Facebook Profile Picture

I have had this profile picture on my Facebook page since February 2013. It is a picture of myself and daughter Shaniel. The picture was taken at Thanksgiving Point Gardens in Lehi, Utah in April of 2009.

It's been a tradition to meet as a family at Thanksgiving Point for a day of picnicking and wandering through the beautiful tulip gardens. Four of my children were able to attend that day. I bought each of the granddaughters fairy wings. The grandsons and granddaughters all got butterfly nets. 

Soon the kiddos were fluttering wildly among the brightly colored tulips, chasing butterflies with their nets. They were the talk of the gardens. There were ooohs and ahhhs, and "where did you get these darling little fairies?,and how cute!" Garden enthusiasts wanted to know where they could buy the wings and nets. Sadly, I had to tell them I did not purchase them at Thanksgiving Point Gardens. It was my own idea and I had bought them at a store in my hometown. So... the gardens were filled with just my own little fairies that day. And did they ever steal the show! Maybe even more so than the beautiful tulips themselves.

Why did I choose this as my profile picture? Because... it keeps my heart close to this dear and precious daughter. Shaniel was murdered by her husband in February of 2013. It brings me great comfort to see her and I, mother and daughter, enjoying one of the many days of being together. As well as being together as a family... all of us.  

This picture keeps Shaniel's memory close to my heart and soul. It's like she's here. So close. I can hear her laughter, feel her touch, watch her run and play with the kids with energy and excitement. I am reminded of her unique ways of making every event a holiday to remember. 

I don't see myself replacing this Facebook profile picture anytime soon, and maybe never. Love and miss my Shaniel...

Writing Prompt #5:  Share the story behind your current Facebook profile picture.

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MAGICAL!

Our babysitter, Cindy, entertained my siblings and I with magic tricks. I was only four years old but remember it like it were yesterday. I was spell bound as she took a nickel and made it disappear, only to be pulled out of our ears seconds later. For a small child, that was the most amazing trick I had ever seen!

I grew up fascinated with magic. Not so much the tricks, but mystical, enchanting, magical things. 

With each tooth I lost as a child, I carefully placed it underneath my pillow so the Tooth Fairy could pick it up and leave a coin. The next morning I could hardly wait to look for clues of the Tooth Fairy. Us kids would scour the yard for signs of pixie dust, fairy wings, feathers, and miniature prints of any kind. Those days were filled with wonderful imaginations. 

Mom made Christmas come alive with wonderment and enchantment. It was the most magical time of the year. She was like a kid herself as she busied herself in the kitchen baking treats, decorating the house, singing Christmas carols, wrapping gifts and hiding them, and involving the entire family in doing secret service projects for the neighbors. She listened to our ever changing "lists" to Santa and did her best to make sure he delivered on them! On Christmas Eve we kids all slept in the attic bedrooms together. It was fun and exciting as we peered out the window at a bright star in the sky that we were certain was a sign of the Savior's birth. We listed for the sound of jingle bells and was positive we heard them... that is until we looked over the rail of the stairs to see dad slithering up the steps to see if we were asleep. We had been caught... or was it the other way around!

When I became a parent, it was important to me to carry on the same traditions as my parents. I wanted my children to experience the magic and wonderment that comes with holidays. I wanted to bring culture and excitement into my children's lives. 

My children looked for the Tooth Fairy, just as I had. And Christmas was always full of surprises. I looked for the extraordinary things, as well. When I was a single mother I found new things to introduce my children to. I was attending USU in Logan and was surrounded with cultural opportunities. Even though I did not have a lot of money I made sure we did a few things, and they proved to make a huge impact on my children's happy memories of home.

A nice theater was in town and the Nutcracker was playing. The kids and I dressed in our best and attended a star stunning live performance. It wasn't the play they remember so much, but the atmosphere, the beautiful costumes, the grand staircase and massive curtains. It was the whole experience that created the magic. 

One of the best trips the Mr. and I went on was to Ireland. The Blarney Castle had hidden behind a large stone wall with overgrown vines a secret mystical garden. Meandering down winding and densely covered paths led to a beautiful waterfall with lily pads gold fish and frogs. We walked up mysterious stone stairs, encountered magical stones, and discovered secret fairy places. The above picture... a toadstool carved from a stump, was taken at the fairy garden.

The kids are all raised with families of their own. The tradition of holidays and events continues to get more and more imaginative, and bigger, and.... you get the picture! I have children that exercise their imaginations like you would not believe. They want their children to experience what they did and more! And they have a mother (and grandmother) that still gets terribly excited with planning grand adventures that include wonderment, excitement, enchantment, spell-binding, and magical family togetherness.

Grandparenting provides the perfect opportunity for sprinkling magical, enchanting, and adventurous fun on the family. I center most events and parties around themes. It ties the adventure together and makes it both meaningful and fun. I buy hats, kerchiefs, fairy wings, books, etc. for the kiddos to make them feel like they are living an adventure that takes them to a magical time.

Following is a list of magic we've created for our family ----

Traveling Suitcase - we pack a suitcase filled with things related to place we want to visit (state parks, museums, etc.) I like to link it to ancestors, history, anything that makes it meaningful, interactive, and fun. 

Theater - We frequent our local Live Playhouses. One year all the little girls dressed up for a Cinderella Play. The day included formal invitations, spa treatment (in grandma's jet tub), a fancy homemade lunch, and meeting Cinderella herself after the play.

