MY HAPPY PLAYING CHILDREN

BRAD, SCOTT, BRUCE, MARK, CRAIG
SUPPORTING THEIR SISTER JULIE

So many times people ask me about my children. I have had this favorite picture for several years. I thought it would give everyone an idea of what they look like and smile like. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to be their mother...oh, how I have learned from them. God has blessed me wonderfully with these children of His. It is a joy to see their interaction with one another and you can tell that they not only love one another, but like one another.

My children grew up being best friends and that helped our family to be close and remain close today. I have always said that I feel that I am already experiencing a little of heaven here on earth. I have to commend Julie for putting up with at times, five "too happy" brothers. Oh the memories are priceless! And our tummies still ache from all the laughter.

Mimi's Thought for the Day: It is said that the family that prays together, stays together. I agree, but may I also add: The family that plays together wants to pray together. I remember many years ago a Bishop in our Stake said in a meeting I was conducting for Young Women leaders, and I quote "If you want to get close to the girls, you have to go beyond Sunday." This man later became our Stake President...President Steve Jorgensen. His words were profound. What he was saying is that our Sunday time together alone is not going to do it, but we need to go the extra mile. There has to be interaction of fun, laughter, hugs, warmth, caring and a huge dose of LOVE for ALL.....24 hours a day...7 days a week. Whether it is family or those we come in contact with, all children of God need to be accepted and feel wonderful.

I WAITED THIRTY SIX YEARS!!!!!!

I consider myself a very patience person and if I told you I was patiently waiting for a sprinkler system to be put in my yard, you may think nothing of it. But what if I told you that I waited for 36 long years. We have a huge yard and for years I have hauled long hoses from one end to the other plus the side yards. The hoses were so long and heavy that I would have to grab the hose, fling it onto my shoulder and trudge forward and bent over like someone battling a strong wind.

My husband Ned decided it was time...perhaps that is because he has had to do the hoses this year because of some physical problems that won't let me do it any more. He, Brad and Craig have been working hard on it with the assistance of three of my grandsons...Josh, Landon and Kyle. It is up and going, with just a small section that needs to be done. Hooray! Finally!

As soon as I can I will post a picture. Our lawn is torn up, messed up and looks horrible right now. Give it some good old weed and feed and water and it will look like a million....okay a thousand...soon.

Other projects we plan to do this year is paint the house. If you have suggestions on color combinations let me know. I am thinking a soft yellow with red door and white trim and railings...shutters in white or red. Also green door would be good with same in shutters.

We had new carpet put in the basement so the bedrooms and large family room look fantastic. Now for the upstairs.

I wonder how long I will have to wait for them. A new kitchen was promised years ago but hasn't happened as yet. I am patient, but my clock is running out!!

Mimi's Thought for the Day: Just as I was starting to prepare dinner, my dear husband shut off the water at the pump house. We were having tacos and macaroni salad. Son Craig went downstairs and got 2 liters of water (so glad to have the water stored), I boiled it for 10 minutes, then cooked the pasta. How did I cool it? Good old ice cubes. Worked great. Next was taco meat..cooked it and added taco seasoning and was suppose to add a little water, but I had used the water and did not want to go downstairs. Again, threw in some ice cubes and that worked great. Then...have to wash the lettuce, tomato and celery. Hmmm. Really a problem as I could not go down those stairs...bad foot day...so I had some diet 7-up in the refrigerator, put a little in a bowl, added ice cubes and washed tomato, celery, lettuce.. I have cooked for my family for 50 years and not once have we had food poisoning but in the back of my mind I could not help but think this is not as sanitary as running water. What is my thought for the day? STORE WATER!!! IF NO WATER, USE ICE CUBES FOR COOLING AND MAKING WATER. IF YOU HAVE NONE OF THE ABOVE YOUR HUSBAND NEEDS TO TAKE YOU TO DINNER AS YOU WERE NOT WARNED THE WATER WAS GOING OFF AND YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED! I just did not have the heart to do that to him as he had worked hard from early morning on the sprinkler system. So in the words of my wise husband I will use his saying of several decades that he made up: "Go slow. Keep cool and drink plenty of water." That's what I did...slow in cooking....kept my cool....and afterwards chewed on ice. VERY SORRY ABOUT THE LONG "THOUGHT" (STORY) BUT I HAD TO GIVE YOU A PEEK INTO MY LIFE IN THE KITCHEN.

WHAT A PARTY!!!

Ned and I celebrating our 50th anniversary



What a wonderful day we had with our children and grandchildren as they gave us a party like no other! Everything was perfect: the weather, the food, the surroundings, the entertainment and of course our family. I loved every minute of it. We did not want a big, expensive party but something very low keyed with just our own family. On our 40th anniversary our children gave us "the works"...limo, invited guests, food galore, entertainment...the expense was not spared. This year we wanted to be able to relax, not get dressed up and just be at home...our own little sacred place on earth.



