CHAIRS

Just before Christmas, I reapholstered my bar stools. I really liked the material on them before. They were red and beige but had lots of stains, and I needed a fresh, clean look. I found four black and beige materials that I loved. I especially love the paiseley design. Also, notice the red bows on two of the bar stools. Next year for Christmas, I will have all four bows done. I am not much of a decorator, but once in a while, I do something that makes me feel good--like this.

Nathan made the Salt Lake Choral Artist's children's Choir. He will be performing in a concert February 20th with T minus 5 (to the right). Jason, the last one on the right, is a good friend and I am excited to see the concert.

Merry Christmas. We have had a great day.

We got to talk to Carissa for almost an hour. She is doing well and having fun.

We woke up at 6:00 a.m. and had fun watching everyone open their presents. It was a fun morning. This afternoon some of my family came and hung out and of course, ate. It was pleasant and relaxing.

CARISSA AND DANNY

Carissa has a new boyfriend named Danny. He is in the accounting program at BYU and is in Carissa's ward. She is having fun and they are a cute couple. His family lives in Sandy, UT and he went on his mission to Guatemala.

Oh, that reminds me. Carissa is going to Russia for Christmas this year. Her roomates' (Libby and Sara) family lives there and invited her home for Christmas. Carissa thought it was a wonderful opportunity and jumped on it. She flies out this Saturday and won't be home till January 3rd. She will have a great time!

NO PICTURES

Nathan and Chelsie made the cutest snowman on Saturday, but we didn't take any pictures. We meant to, but it never happened. He was so cute. Well, Sunday morning, I thought I would take his picture, but with the heavy, wet snow, I guess he kind of melted and fell apart overnight. We will have to make another one.

I have been "wasting" my morning by checking all my e-mails and updating all my favorite blogs. I probably should be cleaning the house or organizing Relief Society, but I have chosen to sit at the computer and do my "stuff." Next, I will check the Credit Union site and make sure I have recorded all of my spending lately. I am in the habit of using my debit card and not recording it, so I have to keep up through the online banking.

I have most of my Christmas cards sent out, or addressed and ready to send. The cards are really cute, but the envelope is really plain. I have some stamps I was going to dress them up with, but I don't know where they are now, and I just wanted to send them out. Also, the newsletter is pretty blah too, but at least the information is there. Maybe next year I will do something really spectacular.

Today I will go to the school from 1:30 - 3:30. Then, I need to make sure that Nathan makes it to piano lessons. Rachel's and Nathan's recital is next Monday morning at 10:00. They have to have their pieces totally memorized. My piano teachers never made me memorize anything. I wonder if I could have done it.

David and I are singing a duet in church next week for the Christmas program. We really are not singers. David has a good voice and I am o.k., but the choir director asked and we decided that we would give it a try. We are singing "Silent Night" and it is a complicated arrangement. We'll see how it goes.

This weekend we are going to "The Cabin" with the Wainwrights. I need to e-mail them all directions, so maybe I will do that before I check on my account balance.

Well, enough of this. I just haven't blogged in so long and so much has and is going on. Hopefully I will update soon.

HALLOWEEN

Our pumpkins
Rachel-----Nathan----Chelsie-----Chelsie-----Shannan------David

Nathan didn't have his Mime makeup on

We had a very nice Halloween. Our friends invited us over for a party on Halloween day right before trick-or-treating started, and it was a nice time. They had a huge blow-up slide and a bounce house and blow up haunted castle. They also did a pinata. They served hot dogs, donuts, chips, and rootbeer. This is the second year they have done it, and it seems to be expanding (these are the people that we love with the fun cabin).

Chelsie was a fairy princess and Nathan was a Mime. He decided he didn't want to go (I guess he is growing up). Chelsie and David went out while the rest of us stayed home and handed out candy.

Earlier that day I had taken them to the pumpkin patch. We go every year and almost missed the tradition this year. We got our pumpkins and then came home to carve them. Whew! Just in the nick of time!