Mothers Day Tea - with the girls. We dress up, use our best dishes, and enjoy a wonderful afternoon visiting and just being pretty. We'll be hosting a bouquet full of fairies this year! Can't wait.

Thanksgiving Point - is the place to be in the spring in Utah. The tulip gardens are beautiful and creates the most imaginative walk under pergolas, along streams, down cobblestone paths, and behind secret doors. One year I bought angel wings and hair pieces for the girls and butterfly nets for all the kids. As they ran from place to place in the garden they became the talk of the gardens. 

"Where did you get the wings and nets?"  "And... oh... they look like pretty little fairies fluttering around the gardens!" 

One year we had a Mad Hatter's Tea Party before entering the garden. That was another magical adventure in itself.

Harvest Fest - At the end of harvest, when all the fruit is picked and the tractors are put away, we celebrate with food, games, a carnival for the little kids, and a Spooky Hollow Walk and hayride through the orchard. The atmosphere in the orchard is spell binding and exciting as they hunt for treasures. Everyone dresses up in Halloween costumes. One year we had a scarecrow making contest. One of our favorite years was centered around pirates and treasure.

Every five years we go somewhere, as a family, for a few days. The first year we started this tradition, we went to the Homestead Inn, a family friendly resort in the Wasatch Mountains. They offered sleigh rides and craft classes for the kids. The trip included a ride on the Polar Express with Santa, Mrs. Santa, and their elves hosting. One of the grandchildren received the "first bell". Most of the grandchildren had never been ice skating before, so that was on our list too. Being on the ice, snow falling from the sky, with Christmas music playing was nothing short of magic!

As the grand kids grow and age, so do the adventures. But one thing is for certain... there is always an element of surprise, wonderment, excitement and magic in everything we do! 

Oh... it's time to get planning!

What's your kind of MAGIC?

Writing prompt #3: Write a blog post inspired by the word: magic

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Six Word Fridays: Drink Me!

Mad Hatter's Tea Party -- Thanksgiving Point

She drank from a bottle called

    Drink Me! And up she grew 

        so tall. She ate from a 

   plate that said Eat Me! and

down she shrank so small. And

so she changed, while other folks

never tried nothing' at all! --Alice









My girls and I have a Mother's Day Tea every year for Mother's Day. Sometimes we do something out of the ordinary and invite all the guys. A couple of years ago we went to Thanksgiving Point Gardens in Lehi and had a Mad Hatter's Tea Party! Homemade hats, special potions, colorful eateries, a walk through the tulip gardens, and a touch of madness fun was on our Alice In Wonderland menu.

drink

Mad Hatter Tea Party.. inspired by Pinterest

Every year my daughters and I have a Mother's Day Tea. Since the family lives in two different areas of the state, sometimes we invite the boys if we are planning an adventure for the day. This year, we met at Thanksgiving Point to visit the tulip gardens. Keeping that in mind, I decided the best place to start searching ideas for a tea party that wouldn't be too girly... was on Pinterest.

In my search, I came across a spattering of blogs dedicated to the Mad Hatter. Perfect... a Mad Hatter Tea Party! I created a board just for that and pinned idea after idea. After gathering pictures and formulating ideas for my party, I narrowed my list down to just a few things and the ideas were soon adapted into my own liking with my grandchildren in mind.

From invitations and hats to tea cups and cake stands... the Mad Hatter Tea Party came together. The following pictures are the things we did taken from ideas inspired on Pinterest.

Invitations

Materials - light brown cardstock, clock stamp, 3-D paper clocks, ribbon, charms, brads (Michael's, my own stash).

Mad Hatter Hats

Materials - plastic hats from (Zurcher's) a Party Store, spray painted in a variety of colors and decorated with ribbon, silk flowers, charms, feathers, netting, garden tools (Michael's, JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, Tia Pan), etc.

Accessories

I've collected a variety of tea pots, tea cups, and plates over the years. This year I added a large tea cup and saucer (JoAnn's), miniature glass bottle (Hobby Lobby), and cake stand (Tia Pan). 

Tags tied to tea ware.. Eat Me, Drink Me, White Rabbit Crunch

Mad Hatter Tea Party

Writing prompt #5: Pinterest inspired! Share something you pinned and actually tried.

Some things never change

It took some digging to find a picture of myself ten years ago. Digital pictures did not start until 2006. Anyway, for me. I found a picture that is striking similar to a recent picture. Wouldn't you know!

Ten years ago I was a fairly new grandma.  I've added several more since then. And I love them all! Grandmothering is a very good place to be in. There's so many wonderful things to do... like:

play at the park.

picnic at the park.

take lots of pictures.

give lots of hugs and kisses, and I love you's!

watch ball games.

attend Grandparent's Day at school.

have movie day.

push them in swings.

watch their talents grow by attending meets and recitals.

watch them learn to swim.

buy them things (I guess that means spoil them once in awhile!)

go on Day Adventures.

make cookies.

get messy with paint.

take them to preschool.

watch them learn to walk, ride a bike, lose their first tooth.

You get the picture!  Today, I'd rather not think about the ways I've changed. I'll pretend I haven't aged a bit!

                                                   May 2012

A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty. author unknown

writing prompt #5: Find a photo of yourself taken 10 years ago and display it on your blog along with a current photo. How have changed since the day that photo was taken?