Our Wedding Clothing

Hanging from our Sugar Maple tree was our once lovely clothing that we married in. I have kept them in my cedar chest all these 50 years. My simple little white dress had lost its pleats and had yellowed a little and somewhere, sometime I lost the belt. Ned's jacket was still in great condition. We noticed that the clothing looked a little small...can't believe we once fit into them.

More pictures will be posted as they come from other members of the family, plus we had a wonderful photographer by the name of Meg Jackson, the daughter of Tom and M'Lee. She was great and we know she will be very successful in this hobby that may one day turn into a career.

It was such a fun time. All my children were present and their spouses, plus all the grandchildren with the exception of Brent and his wife Carolyn who are living in Provo, Utah. The food was fantastic!! I did not even get to taste it all as there was so much. We had steak, chicken, pork loin, sausage, baked potatoes, different salads, homemade rolls, corn on the cob, fruits of all kinds, cheeses, veggies...oh it was a buffet set for royalty. And that is just how we felt.

Later, in the evening after the meal we had the entertainment. Our son Scott invited Glenn Bair and he gave us a memorable treat of some of the poems he has created, plus guitar and singing. He is a remarkable man. I believe he is called the Cowboy Poet and has books, CD's, etc. Our children and grandchildren sang to us "I Have a Family Here on Earth". It was beautiful.

Scott announced to us that he was able to find a long lost son of ours. Ned and I looked at each other, thinking 'does he/she have a son and never told me?'. Scott then introduced "our son" and then he came around the corner of the house. I nearly died. There was our real son Mark...yeah, the Washington State Trooper, who did not even look like himself. He always has had the "gift" of being able to stick his stomach way out and he had to have suspenders on to hold up his pants. His teeth were rotten, jagged teeth...his outfit of clothes was hilarious. The crowd roared. Everyone was doubled over in laughter and tears. Me....I started gagging. I have a terrible gag reflex and it was made evident that evening. The name of this lost son is Bubba R. Wiser. He came to Ned and I crying "Mommmmm-ma" and of course only as Mark can he was hamming it up big time with body language, speech, looks, etc. A choice moment that we will never forget.

We then were presented a gift from the children. We told them that we needed nothing, that my health problems would not allow us to travel, so they came up with a different plan as they wanted to give us something. They gave us an album of several pictures from babyhood to adulthood of each member of our family and also each person had written letters of love and appreciation. Ned and I were so thrilled and touched. Nothing could have been any nicer, any more appreciated than that gift of love. It is a treasure and will last beyond us.

Ned and I then cut our little cake, beautifully made by Jackie...it even had the original wedding bride and groom that we had on our little cake back in 1960. Our oldest son Brad then rose and each person held a stemmed glass in their hands filled with Ginger Ale. He said a toast that was absolutely beautiful and touched me to the very core. And then we clinked our glasses and hugged and cried over such a perfect party...so perfect.
Brad said that he has been involved in planning, putting together over 100 weddings and receptions and he has never seen one so perfect as this one. It was...in every way. We are so glad we had it here at our home, surrounded by our sweet and eternal family. I shall never forget this wonderful moment of love, of respect, of laughter, of happiness and the sweet feeling of contentment and peace.

Mimi's Thought for the Day: Fifty years of marriage is a drop in the bucket compared to all eternity and yet that "drop" should contain love, caring, sharing, kindness and putting one another first. That "drop" will one day multiply into a "sea" of blessings you could never imagine, but will be yours for eternity. Get your bucket ready!

50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

June 11, 1960

I just wanted to share with all of you that today is the day that I have lived for. Fifty years ago Ned and I were married. I remember it as if it were yesterday. We were so young, so much in love. Of course, no one knows what the future will bring and it brought us experiences that would make anyone cry, anyone laugh and anyone learn from.

We cried when death touched our lives, when crops failed, when choices of others brought pain, when we saw our children get hurt through the actions of others. But we developed the "bouncing ball" syndrome.... get knocked down and you get right up!

We laughed heartily over the many ways we would play tricks on each other....serve blackened toast to him for his breakfast or take the little tiny pieces of splattered pancake batter in the skillet and make a stack of miniature pancakes and serve that to him for his breakfast. A trick he played on me was one time...many years ago...I saw him chewing gum. I wanted him to give me a portion of what gum was in his mouth. We came near one another and we kissed a long kiss and then he proceeded to push his gum into my mouth. I had a big smile of happiness on my face and started to chew. All of a sudden I was gagging. It wasn't gum!! It was gristle from some meat. Oh how he laughed and still laughs about it today. I learned my lesson...never trust your husband when he so willing to share. He was always doing things like that. We exercised our sense of humor many times.

We had the joy of having five sons and one daughter. We could not ask for more wonderful children. Thank you Brad, Bruce, Craig, Mark, Scott and Julie for being such choice, caring and loving children. They have made us laugh until our stomachs hurt. They have made us cry because of the heartaches to come their way. We have all survived and hopefully grown and learned many lessons.

I came from a divorced home and I always said that I would never do that to my children. I have worked hard, committed deeply and given my best to my man. He has done likewise.
Because of that commitment we have now been married 50 years and we look forward to the next milestone, always keeping in mind that we must continually make one another first in our lives and continue to show respect, kindness, tenderness and oh yes, keep those little "tricks" coming...the ones that make us so glad we married one another.

Tomorrow (Saturday) will be our day of celebration. Our children have it all planned...a day of surprises. We have kept our celebration very private...just our children (I have made their sweethearts my children too) and 18 grandchildren... about 32 of us! I will imprint on my mind the laughs, the tears, the memories of the celebration for the rest of my earthly life. I will post later and relate the day to you.

Mimi's Thought for the Day: Elizabeth Barrett Browning said it so eloquently: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth, breadth, height my soul can reach......I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life and if God chooses, I shall but love thee better after death." I have given just a part of what she had said. I hear her saying that love needs to be shown as well as spoken . And she had a glimpse of eternity....that love between a man and woman could go on and on and on and it was meant by God that they can be together.

FOUR GRADS FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL

I had to pinch myself as I watched four of my grandchildren graduate from middle school tonight. Four precious grandchildren at one time, from the same school, all graduating together. What a joy that was. Not only are all of them either straight A or Honor Roll students but they are the best of friends with one another. Of course they have been watched over from the very beginning and we made plenty of opportunities for them to play together and be together. Their talents range from sports (soccer, basketball, long distance running, baseball/softball) to piano, to just being very nice young people. I love watching them interact with one another and the laughter and giggling and lit up faces tell it all...they truly like and love one another.

I am grateful for their parents too, for the example they have been. They have emphasized learning and they take a direct interest in what and how their child is doing in school and in the community.

I cannot believe how fast the time has gone since the beginning of their existence upon the earth. I held each one shortly after they were born..one in January, another in April, and TWO in November and all in the same year!! I saw them go from crawling to walking the same path of our Savior...meaning they are making good and smart choices.

Okay...this grandma..I am Mimi to them...could go on and on with their attributes, as I am so proud of them. Not only do I feel happiness for their scholastic abilities but for their kindness of heart, of their love, of their caring about others. They support one another. They help one another. They care and love one another.

I feel very honored and very blessed to have the privilege of being their grandmother. My cup runneth over with mercy and goodness. Thank you Heidi, Marquel, Megan and Josh. I better stop now and go sew my popped off blouse buttons back on!!

I promise you that I will post a picture soon of these four graduates. Please forgive me for my pride...it just cannot be helped.

Mimi's Thought for the Day: Being a parent is a wonderful gift from God. Helping that child to return to God is your gift to Him. Children do not want material things as much as they want parents who will listen, talk, hug, praise, play and pray with them. Have fun...the time goes as fast as a blink of an eye.

THE TONGUE

Who would have ever thought that I would write a "post" about the tongue?

Just a short post too...can you believe that?

A tongue is a thing of beauty. No? A tongue is a thing of ugliness. Yes?

The tongue that I am talking about is the one in your mouth. It is the thing in there that helps you to TALK!!!

Yeah, that little wiggly thing is your mouth is your tongue. Since it is yours, it is up to you to take care of it. I am not talking about brushing it when you brush your teeth...although that is a good and healthy thing to do. I am talking about TAKE CARE OF YOUR TONGUE IN WHAT IT SAYS!!

Three short comments:

1. There was a king who sent his servant out into the world to bring back to him the most beautiful thing in the world. The servant returned with a tongue. The king then sent his servant out into the world to bring back the ugliest thing in the world. The servant brought back a tongue. Moral: your tongue can say the most beautiful words or the ugliest words. It is up to you.

2. Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

3. "It is simply not for us to judge each other. The Lord has reserved that right for Himself, because only He knows our hearts and understands the varying circumstances and complexities of our lives." Source: "Saying It Like It Is" by Sheri Dew

One of my aunts scolded me one day for not thinking before I said something. I have always been a "quick" responder. I can still hear her words as plain as if she said them to me a few minutes ago. "Deanna, you need to think before you say something!" Like I said, I am quick with my tongue...but that is because my brain is quick! So at times I am guilty of saying the wrong thing.

But I will never be guilty of using my tongue to hurt people, gossip or use it for my own gain. I think that gossip is one of the ugly things of the kingdom.

I want my tongue to be beautiful in its words and may it always convey the beautiful things that I hold in my heart and mind. I don't ever want to be known in our kingdom of having one of the ugliest tongues. But may my tongue give love, compassion, kindness to all I come in contact with in my life.

MIMI'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Gossip is a horrible destroyer of lives. To be a "spreader" of gossip is a sin. To be a "listener" of gossip is not good for your spirit. Do you remember your mother saying, "hold your tongue!" Only good thoughts should grace your heart and mind and thus what comes out from your mouth will be words of kindness and love. For those of you who may think that I am upset since I am writing about this subject...yes, in the past we have been abused through the tongues of others....but I have not written for that reason. I was inspired to write this...and I am doing so, but do not know why at this time.