New Years Resolutions..........How Silly

Laugh More: People have told me that I laugh too much. I am not a big fan of those people!
Therefore, I intend to laugh more in 2011.

Read, Read, Read: I love to read and I can read 5 books all at once...........since, I read much already, it would be silly to include it on my list!

Learn New Recipes: This year I will be inspired to learn to make something new in the kitchen. It is unlikely that I will ever be a chef......however, dreams make us feel free.

I will have my daughter Mackenzie teach me some Swahili as "my dream trip" is to visit AFRICA!

Master an Australian accent: I would love to go to Australia someday too.

I will no longer waste time re-live-ing my past, instead I will worry about the future! Ha Ha Ha.

I won't worry so much! You never stop worrying about your grown children and them sweet grandbabies.

I will try to figure out why I have three email addresses.

I will be more imaginative.

I will TRY to be more spontaneous!

I will care more for others and not be judgemental.

I will be more patient with others and myself!

I will try to not be "my own worst critic"!

I will spend less time on FACEBOOK..............seriously!

I will work on my "bucketlist"! That includes seeing Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis in concert!

I will continue reading my David J. Ridges books..."The Book of Mormon Made Easier" series.

I will spend more time on my Genealogy! I will continue writing my family history!

I will spend less time on Facebook ( I know I have already said that).......and really I mostly use it to visit with my High School friends and my family that I live so far away from!..........ok ........so I do have a virtual farm that I have to tend to and how silly is that? Remember, I am an Iowa farm girl? How does the saying go? You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl! whatever....now I am just trying to justify facebook again.

Most of all I will be sillier this year and I will dance when no one is watching! But I have been known to be seen "rocking out while driving down main street"...because it just feels so darn good and it makes me feel so alive!

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."

O' Sing O' Sing

How cute are these little carolers? I have had my eye on them since before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve day I thought well..............I will just go by and see if they still have them and if they are on sale now! WHAT? They went from $15.00 each to $4.00 each!

When I was a little girl my Grandma Opal had a little set of carolers and I can remember standing in front of them for hours and just looking at every detail and thinking how beautiful they were. Hmmmmmmmmmmm I wonder what ever happened to them!

Andy Williams Christmas Show

On Christmas Eve this year my mom and I went to Vegas to see the Andy Williams Christmas Show at the Las Vegas Hilton. Let me just say this:

"LIFE LONG DREAM FOR ME TO SEE "MR. CHRISTMAS"!!

AMAZING..............AWESOME.................AWE INSPIRING!

My mama and I have such a wonderful time being together and I am so thankful that she is my best friend. We love to do so much of the same things. Thank you mama for a wonderful Christmas Eve!

God love you Andy Williams! He is now 83 years old and is looking somewhat frail but seriously when he opened his mouth to sing "It was as if his voice was better than ever"! Seriously.......I could close my eyes and see him at 40yrs. of age. He sang all my favorites including Ava Maria.

It was a night that I will never ever ever forget as long as I live!

Thank you Andy for being such a special part of all of my Christmas's. From the time I was old enough to play your records and however many more Christmas's I have on this Earth, I will continue to listen and love you at this special time of year!

You will always be my "Mr. Christmas".

Nana Adores Her Lit'l Wynter

Christmas With Baby Wynter

Oh my goodness what could it be Nana?

It's Baby Alive!

Oh Thank You Nana........I will carry her everywhere I go from now on!

Wynter's present to Nana is a super duper wonderful calendar with her picture on each month!

Am I a little excited or what? The best gift ever is always from a grandchild! It is simply amazing how much joy my grandchildren bring me!

My Christmas Eve Date!

I can hardly stand the wait! I feel like a little kid at Christmas waiting to open her presents.

This year one of my best presents of all time will be to spend Christmas Eve with Andy Williams. Ever since I can remember ...............

I have enjoyed The Andy Williams Christmas TV specials. I still remember the year that Little Donny Osmond and his brothers made their first TV appearance on the show.

It is just not the holidays unless you are playing one of his holiday CD's!

Can you believe he is 83 yrs. young.

Ho Ho HO...............off to Vegas we go.

Holiday Photo Shoot 2010

My son-in-law Joe is an "amazing" photographer! These photos were all taken at various locations around Vegas!

Ho Ho Ho.........Merry Christmas

Joe, Mackenzie and baby Wynter at The Bellagio in Las Vegas.

But mommy.........I can't see the top of the Christmas Tree!

