My Roots

For my birthday I thought I would share a few fun pictures from the past and where I come from.

Mom and Dad at their wedding reception.

Harold and Clarice Jensen, my father's parents. Those of you who know my sister LeAnn will see a close resemblance to Clarice.

Harold again.

Harold once more. Looks like this is where my dad gets his fishing skills from.

Clarice and Harold.

Harold and my dad, Gary, who reminds me of my nephew Isaac in this photo.

Clarice as a child. I think she looks so stunning in this photo.

Clarice's mother, Maude. There are others of her not smiling, but this was my favorite.

Maude and her brother. She had two. Both passed away young, one in a shotgun accident and the other of influenza.

Maude's school. Doesn't it look fancy!

Jennie, Maude's mother. She was known to have an amazing amount of energy and would race Clarice, her granddaughter, to get dressed and win.

Leander, Maude's father.

John, my uncle, and Cleone, my mom.

Marion, my maternal grandmother.

Marion again. I love her smile!

Young Marion.

My grandma Marion on an LDS mission (having a little fun it looks like.)

Marion and Vernal on their wedding day.

Grandma Marion (center) around the time she got married.

Wilford, Marion's father, on a LDS mission in Flordia. He brought home a stuffed gator that his children and grandchildren loved to play with.

Crazy!

Clyde, my mother's paternal grandfather, and young Wilford, her maternal grandfather.

 Now for a few random family photos that were unlabeled.

I love this fence!

Looks like an adventurous gal.

Looks like my love of hiking comes naturally.

I believe the next few photos are from a cruise Clarice took with her parents to Alaska.

This one was titled Aunt Edla!

And finally, the Hanson family. This used to creep my family out when I was a child because I looked EXACTLY like the little girl on the right with the V shaped collar.

What to do at the end of a hot summer day?

Have watermelon.....for everyone to enjoy. Literally (pictures as proof.)

Delicious on a hot day.

The gals LOVED it. I couldn't get a picture of them all together because they would grab some and run, trying to get it away from the other hens.

Ate every last bite.

Notice my death grip on the rind.....don't want the dogs to eat the rind and turn it into a several thousand dollar melon.

Love that tongue.

Delish!

Lola was the only one too good for the melon and decided to cool off in the rows of corn.

Happy birthday to my wonderful mother. Hope these pictures made you laugh.

A Few of the Things I Love About This Time of Year.

Building our vertical garden.

Flowers and succulents in the pallet gardens.

Flowers in the front yard.

Flowers in the back yard.

Flowers in hanging baskets.

Tim and I have absolutely enjoyed adding a little of our own touch to our yard this year, and a big part of the fun for me is seeing the plants change as they gradually fill out and grow. Hope you enjoy the beautiful colors as much as I do!

Updated flower pallet 8/21/12.

Updated succulent pallet 8/21/12. 

 

A Quilt for Grandma Betty.

Tim's Grandma came to town I was excited to meet her for the first time today. Knowing what a lovely family she had, I knew that I was sure to have a good time. I wanted to make her something special and got to work on a Quilt. I was told that she likes pink and gold and went to work from there. She was just as lovely as all the stories I heard and kept me laughing. I also met Tim's cute aunts for the first time and those Elkins gals sure know how to have a good time!
Also, for fun (and since I used a few of my favorite pieces of stash for this) I am entering it in this quilting contest. If you like looking at quilts check out their flicker group to see some fabulous pieces from some truly talented people!

The lovely fabrics I picked out of my stash.

Testing out where to place the panels....please ignore our  brown lawn :)

The front.

The back in the works.

Lots of ironing was involved to make seams lay flat.

Of course Charcoal had to be involved.

The finished product.

Lola scrutinizing my work.

The back of the finished product.

Packaged and ready to go.

Grandma Betty with the family.

The Elkins gals....what a fun family!