This is how she wanted to celebrate!

Some eat cake and ice cream on their birthdays.

But this is how our Susan (my Dad's wife) 
chose to celebrate her 77th birthday!

The video is a bit blurry but you get the idea.....


Why I will decorate our tree this week

I've been sick through most of the month of November.
Nothing really bad, and nothing that put me in bed much.
Just a lingering allergy/cold/virus(?) coughing thing.

But it's made me tired, and I was thinking maybe this year we wouldn't put up the tree.

But after seeing this video this morning, our tree is going up.
I want to celebrate Christmas to the fullest.

So excited to get this video today!

Excited....because....at the very end of this little clip I get to see my 2 unborn granddaughters.

McKenna will give birth on Dec 8th....in just 11 days!
And Karen is due on January 26th. Little girls who get to grow up together.

At the very beginning is McKenna's brother Jared, with his wife Heather. Jared fried the turkey this
year! I've never ever tasted a fried turkey.

It's hard being 765 miles away from them!

Pumpkin Pie baked in your freezer


This is the pie to make if you have 6 year old twins.
Since they can make it pretty much by themselves.. 

First you take 1/2 box of Ginger Snaps... 

and crush them.

whatever it takes

Then have your Grandma Honey melt 6 1/2 T of butter

and pour into the crushed cookies. 


Sit back and let your twin sister do the stirring.

Then pour into a pie pan.


If the back of the spoon does not work well...


Climb onto the counter and use body strength.


At this point, put in freezer till firm (about 1 hour or less)


Even if you are suspicious of Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream,
let it soften a little and then... 



Get to work filling the pie pan with it.



Soon it will look like a pie and you will be proud.


Give the ice cream a taste.

One slight problem however.
We won't know how this tastes until Thursday.



If you would like to see the original recipe go here.

A treasure of a day


Violet is our local grandchild who is not in school all day.
And I'd been craving a day with her...

So yesterday I got to pick Violet up from her preschool.



But she soon wanted to show me her injury... something about her hand and someone falling on her.



 Her teacher, Mrs Garcia remembered me from 10 years ago!......

...when she was Elora's preschool teacher!

Just like that, a whole decade came and went and I was back in that same little room.


 On the way to my house Violet asked if she could hold the picture of Mrs. Garcia and Elora 
(the one above)
I heard her saying, "I wasn't born yet when Elora went to my preschool."
She's got that right! Violet was just a hope and a dream to us back then.

I was careful to bring her lunch home with us...


 But when we got there.....and maybe because we had 3 men working on our dishwasher...
 (When you have a dishwasher as old as ours I guess they send a trio.)



...She asked to eat in the playroom.
And she said she wanted Mac and Cheese instead. 

And she wanted to serve herself.

Before taking her home we made a stop back at the school since she had forgotten her jacket.

Mrs. Garcia had already left, 
so we went to find the janitor as Violet was saying, 
"I know everywhere about this school! Just follow me."


So happy to be reunited with her jacket!

My favorite part of our day was nap time. Lying on my bed together I told her 3 stories. 
I talked as fast as I could and watched as her eyes got big trying to follow, 
until she could no longer keep them open. 

That was my cue to get up, but we both fell asleep. 

Then part way through our nap I was feeling so cold since I had given her one of my blankets. 
But right about then her sleeping body rolled into mine, making us both warm and cozy. 
Sweet bliss.



I don't want anyone touching this room for awhile (as in cleaning). It has Violet written all over it.
Den did however throw out the  Mac and Cheese about 11:30 last night.




Saturday, November 14, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
issued the following statement regarding the attacks in Paris:

"With people around the world, we mourn today as we 
consider the horrific tragedies that have occurred in Paris. We 
pray for those affected, for their families and loved ones, for the 
leaders of nations and most especially for the people of France 
as they struggle to recover from the violence and loss they are 
feeling so deeply. We have directed that flags on Temple Square 
be flown at half staff, and that the French Flag be flown here as 
an expression of our love and support for them. In these hours 
of uncertainty and despair, we ask members of the Church 
everywhere to join with us in our prayer that the peace of the 
Savior Jesus Christ will provide comfort, healing, 
understanding and hope."

Kate the Orphan

Ever since Elora was little we have taken her to theater plays....


And each time I would say to her, 
"Someday you will be on that stage."

And guess what? Last night she was on that stage!

I think I started tearing up as soon as the lights went out right 
before the curtain even opened.

I think I cried every time I saw her up there.

It was ridiculous. Crazy Grandma Honey could not help herself.
And as soon I saw her afterwards I asked, 
"And what did I tell you every time I took you to a play?"

And she answered without even thinking: 
"Someday you will be on that stage!"


(she was excitedly talking to her Dad)


These two have become good friends through this production.
Annie and Kate the orphan

Just one of the many perks of performing...forming strong bonds.


I'm going again next week!
ANNIE is runs Nov 12-14 and Nov 20-21 (including a special 2pm matinee on the 21st)



Elora's Uncle McKay was in ANNIE about 15 years ago, 
as the policeman.

What goes around comes around. As they say.

I need to look before I press send!

My friend was asking me about Primary Activity Days....
I do that twice a month with the 8-11 year old girls in our church.

However....Sometimes I trust audio texting too much. 



Anywho, the journal idea....I must say, the girls LOVED it. 
Look at some of their creations:

But first, this is what they each started with:


And then I had several things out for them to decorate with 


and they all "went to town" as my Mom use to say...
 
 
 
 

Some used a bit too much glue 
so I wished I had supervised on that part a bit more. 

(But I really don't like interfering when creativity is taking place.)


Which to me, is one big reason it is so good to keep a journal!





One of my favorite days

"O night, O night, go back in flight,
And let them be my little children for just one more night."



I asked Brock to draw this picture for me 
since it's my FAVORITE one of all.

Didn't he do such an amazing job?
Tyler was only one week old here. It was a cold December morning 
and the boys were playing "detective." Brock, age 9 there, asked if 
"newborn baby could play with us." So for just a few moments I 
placed baby Tyler there with them. 

I remember looking in awe and thinking this was one of the best 
days of my life. All FOUR of my SONS together. A new beginning. 
Such wonder and gratefulness I felt. 

I still do.


He doesn't take after his Grandma Honey

When McKenna sent me this picture of Grant today....

Of course I'm in awe. He's only 4 years old.


Speaking of adventures, coincidentally just last night 
when I found these 2 pictures of myself:

At first, I thought my Mom must have labeled this wrong...




I thought I was 6 when I learn to ride a bike, not 8.

In fact I remember her even saying, 
"All you kids learned to ride a bike about age 6."
(she probably didn't want to add, "except for you, Jill.")

Look at Grant in this short video....
he's 4...but so determined.
(this is the child's version of the one above...but looks like he is mastering both)

Look what happened last night

  Just a little pre-graduating gathering for our DIL Amy.... Not everyday a Mom of 7 and a Grandma of 7, graduates from college. It was not ...