Easter Weekend

 I found the candlesticks at the antique store in Elkhorn!! Memories of Grandma Joe and Oma!

 Elder and Sister B in Elkhorn, Nebraska's Little Scandinavia

 

Do you like my braids?

Store owner of imported gifts and yummy treats!

 

 Valentines from the Miller Family

 Easter basket with salt and pepper shakers from Germany.

We love the little owl's - Allison's birthday gifts to lucky us.

Family Gathering at Christmas 2012

Most of the family (41 of us) gathered at Beth's home
 to celebrate Christmas. Santa even came!

A fun time was had with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents!

The food was delicious and plentiful. 

It was truly a time of joy. 

A few days later this adorable couple was married. 

Bow Psaltery performance

Talented Elder B performing Silent Night on the bow psaltery for the missionaries. Lots of applause.

Our Very Little,but cute, Christmas Tree

This very little tree gives us a Christmasy feeling with the little bit of a nativity underneath.

                                                                                

Thankful Times

We are so blessed with an abundance of thankful times - we wish our precious family and dear friends a Thanksgiving with all the trimmings and hearts full of gratitude for the abundance which surrounds us in this incredible time!! 

Harvesting gratitude yields Heaven's blessings. 

Kanesville Tabernacle Gingerbread Houses

The Kanesville Tabernacle Gingerbread houses are now on display. They are provided by church and community in the Council Bluffs, Iowa area. 

I am standing by the tree I decorated and Marty is carrying the humidifiers that must be tended several times a day so the gingerbreads do not crack. 

Happy Halloween from Grandaddy & Gramie

Missing all our adorable little goblins we call grandchildren.

Happy Halloween

                                           

Goat Bridge

Dad says Beth needs to build this for her goats! ha ha

We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch. We kept thinking how our grandchildren would love this adventure. In fact, there is much our families would love! Come visit! :)

Autumn - My Favorite Season

Missionaries at the Trail Center 

My autumn arrangement from the dollar store in an old basket.

The little yellow bird is one Hanne gave me a couple of years ago. Sweet!

Target bargains = total cost $8.50

My Grandchildren Art Wall
(Please send more so I can fill up the entire wall. It makes me so happy to look at this wall.)

This missionary companion of mine just makes me laugh every time I want him to take a nice picture with me. So I give up - but anyway, if I have to grow old, I am thankful I am growing old with him.
  (The other pictures just has him making goofy faces) 

Random Moments

Here are a few of our sweet and poignant  moments of the past 2 months. Some are when we came home to spend 2 days with Oma before she passed on. Some are moments on our mission after we returned to Omaha. 

Our handsome son with our beautiful granddaughter

Another incredible son with his adorable and amazing family(and what a cook is his wife!)

Progress on the Gilbert, Arizona Temple

Saying a final "Farewell" to Marty's Mom

Visitors and a New Book Shelf

Today we received a bookshelf!! Hooray!

With the cute little striped Goodwill lamp and the antique desk Marty found in the garbage, we finally have a working office. I also was given a small keyboard by a senior sister missionary. Life is full of little miracles. 

 Yesterday we had a fun visit with Jerry and Kit Jensen when they came to our mission area on business. 

We also had a delightful breakfast with them. So wonderful to have a touch of family here. Of course we couldn't stop talking about our shared grandchildren. Well.....also mission life. :)

Miracle Desk

I have so yearned for a nice little desk instead of the card table we use. Today I happened to notice someone from the apartments here taking out this old desk to the garbage. Dearheart willingly hurried out to rescue it and then worked to revive it. It really looked like a pile of junk, but look at it now! It is truly an antique of good quality mahogany that needed glue and other repair. Hooray for miracles!!!

Making Jam

I paid quite a bit for homemade jam in some local places, but decided to make my own today with strawberries from Costco and fresh peaches from the local markets. I added honey instead of sugar for a delicious flavor. The honey is my Christmas present given to me early by my mother. ;)

A Day to Explore

What a lovely day (only 103 degrees with high humidity) as long as we travel in the air conditioned car or stay inside an air conditioned building!  Even so, we did picnic at the lake where the breezes kept us cool until we decided to walk the path. We lasted about 15 minutes when we understood what all the Omaha people have been explaining to us about Nebraska heat. For more pictures check out Trails of Faith.

Our home in Omaha

This post is for you, our treasured family, to connect you with our home where we will be for the next 18 months. We are so very busy and happy and loving this beautiful place, but still you are in our hearts and I yearn to hold you all. Notice that I made the yummiest 100% whole wheat french bread ever - even without all the tools and supplies I needed. ;)