end of year blues

i think the end of year blues have set in.

but i need to refrain from succumbing to them and reflect on all

the many blessings i have, and the family who loves me.

unconditionally.

so when i look at these photos, they make me happy...

and content...

and glad.

that i am part of such a great legacy of good people.

so on that note...happy new year.

and this year is going to be a good one for me.

i can feel it.

always wanted one

so we went to DI in st george...

and this is what i found.

always wanted an old typewriter.

and i finally got one...

for fifteen bucks.

we took it home and played with it for awhile.

adjusted all the levers, and fiddled with the inner workings.

then the boys started to type on it...

wrote a couple pages of jibberish.

and realized just how lucky they are to 

own a computer...

and then i realized i remembered what it was like

to type on a typewriter.

boy, i am old.

sleepy time

blurry photo...was trying to be sneaky, and turned off the flash.

eden sleeping soundly after aenon woke up with a headache...only after

a long wrestling match with eden during the night.

aenon was upset.

i guess i might have to sleep with her tonight.

maybe i will take the couch.

or better yet, i will make dane sleep with her.

the boys fared better. they seem to ignore the 

sleeping sideways and cover hog issues.

hunter awakened...finally

then more breakfast to be eaten...more posing in the kitchen...

and i found my next quilt to duplicate...a quilt made by my grandmother.

grandma faye is trying to get me to take it home. 

i told her if i do, shes not getting it back.

then grandpa filled up the bird feeders and we watched the birds from the kitchen window...

a couple of generations here...

so far a we are enjoying a fun, relaxing little get away.

now, waiting for melissa and jack and a trip to the local buffet this evening.

cant wait.

off to grandmas

were off to my moms...

and i still like to hold her hand.

favorite corner

so i have a favorite corner in my home.

in this corner, all of my favorite colors and shades.

dirty green, ebony black, and the perfect shade of taupe.

i even have these great taupe heavy velvet drapes ready to be hung.

but there they sit in the closet...

i have always loved the color taupe.

i used to refer to it as "mink".

but now i believe its correct name is taupe.

funny how my animals are all these colors too.

toby is the exact color of the couch.

maybe thats the reason i like his breed.

because he is taupe.

and when we had cats, they had to be black.

so they matched.

so superficial of me.

maybe its just the artist in me coming out...

in choosing animals.

somethings wrong with this picture.

back to the corner...

this corner has housed lots of tedious homework, big sewing projects and now a 

puzzle

which everyone ignores.

one day this puzzle will be completed at christmas time.

and my corner will be the gathering place.

and it will be the hub of conversation, and laughter.

and i think i just might start on it myself.

today.

and by the way, my corner would not be complete without a scooter.

my circle room the perfect racetrack.

and if you havent been to my home?

i have a circle room.

and a racetrack.

upstairs and downstairs.

cant even explain it, because it is such a waste of space.

the weirdest house ever, and so ill planned.

leigh calls it the "hotel lobby".

and come to think of it...i think it bears a strong resemblance.

maybe i should start renting rooms.

who knew this house could be so much fun?

so, this is christmas

and toby, the smart dog he is, 

just knew there was something in this box for him.

just needed some human hands to assist in the opening.

i think the razors were the hit, actually.

and thank you to the sweet man who waited for hours, patiently in line at toys r us, 

then patiently in the rain, hours of traffic ahead of him, for the deal of the century.

my undying thanks for a job well done...all in the spirit of santa. 

st nick would be so proud.

and the 99 cent store plastic cheap swords are currently danes favorite.

he just came in and said, 

"you have to admit, mom, these swords are pretty darn cool."

i wont tell him i spent all of a buck on each of them.

and walked out of there with 3 big bags of loot...

and it all cost about 15 dollars.

such a fun outing too.

and.. 

all of this finished by about 6:30am.

the hours of endless preparation, over in a flash.

my kind of christmas.

and i liked it.

emmy lou who

once upon a time there was a little girl with an old soul.

a little girl with a smart brain.

so wise she was for such a small child.

she was my companion and my eager helper.

my cheery, bubbly girly girl.

her sweet young face i remember so well.

i live for this face, would die for this face.

this face is seared in my mind.

 like etched in stone.

stamped on my heart.

and she will figure all of this out when she has children of her own.

will realize the deep connection between mother and child.

a connection that can never be duplicated or replaced.

there may be times of distance, and times of discord...

these learning experiences we have to all take in stride.

and be positive, and move forward.

forgive and love.

