Friday, September 24, 2010

Random Picture Day

I love the Random Picture idea for this week's Slice of Life, even though it was hard to pick. We were asked to go to our picture box and just choose a random picture then share the picture along with the story behind it.   Here's my pick!!   




This was my Easter dress when I about nine or ten years old.  I remember feeling like a little princess in this beautiful blue dress. It was one of the dresses that is fun to twirl around in. It was my first really pretty fancy dress!  I was excited every Sunday to wear this dress as I went off to Church with Debbie Spicklemier my little neighborhood friend.  My family was living in La Puente, California at this time.  Every little girl needs a princess dress at least once in her life...maybe twice!! 

Please join us and Share a Slice of Life, just click here



Friday, September 10, 2010

The JOB

This week's Slice of Life is The J.O.B.  The 1930 census lists my Dad as a shipper in a shoe shop.  He was living in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts at the time.  I believe shortly after that he moved to New Hampshire.  Dad continued to work in a shoe factory.  By the time I was born my Dad still worked in the Shoe Business.  Here is a newspaper clipping that I found among my mother's things.   I don't have a date or a newspaper, but believe it is between 1950 -1953. 


I wish I had a copy of that magazine, American Shoemaking.  I never knew as a child that he wrote any articles.   My Dad made shoes for many years.  In fact, as a child it was hard to go shoe shopping with him.  He wanted the shoes to be made perfect and would give the sales clerk a very hard time. It was embarrassing.  When I was in fourth grade my Dad worked at  The Men's Colony, a prison in California.  He helped the prisoners learn to make shoes so they would have a trade when they were released. 

He started to dabble in real estate, and liked the thought of a job where you were not confined to a building for eight or more hours.  So, in the mid 60's he changed professions and became a real estate agent.  I loved to go looking at houses with him.  While he drove I became the navigator, with a Thomas Guide Book  in hand.  I learned good map reading skills.  And to this day, if I have been somewhere once I can usually get there again.

In the early 70's he taught real estate at the local community college and helped others to get their real estate license.

My dad always wanted someone to follow him in the real estate profession.  Looking at homes was very enjoyable, but selling homes required to much math for me.  So, I went into nursing instead. But, that is another story.

What I CanTake With Me?

When I die and leave this earth what can I take with me?


Our brand new Malibu?? 


Or maybe our Grand Caravan minivan??


How about some money??



Or, maybe my wonderful house?

None of it, goes with me.

I know what does!!  My family.  I know because The Family A Proclamation to the World tells me.

"The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally."

Because of ordinances completed in this temple
Oakland California Temple.


on this day,

Mike, Cindy, David and April on our Sealing Day May 12, 1979


these people can be with me forever.  

John and his wife Amy, Katie and her husband Brad and little one Kyle, Mike, Evan and I, Rachel and hubby Joey, David and Sariah with Spencer, Andrew and Little Leah, and April with Matteo and Thomas. 
 
 John and Amy's little Christmas present, Aiden


Little Corbin is April and Matteo's little one who joined our family earlier this year.



There is nothing more in the whole wide world that I want!!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Our Labor Day Tradition

Those lazy days of summer would soon be over and I knew it would be hard to drag our children out of bed early once again.  One day several years ago I came up with a brilliant idea that I felt would help the adjustment of rising early again. 
I proposed going out to IHOP for breakfast the day before school started.  (This used to always fall on Labor Day until the school district did the unthinkable and moved the start date into August. But, that’s another story.)   Going out for breakfast was a rarity for our family of six children.   So, I figure this was going to be a great motivation.  The catch was they had to be up and dressed and ready to go out the door by 7am.   I was correct IHOP’s yummy chocolate chip funny face pancakes and mug of hot chocolate with a mountain of fluffy white whipped cream was just the incentive.  This was our fun Labor Day tradition for many many years.   We never had to leave anyone behind because they weren’t up and ready on time.   Did it help them to get up and ready for school the next day??  Well, I’m not really sure about that, some of our children always struggled with mornings. 
What I do know if that those children are all grown up now.  Back to school for us is a thing of the past.  Five of our children are married with little families of their own.  I never would have imagined what an important tradition this was until earlier this year.  I was surprised to drive by IHOP and see that it had closed.  I mentioned this on Facebook and my daughter Katie replied tongue-in-check, “ that just destroyed my childhood”.    I let her know that she would have her memories.  And they are good indeed!! 

Friday, September 3, 2010

Unconditional Love

"Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children."  
Those words from:


typify my husband.  He has a great capacity for unconditional love.  When I was diagnosed with breast cancer over fourteen years ago my wonderful husband continue to love and cherish me. He accepted the change to my body, and thus that helped me to accept that change for myself.  That is a very difficult thing for a woman.

Mornings at our house come early.  Mike has to be to work at 6 am.  Our alarm clock rings at 4:30 AM.  We both get up.  Mike showers and I fix  breakfast and put together his lunch. After breakfast together he is off, and I have quiet time to myself.  People have asked me why I get up so early with him. They say, "he's a big boy, he can take care of himself".  I know he can.  But Mike works very hard long hours for our family at a very stressful job.  My little act of service for him is nothing compared to what he has given to our me and our family. 

These are examples of how we love and care for each other as husband and wife.  Showing forth that type of love brings much happiness into our family.  And that's the way it's suppose to be, just like Heavenly Father planned!!

Grandparenting together has been a delight.  I'm holding Aiden, and Mike has Kyle.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Family

It's September and I'm joining a celebration on FAMILY.  That is because this month marks 15 years since the unveiling of The Family: A Proclamation to the World . This beautiful Proclamation explains the purpose of family and how we can achieve happiness in families.

Like many others I have lived in two different families.  The one I grew up in and the one my husband and I lovingly created and raised together.  What a contrast!  One family striving to live the teachings of Jesus Christ the other just struggling along with life.  While the family my husband and I have raised  is by no means perfect, we have enjoyed much more happiness and stability than was found in the family I grew up in.

There was a major component missing for the most part in the family I grew up in.  It was from this statement from the Proclamation:

"Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

Just think of all the problems in the world that would be solved if only families would live those principles.  I hope you will join me in celebrating families this month. God designed families and we need to keep them strong!

Please join in the celebration by clicking one of the "Celebrate Family" links on the sidebar. 

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