Newest painting

I finished this right before Christmas, I painted it for Cresta to give to Chris. He works for the railroad, I think he liked it! I thought it turned out pretty good. The mountains are from our ranch and the train is one Cresta found, the rest is pretty much made up from different photos and my mind. Tomorrow I will start a new one, a friend wants me to paint her one, but hasn't told me what she wants, so I guess I'll just think of something. Any ideas out there?

My new missionary

Christmas Eve day will always be extra special at our house! Kari got her mission call in the mail, so we had an exciting day! She waited until later that night at grandpas house to open it. She wanted as many of our family to be with her as possible. It is an exciting and scary time for us all. She will be serving in the Texas -Dallas, Spanish speaking mission! She loves Texas, so this is going to be great. She will be in a huge city, so that will be different for her. She is so excited and happy. A new step in our lives and a wonderful experience for her! What a wonderful gift for us all!

Family Christmas Party

We went to Jackson Hole last weekend for our Christensen Family Christmas Party. It was Kents turn and it is so fun when we get to go there and party! We held it at a condo at the Snow King Resort. Kim works there, so it is great! It snowed on Friday night, so there was a little bit on the ground. Not enough to ski or board, even though they opened then. The family who came on Saturday had a horrible time with the snow, they couldn't even see the car in front of them! I'm glad we went Friday and missed that part.

On the way we stopped to see our friends in Montpelier. We don't see them much, so it was good to visit with them. They are so hospitable and friendly, it was great to take some time just to visit and see how they were.

We only had Jim, Shauntae, Wyatt, Kari, her friend Jake and us. Not too many. I'm glad that the others didn't try to drive it by themselves because it was dangerous. Jim hit a moose... It didn't hurt it or their car, which was soooo lucky. They went a different way than us and a day earlier. We didn't even have wet roads most of the way.

We were in the condo next to Kinos family so it was cool being close to some of the others. Grandpa rode with us but stayed with them. I think he enjoyed himself, but he was so sad during it. I know he misses Bessie so much. We need to try to get to his house more often so he doesn't have time to be too sad. ( Which I guess will never happen, because he DOES miss her so much!)

We had excellant food, good visits, games and excited kids! I think that is what makes it so fun. They are all growing up so fast and we won't have that excitement for too long. I thought it was beautiful up there. I have always liked going there since my sisters family lived there at one time and we would visit whenever we could.

I hope we keep up with the party, even if the family gets larger and we lose some members. It is about the only time we get to just be together. Isn't that what family is about????

Have a great Christmas. I hope you are all ready. I still have a little more to do and some baking to get done, but I am almost there! I love this time of year. It just goes by too fast for me!

Gina Tagged me on this one! It's an easy and fun one, hope you have fun with it, too!

Tag 4:4:4:4 Here is how it works.

1. Open your photos folder

2. Go to your 4th folder and pick the 4th photo

3. Up load it

4. Tag 4 others

I tag Jenny, Diane, Sondra, and Kate! Have fun!!!

Photos of the Thanksgiving Holiday!

Dalan and Kaden at the Canyons Gina and Molly- The Canyons

Wyatt fell asleep like this! He is eating a popscicle!

Thanksgiving Feast!!! We are so thankful for all we have, especially our family and friends!
(The post below tells all about it, The photos wouldn't load on that one, so they have to be done this way!)

Thanksgiving

I am finally going to put something in here about Thanksgiving, since it is almost Christmas! I have not had time to do any blogging, just reading them when I have time! We had 28 for dinner and I had a lot of help getting the dinner ready and with the clean-up, which is great for me, not so good on those who did all the dishes!!! We had our family, Chester and the Knights here for dinner. It was so cool having them all here! Everyone did part of the food, so there wasn't as much stress! It sure is a lot of work for 3o minutes of eating! We did two turkeys and had a little left over, which was great. We got to visit and watch the kids get to know each other. We had a few little arguments, but all in all they were wonderful.

The day after Thanksgiving, we did a little shopping on the way to the Canyons. When we got to the Canyons, there was no snow and they had us in the wrong room. We finally got that settled and Brian was able to get tickets to ski at Park City. Kari got to board for a day and was glad to be able to! It was relaxing and fun to visit. I swear Kino and Brian had 5o friends there! Jason won at Poker, so he had fun, too!
Next year all the family goes to the in-laws. It will be small and quiet. I always look forward to "my" year with the whole family! Kari will be on her mission so it will probably be Curt, me, Cresta and her kids and maybe Doug! We'll have to just be louder and pretend everyone is here! I hope you all had a great one... now on to Christmas, are you ready????
(I can't get the photos to download, sorry... I'll keep trying!)

