one for us. Dane and Laura's wedding, Madeline and Peyton being born, Erik and Rachel moving to Phoenix with a good job, Kirsten getting her own place to live and sharing it when needed, Kydon and Shanna meeting the many challenges of their lives and sharing it all with us, my many trips to visit, Terry excelling on his bike and all of us growing and learning so much at this time of our lives. We are truly blessed and I want to express my love and appreciation to the Savior of the world at this special Christmas time. His atoning sacrifice made it possible for us to return to live again as families in the eternities. I hope we can always be grateful for this and strive to keep the commandments and be strong in making good choices so we can have the greatest gift that our Heavenly Father planned for us to have. Love you all and have a wonderful Christmas!!

Pumpkin Patch

Today I am in Portland with Rachel and family. She is helping me work on blogger (thanks Rachel!) so here's a few pictures of our adventure at the Pumpkin Patch.

Makayla and me finding a pumpkin. Isn't she cute!

The field of pumpkins was an amazing sight...that's Bryce and Preston in the center exploring the territory.


The kids loved the little hay maze that was part of our day. What fun to spend a bright autumn day with Rachel and the kids!

Leavitt Family Reunion

Just a glimpse of the "Narrows." The canyon had high walls that came close together like this a lot of the way. It is worth the effort to see it!
Getting ready for the hike down the narrows. Coby and Ian led the way. Cousin Stephani took the challenge which wasn't easy! It was 52 degrees when we started.

We had a great time in Utah this past week for the Leavitt family reunion. Terry and I flew in to SLC and Brian and Cecilee and girls picked us up to go to Cedar City. It is always fun to be at Granny leavitt's house. This year we celebrated her 80th birthday. She is amazing...always cooks for everyone and makes us all feel special. Her garden was so beautiful too, and we loved the fresh cherries we picked off her trees.
We all had rooms at Kanab for three days of biking, hiking, visiting and enjoying the fourth of July together. Parades in small town Utah are the best! The food was fun too. Coby and Carol's tacos the first night were awesome, Trieste and Bonnie did great Hawaiian haystacks, berne and jan on the BBQ, corn dogs and all the trimmings, and Kori, Cecilee and I were pretty smart to do Subway for our assigned lunch. Everything was great and we loved the time with the family.
Terry, Brian, some cousins and I hiked the "Narrows" through Zion Natl. park on Friday. The scenery was spectacular and we were definitely challenged with the distance and the slippery rocks that took some time to get across. We crossed the stream a lot too, but it was worth it, even though we wondered at times if we would make it.

My Day at Callaway

This big giant slide looks like a lot of fun, but it was a little expensive. ( I think $5.00 for two turns?) I heard there may be a few free days this summer though...I'll keep my eyes and ears open. It was fun just to see it though. I've always wanted to go down one of those!
The circus comes every summer from Florida State University. The twins and I saw it last year on the 4th of July. We had good seats up close (on the floor) but it was interesting to really see how they do the juggling, high trapeze and other great tricks right in front of your eyes.
The playground is always fun, and paddleboats and miniature golf are close by.
These cabbages were really awesome. Very big and healthy. Lots of interesting vegetables and flowering plants and herbs to see in Mr. Cason's vegetable garden.

Last week I realized our annual pass to Callaway Gardens was about to expire, so I decided to go one more time while I could. I took my bike and a little picnic lunch and enjoyed some time to myself...just seeing the sights and discovering a few new places to ride. I also saw the display model of some new homes that are for sale on Robin's lake, right there at Callaway. What a fun thing it would be...to have a home right there with all the amenities at your fingertips. I hope I can renew my membership. If anyone wants to come and go with me I will definitely do it. There is so much of beauty in Heavenly Father's creations and Callaway is a good place to see and enjoy nature at its finest!