I actually had to teach Relief Society the next day and so I was putting finishing touches on my lesson. My counselors and I attended our first Welfare Meeting. We were pretty quiet--It was my first one ever and I had no idea what I would need to say. Next time I will be more prepared.

Things are going great, although we do have another funeral this week--I think Thursday. I am sorry for the passing of this sweet sister, but as usually seems to be the case, it really was the best thing. She will be missed!

CHANGES

My life will never be the same! I was called to be the Relief Society President two weeks before General Conference. My counselors and I were sustained the next week. I got to conduct for the first time and let me tell you, it isn't as easy as it looks. You get up there to make announcements and there is just so much going on that you leave things out or just look silly. Wow! Just be prepared! This can happen to anyone of you women out there--don't ever think you will never be a Relief Society President, because it can happen. I am living proof.

I have two great counselors. We have only been in for about five weeks, and they are just amazing! I am so glad that I have them by my side!!!

Well, I am struggling with adding things to my blog anyway, but suddenly my life is filled with so many other experiences, that I am not sure how current I will keep this. I am not even sure if anyone checks in on this, so it is probably no big deal. I was just up e-mailing the bishop with some visiting teaching changes and got a wild hair to add this to my blog.

MY FRONT DOOR

Last year I bought paint to paint our front door and pillars. The weather grew cold and we procrastinated long enough that we couldn't paint. Then, all summer long we just never got around to it. Finally, we had our front pillars wrapped in siding so we will never have to paint them again. On Memorial Weekend, we got most of our front door painted and then finished it up two weeks later. The picture doesn't do it justice. It really looks great!

ALLEY UPDATE

Alley is growing up and has had her second set of shots and is healthy. She is still very playful and fun--we just don't like her biting us. She is an indoor cat, but longs to go outside.

GIVING BLOOD

Becca went to give blood last night. I went too, but I was denied since I had been to Belize in the last year. I felt kind of bad because I wanted to do it with Becca, but she went ahead and did it by herself. The guy that took her blood was so nice, good, and made her and me feel at ease. Becca did a great job, even though she did get light-headed. They were so nice to her and put an ice pack on her neck and raised her feet and took such good care of her. I was proud of her for doing it.

PET NEWS

The Wainwrights finally got a pet---A cute little kitten named Alley. We found her on KSL.com and got her on Wednesday. She is such a pretty little thing who sleeps much of the time. Chelsie just loves her to pieces, but we all adore her. I can't believe we have a pet and that we are all enjoying it ( I think even David is doing o.k.).

RACHEL GOT HER LICENSE

I took Rachel to the DMV on Monday to get her license. She turned 16 the Saturday before, but we were on the road to Oregon, and so she had to wait till we got back. She has only driven once by herself in the white car (standard transmission), and that was comical. She does much better in the van (automatic). I think she will be a good drive--she is very cautious (almost too cautious). Rachel is such a sweet girl and it is so fun to watch her grow up. She will be a Junior on Monday!

Lt. Governor's Challenge

Our family has been doing the Lt. Governor's Challenge for the last six weeks or so and we have about six to go. I went on the site (http://www.ltgovernorschallenge.us/index.php?msg=logout ) to update my info and I realized that I need to step it up. I registered my activity to the Silver level, but my nutrition level is at the Gold level. I hope I make it. It has been a good program to follow and to give me an incentive to be healthier.

We just got back from a fun Hagberg family reunion. We spent three days up at Lake Walcott near Rupert, Idaho. It was so fun to see cousins that I haven't seen in so long, and especially to see their cute kids! It was fun to see my Aunts and Uncle. Thanks to Nika and Matthew for making it happen.

SWIMMING LESSONS

Nathan and Chelsie have been taking swimming lessons. Nathan has really done well. Chelsie is also doing well, but may have to take level one again--unless she can float on her back for the teacher.

HOME FROM GIRLS CAMP!

I came home from girls camp Friday afternoon. We went up to a place by Morgan called Zarahemla. It is our Stake campsite. We had a great time, and the girls were amazing. They are wonderful and the whole week was PERFECT!!!!!! I am nervous, because if I get to be camp director next year, how will it ever compare to this year?

