One picture is worth.....

Need I say more? Valentines is now under my belt....heading towards Easter BA HA HA HA! Had fun with my new chocolate mold from Germany. Makes DARLING chocolate houses!

MoTab Concert and Valentine "shout out!"

The concert was amazing in US Airways. We took one son and grandson and 9 other people. It turned out to be a wonderful missionary experience with seven non-members coming along. One friend of my Aunt (also from Illinois) is a writer, of two books, and is also a columnist printed in several papers back in the Midwest. I guess she is Illinois' answer to Erma Bombeck. She is going to write up her experiences at the concert for all to see. Marilyn gave me one of her books as a thank you for taking her to the concert. They ALL loved it! The way the choir sang "God Bless America"...it just took everyone's breath away.

I have to insert a "shout out" for my wonderful husband and his kindness and generosity. This year will be our 38th anniversary (and we will be on a mission then.) He got a call from a sister-in-law who plays in the orchestra from Temple Square. She said some poor person needed a ticket and could we help. OF COURSE...we did. We also helped another elderly sister with tickets to come to this concert and one in Gammage several months ago. It feels so good to help people who appreciate the gift. Gifts that are rejected always leave a sting. It makes me think of Heavenly Father and how He must feel when we reject His Son. I got a beautiful new watch for Valentines' Day. Now to go and pick out a new suit for my SWEETHEART.

The car accident before the concert totaled my Aunt and Uncle's beautiful Lincoln Town Car. I spent Sunday morning caring for them as she is in terrible pain with severe whiplash, according to the Doctors. I was able to get them booked on a flight home. Luckily they have other friends here who will take their extra things home for them that they cannot take on a plane.

It has been so fun to have them here this Winter. She showed me my father's old recipe for pie crust and how she rolls it out (wish I had seen this 30 years ago) and now she has me making homemade ice cream with the ice cream maker that has set in the closet for years. I brought it down to the valley and we had friends over for ice cream with fudge sauce (must share recipe) last night after our Valentine dinner out with them. They are the parents of eight children and a store house of wisdom.

I'm reading a new book that is very inspiring...my favorite quote for today from it:

"Once I did bad and that I heard ever,

Twice I did good and that I heard never."

HURTING PEOPLE NOT ONLY DOES NOT CHANGE THEM, IT IS NEVER CALLED FOR.

---Carnegie

LOVE

They do not love who do not show their love.

-William Shakespeare

The Good ...the Bad ....and the UGLY!!!

Might as well start with the UGLY! It's not what it looks like...that is the back of my knee after a week. Wanted to document ...a few days ago it was really pretty...I DO like blue and purple together. My mom decorated my room in those colors after I went away to college. It is already starting to fade. Good thing I don't wear shorts or people would think my husband is beating me. I know I'm fat but that is mostly swelling at this point. I helped my Aunt and Uncle move this week from one condo to another. He is SO SWEET! He is so arthritic that he couldn't even take the clothes on the hanger from the closet to hand to me without having to just use his wrists. His fingers are so gnarled. He can barely walk and I have found several lotions that he can put on his burns to get some relief. Thank goodness for those American Indians and their natural healing balms.

Now this is the best part but you can't see it in relation to the rest of my thigh and get the full impact BA HA HA HA! Would have to don a bathing suit to see this part. Accidents do happen...especially to OLD people. Best advice of the day....don't get OLD.

The GOOD part of this past week has been my Aunt and Uncle being here after his serious accident and falling into his backyard burn pile in November. We thought we might lose him. He has miraculously recovered and they came for the Winter after all. They took us to the Italian Grotto in Scottsdale last night. We laughed and laughed as my Uncle swapped St. Louis Cardinal and Stan Musial trivia with the owner. He had the owner excitedly calling his "sources" back East to verify my Uncle's info.

My brothers are THE best. I got my annual Valentine in the mail yesterday and called my brother to thank him. We share our burdens and then have a good laugh. They know all my warts and they still love me...imagine that!

The BAD is that both Mark and I have lost so much sleep this week that now we both have coughs and colds and so does my Aunt......part of the family togetherness. Looking forward to our barbecue on Saturday. My Aunt makes the best popcorn salad and a lot of other things too! She is going to share my Dad's pie crust recipe from his time in the Navy during WWII.

Smoke Damage

AAAAAaaaarrrrrrggg! Microwave burnty....smoke in house. YIKES! Trying every google site on smoke damage. My house smells like an ashtray. I am finding it hard to sleep the last two nights.
Best advice on internet.....GET A NEW ONE BA HA HA HA HA!
Pulled an ATV out of a crash site up near Four Peaks last Friday nite. Thank goodness for four-wheel drive and a rope. The kid was lucky he didn't get hurt really bad hitting that huge boulder.
Happy New Year people.

Explanation of Wunderland

My brother just emailed me these photos of the minaiture train set in Hamburg, Germany. I LOVE all things miniature. You can see it online if you go to www.miniatur-wunderland.com or also on facebook at MiniaturWunderlandHamburg.

It is so amazing that people would spend 500,000 hours and 8 million Euro to build it. We want to jump a plane and go see it!!! It won't be finished until 2012 and has been under construction for several years. You have the watch the five-minute video if you haven't already seen it!

I have trouble with my computer off and on or should I say....it has trouble with ME! Couldn't get it to let me describe each picture on that last post.

HAVE A WUNDERFUL DAY everyone! Sprechen sie Deutsch?

Miniatur Wunderland in Germany