The Twelfth of Never

Not so long ago I was waiting until the twelfth of never. It began just thirty six years ago in 1971 that Dad went into the MTC. He left two weeks later to the Texas North Mission. Since it was just a few days before Valentines, he gave me a tiny silver heart necklace with a pearl attached. I looked for the necklace (it's somewhere), but couldn't find it. These are our pictures that he kept of me on his night stand & his official missionary photo.

The two years he was away seemed like forever. Our theme song became, "The Twelfth of Never" which I often sang while driving to work, school or where ever.

I remember going to the first Home and Garden Show the week he left. I joined a missionary club of other gals waiting for their guys, and even became the president. Finishing college, working, dating, and keeping busy passed the time away until he returned home the end of January 1973. Grandma & Pa Schmidt picked him up, touring Carlsbad Caverns and other sites along the way.

It's been a great journey with my true love these many years. It certainly has flown as we married, had a family, build two homes, made many friends, was blessed tremendously, traveled the country and stayed close to our Heavenly Father. I can truly say I am so much better for having married your father 'until the twelth of never, and that's a long long time.

Friday Family Fun-For Kids & Friends

Here are this weeks "do you know your famiily facts?"

1. One spring morning two years ago four children went on an adventure finding hundreds of these little guys. We turned over every pile of leaves, clump of dirt and tangle of trash in the gutters of this tiny town to find family feuds going on below our noses. Left after days of rain and moisture what a bounty was discovered. Ask your children if they remember what it was, where we were & who went.

2. On a hot summer day I hauled a bunch of kids & our jet skiis to a reservoir to have fun. At the end of the day both machines were not working, but the kids had a good time. Cost to repair them $900, time together with friends: priceless. Who’s friends & where did we go?

3. Once we drove a vehicle for a week that had Colorado license plates. We were the only ones with that state’s plates & often got comments from people. Where were we?

Not Your Average "Once Upon a Time"

Ridin' binkies & Cowboys

There was four in the tub and the little one said, "Blub, blub".

I'm really getting into writing my life history & reading about my ancestors. It's humbling to discover things about them. I feel a kinship and closeness as I study their words. My goal is to write something about my own life every Sunday. As I sit doing this, it's amazing how sharp and clear my memory becomes and I'm able to recall much.

For Easter, which is April 12th, I want to present each of the grandchildren with a family storybook. It would include fun, scary, mundane, 'learned your lesson' type blurbs about all of us. Write anything you remember about your youth, your parents, your kids, that will be put in a bedtime book. It needs to be in story form or just give me the facts & I'll do it. Each one personalized for every grand child.

This means I need your help!!! Send, email, blog, call or in person tell me your experiences. If I don't hear from you, you guessed it, the books for your kids will be pretty thin. I'll include both grandparents, parents & child's own personal stories as well as a few from their cousins. You can even tell about funny things you remember about us or any of your siblings. Get your parents (Aaron, Dave, Mike, Jed) to help you. They can even email me.

Bound like the family calendars with your child's picture on the front, we can add more pages at Christmas. Specifically speaking, Brayle's book will focus on her. It'll have stories about Aaron & Mauri's youth, marriage, her birth, Hunter and many stories we remember about her. There'll be stories in the back about her aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents etc. Written simply some stories will be easily read by the child others will be read by you. I'd like to include a picture with every page.

Twenty five pages per book is the minimum goal & I have 71 days to complete them. This gives you 60 days total. Every ten days I need 2 stories about anything from you. Here are the dates: Feb 11th, Feb 21, Mar 3, Mar 13, Mar 23 & Mar 30th. Breann & Jed we need your help, too. I need compilers, proof readers, scanners, picture finders & pests to remind us, as well as your stories.

If you disagree, don't want to do it or think this is crazy, let me know now! I can opt out before burying myself in 175 pages of pure insanity for posterity.

P.S. Breann & Alicia won the Family Fun contest. Correction to when Jory got Zero: Christmas.

Family Fun Fridays

We need to have some fun in this family. Here's a guessing game, to see how much we know. Try to figure out who the person, place or thing is that each summary is describing. The first person to answer them correctly is off the hook for posting the next week's tickler. All other members will be put in a drawing to post photos & fun facts about family the following Friday. If picked you're off the hook until the next month. Some answers are found in the pictures, but not all.

1. Just before Jory’s fifth birthday we celebrated Easter on the road, visiting Capitol Reef Monument in our Holiday Rambler. Hiking the trails, forest ranger talks & waking up to gifts from the Bunny was fun. Mr. Rabbit brought bow & arrows for the girls and a stuffed animal to Jory? What name was given to this furry friend we still have and why?

2. What fun to see the birth of a baby especially when it’s an animal that you love and dream of having, one day! Most children never get this chance because these big beautiful creatures need lots of room, work & patience to own one. Who fell off of this four legged fellow when visiting the Crane’s? Who got to ride them for their birthday @the Wilde’s & who else loves horses today?

3. Early mornings the phone rings in this household, the party calling wants to speak to Grandma. Usually while sitting in the closet this person talks about all the things going on & who did what the day before. Any ideas who may be the caller and who they call?

Hey Hunter, Happy Birthday

It’s Hunter’s 7th birthday today. So much has happened this past year. He started first grade, has gone hunting w/Mom & Dad, lost four teeth, plays Jr. Jazz and a very busy guy.

We watched his basketball game last week as he sped down the court, guarded his man like a detective and handled the ball with energy. Hunter dribbled like a real player and has a great future as a point guard. Good luck on your next game.

Although small, this young man has lots of potential, as he challenges Brayle with creative ‘I’ll get you back’ antics. His big appetite will benefit him as we see him begin to grow, grow, grow. Have a great day today. LOve, Grams & Gramps

Valentine Cards for Customers

Purple & Beige w/heart accents, Size is 6x6
Brown & Pink, You & Me Card, Size 5x7
Black & Beige w/Love Tag, Size 5x7

I love the look of handmade cards. Since Allan's income has dropped to barely there, I am making an assortment of Valentine cards to sell. If you know anyone that may be interested in buying a card, invite them to see our blog or my own blog.


TheCrankyCrane.blogspot.com. Order via my email @skip50schmidt@gmail.com. You can forward my email or take cards to show/sell friends & family @work. I will reward you for your efforts.

The cards are $2.50 each or 2/$4.50. Add $.50 postage for each card, they want mailed to them or loved one. Whoever responds to this or my other blog posting will be put in a drawing for a free card. 1 card drawn for every 10 comments.

For $1 per card attend my classes on Jan 31st from 11-1 pm or Feb 4th, 3-5 & 7-9 pm come & make your own. email me to reserve your spot.

As you know, I sell scrapbooking supplies, teach classes & such for Close to My Heart. Their website is closetomyheart.com

Acknowledging Alicia's Birthday? Call Her

Ask Alicia what she wants for her birthday & you get an answer, in fact many options to choose from. This makes it super easy to come up with a gift for her. She is a gal that knows what she wants & goes after it. She's even teaching the kids to help her in the battle for finding peace, a good deal and the American way. You go, girl!

Thanks Alicia for helping us to get started with blogging & keeping yours current for us to enjoy many of the fun, crazy & unbelievable things going on in New Jersey. How nice of you to let us come hang out for a spell & treat us to good food, sites and especially the children. Although life gets mundane & boring, you are able to create interesting things to help one keep busy. Sarah & Zach are a handful but beautiful treasures that make your life more fulfilled. Keep it up, kids!

Have a super birthday today & know that we all love you.