2008 - 2009

A year is gone and another one begins. I've seen 57 new years and not one of them have been disappointing. I love new beginnings, start overs, another chance, hope for better things, faith in a brighter day. I like to start over with a new list of things to do, to look for, to think about, to make happen. I love to look forward to new experiences, new journey's, new challenges. I love to recommit to my Father in Heaven and I love to be able to stand still and see his glory in the things that he has ask me to do.

Most of all I love to be able to see new things happen in my family. I get so much joy out of my children's and grand children's progression.

Right now I know that I am looking forward to Jackson (grandson) being baptised, a new grandson being born, Dallin being able to work in a pharmacy, several trips with John, Humanitarian Efforts, making several quilts in my new sewing room, and anything else that comes my way. I also look forward to continuing some very good friendships, and I always love making more.

I hope that you have a happy new year and while making all your new lists, don't forget to give yourself time to refresh and regroup, go to the temple.

1876 Cape Cod Collection

Christmas was as wonderful as I hoped. As I am cleaning up after our dinner I am thinking about the dishes that I am washing. Over 37 years ago my mother started collecting a Cape Cod Collection that was made in 1876. They make a beautiful table. I helped her serve dinner on them for many years and then she turned them over to me some 8 or so years ago. Being only one female in the family makes some things easy to pass on. I guess I'll just have to get more dishes so I can pass a set onto each daughter.

Christmas Eve Family Party

One of the best things about where we live is that there is a big beautiful park right next to us. Everyone brought snow cloths and they went tubing at the park for a couple of hours. Then hot chocolate, then dinner, then presents, then a memory game. It was such a wonderful family Christmas.

Christmas helper

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My Hannah came Tuesday (22nd) evening and slept over. Wednesday she started the day by shaving and then she helped me clean and get ready for our Family Chirstmas party. She dusted and ironed and washed dishes and set the table and inbetween she read Christmas books. She is my favorite granddaughter named Hannah Tyler Geilmann.

Quilts for the girls

Wew! Just in time! I finished them Tuesday at 11:00 p.m. They all loved them.

25 years of chocolet

The first Christmas that we lived in Macon Georgia a women by the name of Norphlet Parker envited me to her house. She wanted me to help her and learn how to dip chocolets. We did a Peanut Butter Ball and a
Martha Washington Ball. After rolling the balls and letting them cool, we melted the chocolet and dipped the balls and set them on some wax paper to cool. SO GOOD! This has become a tradition that everybody likes - SO - I keep doing it.

Kylie Drew Geilmann

It's done, it's done, the quilt is done. It's wrapped and under the tree.

The Inca Rooster

I took the picture of this rooster back in October when we were visiting the Inca Pirca Ruins in Ecuador. My friend Bonnie loves all Roosters so I couldn't help but take this picture. Then of course I had to make it into this pillow that is wrapped with a Christmas bow, ready to be given to her.

The Christmas Tree Project each year

I have kept ornaments for 6 or 7 trees that I have either made or bought over the last several years. The one that I refer to the most is the Christmas tree we had when living in Macon Georgia. I had sold all of the Christmas decorations that I had before moving to Georgia. I needed all the money I'd could get to start over in a new place. Most everything was sold. SO when Christmas came around we didn't have any decorations, and no money. Somehow we were able to obtain a sad looking little tree that bent over. I don't know where it came from but we found one ornament, so we put it on the tree. That was it, no lights, just a bent tree with one ornament. I was a survivor back then, I wasn't very creative. We had hundreds of pine trees around us, why didn't we pick up the pine cones and tie a string and put them on the tree. I don't know!

Anyway, I can now give each of my children the decorations for a whole tree. I think next year, I'll put up all of them and let my children choose which one they want and I'll start over.

TRADITIONS

Last Christmas John took our family to ride the Christmas Polar Express train up in Heber. It was so much fun and magical for the children. I made this pillow to go under the tree this year to remind the children of the polar express, and to remember to BELIEVE.

Sometime after our daughter Casey Collett died Richard Paul Evans wrote "The Christmas Box". I came upon the book at Christmas time. Casey was alive between October and February so that Christmas holds special meaning to me. I had heard about his book and I was very anxious to read it. It had a profound effect on me. I felt very close to Casey that Christmas and John and I rode to the cemetery, where the angle that he spoke about in the book, is placed. In deed, there is a certain feeling associated with the angle. From then on, I decided to collect his books, and just prior to Christmas I read all of them. It's a gift I give to myself to allow myself to think back at a time when my daughter was alive. She was very real, and her spirit lives with me today.

