Man, I miss Grandma Stanford more than words can say. I miss her laugh, her food, her fun personality, her love of hobbies, her candy stash. I miss it all! I write about her often on my private Instagram account and I've written about her here as well on several occasions, but I just can't say enough!
I have a little picture of me and Grandma displayed in my living room where she is holding me on her lap. That is just exactly the kind of person she was- a lover! I also have a 5x7 of her in a nice frame sitting on a shelf in my living room.
If I think too much about Grandma, my heart swells and tears begin to well up. She was such a good grandma! Lots of late nights, so many games, bowls and bowls of ice cream smothered with Hershey's chocolate syrup, loaves of Roman Meal bread, hours and hours in the car traveling, so. much. laughter.
Some of the highlights of Grandma for me where:
-cream cheese dip for Doritos. Just cream cheese whipped up mixed with green onions.
-playing office for hours at her roll top desk
-the whistle of her hearing aid
-her crazy animals. bikini the yorkie (the best of them all), bullet the cat, obadiah the klepto-cat, diego the little chihuahua, nikki the brainless dog, other cats that hated people
-the time i took care of her after her shoulder surgery
-how i would have to go ring the doorbell so she could pretend she had company in order to end a long phone conversation with her friend Maxine Wilde.
-the time she told a friend of her's i could tell a male kitten from a female. that friend brought a whole litter over and i looked "down there" and just threw a gender out there. i had no idea what i was even looking at!
-when i would go to ceretta's chocolate factory i would bring her back a little bag of french mint truffles. they were her favorite! along with payday's and orange slices.
-one time grandma came and stayed with me (along with bethany) and it was so fun! we had lettuce wraps and other chinese food.
-gram loved to knit and crochet. when i had a red theme in my kitchen she crocheted me little doilies so i could display them on my shelves.
-she said "warsh" for wash.
-she hated paper plates and always set the table right
-she always had vanilla ice cream
-sitting in the shopping cart while we grocery shopped together
-everything was always clean!
there is so much more to gram than this. here are a few other posts where i've documented memories:
Grandma Stanford
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
a little help from the other side
i've always loved family history. i work on it frequently and feel a real connection to those whose names i study and find. a few months ago i wondered why i wasn't feeling that connection carry over into my everyday life. i so badly wanted to feel their influence in my every day life and feel them help me through trials and give me guidance when i had questions. i prayed for quite a while that i would be blessed with those things.
nothing happened. at least nothing i could see with my mortal eyes.
then on the morning of february 20th, i woke up from a dream that fit all that criteria!
in my dream we were at jared's childhood home. all of the family was there, including his mom. in the dream i knew she was only visiting from the other side and boy was she beautiful! i remember complimenting her several times on her beauty! her nails were painted the most beautiful shade of mauve and her silver hair was done just so.
jared, burt and i were sitting around the island in the kitchen. even though everyone was there, we were the only ones that could see her. she asked us questions about what was going on with people in the family and her reactions were just like they would have been in real life!
and this is the part of the dream that was a true tender mercy.
she stopped, looked right at jared and in her low and serious voice said, "jared, it's time to do something about that house. you've had your family living in that little house for too long."
and with that, the dream ended!
i thought it was actually kind of funny and didn't mention it to jared until he called me later that morning. i told him what happened and we chatted about how real it felt. a few hours later he called me back and told me to take the plans to the town to get an updated permit.
and now we are in the thick of a major addition and remodel! and it's glorious! hard and costly but glorious. we'll soon have the space we need and even a little to spare.
what an answer to my prayers that was! now i just hope she doesn't come back with a message to have another baby or something. haha!
nothing happened. at least nothing i could see with my mortal eyes.
then on the morning of february 20th, i woke up from a dream that fit all that criteria!
in my dream we were at jared's childhood home. all of the family was there, including his mom. in the dream i knew she was only visiting from the other side and boy was she beautiful! i remember complimenting her several times on her beauty! her nails were painted the most beautiful shade of mauve and her silver hair was done just so.
