December wrap up

This Christmas my camera was inactive.  I received an iphone 6 plus for my birthday in November and discovered the ease of Instagram.  Yesterday my daughter showed me how to download the photos from my phone to my computer.  Easy peasy, so I decided to do one last post for 2014 before it slips away.

I decorated the Utah home for Christmas but spent Christmas week in Arizona.  Crazy, huh?  However, it meant some Christmas fun with all the grandchildren.

Each year I give each family a new Christmas book and ornaments for their tree.  This year I gave them autographed copies of Jan Brett's latest picture book, "The Animals' Santa."  My sister Lynette joined me at the Provo City Library where Jan was sharing her book in person.  The Library ballroom was full and we waited in line for quite some time.  They announced one book signed per person.  A lovely family behind us in line took my extra books to be signed without my asking.  They overheard my conversation about not having every one's Christmas book with the author's signature and offered on their own.  Aren't people wonderful?  I decided long ago that the majority of those on this planet are so good.

Jan Brett was traveling across the country with her husband and a little white rabbit in a decorated bus.  I received my signed poster yesterday for adding a photo to her FB page.  Lynette and I crossed University Avenue to get this shot with the old Academy Building which is now part of the Provo City Library in the background.  My mom used to attend classes in that building.  I'm so glad they managed to save and re purpose it.

I tried to get tickets for the Muppets and Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert this year.  They are always free but given out via lottery which I did not win.  Lynette and I decided to try the standby line which was also a fail.  However, we did get seated inside the Tabernacle and saw part of it on the big screen.  It will be worth watching for next December on PBS.

On our way out of town, we drove by my son's new house.  His Christmas light display really lit up his neighborhood.

We also exited the freeway and drove to Draper City Park.  Many are calling this "The Tree of Life."  It truly was spectacular.

Lynette gave me an amaryllis bulb and pot for my birthday.  It bloomed before Christmas, graced Lynette's table for Christmas, came back to me after, and is still blooming. There has been a total of 8 blooms so far.  So beautiful!

Before Christmas, my Utah children and their families joined us for a Christmas ham dinner and there were presents under that tree for them.  We had a great evening and they took home their presents and new Christmas book and ornaments.  I purchased woodland animal ornaments from Pier One which reminded me of the animals in "The Animals' Santa."

 

We have two December birthdays in the family so had a birthday steak and baked potato dinner when we arrived in Arizona.  We were able to take some Idaho potatoes with us.  I'm an Idaho girl and these potatoes are the best!

Of course, I served them salad first! My son took this great picture of my oldest granddaughter in our outdoor dining room.  We love to entertain in our Arizona backyard and often miss it when away.

But, when I'm in Arizona I miss the beautiful Utah mountains just out my window.

We also celebrated birthday night with the bubble machine.

A granddaughter yelled out, "It's snowing bubbles!"  I understand that they are getting snow in parts of the Valley of the Sun today.

I participated in two doughnuts days, one at each son's house.  This is a family tradition now having been enjoyed by four generations.  They each do their own doughnuts at their own homes now that they deliver to all their friends and neighbors.  To learn more about this tradition and the recipe, go here.  I borrowed this picture collage from my oldest son.

My sons and their families hosted us at their homes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We held our little nativity complete with a real baby Jesus born this year.  He was a great sport.

They pulled this and that from the Nativity box to get ready.

My oldest grandson, now 16 (yes, I just typed 16 and I can barely believe it!), read Luke 2 for us this year.

There was much joy and happiness on Christmas morning.  We were served breakfast at one home and brunch at the other.  Our newest grandson was thrilled with the cars given him by Grandpa Glen and kept the Diamondbacks hat on that was given to him by his dad who is really enjoying his only baby boy born in 2014.

Several new bikes arrived via Mr. Claus including this beautiful red one which I loved!  There were also two more pets added to the grand pets list, a very sweet black and white puppy who may be called "Oreo" and a little black cat named "Scratch."  There are now seven total, 5 dogs and 2 cats, plus a tortoise or two I may have forgotten :)

We enjoyed a beautiful drive back to Utah on the Saturday following Christmas with this guy as a passenger.  He really rode in the back but I just had to strap him in front to show his size.  There is now a happy little boy in Utah.