I can't ever remember not having amazing feeling about the South, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida. It began when I was a little girl - in my dreams, then in my class work. One day when I was least expecting it, I met a young man who had just returned from serving in Kentucky and Tennessee for two years. My dreams unfolded and they became my reality. I came across a Christmas cook book and ideas called "Southern Living Christmas". I was hooked, I've been collecting them since 1996. My 2008 copy should be here next week. I can't wait!

One of the most favorite things at Christmas time has always been a hot cut of coco and to be curled up in a favorite spot with one of our children reading a Christmas story. Now I get to do it with my grandchildren and I watch my children continue that tradition in their homes.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Well, it's that time of year again. I use to get so excited I couldn't stand it. I had so much fun fussing over a tree and decorations. I'm sorry to say that I am not like most people who add to their collection of Christmas ornaments and decorations each year - year after year - and use the same ornaments, memories of children and events. I choose a new style and color of ornaments each year and I have fun creating the other decorations to go along with the tree. The only tradition my children know is that it changes every year. It's nice but it's always a new surprise. I always want white lights, my children always wanted colored lights. My husband doesn't have time or desire to fuss like I do so he's not apart of it. He prefers it to be very simple. My children don't like to help because I'm to excited and want to do it myself.

I've done 37 Christmas's and now I wish I had done as my good friend Shelli did. She got each of her children an ornament for every Christmas of their lives, her sisters and cousins have all exchanged ornaments with each other every Christmas and birthday. Her tree is a major event each year. There are hundreds of ornaments. Each ornament has a story to tell.

I decided that I wanted to have a tree like hers. I tried to buy an ornament for each year of each one of my kids lives. That was 122 ornaments. I tried, but I couldn't deviate from a color theme and a style. I ended up with a Santa clause tree and decorations. It's been 10 or so years and I add to it every year.

I tell my family that it isn't the result, but the process of doing what I do that makes my Christmas. Course, I'm this way with everything, the journey is fun.

GREATEST GIFTS

You might remember me posting this a little while ago. I had to adjust it so I took it off and now it's back on. This is my memory quilt that I made with pictures of some of the children I have fallen in love with in Ecuador and also a picture of the new orphanage "Los Pequenitos De Osso". I have told the volunteers working in the orphanages that I would be happy to make them one, using their pictures. I hope I'll get the opportunity to make some. I have another blog called "thevolunteerquilt.blogspot.com". I will post the quilts I make.

LIGHT THE NIGHT AT SOUTH JORDAN

A very exciting time was had by all last friday evening. We all went over to the ice rink at the City Center here in South Jordan. A special band was playing with a dejay who introduced the ice skater intertainment and the city officals and the lighting of the great big tree that stands in the middle of the ice rink. Then santa came to visit in the big fire truck. Everybody that wanted to got to go see him.

The funest part was, we all put on ice scates and scated to music around the big christmas tree on the ice rink. It was so much fun, the kids didn't care if they fell down, they just kept getting up. When they got too cold they had free hot chocolet and cookies. I, of course, didn't go prepared enough, my feet froze. We stayed until closing, for 3 hours.

South Jordan 7th Ward "LUNCH BUNCH"

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For over 3 years now we have been enjoying the company of the sisters in our Ward once a month as we come together for lunch. This is a Relief Society activity that was started as an monthly enrichment. We encourage all and anyone to attend who would like to get to know other women in the ward. We meet all over in different restrauants. We laugh and have fun and feel good, of course the food is always great.

I wanted to post a picture and express my gratitude and love for all who come and those that will come in the future. We always have a different group of women. The most important thing that matters if that it's always on the last friday of the month at 11:30. The place changes monthly and is announced at church.

2009 Ford Fuson

Six years ago Dallin and I went on a search for the perfect car. One that we both liked and we both could drive and one that he could take over when he came back from serving a mission in Argentina. It took us a few weeks but we found one. A Mitsubishi Lancer, OZ Rally. White with grey cloth interior. 4 door, sun roof, and a fin on the back. Well, I drove it for two years, he came home and wanted something different so I drove it (and loved) for 3 more years. John took me to Henry Day Ford the other day and we traded the Lancer in for a Ford Fusion. It looks quite a bit like the Lancer, a little bigger, much nicer, much smother, much quieter, and a much bigger punch. It took me a few times driving it to get use to it, but I'm going to love it.

A 12 YEAR GEILMANN TRADITION

Twelve or so years ago my father in law, Earl P. Geilmann, started taking his whole family out to Thanksgiving Dinner. This tradition was started after his wife, Martha Evelyn, died. Earl P. died over 5 years ago and John's sister Marcia has continued to carry on this tradition. It's become one of our most favorite traditions because we don't get to see everybody otherwise. Time is going by so fast.

Thank you Marcia for your kind generosity. Everybody loves you.