jared, burt and i were sitting around the island in the kitchen. even though everyone was there, we were the only ones that could see her. she asked us questions about what was going on with people in the family and her reactions were just like they would have been in real life!
and this is the part of the dream that was a true tender mercy.
she stopped, looked right at jared and in her low and serious voice said, "jared, it's time to do something about that house. you've had your family living in that little house for too long."
and with that, the dream ended!
i thought it was actually kind of funny and didn't mention it to jared until he called me later that morning. i told him what happened and we chatted about how real it felt. a few hours later he called me back and told me to take the plans to the town to get an updated permit.
and now we are in the thick of a major addition and remodel! and it's glorious! hard and costly but glorious. we'll soon have the space we need and even a little to spare.
what an answer to my prayers that was! now i just hope she doesn't come back with a message to have another baby or something. haha!
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Addie's First Temple Trip
It was a long time coming but we finally make it to the Temple with Addie for the first time last night. She took on the challenge of finding a name to take and I threw in about 10 others. It was such a neat experience! It made me so proud of her for taking it so serious and being so excited about it. She loved how special they made her feel. She said they treat you like royalty and I told her to just wait until she gets married!
Another neat thing she mentioned was how great the confirmations were. She had put her dress back on but was still shivering cold. As soon as they laid their hands on her head, she said she felt warm and had a peaceful feeling.
What a neat thing to experience with my own daughter.
After the temple we took her to dinner where we had a great conversation about things. Our old Stake Patriarch dropped by the table to say hi and noted that we must have been to the temple, since we were dressed up. Jared explained that Addie had just gone for the first time and in his super sweet nature he shook her hand and congratulated her in the most sincere way. It was so neat.
Fun Cheap or Free // Grocery Shopping
I recently learned about a gal named Jordyn Page who calls the fun, cheap or free queen. I don't really remember how I learned about her, but I was instantly hooked! She's bubbly, fun, normal and relatable. She also isn't afraid to show the crazy insane side of rising a family. She's a breath of fresh air in the Instagram, blogging and YouTube world.
After watching several of her videos and read her blog posts I decided to buy her Budget Bootcamp. It was great and I've gone back to watch the videos again and again. She offers a wealth of information! One of her principals that I've applied and loved so so much is her approach to grocery shopping.
I've always been a grocery list maker and generally am a good menu maker, but in the last few months I found myself in a cooking slump. Instead of making a solid weekly menu, I would get a few ideas together in my head and fly by the seat of my pants. There were weeks where I ended up at the grocery store 4-5 times! Which obviously came with a hefty price tag.
Jordyn's approach is to spend $100 per person per month, so $600 for my family. She also says to make a solid menu for the week and most importantly shop once a week and do not return at all!
I started trying this at the end of February and fell in love with the idea! I think I've shaved at least $300 off of my monthly grocery bill! I love that this pushes me to make a menu, I no longer buy a $50 gallon of milk (walk into the store and try to leave with just a gallon of milk; it rarely happens!), and it gets my kids involved in the shopping (they do the calculating).
I've also adapted a menu making system that works just great for us. I print a blank weekly calendar, fill it in day by day, shop accordingly and then I save every single menu- which gives me ideas for upcoming weeks.
For March, I stuck to a $600 dollar grocery budget but for April I upped it to $175. That $25 makes a huge difference! I'm not trying to crawl out of mounds of debt and I can afford it so I feel justified.
This morning Lucy and I made our weekly trip to the store and spent $174. We were able to pick up some king size candy bars I owed the girls, a present for Lacey and some other items I wouldn't typically buy but that will make our week a little more fun. I also stocked up on a few things like butter, canned tomatoes, lunch snacks for the girls, etc.
So far, I'm smitten with this way of shopping and don't see myself going back to shopping the way I did before. This is a huge time, money and overall life saver!
After watching several of her videos and read her blog posts I decided to buy her Budget Bootcamp. It was great and I've gone back to watch the videos again and again. She offers a wealth of information! One of her principals that I've applied and loved so so much is her approach to grocery shopping.
