The Simple Woman's Daybook Entry~ Happy New Year To You All!

For Today

December 29, 2014

Take a moment and visit other Simple Woman's Daybook entries; Enjoy!

Outside my window...it is a beautiful wintry day. I love the white fluffy snow that sparkles in the sunlight. It is very cold however which I don't enjoy.  

I am thinking...about what a lovely Christmas Season this has been. My husband always makes it extra special. We had a spectacular Christmas day together.

 I am thankful.... for so many blessings. I have a wonderful, husband, children and great grandchildren. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the ward we live in. I really think it is a Zion ward. We have so many good brothers and sisters in this ward. I have great friends both from my past, present and I look forward to making new friends in the future.  We also have our delightful Sammy. Here he is enjoying his Christmas sock.

I am wearing...brown sweats,tan tee shirt, brown socks and black slippers.

I am creating...this blog post. I am also creating some collages of our Christmas Celebrations.

I am going...shopping for New Year goodies and other food items. 

I am wondering...about the New Year coming. I am hoping for good things to come. Last year had a few rough spots. 

I am reading...The Book of Mormon. I have finished the first study guide and there are two more to go. It will probably take me this year and then I will start reading it over again. I love this book; it is my favorite of all times. 

I always love to read a good Christmas novel. This is the novel for this year. The story is in the 1800's which is one of my favorite eras. I am enjoying this one. 

I am hoping...to have a wonderful New Years celebration. I do have some children coming on New Years. James and Jenni's families should be here. 

I am learning....that I really don't have to do everything on my to-do list. There is always a tomorrow.

Around the house...it is quiet today My sweet husband is working away in his office and I am just doing this post. 

In the kitchen...there is nothing going on. I think it will be take-out pizza night.

I am pondering...how I might be a better parent of adult children and grandmother to my numerous posterity. I want them to know how much they mean to me. I want to have close relationships with them. I have been thinking about some ways to become closer in this coming new year. 

One of my favorite things...is to do family Histories. I was able to do both of my parents histories and my Aunt Della's. My cousin Mari came today and brought me the two histories  her mother recently completed. I was so thrilled to get these. My Aunt Alene is just so awesome. She turned 94 this year and she is amazing. I know that she is so happy to get this all completed. What a treasure she is. 

A few plans for this week: Our daughter Jenni and her family will be here probably New Year's evening; along with her brother James and his family will be here also. On Saturday our sweet little Granddaughter Emma who just turned 8 years old will be baptized in our Stake center. 

Here is our precious Emma~

After this we will have a dinner for our families that live near. It should be a wonderful start to the New Year.

A peek into a recent day~

Our sweet Christmas morning~

"Our Star of Bethlehem" - Merry Christmas To All ~

Our Star of Bethlehem

A prophet spoke of wonders, and a star that would be seen. 

Two days, a night appear as one, its light to be pristine. 

Behold it was as Samuel said, a new Star did appear,

Announcing hence to all the world, our Lord and Savior dear,

As Lord of lords and King of kings, He created Heaven and Star

So, was it not His selfsame Light that shined down from a far?

The Star that guided Shepherds, and Wisemen seeking Him, 

Continues as the Light of Christ. "Our Star of Bethlehem". 

May that sweet light now lead us on, to rescue, love and lift. 

And as we do we may receive, the Savior's Christmas Gift. 

 by Roger L. Williams ( my dear husband)

Numbers 24:17; Matthew 2: 1-2; Helaman 14:2-6; Colossians 1:16, D&C 93:1-4

"What a glorious and wonderful season of the year this is. Our hearts change. Our attitudes change. Our way of thinking changes. There is a little more forgiveness in us. A little more kindness. A little more love. A little more patience. A little more of understanding at the Christmas season of the year. What a glorious thing it is that at least once in twelve months we can become a little better than we have been during the remainer of the year. Thanks be to God for the gift of His son and thanks be to His Son for the gift of His life. How grateful we are at this Christmas Season." 

 by Gordon B. Hinckley

We had a lovely Family Christmas Dinner with our Family here followed by our traditional Christmas Nativity program~

Left to Right - Lilly and Sagan our great granddaughter and grandson. They were perfect angels - Mary and Baby Jesus are Jadyn and Myah our Great Granddaughters - Joseph and our Shepherd are our Grandson's Joshua and Jeffery~