We drove between snow storms so have enjoyed the snow without the stress of driving in freshly fallen snow.  This is a picture taken out my window on Monday.  It snowed all day and my nieces couldn't land in Provo and had to fly back to Arizona to try again the next day (Alligiant from Mesa to Provo) and Glen didn't make it to his office in SLC until late afternoon.

My older Utah grandsons had a great time on Tuesday sledding down the hill across the street.  Most of those trails were made by them during their 2 hour sledding adventure.

All of our Utah grands are staying overnight with us on this last day of 2014.  We were invited over to my sister's home for her hedgehogs earlier in the evening.

I so enjoy having her live nearby since her move in 2014.  Definitely a good thing.  That is her new grandson in the background and mine in front with his handsome face.

"Hedgehogs" look like a hedgehog but are actually a yummy dessert which takes many hours to make.  Go here to watch the process at an earlier time. 

The ball is about to drop in Times Square . . .

and I hope that this little one will soon be asleep.  I also hope that 2015 will be full of many good things for everyone!

Fancy Dresses

For some time I have been buying remnants of fabrics from JoAnn's to use when making doll clothes for my grand girls.  They sell for half of the original price and include plenty of fabric for doll clothes.  This year I decided to make "fancy" dresses for Christmas gifts and pulled out the sparkly shiny remnants I had collected.  I sewed in Utah but my Kirsten American Girl Doll lives in Arizona so this December I sewed without my model or dress form.  I was a bit nervous about sizing and hoped that when I tried them on Kirsten they would fit.  I decided on a photo session with Kirsten as a model as well.

This outfit was for my granddaughter who loves boots and bling so I worked off those gold boots you see peeking out from underneath the skirt.  I didn't use JoAnn remnants for this outfit.  I used quilting leftovers for the skirt and camisa which were made from the original doll patterns that American Girl issued years ago.  The camisa and skirt where made from the Josefina collection.  I decorated the skirt with trims from JoAnn's and bought the sash trim from JoAnn's as well.  I simply love working with the old patterns from American Girl.  They go together so well and include great finishing tips.

This dress was made from a Butterick Retro '56 doll pattern #B5865 for 18 inch dolls.  I worried about the fit from a retro pattern but it fit well.

This dress is made from a duponi silk fabric remnant.  I love duponi silk and its glowing color play.  This dress includes a tulle underskirt.  The collar fabric was also cut from a remnant. I included a pair of white satin flats.

This dress was made from a Simplicity pattern #3547 from a purple taffeta remnant and sparkly violet tulle remnant.  It also had a great fit. I used the "G" bodice and "C" skirt pattern pieces for this dress.

A silvery tulle remnant was used as an underskirt as well as sash.  I included silver glitter flats.

This dress and jacket were made from remnants of blue polyester satin and faux white suede.

I also included a pair of boots with white "Sherpa" trim.  This pattern came from Joan Hinds'  book, Sew the Contemporary Wardrobe for 18-Inch Dolls. Surprisingly the outfit, found on page 75, was just a bit large for the doll.  I expected that a book created for the American Girl line would have been more well fitted.  It was fun to sew some fancier dresses.

Family Pictures

Last Easter weekend while in Arizona, we had family pictures taken in our front yard.  April in Arizona is a beautiful, warm summer kind of experience.  It has yet to be a hot, triple digit experience.  I decided after ordering my canvas cluster of prints from this photo shoot for my wall that I wanted to share those pictures on my blog as well.  Above is my oldest son Eric with his lovely family.

These are his beautiful children.

My youngest son, Nathan with his family.

A little girl will join them in 2015.

My only daughter, Janae and my second youngest with her family.

Sometimes it hard to catch the toddler at the best moment.

But she is a joy and loves her handsome brothers.

My middle child, David with his lovely family.

Their good friend was our photographer.

She knew these girls well.

I love the expressions she caught in this picture.

Their little brother was just six weeks old at the time of these pictures.  He has gorgeous big eyes and is now walking around the furniture.

My second son and his wife were unable to join us.  They have blessed me with two grand dogs.  That would have been a fun picture!

I love my family, every one!

A Magical Santa

I had the pleasure of taking my sister to my grandson's Christmas Program at his pre-school.

