P.S.

Here are the signs made for Logan's game..... and my sister Elizabeth's said "Logan's got game!" and at the end of the game when they won I guess they made the last sign that John & Allison are holding!!!




And while I'm putting up pictures, I just have to put up a few more of my nephew!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend Day 4.........

Saturday was for shopping!!!! Allison, Katie and I went shopping while John and Alan & Logan watched the BYU vs Utah game and then went into deep mourning as Utah won! Earlier that morning Logan had another game but they made it home in time for the all important BYU game!

Then I had a family dinner so that All of Barbara's family could come and get to know John and Allison a little better and for all of my side of the family to be able to see them one last time before they headed back to college Sunday morning. It was nice to have people over to my home and entertain. I haven't done that in a long time. I went the easy way and had Cousin's BBQ because I wanted to spend time with my children while they were here not spending all my time in the kitchen cooking! I can cook whenever....but this week was for me to be able to be with my family!!!

And I know you know what we did next.....yes, you got it, we played cards!!!! Canasta is too much fun and a longtime family tradition. It would not be a family gathering if we did not play cards in my grandmothers and my mothers honor!!!

We miss you Mom!

Thanksgiving weekend Day 3.....

Ahhhh, I am grateful for so many blessings!

Friday - Alan, John, Allison, Elizabeth, and Grandpa went to Logan's High School Basketball tournament in Duncanville! They made signs and everything to hold up as he played! There were 2 games on Friday and one on Saturday and on Saturday, Alan was the only one to go with him and Logan's coach said to Logan, "hey, where is your family with all their signs? I loved that". I will say the signs were fun....John wrote "You've just been Clay'd" which was Logan's favorite. Allison's said that "Logan Clay #10 is hot" with flames drawn all around it which she said she meant that he was on fire!!! Alan's said something about "Logan Clay #10 is #1" or some such thing and Grandpa was the most conservative, his said "Go Logan #10!". I can't remember what Elizabeth's said.

Logan is the star of his team and the coach even has a play designed around him - where he is the one given the ball to make the shot! It is a lot of fun to watch him and he is the 3 point king! It's a thing of beauty to watch those 3 pointers swish through the basket.

My job while all this was going on was to pick up my new-to-be Niece in law, Kristen, to take her to meet up with Elizabeth and Allison in Rowlett so that Allison could take her Bridal portraits! Ohhh, they are gorgeous! I can't wait to see them on Allison's website....and no Jimmie you cannot see them before the wedding!!!

So then it was all about fixing hair, doing make-up and getting the bride dressed in her bridal dress to have pictures taken. The location that they went to had trees and a lake, a beautiful field, railroad tracks, and an old farming bldg. with equipment that made for some very exciting and amazing pictures!!!

Can you guess what we did after that????? You got it....we played cards - but this time at Elizabeth's house!!!

Elizabeth has 6 beagles and they all decided that they loved John and had to sit with him. I think this picture is too funny!

Thanksgiving Weekend Day 2......

If you have already read Day 1, go back and read again, I added more pictures since I was finally able to download my camera to my computer!!!!

Day 2 was actually Thanksgiving day! Again, so grateful for so many blessings but this year especially grateful for new family.....and getting to go to their home for dinner and only being in charge of the 3 dishes and not the whole dinner!!!! Barbara's sister Beverly has a great home for entertaining and we were entertained and had awesome food as well!!! and it didn't hurt that there was a pool table and other things like the football game on big screen t.v.'s to keep things lively!!!

Tradition dictates that we go to the movie Thanksgiving afternoon after the dinner! I hate to admit this, but I am getting old......I was too tired and would rather go home and take a nap then go to the movie....so we sent John & Allison and the old parents and Aileen went home and took naps! John and Allison went to see "Harry Potter" they said it was awesome!!!

I am grateful for naps!

Oh yes, as always, we played cards!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend day 1

Oh, I am so thankful for so many blessings. But really thankful in particular that John and Allison were able to be with us for Thanksgiving this year! Anne Marie did not have time off at the Hospital so could not come, but we are trying to get her here for Christmas!!! Tuesday night Their flight was to arrive at 10:40 pm and I got a call after John and Allison should have been in the air saying that their plane had been delayed arriving so that they could board and then head out for their destination and that there was a blizzard coming to Salt Lake and if they didn't get left by a certain time they would be stuck! so I (and they, I'm sure) prayed very hard that all would work out....and they did make it out just in the nick of time according to the captain. Then there was a delay in Denver as well, so they were finally here at 11:45 pm

Wednesday Alan & I had to work in the morning, but that was o.k., because the kids were able to sleep in and by the time we got home everyone was ready to go....

