Curtains With Class

Breann bought more material to match the pillows she made so I

could make curtains to go with the pillows. They look great although this picture doesn't do justice to how nice it is that everything is coordinating. Next are the chair pads.

Sunny St. George

We spent the weekend in St. George and stopped to visit the Temple grounds.  How beautiful it is.  Brayle was in a tournament for softball, with her team taking fourth place. 

B is for Basketball Buff

Basketball is Brayle's element and she guards the other team well.   Her aggression really comes on, when the ball is in the wrong hands.  She isn't afraid to use those long arms to snatch it away from an unsuspecting opponent.   Her dribbling shows a certain romance to the ball all the way to the basket.   Shooting comes natural for her and she makes a good percentage of the points. 

This young gal is destined to be a team player at the high school in the near future.  The coaches and prinicipal all have her in their sites. Keep up the good work.

I Want a Bunny, Too.

Jory and Sara are parents of five snuggly lop eared bunnies, now one month old.  We have visited them more in the past month than in a year.  What does that tell you about grandparents?  Brayle and Hunter didn't want to leave after cuddling with these fluffy toddlers. 

Sarah set out a big blanket for them to roam around on, but if they wandered away from it, it was an adventure in discovery.  What will they be like when they are older.  Watch out!

Ancestors in Wood

Dad finished this wood carving of his grand parents, John Jacob Frederick and Maria Bull Schmidt.  He took it from an old family photo his cousin has.  Born Lutheran in 1867, John was introduced to the Church around 1890.  He parted ways with his current girlfriend, who showed no interest when he decided to be baptized.  

Shortly afterward he met Maria Bull where they both lived in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.  She had also joined the Church.  Soon they were making plans to marry and decided to do it in the Salt Lake Temple.  A group of converts were coming to America, so they worked hard to earn the money to immigrate also.   You can just imagine the events at doing everything in their power working odd jobs, to save enough money which took about a year. 

Can you see them taking a train to meet the ship, sailing to America, disembarking at the Ellis Island check point and boarding another train to Salt Lake.  How their love must have grown as they sacrificed for this dream.  They were married in April shortly after arriving in Utah  on March 24, 1895. 

Goals and sacrifices make for great stories.  Read their life history some day when you get a chance.

It's Been 39 Years

This week marks thirty-nine years, January 1973, since Allan (Dad), returned from the Texas North Mission, which covered the north half of the state with its headquarters in Dallas, Texas.  Thanks to our new scanning abilities, you get to see a few of his favorite companions and his official mission photo.   His mission president was Carlos Asay.  It was a good mission with time spent in Fink, Texarkana, Plainview, and Denton, Texas. 

We returned to visit the Dallas area in January of 1981.  It was during the time that both Alicia and Breann came down with the chicken pox.  Both Grandma's Schmidt and Crane helped hold down the fort and weather the illness until we returned a week later.  Several replacement trusses had to be delivered to a church being built in Fort Worth that had some damaged from a storm.  Dad volunteered for the job, with the intent to see his old stomping ground.  While there we were able to visit with several of the families he met and/or baptized. 

 His parents drove down upon his release to pick him up.  Uncle Paul and Aunt Evelyn went along, too.  The only one in his family to have his parents get him.  This started a tradition to follow in their footsteps.   On their return they stopped to see Carlsbad Caverns. 

We both agree that  is was a wonderful decision to serve a mission. 

A Picky Perfect Pillow Lover

Breann made me new pillows for Christmas. The fabric is brown and blue, matches the house perfectly and I love them. She chose pillow forms soft and lite, that bounce back to their original shape. That is something she hated about my motley assortment. The new comers gave our twenty year old couch an upgrade. These new addition look so sharp and classy, and are better than any store bought ones.

I am a pillow hog and seldom sit without using some of the twenty plus we have. If anyone asks to use one, there may not be enough for them. I sleep with no less than three and sometimes even more. But it isn't just any pillow, they have to curve around my neck and fluff up, but not too high.

Life would be a hardship without them. I've decided to make matching curtains and can't wait to begin. Thanks, Breann for bringing style to our home.