Archive for category: Family History

I gain energy from using my CREATIVE talents.
But then again … it takes energy to have motivation to use my creative talents.
Lately I’m completely lacking in the energy department
(partly physical energy… partly emotional energy … can we say WINTER IS BLAH!)
Once I get going and in my groove, the energy takes over and ignites my little soul.

… and … it helps if i have a deadline.
Occasionally I get free Shutterfly Books and usually the deadline comes and goes.
I sob my little eyes out that I can’t get a book ready… after all, it’s FREEEEEEE.
But deep inside I know it’s better to LIVE than to document the living.
And thus priorities take over. But when I can squeeze in the time, I do love to create family heritage memories.

So thanks to JoAnn’s Email list, I had a shutterfly book that expired today … and a free calendar.
I only had to pay $14 for shipping … and thus saved nearly $50 on the items!  Rad man!

This Book I started a few years ago and decided to finish it up.
It has simple stories of ancestors
… Price … Nelson … Vetterli … Torgerson … Hatch … Samuelson … Patten … Longmore … etc.
I added a few pages I’d made of my parents & me as a girl to fill in some pages.
I loved compiling this book. I tried to use stories from their childhood as much as possible
seeing as I’m hoping this is a book my kids might skim through.

We really have oodles of great resources.
My mother has gathered and shared so many stories and histories of her family.
Grandma Beck & Dora Price Fitch had gathered oodles of Samuelson & Price histories.
So many great things to learn from these ancestors. Their lives are so interesting to me.
I have another free book that expires in April.
My goal is to try and gather simple stories and photos to do a 4-generation book like this for Jimmy’s side.

…

The other project this week was our family wall calendar.
I wasn’t even going to do one this year but Abe was begging for one.
The kids love to look through the calendar and count the number of days until their birthday, etc.
I’ve been debating on whether to go fully digital with the family planning or do a little of paper/digital. Sigh…

I put together the 2015 Primary theme posters that I shared on Simply Fresh Designs.
They are sorta like a tie-dye explosion. But I didn’t have time to reassess all the colors at that point.
Oh well. Fun for kids, I guess.
The gospel truths taught in Primary in these weekly sharing time lessons are so true.
My soul sings “Amen” when I read all the lesson topics and scriptures shared. The Gospel is simple … and true.

Jimmy and I want to focus on becoming like Christ this year as a family
(may this help us have more peace in our home. can i have an amen!)
So I included that little logo reminder on each month’s calendar.
I also added pictures of our family at temples we have visited.

The temple just plain makes my heart happy. It is just the best place on earth for QUIET & peace of mind.
The world is out!… and Christ is in our hearts.
I want my children to love the temple so we try to create fun memories as we go to each one.
Plus, I’ve decided my very best parenting tip is ATTEND THE TEMPLE AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN!
I know that we can have the strength to overcome challenges and to understand
the power of the Atonement in our every day living, as we learn and understand principles,
ordinances, and covenants made in the temple of God. I am learning this in my own life.

Anyhoo… that’s it folks.

p.s. if anyone is wondering where all my energy went… please note that Truman came pitter-pattering energetically down the stairs at 11:23 p.m. Two nights last week he didn’t sleep a wink … like really! We finally got him to go to sleep at 7 a.m. He would sleep for an hour and be up for the day. It was wild… and distressing… and tiring … and worrisome. ADHD woes are evident here. He told me tonight that if we microwave a cup, the warm milk will help us get sleepy. So we did just that. Here’s hoping he goes to sleep before midnight!

My Grandpa Price died today. He was 99.
I didn’t know him very well.
I only remember meeting him 6 or 7 times though I’m sure I saw him more than that when I was little.
He lived in El Cajon (San Diego) with his wife Daisy.
He bowled up until a few years ago.
He ate healthy. He enjoyed working at the temple.

We visited him a few times in California for family vacations.
We had so much fun as kids!
We swam in their pool. Played tennis & pool @ their home.
Space invaders. Disneyland. Sea World.

He had a long, steep, curvy driveway.
Years ago they traveled in a motor home.
Grandpa was a quiet man.
One time when they visited us in Sugar City, he told us stories about when he was a little boy.
I wish I remembered the stories better.

I wish I knew Grandpa better so that I could understand his challenges & trials.
I haven’t always understood his choices.
I believe understanding him better would help me feel more love, patience, & forgiveness towards him.
I know that God makes things right somehow. Christ’s Atonement compensates for all hurt.
Our Savior’s love can fill us with LOVE as we turn to Him.

I’m grateful my Grandpa is out of pain. He recently suffered from dementia and ailing health in his old age.
I’m thankful for the knowledge I have of life after death … that our Spirit lives on … waiting until we are ready for resurrection.

We finished reading the first four gospels of the New Testament tonight as a family. We started in July after finishing the Book of Mormon. We increased the amount of reading during the month of December to finish by the end of the year. We are going to start the Book of Mormon again in January. I’m really glad we read Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. It was good to reread the Stories of Jesus and talk about them as a family. I love this talk & testimony by Elder Neil L. Andersen.  I picked out my favorite parts to share: