Merry Christmas to All

Dear Friend,

It has been a wonderful Christmas this year. Even with the wallets a little thinner, and never enough time-we have had some wonderful times with friends and family.

The Christmas spirit began early this month with two great parties, the first was a gathering of friends from my work place. Our managers did a wonderful job of putting this party together with lots of food and fun. Thank you for the wonderful party.

The next day I attended another gathering of friends from my favorite Quilt Store. Lots of good food and laughs and Ken and his partner, Ron provided a wonderful setting-Christmas in every room in the house. When you enjoy a Christmas party with talented friends, it is a special treat to receive wonderful gifts - home-made candies, jellies, breads and special gifts for the sewing room.

In the meantime, I managed to complete 3 Christmas quilt projects and I must say that with the completion of each, my machine quilting improves. I still have one or two Christmas projects and my new goal is to make a Christmas theme quilt every year. Wish me luck!











The Sunday before Christmas is reserved for the Hunter Family Christmas Party. By tradition, homemade Mexican food and let me share a secret with you...we have the best cooks in our little group. This is where we continue a wonderful tradition that Mom start 20+ years ago of a home-made Christmas ornament for every member of the family. This year, Shana and Kristie had made these cute ornaments- decorated mittens.








We had this chance to take some great family pictures with Dad, too.



Grandpa and his grandchildren.














Christmas Eve I am sort of on my own as the girls usually spend this time with their other families so I went to Marla and Stu's. For the first time in probably 6 years, Dad was here and is handling it better than I thought he would. Another great dinner and Marla shared this CD with us. (If you get a chance, add this to your family Christmas library. It is a recording of the MTC Christmas presentation last year and is the story of my favorite Christmas Carol-"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day".)

I have to share this wonderful treasure with you now-this is what Kristie and Shana made for me- a family photo album of my favorite grandkids.

Christmas Day is a breakfast tradition of crepes and trimmings with my family, gift exchanges and fun-followed by a relaxing day and dinner later. As for now, I think it's time for a nap.

Later, with love,
Jan

I Heard the Bells

Dear Friends,

Enjoy the words to one of my favorite Christmas carols with me.

Christmas Bells

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1864)

I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said; “For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.” Love Jan

Meet Paul Revere, aka Wyatt

Dear Friends,

Well it finally opened up and rained here in QC this beautiful morning. It smells so good out here-real desert.

Last week Wyatt chose to do his American History report on Paul Revere. He prepared a wonderful story board and wore an 18th century costume. I am told he did a super job of answering questions and presenting himself as Mr. Revere.
Wyatt is almost 11 but he has a vocabulary and such a wealth of information stored in his head that we often think of him as a much older child. One of Wyatt's great gifts is his love of everybody. If he walks through the room, he will offer an "I love you Gramma" or "love you Hunter" or anyone else in the room.

It is wonderful to hear him be so open and expressive. He also has a wonderful talent of making friends. He is well known and well liked by his peers and his teachers. Wyatt also is known for befriending and helping the kids that attend the "special" classes in his school.

He loved playing this roll as can see, and I am glad he had the opportunity.
Congratulations Wyatt. I love you too.

More later,
Jan

I'm Back

Dear Friend,
I have not been too good lately...I need to stay on track and quit wasting time. So here I am, back with lots of things to say.

First-the Book Discussion selection-A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Yes I did download the audio version and enjoyed it so much, I am listening to it again. In fact, I highly recommend the audio over any movie version. It is my highly regarded opinion that very few movie scripts can ever do a good book justice, and so it is with this one.





Dickens paints such wonderful, live images with his words and makes me feel like I am right there in the room with the Scrooge and his visitors. I love seeing the knocker on the door as I he describes it, the detail descriptions of the noises, sounds and attire as he writes it.

If you are looking for something to put you in a Christmas spirit, I recommend a couple of hours with A Christmas Carol for starters.

Next on the list of catching up is a picture of the fall table runner I completed on Thanksgiving Day (just in time to put it away until next fall). It is from a Patrick Lose design-those are pumpkins on each end. I love the colors-What can I say, FALL. I have to pat myself on the back on this-my machine quilting is improving, but I have miles to go with that.

Now on to more projects.

I really wish I had time to make this. Isn't it beautiful! I think I'll order the pattern and just stare at it for a long time. If you love to applique and love this pattern too, this is where you can order it: bonbondesigns
Well, that is enough for now. Be back soon.
Love, Jan

Dear Friend.

I want to share this article written by Bill Schuler as it appeared on the ops page of the Foxnews.com today. I thought these 10 thoughts were well put and a good reminder for me.