Enrichment Activity

Tonight our ward is having an enrichment activity at our bishop's home. All the women are bringing a brown paper bag with five things in it that describe themselves. We are supposed to exchange with someone else and have their things to take home. Hopefully this activity will help us get to know each other and our interests better, and we may also get new ideas and motivation for new things to do. I love the women of the Church with all their talents and desires to build better homes and families. Thanks to everyone who is willing to share their lives with others. The scriptures say "we find ourselves, when we lose ourselves," (in service) Does anyone know just where that is found? If I don't hear back, I will just have to look it up in the topical guide.

Grandma's 85th birthday

Grandma Witbeck serving cake at her party

Terry and me standing in front of the beautiful roses

We met Dan and Elaine Duree and her parents at the zoo

Terry and I had a great week-end in St. Louis for Grandma's 85th birthday. We spent the night with Kydon and Shanna on Thursday, then left Friday morning for the 10 hr. drive to St. Louis. It is always a good one...beautiful scenery thru northern Georgia and Tenn. We arrived in good time on Friday night and enjoyed visiting and working a little in the yard with Georgia and Linda. Saturday morning we took Grandma to the zoo. Met Dan and Elaine Duree and the kids (plus her folks Dale and Margo) who were visiting from Utah. Saturday was a fun fajita dinner at Marty and Cindy's and Sunday we did church and another family celebration for Grandma at the park. Uncle John was outstanding at the grill with steaks and potatoes, and we all feasted on lots of salads and cake to make it a real celebration! Monday was the long drive home, with just one stop for a hike at Stone Fort State Park in Tennessee. Very interesting to see the historic mounds made by Indians years ago and the waterfall was spectactular. We enjoyed the trip and look forward to the next time we can visit family in st. Louis.

Wedding Details continued

Here's a few pictures to share about our wedding weekend in Houston:
Top: Camille, Kirsten and Cecilee had fun on board the Texan ll doing some fishing. It's been a while since all three have been together.
Bottom: The groomsmen and bridesmaids were looking very sharp in their khaki suits and navy blue accents. We loved getting to know the girls. Dane and Laura have some wonderful friends. Very supportive...many flew in from far away places just to share this special time
with all of us.