McKay

This is my latest painting. I THINK it is done. It is supposed to be my grandson, McKay. It is watercolor. I am trying to learn how to do people, which is scary for me. I know that you really can't tell it's him, but at least you can tell it's a boy! That is a start. I kind of like how it is turning out.

Giving Thanks

I guess it is that time of year when we really start thinking about what we are thankful for. I have been reading a book called "The Book of Lost Things". It is a slightly dark and somewhat weird book. But, it does have values in it and it makes you think how lucky you are to have the family and friends that you have. ( Not that I don't think I'm lucky... I KNOW I am). It just reminded me to be thankful for who I am and where I am and for the family that means so much to me. I want them to know how much I appreciate all they do and how much I love them all. I know this is short and no pictures.. very un-like me. I just feel the need to express my love to all of the family and all my friends... old, new, young, old and in between. Thanks for being you and being in my life. I appreciate it!

I finished!

I finished two new quilt tops, they are from some that I started in Quilt Guild. The flower blocks were done by my guild,(the circle shapes) we all did 20 blocks, exchanged them, cut them in fourths, sewed them back together with different colors and then decided how to put them together to make a quilt. I have had mine stored for a few years, not knowing what to do with them. This is what I came up with. The blue and black one is one we did last year as a block of the month. We chose our own colors on this one.I think they turned out pretty good. Now on to the next one!!!

Tagged.. again, how fun!

1. I have polka dot eyes.

2. I like to try new recipes on anyone who dares eat them.

3. I think dark chocolate is the best... ever!

4. I want to paint at least one really good picture.

5. I am very soft hearted, too much most of the time. I can't stand to see someone sad, or even act like they are going to cry. It makes me cry. It's embarrassing sometimes.

6. I feel like I'm a very lucky person to have married Curtis and to live where I do. I couldn't pick a better place to call home. I love it here and I love the people that I have gotten to know. I want to stay here as long as possible.

7. I dream in color, and most of the time I remember what I dreamt. Sometimes they are so real I wake up mad, sad, scared or whatever and it takes me a long time to realize it wasn't real. Sometimes I think I should have been Stephen Kings sister, because my dreams are so weird and sometimes scary!

I tag... Jenny, Kari, Kandyce, Tami, Leslie, Mysti and Stacie. (You need to save the tag as a jpeg and then copy it in as a picture.) Good luck and have fun! (Sorry Diane, I know you just really wanted this, maybe next time! :) )

Creative minds....

Can you find Dalan? He's in there!!!

We had some of the grandkids for the weekend. Molly and Tara went to the ranch with grandpa. Brooklyn and Dalan got to come stay with me. Saturday was so fun... they raked the leaves in the front yard and got a huge pile to play in. They had some kids that were passing by come and jump in with them It was fun to watch them be so creative with the way they would pile the leaves on and how they would shovel them out. They made a huge nest and were the best birds I've ever seen!

But... I think the most creative use was on Sunday after dinner.. The picture will tell the story!

I wish I had gotten a picture of Tara and Bailey with the leaves in their hair! They looked like they could be trees themselves! Of course, Quinton didn't get as many stuck in his, but he sure had fun playing hide and seek in the leaves with the boys.

Sunday, after church, we got home and Dalan and Brooklyn had their clothes all over the living room floor. ( I guess they thought it was their dressing room, or something). I was fixing the last of dinner and setting the table, so, I asked them to get the clothes off the floor before I finished with dinner. I was about done when I asked if they were almost done. Dalan told me that he was. We ate dinner and he kept telling us that he cleaned everything up by himself. We, of course, made a big deal out of him doing such a great job. He was sooooo proud of getting done before I did and doing it himself! I started to clean up the dinner mess and Curtis called me into the living room. Dalan had really made sure that there were no clothes on the floor! Once again, the pictures will tell the rest of the story! I think I have the most creative men in the family. At least they keep me laughing, and isn't that what life is about.. having fun and enjoying each other? It was a great weekend!

I don't know how he balanced his shoes on the door of my cabinet, but he did it and he did it "All by himself". Now, that is creative!

PARTING SHOT... Molly in her Sunday clothes. Just thought it was a cute picture of her!

Ramble.. ramble... ramble...

We have had quite a week, it's been full and fun. I got to have Cresta's kids for a few days and then Gina came up and I got to be with her and her boys for a few days. It is always hectic but always wonderful! She ended up going to the ranch overnight, then Kari, Cresta, Chris, Molly, Gina and I went to see "Thriller" in Logan.

I have been to it with Cresta for about 4 years. We love it! I can't believe the dances that they do. It is very creative and somewhat on the scary side. I think my favorite part is when Frankenstein dances with his wife. She can get into shapes that I would never believe someone could! (I wasn't that limber even when I was young) It is a great night of Halloween type entertainment. Especially if you like dance! We saw John and Jacki there, and that was cool to see them.