Incivility takes on many forms. It can be found in the gestures of a stranger amidst the morning commute, in a stolen moment at a music awards ceremony or on the lips of a Congressman on Capitol Hill. Is it possible to heal the character of America? The following are 10 thoughts on incivility in America:

1. Where there is no demand there will be a reduced supply.

2. One breaks the cycle of rudeness when one focuses on others rather than one's self.

3. It is possible to make clear one's position without seeking to destroy or defame another.

4. With public notoriety there should come responsibility and accountability.

5. Reclaim the art of listening and you will foster understanding.

6. We should seek to win over our opponent and at the very least gain his respect for the dignity with which we speak our convictions.

7. We should do what is right not because we seek self benefit but because we stand on high moral ground.

8. Respect for others begins with self respect.

9. "I’ve seen too much hate to want to hate, myself." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

10. In denouncing the rude and vile we join our collective voices to reclaim civility in America.

Civility goes beyond public apologies after the damage is done. It must emanate, not from polls and focus groups but rather from character and honor. Good people will sincerely disagree and the issues that divide us by their very nature impassion us.

The question is: How long will America tolerate hate and rudeness in our public dialogue? Perhaps the scriptures identify the need of the hour in the simplest of terms: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12)

Rev. Bill Shuler is pastor at Capital Life Church in Arlington, Virginia. For more go to capitallifechurch.org.

My Reading Journal for September

Dear Friend,
It has been a long time since I last posted. Shame on me. Everything I have to say is so important and I am really distressed that I haven't said it. That said, I haven't had much to say other than I'm scared to death about our government, our food supply and it's sources and that I am truly grateful for a new techy discover - My Zune MP3 player.

Instead of listening to radio (classic or talk), I have found out how to download audible books and can now listen where-ever I am. Since the drive to and from work takes a minimum of 45 mnutes and most of the time 60 to 75, I now get to "read" even more.

Yes I know, I have a CD player and have listened to book CD's, but this is better. I can even take my book into the office, put my earplugs in and tell everyone I am listening to Andrew Bocelli. They will believe anything. (As long as I answer the phones once in a while.) I can listen to a book in bed (no matter where I am sleeping) or while I sew and don't have to hassle with discs or cumbersome cd players. Yes, I'm sold of these babies!!!!



So what have I been listening to - you ask? Well here is a list and a little synopsis of each:
The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin. Shirley put me on to this one. This is about the Supreme Court, the workings of and the current Justices (the past 15 - 20 years). The book talks about the political culture of the appointments and the decisions that have been handed down by the highest court and their impact on our laws and lives. This one is definitely on my list of "read agains".



The next book I listened to was one that Nikki has been telling me to read for a couple of years and for one reason or another, I kept putting it off. The Red Tent by Anita Diament is a fictional history of Deanne, the only daughter of Jacob and Leah of the Old Testament. What a story!

The Red Tent is the tent set aside for the women of the herding tribes of the deserts to go to during their monthly cycle. The women bond and share, plot and plan and enjoy a brief respite from the daily sun-up to sun-down arduous living of the camp.

There are 2 things I came away with from this book. One is a much greater appreciation of the advances we have made and the other was a desire to read another set of books, also recommended by same person.



Orson Scott Card, a noted LDS author, was asked to write historical fiction about three women of the Old Testament- Sarah, Rebecah, and Rachel and Leah. I found an audio down load of the first book Sarah and enjoyed every minute of it. Since Card is writing about these women from a male point of view and he doesn't get as detailed or as graphic as Diament, he creates a wonderful story of Sarah and Abraham's love for each other, Sarah's conversion to Abraham's "God" and does a very good job of recreating Sarah's post menopausal pregnancy and delivery of Isaac.

Now my challenge to myself is to reread the Book of Genesis. Card's post script talks about the problems of the translations, the time lapses of the events and the liberties he took in the name of fiction, so I feel the need to re-ground myself so to speak.

Much to do, later,
Love Jan

Limericks

Dear Friend,

I had a few minutes to peruse the Sunday edition of the AZ Repulsive (Republic) this morning and this was in Cal Thomas's column. He invited readers to submit original limericks and these were a few of them. I especially liked the last one.

"This is from Jane Warken from someplace around here:
My 93-year-old Aunt Lil
Likes to keep her AC on chill.
She was cool through June
At her condo in Troon
But she died when she opened the bill.

This is from Kay Butler of Tempe.
Midwest kids love their firefly games.
They catch them and give them all names.
Out here in the West
We accept second best
Watching houseflies burst into flames.