Wedding Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend at Dane and Laura's wedding in Houston, Texas. We rented a beach house on Galveston and enjoyed having many of our family together to share this special time. Terry and I left Columbus after work on Tuesday and went as far as Mobile Alabama to spend the night with our friend Lisa Diane Owen. She has her own nice little home that we loved to see with all her unique and interesting furnishings that represent her experiences in the military as well as her love of the gospel. Thanks Lisa Diane! We hope to visit you again.
We were on the road again at 5 AM Wed morning headed for Houston. At 6 we got a call from Kydon and Shanna. They had driven all night since the kids were asleep and just arrived at Galveston and were looking for the beach house. Not easy to see when the sun isn't quite up yet, and no numbers visible on the homes. They figured it out though, and found the lockbox with the keys to get in. Kydon went right to bed but the kids were up and excited for the day so Shanna got things unloaded and went to the beach first thing. We arrived later that afternoon and we all went to Sam's to get grocieries and supplies for our fun time together at the wedding. It was hot and humid and very breezy out on Galveston island, but still wonderful to be at the beach.
Thursday Kydon and Shanna met a friend for lunch in Houston and Terry and I picked up Kirsten at the airport. Since it was way north we had the chance to visit our friends Maxine and John Pew who moved from Columbus last year. They have a lovely home in Conroe now and it was great to see them and their boys Chris, Scott and Tyler who are home from school for the summer. We got Kirsten and headed back to the beach house. She was excited to be there and we heard all her news along the way. She is giving some thought to buying a house in Phoenix since there is a possibility of one she likes. It was fun to discuss all the features of homes and to try and decide if this might be the right time for her to buy. Made us want to let ours go and get something new too! Anyway, we loved seeing her and being with her again. At the house we all enjoyed time on the beach and fixing dinner, eating, talking and playing with the kids. Jack, Aidan, and Abigail are so cute and fun. They loved swimming in the ocean and will go right under water with no fear of getting swept away. We got them to bed and then went to WalMart to get things we missed at Sam's. Everyone was pretty tired but we still stayed up late since who wants to go to bed when we are together...besides, we were expecting the others and we wanted to be upto greet them, Cecilee and Camille had gotten in about 8:30 and waited another 45 minutes or so for Scott's flight from Washington DC so they could come together from Houston International Airport. Cecilee rented her own car since the airport was so far away from us and she needed to leave out early on Sunday. They arrived around 8:30 and Erik and Rachel shortly after from Houston Hobby airport. Both got to the beach house around midnight and we had a joyful time hugging and greeting each other. Preston, Bryce and Makayla had stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Bell's and this was their first time to be away from their kids and off with each other in seven years of marriage! Brian had kept Jenna and Lauren so Cecilee could enjoy some time to herself also. It was so fun to see them and catch up pn the news. It was close to 1:00 when we all got to bed and much to everyone's creit we were up early the next morning to be on board for the deep sea fishing experience. We reminded ourselves that we were doing this to be with Dane and Laura and there was no turning back since we all had made the commitment. We were the first ones there and on time at the boat dock (7:30) We found out later they were to leave at 8:30, but that's OK, it's just as well to be early since otherwise, you just push the limits and wait until the last minute. Early is better in most all cases...this is something we all continue to learn. We did enjoy the boat; just being out on the water with the waves and the wake going out behind, and having the chance to cast out and reel in fish, even if most were the flat head catfish that has poisonous gills and has to be tossed back, it was all fun and something different that we had never done. Most everyone caught something at least once, and we talked a fellow out of his large gass fish so we could have it for our fish fry. Someone caught a pretty good sized shark too, but were very unwilling to part with it, so we just bought tilapia, there on the waterfront so we would have plenty of fish for the fish fry. We headed back around 1:00, tired and sunburned but happy from spending time with Dane and Laura and each other on a deep sea fishing trip. Most went on to a good mexican restaurant for lunch now, but Terry and I had things to do. We stopped at Wal-mart for fresh fruit and a few other miscellaneous items. Then hurried back to be first in the showers and start getting ready for our guests that were coming after the ring ceremony rehearsal.
This is getting long...but I must continue for the sake of posterity. One day Dane and Laura's family will want to hear all this. I should include more about them at this point.
The ring ceremony was to be outside the Country Club, on the lawn, and with the lake as a backdrop. it was a beautiful setting. Laura paired up the bridesmaids with the groomsmen and we walked through the whole thing. It was our first chance to meet the Schroeder's and we enjoyed it very much. The bridesmaids were darling young women, friends from high school days and former students at Georgia Tech.

This is the middle of March so I think I'll get current and write something about this month. We had a lot of rain yesterday, but luckily we mowed the lawn and trimmed it, and washed the car before the rain could do a "half-way" job again. I had 6 hours of church meetings today since I was able to go to my own ward before visiting the ward conference at Edgewood ward and the Spanish group. I love being a part of stake Relief Society, and when I think of the time and service our stake presidency puts in I am in awe! They are the best...and give so many wonderful, inspiring messages to bless the lives of the members here. This year we have been to all our conferences during this first three months of the year, and I have loved hearing them speak over and over again each week. The goal for our stake this year is all about "Becoming a Zion People by being unified, more holy, and giving service to the poor and needy." (From the conference talk by Elder Christofferson, Nov. 2008.) We are also receiving training on being better teachers, which is important as we can really make a difference in another's life( and our own!) through effective teaching.
I think one of the funnest things I did this week was to create a special birthday pie for one of my visiting teaching sisters. I adaated the recipe to use what I had on hand, and it was great. Here's what I did, and I just thought of it and made it and didn't go to the store: Melted together l C. evap. milk, I cup chocolate chips, 1/4 tsp. salt on stove, and cooked until thickened. Remove from heat and add l c. miniature marshmellows. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool. Pour one half into graham cracker crust. Cool in fridge. Make a package of vanilla instant pudding and pour over chocolate layer. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over the pudding and cool in fridge. When set top with cool whip, sliced almonds, and marachino cherries. Delicious and very pretty!
What are you doing that is green for St. Patrick's Day? Hope i can think of something... it is fun to celebrate all holidays.