Bob and Linda came to visit on Sunday and I was excited to see them, we don't see them near enough. We had a great visit.
I cleaned carpets on Monday. It seems like they get so dirty this time of year. Maybe it's just the way the sun shines on them or something. Anyway, they are cleaner than they were on Sunday, and that is a plus.
Curt got some sod for some of our neighbors and he shamed them into baking us cookies. They were wonderful! Thanks Sue... I know my husband isn't known for his manners..but the cookies WERE good! It seems like he can get away with that sort of thing. We ate well on Sunday, with his help!
I had the weekend off from art class because of UEA. I now have three paintings to get done by Friday. I guess I better get off the computer and use my time wisely!

Something New

We finally got Kari's quilt started. It is at Relief Society. We have worked on it for two months and haven't even got the first border done. The ladies aren't too enthused to work on it, I guess. Both months I only got two or three to help. At this rate it will take us forever to get done. I really wanted it finished so that Kari could enjoy it for awhile before her mission. I might bring it home and work on it for awhile, at least a little more will get done before next month. I think it turned out cute. My quilt guild ladies all helped on the boot blocks, I did the stars and the rest of it. I had fun putting it together, too. Now on to the other quilts I have started! I have another one pieced and ready to quilt. I'll post it when it gets quilted.

I need to finsih the ones I've started before going on to the next ones I have planned. There are so many quilt patterns and sooooo little time!!!

Jenny Tagged Me!
There needs to be 5 answers for each question. So, here goes:
What was I doing 10 years ago?1. getting by 2. Tending kids 3. Cooking 4. Art 5. cleaning
What Are 5 things on my To-Do List Today?1. Quilt 2. Go to Idaho to pick up meat 3. Art Class.4. Go to Crestas so I can tend tomorrow 5. Make Grandpa lunch
What are my 5 favorite snacks?1. Dark Chocolate 2. Almond M & Ms 3. Almonds. 4. Bananas 5. cheese and crackers.
What 5 things would I do if I was a millionaire?1. Go to the Ranch 2. Find a way to give some to my family 3.Live like I always have 4. Travel to Italy to see my brother and sister in law 5. Help someone in need
5 places I have lived:1. Salt Lake City 2. Perry 3. Honeyville 4 Bear River 5. Malad at the ranch
Jobs I have had:1Car Hop 2 Waitress 3 Deli worker 4 mom and grandma 5 Secretary and co-owner for our business
5 people I tag are:1. Kari 2. Gina 3. Diane ( Oh, no- one more.. dangit, I know you hate them!)4. Kino 5. Stacie Good Luck all and enjoy my answers.

Another Week

Another week has flown by. We have been busy, like the rest of mankind this time of year. I have been trying to get some fall cleaning done, it's going pretty slow, but at least I'm getting some done before the winter sets in. I actually love this time of year. I seem to be able to get a lot more done for some reason. The cool weather and pretty fall colors are wonderful. Very relaxing. I have been sewing a quilt top. I just finished it last week and it turned out pretty good. It's nice to have done. Now I can move on to some of the other ones I have started.

I am working on a new oil painting for Gina. She took a picture of a foggy day in the canyon by her house. I am attempting to get the look down with my painting. I tried to take some pictures of it but they just don't show the right look. I am going to post one of them, but it isn't a good photo. I am still working on it, so it will change some before it is done
We had a great time at the ranch this past weekend. We had aome friends come up and see it and I think they enjoyed it. There were some fall leaves left, but they are going fast. I won't get to go up there for three weeks and I am already having a hard time knowing that I won't get to be there. I can see how you can get tied to a place. This one has a hold of me and I know I will never want to let go of it!

Missed Birthday Celebration

We were up at the ranch this weekend, (surprised?) Curt thought that Kino and Bette and their families were coming so he ordered a pie from the Dude Ranch Cafe. Kino likes to take grandpa there and have the pie, so he thought that we could celebrate her birthday late! They weren't able to make it up, so we just couldn't let it waste... It wasn't the fave- gooseberry, but it was delicious strawberry rhubarb! So, Kino, happy birthday, your pie was wonderful! Maybe next time our timing will be right!

I also caught a few fall shots, it doesn't look like they will last long.
I'm glad I have a camera to record some of it.