It was a delight.

They knew all their lyrics and hand movements.  I love programs presented by school students!

At the end there was a magical surprise.  Santa didn't just appear and say "Ho, ho, ho!"  He also had a few magic trips up his sleeve.  Enough candy canes for everyone magically appeared in this pan.  He also had a magic straw for sipping all that milk left out for him on Christmas Eve.  It grew longer and longer so that he could sip and fill all the stockings at the same time.

Each child waited patiently for their candy cane and a few special words from Santa.

This Santa was full of good cheer and funny remarks.

All thirty children felt like Santa really knew them.

Thank you Santa for being so personable, funny, and truly magical.

The children were pleased that you would take a group picture with them.

Santa, we hope that your Christmas Season is truly magical!

Provo City Center Temple update

When I delivered my Christmas cards to the post office I also took pictures of what is happening at the Provo City Center Temple.

They have wrapped the building for winter work but we have enjoyed a very warm December with highs in the 50's.  All that scaffolding is in place so they can reinforce every brick with new mortar made from the same recipe as the original mortar.

This may look like a yurt on the south side but it will be an enclosed viewing gazebo.  Enclosed because those waiting for the wedding party to exit the temple will have a warm place to do so during winter.

I took these photos from in front of the post office.  The chain link fence in the back parking lot has been replaced by a cement wall which limits my picture taking.

A Year with Frog and Toad

On Saturday the Utah family members attended the play "A Year with Frog and Toad" produced by the Salt Lake Acting Company.  Each December they produce a play for children and do a great job.  I loved the set.  On the left is Toad's house and Frog lived on the right.  All kinds of wonderful things happened in that space in the middle.

There is the crew with a space for me.  I love to hear my grandsons laugh.  Pure pleasure!

The theater is located in a renovated LDS church built in 1891 located at 200 West 500 North in Salt Lake City.  The old Relief Society Building is in the background.  A sweet lady took this photo of all of us on the stairs.  We had a great time.  Can't wait to see what play they produce next year.

Soon I will be seeing my Arizona grands.  I will need to see what Childsplay in Arizona is up to in 2015.  I love taking them to plays.  They see lots of movies, but I want them to see performers live and when those plays are based on children's literature that we love, so much the better!

I finally printed some photos of the grand kids from our Easter 2014 family photo shoot in our garden in Mesa.  I simply love how this cluster canvas set from Costco turned out.  More important, I love spending time with my family.

David Foote and Sarah Rebecca Hall

The earliest that I can remember being aware of David Foote and Sarah Rebecca Hall was after my family moved to Arizona in 1964.  Each summer we would return to Idaho to visit family and our drive north on Highway 89 would take us through Orderville, Utah.  My mother would turn west towards the high school and point out the house sitting southeast from the school and tell us it was the home of her grandparents, David and Sarah Rebecca.  She remembered visits from her childhood to Orderville and also knew that they had visited their daughter,  Rhoda Ann, in Idaho.

In 2003, my husband and I were in charge of a family reunion in southern Utah.  A grandson of David and cousin of my mother, Warren Foote (great grandson of the first Warren from Glendale), took us on a tour of family history sites including David and Sarah Rebecca's home and grave site.  The home was empty and in pretty sad shape, but I could picture the family here working, loving, and supporting one another.

My grandmother, Rhoda, used to tell me that her mother loved to sew and quilt.  Rhoda would often come home from school to dirty dishes because her mother would rather sew.  I can "sew" relate.  I think I would have really enjoyed Sarah Rebecca's company.  My own mother, Velva, looked very much like Sarah Rebecca.  The first time I saw a picture of the young Sarah Rebecca, I found it hard to believe how much they resembled one another.

David was the first Warren's oldest living son.  He was born in Montebello, Hancock County, Illinois on August 23, 1845.  When a baby his parents fled with the Saints from Illinois across what is now Iowa where they waited and saved to have the means to cross the plains to the Salt Lake Valley which they did in 1850.  Warren served as captain of the wagon train of 100 wagons. David's life was one of following his father to open new communities across Utah including the Muddy Mission in what would be Nevada.  It must have been hard and much was expected of him.  He chose not to baptize his own children on their eighth birthdays but left that decision up to them.  I've often wondered about his feelings and thoughts during his childhood and young adulthood as he moved often and worked hard to settle yet another place.

