Happy Valentine's Day. Thank you to Dann for the beautiful flowers. Hope everyone had a wonderful day. I love you Dann and miss you.

I am grateful for the Dishwasher - our dishwasher stopped working in November sometime and I went back to washing the dishes by hand. It wasn't that bad and I didn't mind doing it, but when Dann bought a new dishwasher, I realized just how much I missed having one.
Vehicles that work and get us to where we need to be. I don't go many places, I am pretty much a homebody, but when I do I am grateful I have transportation I can rely on. The truck isn't mine - it's Dann's and he drives it when he is home. I am grateful for the car that I have. I took a picture of the truck because Nathan said dad wanted a picture of his truck. The vacuum.Sorry the picture is sideways - I thought I fixed it but apparently not. I can't figure it out. This vacuum broke - it was less than a year old and under warranty but it took over 6 weeks to get the part to fix it. It was missed and I had to borrow Nathan and Amy's vacuum several times. I picked it up, brought it home, used it twice and the same thing broke again - took it back to get fixed again - bought a cheap 40.00 vacuum to use in the meantime - 4 weeks later I got the vacuum back again - so far I have used it once and it seems to be working. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Now I have a vacuum for upstairs and downstairs - no more taking them back and forth. That will be nice - the vacuum always seemed to be in the wrong place, when I needed it. I don't realize how grateful I am for things until they are broken. I need to appreciate all that I do have. I am truly blessed to have the things that I do.

Most importantly - I am grateful for my family. This time having Dann gone has been extremely hard. I am really grateful for the time that I get to spend with my children and grandchildren, for the phone calls etc. I love my family and I am so glad that I have the gospel in my life and know that we can all be together forever. I can live without all the "things" but I don't think I could survive without family and friends.

I know it's a little past Christmas and 2010 but what can I say. Christmas this year was a little different from years past. Kanien, Jon, Marcella and Claire were in Indiana and we watched them open presents by video cam. Dann wasn't with us - we were able to talk to him on the phone. He couldn't get his video cam to work, but we were glad we were able to talk to him, at least. I was able to get time off of work, which I was grateful for and ended up not having to work at all. That was nice. David, Rosalee, William and Henry spent some time with me as well as Nathan, Amy and Jason. It was an enjoyable day. I did the 12 days of Christmas for the kids and tried to reflect on the Savior more this year.

I read this information from topsecretmama.blogspot.com Thought it was pretty interesting. I am going to have to try some of these ideas and see if they really work.
The Cucumber...

WOW WHAT A LITTLE GEM THE CUCUMBER IS.
THIS IS WHY IT IS ONE OF MY VERY FAVORITE VEGETABLES TO STOCK IN MY HOME!



1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.


9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.


13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!


NOW GO GET SOME CUCUMBERS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Ben and Lindsay on their wedding day

                                                    

                                       William loves those swedish fish and his grandpa Dougal

                                   Marcella was a little nervous when she first got in the boat.

                                                                but she had fun fishing.

                       This is the crazy storm that started just before we left to go to Emery, Utah

 Marcella would collect the pine cones and then we would burn them.  It was pretty cool watching them burn.

We went camping before Kanien and Jon left.  We went to Joes Valley Reservoir.  The first day it was pretty nice.  Nathan and Amy joined us the next day. The rain and cold seems to follow them when they go camping. 

                         We went to Nauvoo and Carthrage on our way home from Indiana. 

         Our trip to the petting zoo in Lafayette, Indiana.  It was really humid and we were all hot! We had a lot of fun even though it was hot.  Spencer and Nathan really enjoyed the monkeys.  Claire and Marcella enjoyed playing in the water.