What is the matter with my Mom and Dad? This guy is soooo scary!

Nana loves Wynter's cute little Whoville face! and........Nana gets to give you lots of kisses and hugs in four days!

Silent Night

Silent night! Holy night!

All is calm all is bright

round yon virgin mother and child

Holy infant so tender and mild

sleep in heavenly peace!

Silent night! Holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight

glories stream from heaven afar

heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah

Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night! Holy night!

Son of God love's pure light

radiant beams from thy holy face

with the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

The origin of the Christmas carol we know as "Silent Night" was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf, it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody for Silent Night was composed with this in mind. The music to Silent Night was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass. Silent Night is the most famous Christmas carol of all time!

Wise Men and Women Still Seek Him Today

Wise Men of the East, also called Magi or Three Kings of the Orient. They followed a star to Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn Christ child. They asked King Herod for assistance in finding the Christ child. Herod could not help them but asked the men to return with news of the child. Warned in a dream, they did not return to Herod.

I love the story of the Wise Men and it is not really known of what happened to them after they left Bethlehem. Some religious theologians say that they then went back to Persia and are buried there.

While oftentimes conflicting lore muddles the story of the Magi, those bearing gifts for the Christ child are Caspar of Tarsus, Melchior of Persian and Balthasar of Saba. Weary from desert travel, the Magi humbly offer their gifts.

Caspar is young, European and offers gold. Gold finances the Holy Family's coming flight to Egypt and also symbolizes Christ's immortality and purity. For his generosity, Caspar receives the gifts of charity and spiritual wealth.

Melchior is middle-aged, Persian and offers myrrh. Myrrh is a fragrant gum, which the ancient Israelites believed to strengthen children. This symbol of Christ's mortality was blended with wine and offered to him on the cross, and also mixed with aloes to wrap his body for the tomb. Melchior receives the gifts of humility and truth.

Balthasar is elderly, Ethiopian and offers frankincense. Frankincense is a resin used in incense for worship and also symbolizes prayer and sacrifice. Balthasar receives the gift of Faith. And Christ, humbling himself to become man, offers us the greatest gift of all, the light that forever burns in the darkness.

To learn more about the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ and his plan of salvation for us ....please visit us at http://www.mormon.org/

Currier & Ives

Central Park................. 1862 titled "The Skating Pond"

Lithograph titled " A Brush For The Lead" New York "flyers" club on snow.

It is no surprise to me that our younger generation has no idea of the many famous works put out by Currier & Ives. You actually hear their name in alot of the holiday songs and you see some of these beautiful works of art all around you and probably do not know of their origin.

So..........who was Currier & Ives?

Currier and Ives was a successful American printmaking firm headed by Nathaniel Currier (1813–1888) and James Merritt Ives (1824–1895). Based in New York City from 1834–1907, the prolific firm produced prints from paintings by fine artists as black and white lithographs that were hand colored. Lithographic prints could be reproduced quickly and purchased inexpensively, and the firm called itself "the Grand Central Depot for Cheap and Popular Prints" and advertised its lithographs as "colored engravings for the people."

The name Currier & Ives first appeared in 1857, when Currier invited James Merritt Ives, the company's bookkeeper and accountant, to become his partner.


The prints depicted a variety of images of American life, including winter scenes; horse-racing images; portraits of people; and pictures of ships, sporting events, patriotic and historical events, including ferocious battles of the American Civil War, the building of cities and railroads, and Lincoln's assassination.


Today, original Currier and Ives prints are much sought by collectors, and modern reproductions of them are popular decorations. Especially popular are the winter scenes, which are commonly used for American Christmas cards.

Amazing Waterfall Shots!

Today is actually day five here in Zion Canyon for non-stop rain and it is expected to continue for four more. I have lived in this area for over thirty some years and here in Zion for over ten. I have never been able to catch "the falls" in the park. This past weekend Steven and I went up into the park two days in a row and these are some of the amazing shots we were lucky enough to capture. This upper photo is taken at the Riverside Walk Trail!

If I were to guess I would say that we saw over 40 waterfalls.........." Magnificent "

Breathtaking!.................This one was coming right out of the mountain side and it was gushing!

Raindrops kept falling on my head and.................. our windshield! It was pouring!

This is however the danger of massive amounts of rain here in the Canyon! You certainly have to be careful driving up the Scenic loop and through the park on Highway 9. We are located right on the Virgin River and since I have lived next to the river I have a new found respect for water.