You can read about his parents, Warren Foote and Artemisia Sidnie Myers here.  Their story is very much his same experience.  The following excerpt was written about David by a fellow resident of Orderville shortly before his death.

David Foote was five years old when he crossed the plains with his parents, he having his fifth birthday Aug. 23, 1850 while on the plains.

He distinctly remembers seeing the great herds of buffalo on the plains, of gathering buffalo chips to make fires, and seeing the outfits of people going to California during the gold rush being left along the way, the people themselves having died with the cholera.

David as a young man helped his father in all their moving and work of settling a new country.  He helped his father run the gristmill at Cottonwood in Salt Lake and also at Glendale. 

On the Muddy when the Indians were troublesome the men and boys had to herd their cattle in the day and guard them at night in their corrals to keep the Indians from stealing them.  At one time they found the guard asleep with his shoes under his head for a pillow.  At another time when the boys were hauling wood they found a Gila Monster, or large lizard.  The Indians told them if they killed the lizard that the wind would blow them away.  And surely enough next day the wind did blow ferociously.

David learned to play the violin while still very young, it being a natural talent, he never having taken a music lesson in his life.  When just a small boy he used to make cornstalk fiddles and his mother says he would steal her sewing thread to make the strings.  He could play Yankee Doodle and other tunes on it.

As a young man he helped play for the dances on the Muddy and at Glendale.  He and Brother James Watson of Glendale used to go to Kanab and Panguitch to play for dances.  David played the violin and James played the base violin.  David’s brother-in-law Homer Boughton also played with them.

In April 1866 while living at St. Joseph, Nevada David married Emma E. Bennett and two children were born to them at St. Thomas. The older son, David Alma died in infancy and the other, Warren R. was two years old when they left the Muddy.  Another son, George was born at Glendale.

His wife, Emma, left him and later married an unbeliever of the Mormon faith.  This was a hard blow to David and sad to say he could never think the same of the religion his parents suffered so much for.

He married Sarah Hall April 30, 1876.  They were married at Mt. Carmel by J. P. Jolly.  She was born Sept. 24, 1860 at Toquerville, Utah.  They have had 14 children, 13 of whom grew to maturity, 12 now living.  They lived at Glendale 20 years then moved to Orderville in 1899, where they still reside.

David is now 87 years old.  He will be 88 on Aug. 23, 1933.  David Foote is now our oldest pioneer, since the death of Grandma Meeks in Jan. 1933.   David died in August, 1933.

I love this little article for it was the first thing that I read which gave me a glimpse of his personality and talents. The above is a copy of David's death certificate.  He passed away on August 9, 1936.

Sarah Rebecca Hall married David when she was just 16 years old.  Her family had also moved from place to new place.  She was born in Toquerville, Utah Territory on September 24, 1960 to Job Pitcher Hall and Mary Elizabeth Jones.  You can read more about her parents and her early life here.  Rebecca was Job's and Mary's seventh child and third daughter. My grandmother, Rhoda Ann Foote, was the tenth of Sarah's fourteen children.  Rhoda had three younger brothers.  I have been unable to locate any written record of Sarah's life but there are many interesting accounts written about those that surrounded her and were part of her life.

This picture was taken at the Andrew Percy Nyborg and Rhoda Ann Foote ranch in Idaho during a visit by David and Sarah Rebecca.  David is wearing the hat standing behind the wagon on the left side.  My grandfather, Percy, sits on the wagon with his daughter and my mother, Velva Ruth, on his left.  David and Sarah's son, Orville Martin Foote, is seen between Velva and Percy.  My mother's older brother, Elden, stands next to his father.

From this same trip north, Sarah Rebecca holds Velva Ruth on the front porch of the Nyborg home.

David and Sarah Rebecca in their later years.  I love this picture showing how tall David was in comparison to Sarah.

Sarah Rebecca with her Hall siblings, William Wesley Hall and Eliza Ann Hall Roe who was the youngest in the family.

Sarah did not live long after the passing of David.  The above is her death certificate.  She died on May 12, 1937.

They are both buried in the Orderville, Cemetery.