This is from some guy named Mark.
It's true there are far fewer thugs
And a refreshing hiatus from bugs.
Dr. Phil, from my knees,
For the next three months please
Do not advocate warm, sweaty hugs.

And one last one from Wendy Clay of Phoenix.
Our state legislators get no vacation
Due to a lack of legislation.
As they fight more and more
Valley temperatures soar
From excessive hot air emanation."

A Violinist in the Metro Station

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time.

This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the
Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people.

The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour:
Do we perceive beauty?
Do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

You have probably read this story before. It is a true story that I hold dear. Last night I got to spend some time with Logann before she leaves for college. I kept thinking about the advice I should be giving her, the admonishments and the whole spew. Instead, I listened to her, answered her questions and loved every minute of it. I hope she remembers this brief time together and treasures it as much I will.

Love,Jan

One Year Ago Today

Marie Nicoll Hunter

August 28, 1922 - August 17, 2008

Mom, we will always feel you near us.

It Has Been a Few Days (A Gross Understatement)

Dear Friends,

It has been too long since I have updated my blog. I have been busy and I admit, a little weary-the long days and heat will do that to a person, but mostly busy.

In late July, Judy, Marla and I got on a bus bound for the International Quilt Show in Long Beach with 90 other like-minded women (2 buses). We had a blast looking, shopping, wishing and a lot more. I will talk about that later.

The next weekend we all met again at the ranch for the Naegle Reunion and got to catch up, renew, greet new babies and some future spouses. More on that in another post.

Then it was back to work and trying in my spare time to catch up on sewing projects and all the rest of daily living. Sewing projects are good for another post too.

So that brings me to this weekend. My office, thank you Frank, Sandra, Dennis, John and Chris, sponsored a family day at Sunsplash in Mesa. Now mind you, I don't do bathing suits in public places, I don't do sun any more than what I have to (car to building, building to car) and I, as a rule don't do large crowded venues where no one knows where anyone is. But because I was kind of responsible for bringing 6 of 7 wonderful g-kids, well I was there.

I was hot, I perspired a lot, I was ready to go home at noon (we arrived at 10:45) and I drank a lot of water. A lot of water! Anyway, the kids had a great time and of course, I had to drag them home. Here are some pictures of a good time.

The long arms belong to Seth, playing pool basketball.

He shoots.....

And tries for a rebound.

By the way, Lisa took these pictures. I forgot to bring a hat and tried to stay in the shade.

Next she got some pictures of Eli and Wyatt coming down the slide..

And then this.

And that was yesterday in my world.

More later, Jan

No Handshake for Mr. O

http://

Dear Friend,
This is so funny. I laugh every time I watch it.
Jan

Out With the Old, In With the New and Improved

Dear Friend,

I finally have a few minutes to spare (Nikki introduced me to another mind-numbing game on Facebook) so I wanted to show you what we did last weekend-4th of July.

I begged, pleaded and bribed my wonderful sons-in-law to give me a weekend to rebuild my porch. This, by the way, is step 2 in the plan for retirement. Anyway, because of work schedules and other important things, Kelly & Lisa came up Friday night and while the adults went to town to buy (gasp) the lumber for the project on Saturday morning, Logann and Seth worked so very hard to tear down the old porch.

This was what was left of the old and that board was the only access to the trailer.


They unloaded the trailer and went to work. And they worked hard. I hope the kids realize how much help they were and we couldn't have done this without them.

Because I don't have the knack for balancing myself these days, I kept to the perimeter and tried to help or stay out of the way.

The porch is beginning to take on a life now, we added to the the deck by extending it in front of the trailer. This area will be an out-door kitchen where the grill and a big table can be set up leaving more deck space for the things we like to do-eat, play games, eat, play games and so on.New wider, safer stairs. I am ecstatic. Wait until you see the rest...


By Saturday night, we were able to get into the room and trailer and even able to set up the big table for some games. No Seth, you did not win Bananagrams!

The next morning ( I won't tell you what day of the week this was, but our ox was in the mire, as my dad would say) we went back to work. Please don't report us for child labor. He loved that he could help.

Logann, aka Rosie the Riveter, stopped for a pose or two but diligently got back to work.

Shawn, Nikki and boys arrived about 10 AM to help us finish. Shawn & Kelly got the railing up and I love, love, love it. The boys started sanding the rails because it was cheaper to buy the unfinished lengths and feed the boys.
The weather was perfect for the project-the rain held off until we completed the deck construction, put the saws and tools away and started to stain and seal. Then we got hit with a whopper-rain, hail, thunder and lightening.
I just want my family to know how much I love and appreciate them. The old porch (we figure it was about 20+ years old) was really getting bad and the front end was dangerously rotten.