Caught up

It's 11:26 pm on Saturday night. I got home around 7:00 from tending at Cresta's. I started cleaning and washing clothes to get caught up. I'm waiting for the last batch of laundry to get done so I can put it in the dryer and waiting for the floors to dry, so I thought I'd blog and post my two new paintings. I'm sure you are all probably tired of seeing what I'm doing, but it helps me to see them and helps me be more sure of myself when I put them here. I can't explain it, I just know that it is hard to let people see my work, and it's easier for me to put them on here and not hear the comments, than to do it face to face. I guess I'm a coward when it comes to rejection or something. It's also easier if someone likes what I've done, because I never know if someone is saying they like them just to be nice or if they really like them! This way I don't have to decide if they do or not. Cowardly again. Anyway, here they are. The bottle one is in oil, the cow, watercolor. In the bottle one, I was trying to depict candle light on the bottles. I did finish the cow while I was at Cresta's and I was watching Molly and her friend, Niki. They were having a sleep-over. Not much to tending two 11 year olds, so I painted between watching two teen movies and eating pizza and ice cream. (I gained back what little I had lost this week all for the love of my granddaughter and no will-power!) Anyway, the last batch of clothes are now in the dryer and my floors are dry. Sunday can come and the house will be semi-ready. I'm not all caught up, but at least I'm a little closer! I hope you all have a great week!

I changed the paintings... these are the new ones, I think they look a little better. Thought you might like to see the difference!

Treasure

Our treasure at the end of the rainbow!

We spent the holiday at the ranch. We had a lot of people come up and stay with us and it was wonderful!

Jeff and Lainey Gardner made us homemade ice cream two nights. They now have a following of ice cream groupies!

Alan and Jennys friends came up. The Witts are being adopted into the fam! They bring excellant food and good conversation and so much for the kids to do. They painted t-shirts this time. (It had to be between the rain storms, though!) Lou and Kathy Haslem from Ceder City came up and enjoyed the cold weather with us. We had been telling them all about the beautiful sky at night and how clear the stars were... they never got to see them because it was so cold and rainy. I guess that gives them all the more reason to come see us again. Lous brother Mark, his wife and three beautiful daughters came with them.

Later on, Kathys' brother and wife and daughter came too. They stayed in Malad at a hotel, but spent the day with us. Cresta, Chris and her kids came up and did some re-modeling on her trailer. Jim, Shauntae and Wyatt came up and helped alot! (Wyatt and Uncle Al drove the tractor!) Jenn, Alan and the kids worked the whole time there. Jenn helped with the great meals and we had a wonderful dutch oven dinner one night. I think Al and Lou are going to have to start a Dude ranch so we can have him come cook some more great dinners for us!

Kari had some of her friends spend the night on Friday. (Before the rain) You should have seen how dusty they got when they rode the wheelers! It was great to get to know them better.

We had a great long weekend. We got some more turf laid by the old house, some more shingles burned, fence posts put in, neighbors fences put up, four wheeling, hiking, eating, etc. etc. I won't be able to go for a few weeks because of other things going on. I'm glad I got an extra two days out of this weekend. I feel like I'm home there, and visiting here, which is strange. Maybe it is meant to be. It is so fun to have the family and friends share this with us... Even though we put them all to work!!!

When they talk about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, they were describing this in our lives. It is truly a treasure that we are loving and having fun sharing!

Art, art, and more art

This is my latest oil painting. It's from Brigham City, west of town. It is hanging in Jim and Shauntaes dining room. They were nice enough to take down the one I had given them before. (It just wasn't quite right.) Oh, well. I'm glad they liked this one!!! I'm working on a real different one now. It's a still life of antique bottles, with a candle lit behind them. It's pretty dark, since there are no lights on, except the candle. I hope it turns out the way I think it can! I'll post it if it does. I'm loving the class and the people in it. I have learned alot since we started!

Tag

Diane Tagged me...

Four Places I go Over and Over:1. The ranch 2.Smith's 3. Church 4. Art Class
Four people who email me regularly:1. Gina 2. Jenny 3. Kari 4. Joanns
Four places I would rather be right now:1. The ranch 2. sleeping 3. the ranch 4. the ranch (yea, I know I'm boring, but I LOVE it up there!)
Four people I talk to on a regular basis:1. Curt 2. Kari 3. Doug 4. Molly
Four of my favorite places to eat:1.Idle Isle 2. Bluebird 3. Maddox 4. Maple Garden
Four people I tag:1. Kino 2. Kari 3. Kandyce 4. Gina

Quiz from Kim

http://codebox.no-ip.net/controller?page=misc.QuizCommonWords
... Try this, it's fun. See how many you can get before the time runs out! Let me know how you do, I bet it will be sooo much better than me. I only got 40. I need to study the language a little better! (my score after the second try!!)
Thanks Kim!

New Paintings

These are my two newest paintings. They are done in oil. I need some help naming them, if you come up with something, let me know!