Forget Me Not

Last week I discovered that 

my forget-me-nots had bloomed 

in my garden.

Later that day, I rediscovered one of my favorite pictures of my mom in her beloved red Ford Taurus.

I took the picture of my mom parked in my driveway in Pleasant Grove.  She is holding a basket used for fruit.

I consider both discoveries

tender mercies.

It is said that the wearer

of forget-me-nots

will never be forgotten.

My mom must be wearing

them every day. 

Green Pears

Have I mentioned that one of my favorite treats of this summer/fall season is a green pear?  Other than being aware that one must carefully time the eating of green pears with any and all upcoming social events, they are a delightful treat that comes once a year.  They are best when eaten directly off a tree.


Over the years my dad has entered fruit in to the Utah State Fair.  One year he discovered a pear tucked away in one of his trees that would surely take first place in the 'Biggest Pear' category.  He watched it grow and planned on picking it the day before fair entries were due.  When the day arrived, he hurried over to the orchard to pick this prize-winning pear.  To his dismay, the pear was gone.  It wasn't until the other fruit from all over the state was entered and on display that he realized that his brother, Cliff, had found his prized pear, picked it, entered it and won first prize.  All of his tender loving care of that huge pear had paid off nicely - a blue ribbon in fact - it just didn't go to my dad.


He never really said but I think that was one lost ribbon that was a little harder to get over.  It's one thing to be beaten by someone else but quite another to be beaten by your own success and hard work.

Being a gracious 'loser' was a great lesson my dad taught me that year as I munched on the pears that didn't make it to the fair.  It wasn't so much in what he said but in how he acted.  In fact, it became part of our family's lore and always garners a laugh when we remember 'Uncle Cliff's' prize winning pear.


Dad, thanks for the lesson and thanks for the green pears.

Whispers of Summer

There shall be eternal summer

in the grateful heart.

- Celia Thaxter -

Empty Spools

I can still remember the thrill of emptying my first spool of thread.  I was a junior in high school and was sewing on my trusty Kenmore sewing machine that I had purchased with money earned as a checker at Ream's grocery store in American Fork.  I can't remember what I was sewing but I do remember it was a spool of white thread.

Fancy Nancy's sister, Carolyn

My older sister, Carolyn, is a fabulous seamstress and had already sewn several complicated outfits that fit like a glove during her high school years.  My attempts at clothing construction were discouraging.  Things never seemed to fit properly and, after putting that much time and effort in to a project, it seemed a waste to see it hang in my closet.  The last thing you want is to have your outfit scream 'Homemade' and mine felt like they were giant billboards for all that can go wrong with trying to sew your own clothes.

A Fancy Nancy apron

In my defense, I never had a sewing teacher who took the time to teach me how to adjust a pattern to insure a good fit.  My junior high home economics teacher was just plain grumpy and seemed bothered by the idea of teaching 'tweens' how to sew (or any other subject) and my high school teacher gravitated towards the girls who were willing to brown nose.

A Fancy Nancy sewing friend

I soon found my interests redirected to sewing anything that wasn't clothing.  Over the years I have sewn through just about every craft phase that has come along.  Geese, bunnies, cloth dolls, doll clothes, pillows, costumes, curtains, receiving blankets, blessing outfits, quilts, aprons and so on.  I always joked that it was the one thing I did that stayed done - unlike cooking and cleaning.  I just loved the feeling of taking a piece of fabric, a pattern and thread and creating something unique to me.  I even sewed to earn money while Mr. W. was in school.

Fancy Nancy's kitty

I have accumulated enough fabric and patterns for several lifetimes and continue to find time to put my foot to the pedal (sewing that is).  After all of these years and all of the many hours of sewing, I confess that I still get excited when I've emptied another spool.  To me it represents the creative process and the sense of accomplishment of finishing something that in some small part speaks to the creative side of me.

As you can tell from the picture, this year has been a busy year.  I can't wait to share some of my finished projects but right now I've got to run . . . my sewing machine is calling to me.

Fancy Nancy aka Material Girl with three of her creations
(and yes, that is a house costume -
my grandson wanted to go as HIS house -
his family was renting the basement apartment
and so the 'front' of his house
is really the back of the house).
I get extra Grandma Points for figuring out
 how to make that costume!

Mother Nature

(zinnias + butterfly bush = best friends supporting each other)

Don't you love how Mother Nature

arranges flowers?

Life Questions ? ? ? ? ?

Have you ever run across a picture that triggers a thousand questions and memories?

Well, I ran across this picture last week and here are some of the questions that crossed my mind.

1.  Why does my brother, Mark, look possessed/on parole?

2.  Where or where did that skinny body of mine go?

3.  Why does Mr. W. look like he is drugged and ready to be kidnapped by a cult?

4.  Who in the decorating world convinced us that 'earth tones' (a nice way of saying rust, gold and weird olive green), particularly in floral patterns, was 'IN'?