When I sat on the new porch and took my shoes off, the new floor felt like silk on my bare feet.

Shawn and Nikki stayed until Tuesday to finish the staining and sealing. I can't wait to get back up to see it.

Oh, I almost forgot, while Lisa and Nikki helped with some of the construction, they also did a great job of keeping everyone fed, everything organized and the cleaning, because when we are all up there together, sometimes the feeding, organizing and cleaning is all you do!

If your in the neighborhood, stop and visit our new deck. You can even pull a chair up to the table and join us for whatever we are up to because there is lots of room now.

Oh, one more thing...

Actually, 2 more-this was the sky just before the storm and ...

this is the sunset as I was leaving Vernon.

I know this probably isn't the most important news for you, but it's my news and I am soooooooo happy.

Love to you all, Jan

I love 30's Fabrics and Patterns

Dear Friend,

I just found a blog called A Bee In My Bonnet and fell in love with it.

30's fabrics and embroidery have become a favorite of mine, and Lori has some great patterns. She also has a great give-away going on too.

Hop over here to see what she has to offer.

Talk to you soon,

Jan

The Pledge of Allegiance-4th of July, 2009

Dear Friend

I found this somewhere several years ago, I think it was in one of those e-mail that gets forwarded forever so you may have already seen it. But as the Independance Day is this week- it I thought it was appropriate.

Commentary on the Pledge of Allegiance

As a schoolboy, comedian Red Skelton learned the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. This is how Red remembered the patriotic lecture:

I -- me, an individual; a committee of one.
Pledge -- dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
Allegiance -- my love and my devotion.
To the Flag -- our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of Freedom. Wherever she waves there is respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, "Freedom is everybody's job!"
United -- that means that we have all come together.
States -- individual communities that have united into 48 great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.
And to the Republic -- a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
For which it stands
One Nation -- meaning "so blessed by God."
Indivisible -- incapable of being divided.
With Liberty -- which is freedom -- the right of power to live one's own life without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice -- the principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.
For All -- which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Red added this personal observation to his boyhood lesson: "Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: 'Under God.' Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that [makes it] a prayer, and that it would have to be eliminated from schools too?"

Of course, "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill into law that changed the original Pledge. Perhaps Red Skelton wouldn't be surprised at all when in 2002 an atheist in California won a decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals that "under God" is "an endorsement of religion," and therefore, unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that ruling in 2004.

The following is an excerpt from the book, Under God by Toby Mac and Michael Tate.


The pledge of Allegiance was formed largely from the vision of three men: Daniel Ford, James Upham and Francis Bellamy.

Daniel Ford was the publisher of a popular family magazine, The Youth's Companion. Ford's belief in Christ was a great influence on the content of his magazine, and he guided his life and business by Christian principles. With a circulation of nearly half a million, The Youth's Companion was the nations most read weekly magazine in the late 1880's and early 1890's.

James Upham, head of the magazine's premium department, was disappointed that most public schools did not have their own flags, so he launched a campaign wherein school children raised funds to purchase a flag from the magazine. As a result, about thirty thousand flags were sold and flown for the first time in front of America's schools between 1888 and 1891.

In 1892, the country prepared to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of Columbus's arrival in America. President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day, October 12, a national holiday for the first time. Upham wanted children across the country to participate, so he began planning the National Public School Celebration that would center on raising a flag.

First, a proclamation from the president would be read, followed by prayer and Scripture reading, the singing of "America," and patriotic speeches. Wanting the children to participate more fully, Upham determined that they should recite a salute to the flag. He enlisted the talents of another magazine employee, Francis Bellamy, who had been pastor at the Boston church Daniel Ford attended. Bellamy labored for weeks and finally brought his composition to Upham: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. It was published in The Youth's Companion on September 8, 1892. Thirty-four days later, twelve million schoolchildren across the country recited the Pledge of Allegiance for the first time.

In 1923 and 1924 the words my Flag were changed to the Flag of the United States of America. In 1948, a man named Louis A. Bowman proposed to his fellow Sons of the American Revolution that the words under God be added after one nation- following a precedent set by Abraham Lincoln, who had extemporaneously added those same words to the end of his Gettysburg Address. Then in 1952, William Randolph Hearst caught wind of the idea and began a campaign in his newspapers that helped bring about legislation to officially add under God to the Pledge. President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved this change on Flag Day, 1954, and proclaimed, "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

I pledge allegiance
to the Flag of the
United States of America,
and to the Republic
for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.

So Dear Friends, I wish you a wonderful 4th of July week with family and friends.

Love, Jan