but i forever and ever hold her in my heart, as one of my flesh.

a cherished little one i cradle in my memory.

one of my darlings who i treasure like no one will know.

but me.

life's constant is change. 

something we all have to accept.

so when this little girl grew up, she morphed.

and i was glad to see her blossom, and sprout her glorious wings.

and watch her venture into her own distinct, righteous journey.

a journey she needs to face on her own...

with me in the wings, behind the curtain.

unseen.

silently cheering her on.

quietly praying for her safe arrival and success in life.

and this humble prayer i constantly offer.

for the love i have for her is undying.

never ending, and eternal.

so emma, on this beautiful day of your birth.

i celebrate you and the wonderful strong spirit you are.

the beautiful young woman you have become.

the future good mother and loyal wife you will be.

because one day,

you will really understand exactly what i am talking about.

when you cradle that sweet infant in your arms.

and call her your own.

and you would die for her.

and then you will know.

of this miraculous thing we call mothers love.

something no one can ever take away from me.

something no one will ever be able to take away from you.

and i am glad.

i love you darling girl of mine.

know this comes straight from my heart.

and these sentiments will never change.

no matter what.

and i am happy you were born to me this day...

a mere 21 years ago.

i love you

mom

cant see the trees for the forest

so it was about time i purchased a tree.

i ventured to wal-mart for a cheap one...all sold out.

target the same.

so then i went to one of those fancy tents with all the flocked ones inside.

they had these gorgeous trees...one for $1300, one for $700.

who buys those?

and i couldnt help but feel sorry for these beautiful trees which dont get sold...

their natural beauty, years in the making, tossed in the trash.

spent, worthless, neglected.

something just very wrong with that thought.

there i was too,

wandering around, my shoes sopping wet 

(i was actually wearing shoes-not flip flops...i know, red letter day), 

no socks, bare legs and the cut offs i was wearing so

not appropriate for a rainy saturday.

i was, however wearing hunters sweatshirt with my shorts.

that fixed the fashion disaster.

needless to say, i was cold.

so i see this tree...$99.

way too much.

even in fat years, i would never have spent that.

such a cheapskate i am.

so the guy comes up to me, and says

"how about if i knock some money off that tree for you."

i must have had a pitiful face on or something.

maybe it was my cutoffs and oversized sweatshirt...i may have looked homeless.

"just wait till these people leave." he said quietly.

(they bought their tree full price...unlucky saps)

so, needless to say, i walked to my car, two

young boys toting my tree behind me.

they carefully strapped it to the roof of my car.

and away i went.

all by myself, just my tree and me into the darkness.

and it was a beautiful thing.

new pjs

sometimes you just need to get some paul frank 

santa pajamas to get into the christmas spirit.

henrie with an "ie"

so my name is officially back to what i was born with.

i cant help but think that a few of these henries who have passed might be secretly cheering me on.

and that these bartons might be doing the same thing, since i have barton blood in me too.

and thats all im going to say.

the end.

mormon food

so we ate lots of mormon food this weekend.

recipes from my mom, all in the redlands cookbook from the early 70s.

even made a dump cake, but forgot to put in

2 cubes of butter 

(i only put one...it said 1/2 lb butter, i read it as 1/2 cup...stupid me)

so it wasnt all that good...needed that extra cube.

note to self...never skimp on the butter.

and ok, heres the recipe, circa 1972.

and its very low cal, good on the arteries.

2 cans cherry pie filling

1 box yellow cake mix

walnuts

2 cubes melted butter

dump cherries in 9x13 pan (this is why they call it "dump" cake, get it?), 

dump dry cake mix over that, 

dump melted butter on the whole thing,

then sprinkle with walnuts

bake 45 min, 350 degrees

then there was the changing of the lights all of 100 million feet in the air.

good thing i actually had a ladder tall enough.

then hunter went up...i was waiting for the ladder to collapse, actually.

to tell you the truth, my heart was in my throat.

so was melissas. jack was laughing at us women, fretting over this boy on a ladder.

he just shook his head and said, "let him go up...you mothers be quiet!"

i hung onto the bottom of the ladder, trying to support it.

like that was really going to help.

the good news is...he made it down safely.

no brain matter on the travertine this time.

and jack tried to fix my dumb broken stove...

then we went to claimjumper for a delicious meal before sing noel...

then melissa posed with toby because he would not leave her alone.

i think he all of a sudden realized there were two of me in the room.

he seriously would not stop leaning on her.

then i posed with the scruffy, big headed dog. 

who knew a dog who only weighs like 20 lbs could have such a big head.

this photo confirms my observation that she looks like a cartoon character.

then it was time to say goodbye...

thank you melissa and jack for a fun filled weekend.

lets do it again soon.

love you both like you will never know.

and next time, lets eat sushi.

there IS a rug in there...

the first thing jack said when he walked into my newly organized office...