 

Upper Left; our oldest son, Sean & Mary's family - Middle Left; our 2nd son Travis & Amanda's family - Lower Left; our 3rd son, James & Amber's family - Middle LeAnn & Roger - Middle Lower; Our Missionary Grandson, Jackson - Upper Right; our oldest daughter Christina & Brandon's family - Middle Right; our youngest daughter Tiffani & Dave's family and Lower Right; our middle daughter Jenni & Michael's family ~

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you wonderful family and friends ~

May your homes be filled with the Savior's love during this lovely Christmas Season. May your New Year be one of wondrous moments.
 We love you all and are grateful for the many ways you have touched our lives. 

Magical Christmas Memories ~

The year was 1963. Christmas was on it's way and to me it was a magical time of year. My boyfriend, Roger; my dear husband now had asked me to the winter dance at our High School. He always made our dates special. He was and is still a very romantic man.  In those days the dances were held in the school gym and the decorations that year were spectacular. The theme for the dance was "Frosted Enchantment".  This particular dance is a favorite memory of mine. My mother had made me a Blue Velvet dress. I truly felt like a Princess with my Prince Charming. When he came to pick me up I was just just head over heels in love with him. The dance was wonderful and we enjoyed every minute of it. Even today we enjoy dancing away even if just in our kitchen.

To make this sweet Christmas time even more memorable my dear husband made for me this Jewelry music Box, which is lined with material from the blue velvet dress I wore that night. Our own special song is "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Darin. 

I do feel that Christmas is a time of year when we have precious moments of caring, sharing and loving one another more intensely. It is that unique moment of time when we pause and worship our King; our Savior Jesus Christ. Christmas's through the years have always held special memories. 

I was asked recently to do a guest post for Mormon Moms. Take a moment and read more memories and traditions of our Christmas Celebrations. You can hop on over and read it here. 

It's Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas At Our Home~

The decorating is done, the gifts purchased and soon to be wrapped; then off to the post office to mail to family. Then there are the Christmas message to write and cards to send. Plans are on the way for our Christmas Tradition entitled: "The Christmas Heart Family".  Next comes the menu planning and preparing for the Family party on December 21st. I am looking forward to getting everything completed so I can sit back read a good Christmas novel, watch a few Christmas movies by the fire and sip on Hot Chocolate. Doesn't that sound just perfect? I do hope I can pull this all off; without a glitch.

This little one is my Great Grandson. Isn't he just the cutest little one!! We were tending him the other night while his parents went out on a date. They don't get many date nights so we were pleased to help out. 
Wishing that all of you out there are enjoying all the precious moments of this Christmas Celebration. 
Remember it is all about our dear Savior, Jesus Christ's Birth. #heisthegift  #sharethegift

I thought I would share this awesome video~

Rejoice In Christ - "He Is The Gift"~

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. I love Christmas with all of it's various traditions and symbols. It really is all about the Savior and his birth. One of my most beloved scriptures is found in 2 Nephi 25:26; "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins". 

Our Savior Jesus Christ is the true gift of Christmas - #ShareTheGift
So I will ask that you might take some precious moment this Christmas season to discover, embrace and then share this gift. 




 Remember when you are giving gifts to one another; this is a symbolism for God's greatest gift. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". (New Testament: John 3:16).

Take a moment and think about how you felt when you gave a gift on Christmas for the very first time. 

A Grateful Heart Is A Happy Heart~Thanksgiving Blessings For All!

I do believe that a grateful heart is a happy heart. I have so much to be thankful for. The picture above shows only a few of my many blessings. I live in a comfortable home, I have a wonderful eternal companion, a large and wonderful posterity, the scriptures, our Prophet and my Savior, Jesus Christ. Then there are countless extended family and friends.
 I wishing for you all to have a sweet Thanksgiving Day with family and friends. May you all have thankful hearts.  