What did I do in February?? Just looking at my calendar and here's what happened: Zone conference lunch for missionaries, RS New leader training, Youth conference helper, two ward/branch conferences and stake conference, visits to seminary, supporting play group so I can meet and make friends with the young mothers and their kids, church mtgs. about community service day, walking with Shirley, visiting teaching, temple trip, gifts for showers ready, shower for Dane and Laura, trip to St. Louis to visit Grandma Witbeck and family, numerous phone calls to make, cooking and shopping and library visits...I wonder what I have accomplished, and it is a lot of busy work, but remember, we are out here in the mission field and there is a lot to do! I'm grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

January visit

At the end of January I had a wonderful visit to Ft. Smith Arkansas to see my sister, Bonnie Cook. We have mutual friends, Doug and Linda George that rent a home here in Columbus. They occasionally drive back and forth between here and Ft. Smith to see about their house, so this time I took the opportunity to grab a ride with them and was able to get in a short visit. Bonnie invited our other sister Sue Thompson, and her husband John to come that same week-end, so we had a fine little mini reunion. When we arrived the first thing we did was start gathering pecans that were still on the driveway and grass around Bonnie's house. They had a late crop this year, and there were still a lot available, so Bonnie let us get all we wanted, as well as a full box she had already prepared to mail to me. Bonnie is always busy with family and church work. We were able to enjoy her grandkids Olivia and Hunter (Chris and Alison's kids) and Abby who is just five and belongs to Bobbie and Anne). The kids were out of school for the day, so I set up a treasure hunt for them, and we also went skating and hiking and had a lot of fun just being together. John and Sue and I helped Bonnie by undecorating her Christmas tree one night, and we enjoyed being able to go to church with her. While Bonnie made food for a funeral on Sunday night, we played Dominoes. That was fun, especially with John continually helping us know the rules and playing along with us. I loved spending time with Bonnie, Sue and their families, and hope we can get them back here to see us sometime soon.

spices before and after

Well, this is before I started. You can see it will take some searching to find the bottle you want.

There is as lazy susan that helps a bit, but I will add to it also.





This picture shows the construction of the shelf. It is 2 inches deep and
about 16 inches long on one leg. 9 inches on the other.




I just used a few
short screws to install the shelf. Make sure it isn't too high for the bottles. One problem, the bottles are close together so you have to get a finger on top of them to get them out. I didn't leave quite enough room. Will have to move it down.



I made a little spool to put the very short bottles on. Can you see it in the middle of the lazy susan?
There are actually more bottles in the after picture than the before picture.
I plan on putting a shelf on the door. It will have something in the front to keep the bottles from falling off while swinging the door open or closed. The door shelf will be as high the the other shelf so it will be above the lazy susan.

January slipped past me....

My goal was to post at least once a month and I missed January! Oh well, try again. Today was really fun since I got to help with the zone conference for the missionaries. Our ward did teriyaki chicken and rice and also had lots of good salad and dessert to serve the missionaries. They are so cute and appreciative and it really warms my heart to be with them and feel of the great spirit that they carry as full time messengers of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Later the zone leaders who are in our ward came for dinner, so this has been a special day.
I love knowing that we as members can also be full time missionaries and bring to others the blessings we enjoy. Surely we can do more! Have you shared the gospel today??? Please comment if you've had any missionary experiences in January. I made some phone calls and invited some less actives to our "girls night out." They didn't come, but that's OK, it still counts as missionary work and it made me happy to reach out to someone with an invitation.