Bon Voyage and Home Again!

I have dreamed of going to the Panama Canal since I was in high school and finally that dream came true. On March 23rd, Blair's birthday, we flew to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and the next day boarded the Island Princess for our cruise of the Caribbean. Ports of call were Aruba, Cartehena, Colombia, South America, the Panama Canal and Cristobal, Panama, Limón, Costa Rica and Ocho Rios, Jamaica then back to Ft. Lauderdale to fly home.Ft. Lauderdale harbor from our balcony on the ship.

Another view from our balcony.

I am going to save my money to buy this big white house on the canal on our way to sea.

Don on our balcony watching the world go by.

Goodbye Ft. Lauderdale.

The first formal night on the ship.

I love this picture of Don taken by the ship photographers.

ARUBA ARUBA ARUBA

I loved the beautiful white sand beaches and turqoise water. I want to go back.

Beautiful hotel on the beach.

Don at the California Lighthouse on Aruba.

I couldn't resist taking this picture of this cute lady.

We visited an old monastery.

A very ornate gold leafed chapel inside the monastery.

CARTEGENA, COLUMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA

I never dreamed that I would get to go to anywhere in South America so this was a real treat to get to go to Cartegena. I loved the old town and the fortress. I want you to know I really thought a while before I put this picture on my blog. Don looks so mad but he was really teasing the photographer. What's new!!!

Cartegena from our balcony on the ship.

View of Cartegena from the old fortress.

One of many canons around the outside walls of the fortress.

Don with the city of Cartegena in the background.

The fortress.

Cathederal in old town Cartegena.

I love the two different architures designs in these buildings in old town.

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of the women who walked around town with a basket of fruit balanced on their heads. They wanted money to have their pictures taken.

THE PANAMA CANAL

The buildings on the side of the Panama Canal.

Great picture of the Gatun Locks. You can see the difference in the water level in the different locks.

With the water equal in both areas, the gates of the locks are beginning to open so that the ship can go into the next lock. The gates close after the ship clears the gates.

Gates open a little more.

And more . . .

And more until the gates are flat against the sides.

Gatun Lake

Colorful masks that were for sale in Cristobal, Panama.
Don in the spa area at the back of the boat, I know I should have said AFT.
LIMON, COSTA RICA

Coconut trees to the side of the road.
We visited a banana plantation.

Freshly picked bunches of bananas. When the bananas are about a month old they are covered with blue plastic bags to keep the animals and birds from eating them. It takes nine months to get mature bananas and each tree only grows one bunch of bananas.

Man washing bananas before they go to get cut into bunches.

After the bananas are cut into bunches they are soaked for a while. These men are taking the bananas out of the solution and putting them on large trays.

These men are packing the bananas in cardboard boxes to be shipped to grocery stores.

Banana flower.

Cachew fruit. The natives only eat the yellow part and throw away the nut.

Beautiful red flower, I just could resist taking its picture.

OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA

I took so many pictures on Jamaica but lost my camera that night on the ship. I am grateful for the pictures I did have of the rest of the trip. The thing that makes me the madest is that I spent $50.00 for a new memory card the night before I lost the camera. I know it is on the ship somewhere and hopefully it will catch up with me sometime in the future.

Taken on the last formal night.

Don and Kit, our wonderful waiter. Don teased him every night but Kit got the last laugh. After the parade of the Baked Alaska dessert he brought one to our table and cut each of a slide of it but Don kept telling him he wanted it all. After all of us except Don were served Kit slipped the rest of the baked Alaska onto Don's plate. Good for you Kit. I knew Don's eyes were bigger than his stomach. He didn't even make a dent in it. We all had a good laugh.

1930 Flour Sacks---

I remember! ......THE FLOUR SACK

I talked not to long ago about the use of the apron in the good ole "olden days." Now you are going to learn the importance of the flour sack. Flour didn't come in paper sacks like it does now. You bought your flour in fabric bags, in 100 pounds bags. I remember my grandma, Ina, hoping to buy enough flour in the same printed flour sacks to get enough fabric to make herself a dress or an apron. She was living in tough times, when you saved and used up everything you could get your hands on. I thought you might enjoy this little story that a dear friend of mine sent me. Thanks Shirley.