My sister, Elizabeth and.....

my nephew, Logan came to be with us so we all decided to go bowling!!

and Katie too! (our 4th daughter ;)

We had a great time --- Aileen beat everyone (of, course she had bumpers, but still!!!) the first game. And I can't remember who won the 2nd but it was probably a toss up of Elizabeth and John. I had a coupon for 6 bowlers for 2 hrs and popcorn and drinks for free....so when I bought the pizza and fries it was a really reasonable deal for all of us to have a GREAT time!!!

I forgot my camera. I know you who know me will find that very hard to believe. Luckily Elizabeth had her iPhone and took some pics and emailed them to me so we do have pictures of the afternoon of fun!

We went shopping for all the traditional Thanksgiving foods we needed to prepare (family favorites of 7-up salad, funeral potatoes, and butterscotch and chocolate Rice Krispie treats)

Then we played cards until 2:00 am......

at which time we thought it best to make the jello and Rice Krispie treats and decided the potatoes could wait until morning!

Awesome 1st day!!!

Saturday at the Temple.....

Yes, you read correctly.......I was at the Temple 2 days in a row..........really fantastic. Originally I thought I would go on Friday and then Alan could go on Saturday with our Ward Temple trip as it was his assignment in the Bishopric. We very rarely get to go to the Temple together because of finding someone to watch Aileen. But my amazingly wonderful Visiting Teacher, Linda, told me that she and her husband were not planning on going until Saturday afternoon, so what time did I want her to come over and watch Aileen so that I could go to the Temple with Alan. I almost felt guilty for accepting this kind offer knowing that I already had plans to go on Friday, but I pushed the guilt aside and said "THANK YOU!!!!"

It was wonderful to be at the Temple with my hubby! Really such a blessing! Thanks Linda.

What a weekend!!!!

What a great weekend!!!

Friday, Mary Ann, Ashley and myself all went to the Temple

then to Chili's for dinner afterward.

It was a really special time with these amazing women whom I also consider dear friends. We are planning another Temple visit together in January so Sarah K, and Ashley's Mom, you should plan on coming with us then - that would be really exciting for Ashley!!! This was only Ashley's 2nd time to the Temple with the first one being 10 yrs ago. For me it was every bit as wonderful as if it had been one of my daughters. It was a very tender moment when Mary Ann looked over at Ashley and said with such love - "I'm so glad you're here". Then we all cried!

Lessons I Learned as a Boy

Gospel Doctrine Class

I have been sick for several days but just last night I started having trouble swallowing unless I am constantly drinking and sucking on a Hall's so I was concerned about my lesson today and our room is extremely hot but today it seemed extra hot and I felt a little shaky in speaking but as always the Lord helps me to be able to deliver the message even if it is not exactly the way I would hope.

I had a Brother in our ward download to a DVD a Mormon Message that I thought went perfect with my lesson today and had contemplated using another one instead of, or along with it, during the week as I was pondering my lesson - so I had him download both on the DVD. Unfortunately the one I really wanted to show today was not on the DVD first so I was going to have to fast forward at the start of class and pause it on the 2nd one until I was ready to show it.....but for some reason the DVD player at the church froze and would not forward or skip or open or close or anything except if I turned it off and then back on - then it would just play the 1st clip. My rule of thumb when teaching is if it takes too much time to get the technical stuff working you just move on and do without.

So I told the story and I felt the spirit in the Room as I shared it to the best of my remembrance but it is such an awesome clip I wanted to put it on my blog and hopefully some of my class members will see it anyway!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naqX9iYE0V0 (or watch above in my next post!)

After.....

Before.....

This is going to be a two part post.......because for the first time in a very long time I had a day of shopping with a girlfriend! And it was so much fun. I had forgotten how fun it is to go and try on clothes together and show each other the dresses you are trying on etc... laugh at the ugly ones and ohhh and ahhh at the ones that look good. Then get jewelry to match and then go to lunch to celebrate your great finds!!!!! And we did find some great finds. My dress that I really like was 70% off and only cost $16.00. What is not to love about that! And blessing of blessings I found my shoes that I thought had accidentally been given to Good Will, as I have been cleaning out my house and trying to move in.

We have an Apostle coming to our Stake Conference in a couple of weeks (D. Todd Christofferson) and in preparation for that our Stake President asked that everyone get prepared by going to the Temple the weekend of Nov. 12th. Amazingly enough, since October's Ensign was about Temples and that was what the VT message was about my partner and I had already set up a time for all of us to go together to the Temple on Friday Nov. 12th.......which just happens to be when we are suppose to go.....that was really amazing to me that we already had this special trip set up.