5.  Why were Mr. W. and I so proud of our Korean ripoff Polo shirts that my brother, Ray, brought back from his mission?  (The fact that they were $5 and a blend should have tipped us off.)

6.  When did we realize that ModPodging pictures of anything on fake panelling was no longer in style?  (Was it ever in style?)

7.  How did my little guy, Ryan (on Mr. W.'s lap), grow up so fast?


8.  Why didn't someone check me for anemia?


9.  Why did mom keep a brass horn hanging on the wall by the sliding glass door?  Was Little Boy Blue visiting?  (You know - Little Boy Blue come blow your horn, the sheep are in the meadow, the cows in the corn . . .)

and most importantly . . . .

10.  Why does Mark have the only piece of cake?
* An apology to Ralph Lauren for putting a teeny tiny dent in his multi-million/billion dollar fashion dynasty by purchasing Polo knockoffs.  It would appear that he has recovered nicely.

Courage

- Mom & her dog sitting on the edge of her cot -

I love calendars that have inspirational thoughts on them.  I hang mine in my bathroom where I can look at it and ponder while I'm blow drying my hair.  When I turned the page on my calender to July, I found this thought - "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin


Yesterday was my mom's birthday and, as I thought of her, I thought of this quote.  When my mom was about five months pregnant with me, she developed appendicitis.  At that time there were no laproscopic techniques in place that would have enabled them to operate on my mom and preserve the pregnancy.  Faced with the possibility of her own death and on the advice of her doctors, it was suggested that she agree to abort the pregnancy and have surgery.  With great courage and substantial risk to her own life, she asked if they would treat her with antibiotics and see if that would resolve her appendicitis.  The doctor was willing to try this but reminded her that if that failed, there would be no choice but to end the pregnancy.  The advances in neonatal care were years down the road and so there was no chance of me surviving at five months gestation.

Obviously, the course of antibiotics combined with tremendous faith and prayers allowed my mom to recover, deliver a full-term baby (me) and live long enough to see her seven children raised and 28 grandchildren born.

- Four Generations -

The story surrounding my birth would in and of itself be considered miraculous but the overlying miracle to all seven of our births was that my mom was told that she would never bear children.  She contracted rheumatic fever as a child and was literally bedridden for a full year, unable to even put her legs over the side of the bed.  The doctors told my grandmother that my mother's heart was not strong enough to carry a pregnancy and survived the strain of birth.  My mother received numerous priesthood blessings of health and strength and was able to have seven children.  After my oldest brother, John, was born, the doctor told mom that she should not have any more children.  Her mother (my Grandma Adamson) marched in with her at the next appointment and told him very directly that God had promised her strength and the ability to be a mother in Zion and that he would preserve her to that end.  She told him that it was not his place to question God's blessings and that his place was to give my mom the best medical care available.  (I'm sure the doctor was just watching out for my mom's health, he just hadn't met my grandma yet!)  I have been blessed by my mother's courage and her willingness to trust in the Lord.

Throughout my life I have witnessed great courage.  I also recognize that many battles are fought in private and that great courage can sometimes be overlooked because we are unaware of the challenge hard fought. 

- My courageous neighbors - Joan is currently battling

a serious strep eye infection &

Christina is on a South African adventure

with her husband & five boys for a year. -

For my mom it was the courage to have children.  For my father, it was choosing church activity while growing up in an inactive home.  Yesterday we celebrated our twin grandsons birthday.  I was humbled at the courage shown by Jason and Kelli with their decision to start a family in uncertain economic times.  

- Cousins checking out the binky - 

- Bradley & Jensen's Birthday Party - July 10, 2010 -

I have witnessed the courage shown by sisters who have been willing to right a wrong, bear the burden of depression, battle addiction, return to gospel fellowship, visiting teach, purchase a modest prom dress, turn off an inappropriate TV show, serve in 'high' and 'low' profile callings, bless a ward in South Africa by modeling open-heartedness, fill a cannery assignment, refuse to gossip, befriend new ward members, commit to church attendance regardless of their spouses activity, teach a difficult Primary class, influence a struggling teenager, serve a mission, accept a calling, choose to not take offense and so many other things.  The strength of sisterhood is directly affected by the courage of it's sisters.  You have proven to be courageous and fierce in your defense of the gospel.

- Some of the sweet RS sisters of the 4th Ward -

I am better for having been taught by the sisters of this ward.  I love you and thank you for all of your support and love.

Love,  Nancy

* My farewell email dated July 11, 2010 to the Relief Society sisters in my ward on the day of my release as Relief Society President after serving for 3 1/2 years.*