All these girls' dresses were made from flour sacks...

I remember! ......THE FLOUR SACK by Colleen B. Hubert

IN THAT LONG AGO TIME WHEN THINGS WERE SAVED,
WHEN ROADS WERE GRAVELED AND BARRELS WERE STAVED,
WHEN WORN-OUT CLOTHING WAS USED AS RAGS,
AND THERE WERE NO PLASTIC WRAP OR BAGS,
AND THE WELL AND THE PUMP WERE WAY OUT BACK,
A VERSITILE ITEM, WAS THE FLOUR SACK.

PILLSBURY'S BEST, MOTHER'S AND GOLD MEDAL,
TOO STAMPED THEIR NAMES PROUDLY IN PURPLE AND BLUE.

THE STRING SEWN ON TOP WAS PULLED AND KEPT;
THE FLOUR EMPTIED AND SPILLS WERE SWEPT.
THE BAG WAS FOLDED AND STORED IN A SACK
THAT DURABLE, PRACTICAL FLOUR SACK.

THE SACK COULD BE FILLED WITH FEATHERS AND DOWN,
FOR A PILLOW, OR T'WOULD MAKE A NICE SLEEPING GOWN.
IT COULD CARRY A BOOK AND BE A SCHOOL BAG,
OR BECOME A MAIL SACK SLUNG OVER A NAG.
IT MADE A VERY CONVENIENT PACK,
THAT ADAPTABLE, COTTON FLOUR SACK.

BLEACHED AND SEWN, IT WAS DUTIFULLY WORN
AS BIBS, DIAPERS, OR KERCHIEF ADORNED.
IT WAS MADE INTO SKIRTS, BLOUSES AND SLIPS.
AND MOM BRAIDED RUGS FROM ONE HUNDRED STRIPS
SHE MADE RUFFLED CURTAINS FOR THE HOUSE OR SHACK,
FROM THAT HUMBLE BUT TREASURED FLOUR SACK!

AS A STRAINER FOR MILK OR APPLE JUICE,
TO WAVE MEN IN, IT WAS A VERY GOOD USE,
AS A SLING FOR A SPRAINED WRIST OR A BREAK,
TO HELP MOTHER ROLL UP A JELLY CAKE,
AS A WINDOW SHADE OR TO STUFF A CRACK,
WE USED A STURDY, COMMON FLOUR SACK!

AS DISH TOWELS, EMBROIDERED OR NOT,
THEY COVERED UP DOUGH, HELPED PASS PANS SO HOT,
TIED UP DISHES FOR NEIGHBORS IN NEED,
AND FOR MEN OUT IN THE FIELD TO SEED.
THEY DRIED DISHES FROM PAN, NOT RACK
THAT ABSORBENT, HANDY FLOUR SACK!

WE POLISHED AND CLEANED STOVE AND TABLE,
SCOURED AND SCRUBBED FROM CELLAR TO GABLE,
WE DUSTED THE BUREAU AND OAK BED POST,
MADE COSTUMES FOR OCTOBER (A SCARY GHOST)
AND A PARACHUTE FOR A CAT NAMED JACK.
FROM THAT LOWLY, USEFUL OLD FLOUR SACK!

SO NOW MY FRIENDS, WHEN THEY ASK YOU
AS CURIOUS YOUNGSTERS OFTEN DO,
"BEFORE PLASTIC WRAP, ELMERS GLUE
AND PAPER TOWELS, WHAT DID YOU DO?"
TELL THEM LOUDLY AND WITH PRIDE DON'T LACK,
"GRANDMOTHER HAD THAT WONDERFUL FLOUR SACK!"

