Merry Christmas!

So it really is Christmas time. I just can't believe how quickly this year has speed past. I have had a wonderful year. Samuel and I took all of our children and their spouse on a fun cruise where we spent as much time as possible together. WE had so much fun and I can hardly wait to do it again. Charmaine and Randal moved to Iowa just about 2 week after we returned from the cruise. I wasn't able to drive with them to Iowa so I flew to Iowa at the end of July. I loved being there and getting to know the area and seeing all that Charmaine and Randal are able to enjoy. Iowa is beautiful in the summer. While there we were able to go to Nauvoo and to the Temple. Just driving into Nauvoo life felt different. Sameul and I really love being there. I was able to go back to Iowa in Sept. to help with their new baby also. That was great.

We also have been able to visit Chantal and Brian in San Diego and I love going there, it is so close and the weather is always nice, you know, it never rains in California. (Unless the Earth is rotating.) This past spring we took the whole family to Lego Land and had so much fun. We borrowed Samuel's brother's 12 passenger van and loaded up everyone except Charmaine and her family and then on the way Charmaine's car broke down and we had to add 3 more people to our load. Brian was so kind to drive to Yuma from San Diego and rescue us. This is a pic. of Lacy, Brian and Katie.

The other great event is my life it that I have been called to work in the Temple. I love it! I work 2 days and Samuel works one. We are really enjoy our time there. I am also reading several books about the Temple to help me learn even more. This year I also had the opportunity to be in charge of setting up the nativities at the Mesa Temple Visitors Center. All turned out very nice and I have had the opportunity to go back to the center several times and check on things. I have loved working with the director there and his wife and getting to know the system a little better. We have a wonderful committee there are 3 women and a few volunteers that put it all together.

Jenny and I have been a part of 3 baby showers for Clarissa. Clair and Logan will be having their baby girl soon and then we will be finding out her name that they have kept a big secret. Wow can you believe it my baby is having a baby. The showers were fun and I am glad that they are over and that we had such a nice turn out. My sister Julie and her daughters gave Clair the first shower, then Sandy H. is my ward gave her the second one and then Jenny and I did the third. (My camara is broken so I can't find a single picture.)

Samuel and Samuel Jr. are in business together, that has been a great adventure for them and I sure hope that it will be a big success. Samuel Jr. graduated from college in the spring real estate and so the Sams are now in business with one of my nephews selling commercial property.

Right now besides getting ready for Christmas we are also getting ready for a wedding here at our home. Our long time friend Joyce Jones will be getting married and we are privileged to be able to have this event here on New Years Eve. I think her theme song should be "What are you doing New Years Eve."

Now I am almost done with this entry and I have to say I got the idea from my friend Shelly to just post my pictures on my blog and just send a short message to my friends with my Christmas letter to read my blog and look at pictures. I hope that you have all enjoyed the blog and I hope that if you are a blogger that you will invite me to yours. I look forward to seeing you all and I hope you the most wonderful Christmas and New Year ever.

Love you all, Susan

Memories of Me from You.

I have seem this on a few other blog sites and I love this idea. Right a memory of me or me and Samuel in the comments of this blog. I will read them and share in you memories. I hope they will be fun and fond. I am hoping that my friend Bonnie will do this so I can write about "the cookie."
Here’s how you play: 1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! 2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It’s actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don’t want to play on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, I’ll leave my memory of you in my comments.

What is with all those pillows?

The other day Clarissa and Logan were over and I asked Clarissa to help my make my bed. I usually sleep in a little later then Samuel because I have a very bad habit of waking up at 3 or 4 am and then I can't get back to sleep until 5 or 6. Anyway while Clair was helping me make my bed Logan came in a gave a little laugh. I said what is so funny and he said, "Why do girls like so many pillows on the bed?" I said, "I know it is sick but we all do it." Then I added the fact that we also have a little cat pillow that I got many years ago and just love and the I have to put it on the bed also. I told Logan and Clair how every night Daddy goes in to our room and turns down the bed and for some reason he started putting the kitty in different funny positions on my side of the bed. Every night I look forward to seeing what Samuel has done with the cat. Sometimes I have to look kind of hard because the cat is hidden under the covers or in my night stand or on the head board of our bed. Samuel is so fun! Well to show just how clever he is, the other night I came in and my kitty was reading the scriptures with my glasses on. (I just had to take a picture and share) Samuel always makes me laugh and so each night when I go to bed I look forward to a good laugh, reading the scriptures have prayer and sweet dreams next to my BFF. Life is good.

