Hollywood Dinner

Sometimes ward activities can be pretty predictable

but this one was really fun...

eight different rooms were decorated in movie themes

and the host and hostesses fed their guests

appropriate food for their theme.

Matt and Austin (the only youth to attend) did:

"Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"

and they fed their guests classic Greek food

(I've never seen this movie)...

another couple hosted "James Bond"

and served lovely English food..

and we hosted,"The Hobbit"

where we served...well...

hobbit food...

warm crusty bread, lots of cheeses and leafy salads,

warm stuffed mushrooms

a yummy pot roast, small red potatoes with lots of carrots...

(we just had to decide what hobbit food was

 because try as I might

I couldn't find any recipes for hobbit cuisine).

I regret that I didn't get a chance to photograph all the rooms

but each one was well done and completely different.

It was so fun making our room feel like a tiny hobbit house

  and wear silly homemade hobbit costumes.

The guests enjoyed all different kinds of food and fun

as they traveled from one movie to the next for their entrees

depending on their ticked schedule.

What a creative and interesting activity.

Mermaid Hair and Mustaches

How I love this delightful little girl!

Being a Gramma is so much fun.

Sacred Day

Dani and John were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple

February 22, 2014.

Dressed in white, their family was untied for eternity.

Ashlee was sealed to her parents 

and the line is complete.

What a blessing the restored gospel is,

which enables us to make eternal covenants

 that bind us to God and to each other.

All God's children are a family.

We are brother and sisters, 

children of an eternal Father

who delights in loving family relationships.

The family is central to our 

Heavenly Father's plan for His children.

He meant for us to establish relationships 

that would last forever, not 'till death do us part'.

It was a glimpse of Heaven to walk into the Holy Temple

and watch a family become eternal.

A truly sacred day.

Twenty Two

Happy Birthday, Dan!

Hope this year is full of 

happiness,

success,

good health,

 and lots of love.

Sister's Tea

My sweet mother has always done a great job

of creating activities that gather the family together.

We have our yearly Family Reunion

which has become a wonderful 4th of July tradition.

We have our yearly Christmas Family Night

(which we seldom attend due to our east coast abode)

but the rest of the family wouldn't miss.

And finally we have our yearly Sister's Tea.

This is where all Mom's daughters and daughters-in-law

get together and do all kinds of girlie things.

This year the theme was "Loving to Read"

and we made little books 

with each of our favorite books listed inside.

We also made bookmarks of all shapes and sizes.

Then we brought a few new books we were reading

and shared them briefly with each other to add to our lists.

After our activities we have a formal "tea"

with hot punch for our tea which we drink from tea cups on saucers.

We have all kinds of delicious little sandwiches and finger foods 

 on a lovely decorated table,

followed by the most wonderful desserts imaginable.

It is all so lady-like and fun.

The best part is working together and chatting

about everything under the sun.

 The feeling of sisterhood is so sweet to me,

and I love these beautiful women with all my heart. 

When the day is over we go home with all our little treasures

and anticipate next year when we will all be together again.

Aslan

We watched the movie 'Narnia' Sunday night

and though I have seen it before, this time

I was mesmerized by the beautiful symbolism.

I felt such a powerful spirit

as Aslan walks through the crowd of jeering creatures

to sacrifice himself to save Narnia,

then when they shave him and he allows it,

then lays quietly as the witch draws her sword.

All I could think about is how noble he was

and the incredible self control it took 

not to turn on his captors.

What a beautiful portrayal of our Savior.

C S Lewis was a deeply religious man

with a marvelous understanding of

Christ's mission.

Felt and Embroidery

Here are just a few other projects I've been working on.

The first is a tiny canvas big

that I intended to hold the clothes

for the felt paper dolls I was going to put on the front.

But then I decided I wanted to do a lion and a tiger

and then I decided they didn't need clothes 

because they were so small.

So now it's just a little bag that could perhaps hold

some small plastic circus animals.

Maybe they need bow ties,

anyway they were fun to do.

This is a small felt owl that fits into an Altoid tin.

I've seen mice but I thought maybe an owl would be

a fun change.

Here is his little tin bed.

Fun.