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 54th wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that so many years have gone by. Never did I dream that my life with Don would be so wonderful. I also can't believe I married a man that turned out to be so famous in our area. We hardly go anywhere that someone doesn't know who he is. We have 4 wonderful children who we love so much. Each one is different and unique in their own way. To Brian, Linda, Blair and Darin thanks for being so much fun to raise and making our life so wonderful. We appreciate your caring and concern for our well being. I learned early in our married life that when Don said he wanted to go somewhere I needed to be ready or I would be left home. I have said this before but I would follow him to the ends of the earth if I had to.

We had a great day. This morning Don took me down to Bountiful House at 9:00 for my presidency meeting. A few minutes later he came walking back into the building holding something behind his back. My first thought was he went and got donuts for us. But, NO, it was a beautiful corsage with red roses. What a sweetheart. We went to the temple this afternoon and then we out to eat. He made it so special for both of us. Love ya man!

Some of the things I love the most about the about him:
1. His great sense of humor.
2. That he is so spontaneous and willing to drop everything at a moments notice so we can be off for a great adventure.
3. His love for the Lord.
4. How he honors his Priesthood.
5. That he has always kept physically fit.
6. What a great dishwasher he is.
7. That he was a good provider and allowed me to stay home and be a mother.
8. His concern for others.
9. That I was first in his life (that is after tennis) but before basketball.
10. How he liked to go for rides anywhere but especially to the mountains that we both love.
11. That he is always willing to do any chores around the house.
12. How he got up in every other night to feed our babies.

Don, I love you so much and have loved our 54 wonderful years together and hope we have many many more anniversaries.

More pictures of Brinley

I think Brinley looks like Makenna in this picture.

Cute!

She's a 10!!!

Our 10th great-grandchild, Brinley, was born Monday evening to Mindy and Nate. She weighed 5lbs. 11oz. and is 18" long. All went well and Mindy was only in labor for a couple of hours after being started. As you can see Brinley has lots of dark hair which is different from Makenna and Austin.

The happy family.
Makenna and Brinley
Nicole, the proud auntie.
The proud grandparents, Brian and Leslie.

The History of Aprons

Now that I have talked about our cupcake parties and the aprons I made for them, I thought I would share this with you. I hope it brings a lot of memories back to you as it did for me.

I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

Today they go crazy trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.

Lets Make More Cupcakes!

I also make all of the great-granddaughters aprons for Christmas. It was so much fun to see them open them at our Christmas party. They all put them on and what a cute site it was to see the four of them playing together in their aprons. I think it was Anabelle who wanted to sleep in hers. It was worth all the time it took to make them. I never new aprons could take so long.

This is Sophie with her finished cupcakes.

This is Makenna posing with hers.

When I heard that Sophie was up at her grandmas I called to see if she could come and make cupcakes. I called Makenna and both of them could come. The only problem was that Sophie didn't bring her apron with her so luckily I had one in the drawer for her and it even had cupcakes on it. Lucky me.
They were the best cupcake decorators but I think they were even better cupcake eaters.

My Tea Party

Every year for the last four years I have had three of the cutest neighbor girls over at Christmas time for a tea party. This year I made aprons to give to them with little cupcakes on them. After they opened their presents they made cupcakes. While the cupcakes were cooling we had our tea party in the living room by the Christmas Tree, which is our tradition. We always have little food to eat and even though they are getting bigger now we still have little food. Let me introduce my little friends. Left to right: Laura, her sister Leslie, and Sarah.

After we ate open face sandwiches (chicken salad and pimento cheese), olives (for the fingers), and pink sparkling grape juice in wine glasses we went back into the kitchen so they could decorate the cupcakes.Yummmmy!
They also played with our Polly Pockets.
I can't wait until next Christmas so we can do this again.

Benson's blessing

I decided several months before Benson was born that I wanted to knit him a blessing outfit. Tiffany wanted it to be ivory. I can't believe how good it turned out when I had so much trouble with it. I was combining patterns and making up some of my own along the way. But it was well worth it in the end and he looked adorable in it.

Great-Grandma and Benson, doesn't he look cute in the outfit.

Benson and Linda, his grandmother

Greatgrandpa, Greatgrandma and Benson