Anyway, I will have some pictures, maybe tomorrow. I took my camera that is WiFi, and I don't know how to connect it to this computer, so I don't know how to get the pictures off without taking it to Costco, having a disc made and then loading it onto the computer. I don't know why I took that one. Oh well. I didn't take very many pictures anyway. I am hoping others will share with me.

The crafts were fun and tons of them. They had magnet boards, bead bracelets, vinal lettering, cool journals, humanitarian projects, and a few more. The food was good--taco salad, tin foil dinners, super yummy BBQ beef sandwiches. There was a cool night hike. Certifying was amazing! The stake did the whole thing. Our testimony meeting was sweet. The last day I was wishing I could stay one more day (maybe even two), but I did come home.

It was so good to be with the stake, at least for me. I got to rub shoulders with tons of friends that I don't see very often. There are so many amazing people in this world.

GIRLS CAMP

I am getting ready for girls camp and I feel like I have a ton to do. Our girls are going to our Stake Camp this year, so I don't have to organize food, but I just hope the girls have a great experience.

You can't see our camp logo very well, but the theme is Firm in the Faith. We leave Next Tuesday, July 7, and will be at camp until Friday.

MOTHER'S WEEKEND

I got to go to Rexburg with Heather and Sara for Mother's Weekend at BYU-I. It was so fun to see Becca's appartment, meet her roommates, eat at her favorite restaurant, and walk all over campus. The Manwaring Center is changing so much, and the bookstore is quite a bit bigger. The construction is a pain, but when it is done, it will be very nice. Maybe it will be done in time for Rachel to enjoy it. I got to go to church with Becca before we left, and I really had a great time with her.

A LOT

A lot has gone on lately. I am typing this from a little netbook and I am not used to it, so it is kind of hard. Our computer is being fixed.

The kids are out of school. Last week was our first week home, and we did pretty well. We managed to stay somewhat busy with few "I'm bored"s. The final weeks of school brought Chelsie's field trip to the zoo, Nathan's State Fair, Field Day, and my last few chances to make money before school let out. I actually subbed the very last day when a teacher showed up and wasn't feeling well. She was sad to not be there her last day, and some of her class cried when she walked out the door, but what can you do? Anyway, it went pretty well.

Our really good friends' daughter got married last Friday. She is Carissa and Becca's good friend. It was a beautiful day and they did such a nice job on their wedding lunch. It really was nice. It is so weird to have your childrens' friends getting married. Megan and Ryan are good kids and a wonderful example to us.

We are starting to plan our trip to Oregon. We are excited, but also have never done a trip like this. We don't know much about Oregon.

I need to get girls camp going. It is in three weeks and I don't quite know what I am doing. It is stake camp and I am the ward camp director. We are going to have so much fun, and I love our girls so much. I guess that is why I am worried about having it planned.

Our family went to Snowbird last Monday to hang out with the Wainwright family. It was crowded as usual, but good to see the gang.

O.K. I will add some pictures when I get my computer back.

MEMORIAL DAY

Monday, we went to Orem and decorated the graves. We started at the Orem cemetery and then moved to East Lawn Cemetery, and ended at the Provo Cemetery. When all the picture taking and decorating was done, we headed to Keith and Carla's house where we had a wonderful dinner. Carla had ham and sloppy joes and chips and rootbeer floats and twinkies. We ate potato salad, green salad, jello salad, fruit salad, and pasta shrimp salad.

After the Wainwright gathering, we went to Orem to see my family. I didn't get to see Stewart's or Matthew's families, but everyone else was there. Of course, we got to bed late.