Here is a very endearing Thanksgiving story of an experience our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson had as a youth. Perhaps share it with your family this Thanksgiving day. 
"Occasionally, I ponder an experience from my boyhood. I grew up during the Depression. These were difficult times. My Father was a craftsman, a printer and he always had employment. Although others were not so fortunate. 
I remember the boys whom I went to school. Many had clothing bought at rummage sales. The same size jacket was to fit four boys in one family. The father did not support the family. The mother worked nights as a telephone operator in Salt Lake City. The thing I remember most about this family was that when I would call upon the boys to go to school, they would be having breakfast - cornflakes with water. There was no milk, there was no cream, there was no sugar - only cornflakes and water. 
One particular Thanksgiving Day there was, as usual, turkey dinner for our family, along with all the trimmings. As I waited for the feast to begin, I heard my name being called by one of my friends, Charlie. In those days we never knocked on the door; we would just stand outside in the back and yell. I heard Charlie call, "Tommy!" I went outside, and he said, "It sure smells good in there. What are you eating?" 
I said, "We're eating turkey."
He said, "I've never eaten turkey. What does it taste like?"
I said, "Oh, something like chicken."
"I've never eaten chicken," he said. "What does that taste like?"
I told him to wait a minute, and I went in the house and got a piece of turkey for him to sample. He chewed it for a minute and then said, "Boy, that's good."
I said, "Charlie, what are you having for your Thanksgiving dinner?"
There was a silence, and then he said, "Nothing."
I remembered at that moment my mother, who always fed the transients who came through, riding the rails from east to west. When Mother would welcome them, she'd open the back door and have them sit at the table. Then she'd make them boiled ham sandwiches, give them potato chips and glasses of milk, and ask what they were doing riding the rails and why they didn't go home and settle down somewhere. She was quite a philosopher and had absolutely no fear whatsoever. I thought of her when my friend Charlie said he was not having Thanksgiving dinner. 
At that moment I remembered I had something. I had no money, but I had two white rabbits. They were the pride of my life, beautiful New Zealand whites. I said, "Charlie, you come with me, because I've got something for your Thanksgiving dinner." We went into the backyard, and with tears in my eyes I opened the rabbit hutch, took a gunnysack, and put first one rabbit and then the other into the gunnysack. I said, "You take these home, and your mother will know what to do with them. They taste a whole lot like chicken."
Charlie was up on the fence and over the back yard to his home as quick as a flash. He later said they had the best Thanksgiving dinner they  had ever had. 
I loved the rabbits, but the feeling that came into my heart on that occasion, when I had given all that I had, when I had followed the counsel and the training of my mother, was superior to any love for those rabbits. I thought of the poet's expression: "The smile of God's approval is the greatest of all gifts." 
("Consider The Blessings - True Accounts of God's Hand in Our Lives". - Thomas S. Monson. "The Best Thanksgiving Ever"  Pg. 67.")
There is nothing sweeter than to have an opportunity to care for another person who is in need. Give the gift of your selfless service this Season and feel the true spirit of Thanksgiving. A favorite hymn is "Count Your Blessings" One of the lines is "Count Your Blessings Name Them One By One". Take the challenge to count your blessings on Thanksgiving day and then remember them always. 

"I Want To Be Baptized" - by Annalisa Hall & Corey Egbert - A Blog Tour~

               

Review:

I have always enjoyed reading children's books and looking for good stories for my grandchildren. I absolutely love this book: " I Want to be Baptized" by Annalisa Hall, illustrated by Corey Egbert. I would have loved to have had this book to explain the importance of baptism when I was preparing my own children.  As a Grandmother, I intend to share this book with my Grandchildren. 

Annalisa did a suburb job explaining the different reasons for being baptized, and becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She used some fantastic analogies to explain this important ordinance in children's terms, using everyday life situations.

The following questions are answered in this book. 

Why Do I Need To Be Baptized?

How does Baptism and the Holy Ghost work together?

How does Baptism wash away sin"

What promises are made at Baptism?

I loved Cory's illustrations. The book is colorful and engaging. The delightful artwork and story are perfect for explaining the importance of baptism in a child's life.

This book is a prequel to another book by Annalisa Hall entitled; "The Holy Ghost Is Like A Blanket". These books can assist you in teaching your children the importance and blessings that come from ordinances.

About The Author: 

Annalisa hall is an author, blogger, LDSBC and BYU Graduate. She was born in Rochester, MI. She received a merit scholarship to the LDS Business College graduating with honors. She transferred to BYU in Provo and worked in the Harold B. Lee Library and graduated from BYU with a BA in English. She currently lives in Poway CA, with her husband and three children. 

The Book has been published by Cedar Fort and can be found in LDS bookstores.