What a storm!

Last night we had an incredible storm! My mother in law called me to say that she and Daddy were outside on their back porch to watch the storm come in and it looked like Tempe was having a light show. The weather reported over 10,000 lightning strike in an hour. Samuel and I went outside for a while to watch and listen and seriously the thunder didn't stop for hours. It was one continual roll of thunder for as long as we listened. The weather also reported that some areas of the valley received over 1.48 inches of rain (Officially, the National Weather Service reported 5.48 inches year total at Sky Harbor International Airport. Last year, 0.74" fell for the entire monsoon season.) and had wind gusts of 100 miles per hour in Tempe. I got up this morning to survey the damages and to my surprise it wasn't too bad. We usually have a down limb or two or parts of the barn missing, but this time it was only the shade for the area right outside my father's house that was downed. The rain was seriously so unusual that I called my father to ask him if he was OK out in his house by himself. It sounded like it was raining baseballs. Every once in a while I would open the door and look to see if it was hail but I couldn't see any and then too at those time I would look at the trees and there would be absolutely no movement in them. It was crazy! But after the storm we have been blessed with a most beautiful sun rise. I tried to capture a picture, I don't know if it will translate but here I have tried. I checked the weather report for today and it looks like we are going to have humidity around 77% and a high around 101. Crazy! I sure hope that all of our family and friends that live out of town have a wonderful day, I know that I will.

The Queen say this...

This is a completely random e-mail. Samuel and I went to a Diamond Backs game tonight and we had so much fun. Jenny and Shawn went with us and she took lots of pictures but with her camera so I don't have any pictures yet. Any way I came home and started looking at blogs and enjoying reading them and looking at pictures and thought that I would go and look at some of my pictures on my computer. I love to take pictures of everything but especially I am family famous for taking pictures of hearts. So I looked in my heart folder and along with my hearts is a picture of my make-up sponge. I squeeze out my Mary Kay make-up onto a sponge and then apply liberally. It has actually been 2 years ago that I took this picture and I can't even remember if I have already sent it to everyone but when I saw it I got such a chuckle remembering it again. The resulting squeeze on the sponge was completely random. No kidding! I looked at it and thought, 'Oh my goodness something must be wrong with my toe' you know, like I was getting a warning or something (Peggy knows what I'm talking about). So I look down at my toe half expecting to find a big bug or death written all over it and then to my great astonishment..... nothing was there. Just a funny random message on my make-up sponge, nothing else, but believe me when I say it was truly random and so legible. Queen Susabelle says this, 'Random acts of kindness begin with just one 'toe' pointed in the right direction. How is that for philosophy to begin your day on?

Fire Flies

I am going to try to down load a video of me catching a fire fly larvae. I tried to catch a bug but they are so big that it freaked me out a little. We did get a good video of me finding a larvae though. I love to catch bugs and stuff and share them with Charmaine. She makes it so much fun. I tried to catch a feather bug that was just a little too fast for me. You can imagine, it has 100 time more legs then I do.

Aimes inspirers me.

During July Samuel and I were able to go to Aimes and visit Charmaine, Randal and Israel, we had so much fun. Aimes is so beautiful and we had a great time visiting with Charmaine and Family. Some of the things that I enjoyed so much, beside the kids, were how green everything is. Aimes is so densely planted with trees that at night there are no sounds other then an occational sound of nature. Charmaines backyard had a bunny living there and all kinds of birds and bugs. If you know me you know that I love to bird watch and even try to catch an occasional bug. We saw robins and blue jays, fire flies and what Charaime calls a feather bug. (It is really a walking centipede. We were able to get lots of work done, unpacking boxes, organizing and beautifying. An other thing that inspires me from Aimes is the architecture. I love the grand old buildings on campus. They are huge many with Greek revival architecture. Grand staircases, massive columns, bell and clock towers and details that make you want to stare. The houses in Aimes are so cute and grand but my favorite is the little houses that look like my grandma might live there or maybe just a young little family just getting started. I love the shutters and stars that are put on the houses. When I came home I was all ready to paint my house white with black shutters re roof in a gray slate tile and hang a star. Well when I looked at my own house I decided that I do love it just the way it is. I did hang a star and every time I look at it, it reminds me of two things, Charmaine and her family in Aimes and of cource the star that proclaimed the birth of our Savior. How perfectly appropriate for me. I love and miss all of my children that are not here in the Valley and I hope that they know how much I love and miss them all.