"wow, i didnt know you had a rug in here. i couldnt see it before".

that basically sums the situation up.

bad i know.

i admit i was really good at ignoring it all.

i am really good at closing the door and walking away.

we did throw away 3 big bags of trash...and filled up a vacuum bag full of dust bunnies and dead flies.

and the costco tables are growin on me, and the mismatched lamps are working just fine. 

who needs expensive furniture anyway?

it is so overrated.

thank you melissa for not judging me and my big mess.

i will blame it on severe emotional trauma.

or maybe i have post traumatic distress syndrome...
or whatever its called.

yeah, thats my excuse.

blast from the past

my sister and brother in law are visiting this weekend.

so glad they could come and help me with some "chores" around the house.

my sister helped me move the last time, and she is the super organizer...

a good match to my disorganization.

we were made for each other.

so with her, she brought her laptop, full of all sorts of fun old photos...

this photo is circa 1981 maybe...in my parents home in palos verdes.

uncle jack (in a smashing velour sweatsuit), jessica, shanna and jacob are the little ones.

and i notice i am in 501 jeans...need to get me another pair.

this is emma...about a year old, so this is 1990 or so.

i had me some long hair and a darling baby.

life was good.

this is the vista cruiser which i remember very vividly.

it is also the car that gave me the scar below my right eye. 

 i was thrown violently into a metal piece attached to the backseat (not seat belted, of course)

after my mom slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a stray dog.

gotta love a woman who does not want to be a part of any killing of innocent animals.

this is my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary...maybe 1970 or so.

apparently the henries are known for their good looks.

by the look of this photo, this is a pretty dang good looking bunch of people.

i once had some old timer tell me i "looked" like a henrie.

never been more flattered in my life.

and that is me...front and center, bowl cut and all.

i still remember that v neck t shirt.

 this was at my grandparents hagerman idaho ranch,

complete with rolling pastures, grazing cattle and horses to ride. 

this picture taken in front of my grandmothers well kept rock garden.

(check out my moms red hair and my grandpas waders...so cool).

their ranch was a beautiful place.

this is july 1970. 

my sisters 15th birthday.

in the kitchen of the redlands house.

love how skinny my brother is.

wow. who knew.

santa time

got my santas out. 

they keep me company while i do the dishes.

and this is the new kid on the block.

(i get a new one every year)

ho ho ho

music to my ears

i would be remiss if i didnt mention that hunter blessed the 

sacrament for the first time yesterday.
i sat there close enough to see the expression on his face, hear the tone of his voice
and witness the fact that he took his responsibility seriously.
i was proud.
let me re-phrase...i was pleased.

 i would also be negligent if i didnt recount the experience 

last week when carson ordained him to the office of a priest.

a beautiful, very special blessing given from one brother to another.
and yes, i did say brother.
one they will both remember for the rest of their lives. 

words cannot express the feelings in that room...and april and i were a mess. 

and so was max.
it was a beautiful thing.

little random pleasures

went to a couple estate sales on saturday...

had my old garage sale thirst reborn.

i used to drag my little girls around on saturday mornings to all the local garage sales, years ago.

forgot just how much rummaging through other peoples unwanted stuff gives me great joy.

and this time it was dead peoples stuff.

all the more exciting.

although this time we didnt stop for donuts.

found this very fun tiffany blue rotary phone and heavy vintage iron.

the phone actually works and makes that old fashioned mechanical sounding ring.

you know what i am talking about.

and...

walked barefoot on the beach for about 4 miles. 

the morning sun peeking through the clouds.

the cold, hard sand felt good beneath my feet.

picked up all these little treasures and put them in my sweatshirt pockets.

searched in vain for a whole sand dollar.

never found one.

also...

i created the best sandwich.

here it is...

prairie grains honey whole wheat bread 

(has to be prairie grains, and if you are from california, you are outta luck, 

i have mine shipped from utah every week...long story, worthy of its own post)

sliced chicken (not turkey)

swiss cheese (real swiss not that "swiss delicate" stuff)

avocado (haas...has to be haas)

lots of REAL mayo

and sliced cabbage...yes, cabbage, not lettuce.

perfection.