52 Blessings - 15 Pictures of Family for the 15th of February 2015

Calvin - Sunday dinner with the missionaries

Jane - Hawaii planning session with Ray and Cali

Calvin and Jane - opened Valentines from Zeph and Afton

Ezra - Today was Ezra Wilhelm's baby blessing.
It was wonderful and promised great things.

Ande - juggling

Zeph - Zeph thought a toothbrush for a
pacifier was a fair trade. Ezra disagreed.

Michelle: I'm a bit perplexed that I'm at the point
in my life that I've become a minivan mom. 

Eliza: sliding down the stairs made my
skirt hike up like Grandma Kathy's. 

Ty: I made some delicious rolls using flour
I ground myself with our new wheat grinder.

Afton: showing everyone how I hug dad's nose.

Henry - Church is out!

Grace - visiting Clara

Abe - Sunday night weekly call to siblings

Atlas - playing Legos together

Levin - wearing his swimming suit in preparation
for vacation next week . . . he asks every day if today
is the day we go to the beach.

Life in Our World - Things to Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here is/are (for the life of me I can't figure out whether to use plural or singular here) a smattering of things that I love from the last few weeks.

Amazon Prime

Biscuits and Gravy

Creating

Discovering

Discovering

Exercising

Family

Generosity 

Husband

Internet
(celebrating Laura Ingalls Wilder's birthday no less)

Jesus Christ

Kind words

Literature for children

Music

New rugs

Order

Polka dots and picnic tables

Quilt

Rick Jackson's Country Classics Radio Program

Scriptures

Testimony of the truthfulness
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Undoubtably true and experienced

Valentines

Wire baskets

XOXOXO

Yogurt with coconut

Zesta crackers with homemade soup

I hope you all have a great Valentine's Day.

Tuesday Tried It - Pin Win

http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2014/01/easy-valentines-day-cookies.html

I made these Valentine cookies for our Young Women.  The Pinterest creator was right -- they're quick and easy and relatively inexpensive ($2.00 for the cookies  + .50 cents for the white chocolate +  a few leftover sprinkles = .06 cents per cookie).

I put three cookies in a cellophane bag with a little bit of paper crinkle in the bottom and tied them with baker's twine.  Total cost per Valentine was less than .20 cents.

It made me want to dip whatever I could find.

Homemaking - Keeping a Record

I'm doing two new family history projects this year.

One project is a-picture-a-day on Instagram.  I write a family letter most every Sunday evening with the news, thoughts, and events of our week.  This year, as I print and file the letters in a journal, I'll add the Instagram photos. Here are a few examples from this month:

Ande used to do all of our ironing when she was in high school
and I was busy.  Today I returned the favor.
#ioweher   #day5  1-5-15  

Melanie (who now lives 70 miles away) called and left a message saying,
"I'm passing your house and called to say, 'hello.'  I know you're busy so I'll
call next time I'm in town."  Even though I never answer the phone in the
WalMart line (I can only handle so much confusion and
Walmart + tabloid aisle + candy bar shelf + phone = pandemonium) I
called her back and said, "Help! I need a haircut badly and I have
sewing scissors or kitchen shears you can use.  Please turn around."  She did
and met me at home and cut my hair and laughed and visited and ate cake with me.
Everyone needs a friend like Melanie.  
#day9  1-9-15

Chores.
#day17  1-17-15

W'ere going to have neighbors 256 steps from our kitchen door.
#wonthavetogofartoborrowsugar   #day19   1-19-15

This is not a throwback picture. No sir, that is me sporting my 1990's
coat AND the price of gas in the reflection is 1990's gas prices --
a full gas tank for less than $24.  
#day20   1-20-15

The pictures cover the routine that isn't necessarily recorded in the weekly letter and yet is a very real part of life.  It's the easiest record-keeping I've ever done.

I'll share the other idea next week . . .