We also had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Nauvoo Temple with the kids. Nauvoo is so beautiful and we have been able to visit there 3 time now but this was our first trip to the Temple. WE had such a good and spiritual time.

I really am done

I have actually been done with this room for some time now but I have been so busy and I am not very proficient at blogging and so I have not gotten back to up date. I love the way the room turned out. The Jones Family and the Figgins Family have been able to stay with us and it didn't seem too hazardous. I just put some things away like the llama throw and the glass things. Hugo and Lacy take naps in the room and so far so good. Here is one more pictures of the finished room.

Half way there.

Our friends Dale and Shelly Heward came over to see our Latin guest room. Shelly said the pictures didn't do the room justice and that I needed to put more recent pictures on my blog so here are some more.

This one is of a wall hanging the we got in Guatemala Dale helped us negotiate a good deal. The shelf to the left and the rack that the wall hanging is hanging from my father and I made, way back when. I should say my father made. I just mostly told him what I wanted.

This is the head board that I got such a great price on at my new favorite store where they sell everything Mexican. I will be making a bed frame soon and then I am hoping to find some bright colored bedding. I have a wonderful big throw and pillows that are from Peru that are Llama fur. I can hardly wait to get them out.

This is one of my favorites. You really can't tell but the thing on the dresser is a nativity from a Mexican artist. It is all made from scrap metal. Samuel Jr. made the arch for me and I found these wonderful paper flowers in San Diego. I found the little shelf at Terri's and only paid $3.00 for it. The picture if a Mola from Panama that Ryan Heward brought back from his mission. I just am loving this room. Everyday I remember something else that I have and add it to the decor. I am trying to take my time and not get done too fast. I tend to go too quickly and then the fun is all over. Well I hope to be enjoying this room for a long time. My friend from El Salvador (Mirian) loves the room too and wants to get me all kinds of stuff from her Latin friends in her ward. Wouldn't that be fun.

The happiest guest room ever!!

Here is a picuture of my happy guest room. I am having so much fun getting this projest done. I love the happy bright colors and the fun items that I have bought over the years in Mexico and other Latin countries, they will look great in this room.

I included the picture of the corner to show the colors that I chose but also to show how great I blocked the colors. It was a little tricky but I am happy with the results.

Samuel Jr.

Samuel Jr. pirate man and worlds best uncle. What you can't see in this picture is that Lacy and Katie are hanging on his feet while he walks. Samuel is working and going to school like a crazy man. Several days of the week we only see him for prayer in the morning and prayer at night. He is a great son with his cell phone as his constant companion. (I hope the HG too:-)

Logan and Clarissa Baxter

I thought it was about time that I update my info. about Clarissa. She and Logan Baxter got married on Sept. 18, 2007 in the Mesa Temple. Logan is quiet, handsom and a hard working man that loves Clarissa. Logan's family told us that as a little boy he would always say, "I am going to treat my wife like a queen" and it seems he does. Logan and Clarissa have a beautiful home in Mesa, they are both working and Logan is going to school. We are very happy for them.

This makes me smile.

Christmas morning.

Here we all are on Christmas morning in our pj's. Aren't we cute! Even Molly got in the picture. It was so nice to have everyone be here. It is going to get harder and harder to all get together will all the kids and in-laws. Luckily we all made it.

getting on board

I am trying to get on board with this blog thing. My girls have such beautiful blog spots and I want to get in on the action. Hopefully as I learn my blog spot will get better and better.