STATE REPORT

Whoa! Nathan just finished his State report, and he reported on the state of Texas. He procrastinated so long and was up till 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday night. He kept insisting that he could wait until Thursday, but his teacher had told me Wednesday. When he woke up Wednesday morning, the first thing he said was "I got my state report completely done!!!" He was so relieved and happy to have that over with. He did everything all by himself. I was so irritated and not in the mood to participate in his homework. It didn't turn out how I would have done it, but that is better--it is how he would have done it! He did admit that he wished that he had more time to do his "parade float" a little better, but at least he did it and on time. Tomorrow is the big State Fair where we go to the school and look over all the work that the kids did. If I remember, I will take pictures and post a picture of Nathan's hard work.
Wow! It is done. Only 7 more days till school is out!

PIANO RECITAL

Nathan and Rachel had their piano recital last Wednesday. Nathan played the theme from Star Wars and Rachel played Christofori's Dream. They both played beautifully. We did record them, but it would take about 9 minutes to hear Rachel's piece (it was long), Nathan's would probably last 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. It was a very nice recital.

APRONS

Last night I finished sewing 27 aprons for the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Each of them were a little different with different fabric and color of bias tape. I am not sure what their plans are, but I know they are having some kind of program that they will use them at. The lady that had me make them wrote a cute little poem that she will stick in the pocket. They were simple, but it took me a long time to do 27 of them. I am glad to have them done, and now I have three pair of pants to hem and then a curtain to make for a friends theater room.

WICKED

Friday night, we went to see Wicked, and it was wonderful. The cast was delightful and it was such a fun night. David and I took Carissa, Becca, and Rachel. Nathan and Chelsie got a babysitter, which is very rare for them and they enjoyed it. They probably would have enjoyed the show, but the tickets were so expensive, and there was a chance they would have been complaining that it was too long, so we will have to take them another time. I am sure it will be around again. It was so good!

We went to dinner at my new favorite place in Bountiful called Sego Lilly. We were able to eat in a quiet atmosphere and not feel rushed. It was really yummy and fun to take the girls to my new "spot."

Becca was especially excited to see Wicked. She had all the songs memorized, but hadn't seen it. Carissa saw it in New York and was worried that it wouldn't be as good. Rachel didn't know what to expect, but we were all pleased with the end result. I just can't say enough good about it.

I knew a skeleton amount of information about the show and I wanted it that way so that when I saw it I would be surprised, and I was. I want to see it again.

IT'S LAMBING SEASON

Our shepherd friends invite us to the ranch every year to watch baby lambs born, but every year, we just pass it up. Sunday night, Tonya called and said that they were going for Family Home Evening and we were invited. It seemed a little inconvenient, but I decided that this was the year, and I am glad that we went. We, along with some of our other ward friends met at Dave and Tonya's house and caravaned to Grantsvile where their ranch is. It is so cool--probably a typical ranch, but to me it was cool. They gave us a little tour, and Carissa took pictures for me. We arrived just a few minutes after a baby lamb had been born. They carry the lamb to a special "newborn stall" and its mom is supposed to follow, but I guess a lot of times they don't. Well, this mom didn't either and so the shepherd had to go follow the mom and drag it to its baby. They spend a little bit of time in these stalls and the mom and baby get to know each other. Then, they take them to another stall with three or four other moms and babies. In these stalls, they learn to recognize their babies and learn each other's scents and become familiar with finding each other in a bigger group. Then they are put in an even bigger stall and then sent out to the pasture. This process enables them to be able to go to the mountain and to be able to find each other and recognize each other.

About 5 minutes after we got there, another lamb was born. We got to watch Tonya and Chad help the baby lamb come out. It needed a little bit of assistance.

We saw a big pen where they had these huge white dogs [piranese (spelling?)] that were pretty ferocious. They don't allow these dogs with humans. They don't want them to get familiar with humans or they won't do their job, which is to keep the coyotes and other predators away from the lambs when they are on the mountains. They also have llamas up on the mountain which are excellent at protecting the sheep. Cool, huh?

They gave our kids rides in their cool little golf cart type thing and a four-wheeler that they have. We saw their horses and goats. They also had a lot of peacocks which are great at catching mice that are in their hay stacks.

We had fun. Oh, and of course we all went out for ice cream afterwards. Thanks Dave and Tonya (and all the Howard family who have been so good to us).