So I asked my girlfriend to go shopping with me so we could find dresses to wear to the temple, like I said it has been a long time since I have bought anything for myself to wear. So off we went........

And then I see the picture and think---- it was way past time to see my hair dresser!!!!! Thank heavens I was already going on Saturday......so now that I have a new dress and hair that is not so long I can't do anything with it no matter how I try and no more gray roots (I really can't believe I looked so bad....why didn't anyone say anything????) I will take a picture today of the after and post it in my next post. So you can see that I clean up nicely!!!! lol!

But you can tell how much this day meant to me in my willingness to post this horrible picture of me.

Lois Before.......

Thanks Ashley for such a fun time and wonderful memories!

I'm really not bragging......o.k. maybe I am.......

But I love my fall decorations for Thanksgiving. I love my Halloween ones too but I made a lot of them when I was a lot younger and not as good at painting etc. as I became later on.....I did mention that I was the 2nd counselor (Homemaking Counselor) in RS before didn't I? Well, in that ward (Wichita 4th Ward in Wichita Kansas) the women were really into making wood decorations and they started a monthly group that got together and made some new project..... plus my sisters and sister-in-laws got together often and made things as well.....so I got pretty good at the painting thing....so most of what I am going to show you I have made and they have all been packed away just waiting to be used again. I know styles of decorations change and I could probably have some new "cooler" ones out....but I have missed my creations so much....that I just love showing them off once again!

The pumpkins I used for Halloween as well....that's what I really like about those is they can be used for both holidays!


The scare crows were bought cheap at after Halloween sales

I made one of these for my mother-in-law that year as well. She is always so hard to buy gifts for.

The blocks are year round that make all kinds of holiday sayings you may remember them from Halloween as well. The wheel barrow is all year round too....it has different shapes for each month of the year. Last month pumpkins this month leaves. My sister-in-law made me the scare crow seen here.

One of my favorite things I made in Kansas was this scare crow and I love how it makes the front of my house so festive!

Same flowers for Halloween, but add some little scare crows and a different table cloth and you are set for thanksgiving

very simple but adds a little sumthin' sumthin'

And this was my Mom's......

I'm also really excited because Allison and John will be here for Thanksgiving this year. This year is our year for Thanksgiving as Christmas was our holiday last year. I'm excited for Allison to get to see what John's family traditions are because I know that Alan and I have tried to have a mixture of both families traditions that we liked the best and came up with a few of our own...but it helps families to stay united even though far away to carry on the traditions that you grew up with!!!

I am also praying that this time when John comes to visit we will not have the curse that has followed us for whenever John comes to see us i.e. remember the bee's!!!! I just pray that this visit can be a nice normal visit---- but then we won't have all the funny stories to tell at parties!! And they have been bonding moments! But still.........normal would be nice!

You really are never too old......

As you know my sweet guys birthday was Tuesday and since I have now been able to unpack a lot of my decorations etc... a lot of our traditions have been able to be done again. So for Alan's birthday I was able to put the birthday wreath on the door that states that someone in our family is having a birthday that day! When Alan came home from work and even though he loved the surprise lunch I brought up to work....I got a kick out of how much he enjoyed telling me that he noticed the birthday wreath on the door and he really liked that it was up again!!!! Too cute....even dad/husband's miss traditions!

My "Superman's" Birthday is today!!!!

Hi, my name is Lois, and yes I am married to a "Super Man!" Today is my sweet hubby's birthday and he deserves a special day for all he has to put up with me! And I MUST say that he is the best person I know! Always serving others, enjoys life, is a great Priesthood leader and spiritual guide in our home, works hard to provide for his family and loves his family with all his heart and has never said to anyone a degrading word about me, you know how some people always refer to their wife as the "ball and chain" or worse. I have had people who know him at work and outside of Church, when they meet me, tell me that he is really an amazing man and that he always talks with respect when talking of me and that they wish their husbands were more like mine! It's a beautiful thing to hear and I appreciate it more than I can say! Now if I can just live up to and deserve such a man!!!! I love you sweetie! Happy Birthday!

I decorated his office and took up Cousin's BBQ for all his co-workers to enjoy and to celebrate his birthday because it does deserve some special recognition as he turns 55!!!!

Yes, the decorations are a mummy, and head stones, and spider webs! Well, he did rob the cradle you know.........