I've always been a grocery list maker and generally am a good menu maker, but in the last few months I found myself in a cooking slump. Instead of making a solid weekly menu, I would get a few ideas together in my head and fly by the seat of my pants. There were weeks where I ended up at the grocery store 4-5 times! Which obviously came with a hefty price tag.
Jordyn's approach is to spend $100 per person per month, so $600 for my family. She also says to make a solid menu for the week and most importantly shop once a week and do not return at all!
I started trying this at the end of February and fell in love with the idea! I think I've shaved at least $300 off of my monthly grocery bill! I love that this pushes me to make a menu, I no longer buy a $50 gallon of milk (walk into the store and try to leave with just a gallon of milk; it rarely happens!), and it gets my kids involved in the shopping (they do the calculating).
I've also adapted a menu making system that works just great for us. I print a blank weekly calendar, fill it in day by day, shop accordingly and then I save every single menu- which gives me ideas for upcoming weeks.
So far, I'm smitten with this way of shopping and don't see myself going back to shopping the way I did before. This is a huge time, money and overall life saver!
Friday, April 7, 2017
Thanks
As part of completing my Personal Progress I have to thank someone or give a genuine compliment everyday for 14 days. So far I've thanked many family members, a few friends and Heavenly Father. Today I want to thank all the people who it may not be appropriate or convenient to thank but are good people whom I am thankful for.
The girl who works at the deli at Bashas. I have no clue what her name is but I am always so thankful when she is working. The other ladies aren't very friendly or helpful. This gal is so kind and cheerful!
Kelly at the Post Office. Man, this lady has a hard shell! But over the years we've become friends, Jared has even done a few small remodels for them and I always look forward to chatting with her. She is your typical Postal Worker: not terribly friendly, strict, not warm, homely (but seriously, why does it seem like they all are?) and not a woman of many words. But when I get to the counter we are always able to have a friendly conversation, she is extremely helpful to me and even smiles.
LaDawn. She lives a street over in a little trailer. She is the most friendly lady! After years of waving to her as we pass her house and she is sitting outside smoking, one day I loaded my kids up and took them on a ride to her house so we could formally meet. She knows Jared's family very well and was full of stories. There is just something about the way that lady waves that makes me so happy. She fully extends her arm and waves her hand as if she is painting the sky. It's wonderful! One time she was picking weeds in her year and when we passed by and waved, she threw the weeds to side and gave one of her awesome paint-the-sky-waves.
Bobby Hall. I've known Bobby since I moved her and just adore the lady! She is the most helpful and down to earth person I know. Just today i was in Walmart and told her I was shopping for a DVD for my niece. She stopped everything she was doing and had her kids help me find a movie. That's just one of ten thousand ways she has helped me through the years. Some are big and some are small, like today, but no matter what I am always so grateful to know her.
Colleen Hatch. Oh, how I love Mama Colleen. She is always happy and laughing, includes us as part of her family and always always has righteous desires.
The girl who works at the deli at Bashas. I have no clue what her name is but I am always so thankful when she is working. The other ladies aren't very friendly or helpful. This gal is so kind and cheerful!
Kelly at the Post Office. Man, this lady has a hard shell! But over the years we've become friends, Jared has even done a few small remodels for them and I always look forward to chatting with her. She is your typical Postal Worker: not terribly friendly, strict, not warm, homely (but seriously, why does it seem like they all are?) and not a woman of many words. But when I get to the counter we are always able to have a friendly conversation, she is extremely helpful to me and even smiles.
LaDawn. She lives a street over in a little trailer. She is the most friendly lady! After years of waving to her as we pass her house and she is sitting outside smoking, one day I loaded my kids up and took them on a ride to her house so we could formally meet. She knows Jared's family very well and was full of stories. There is just something about the way that lady waves that makes me so happy. She fully extends her arm and waves her hand as if she is painting the sky. It's wonderful! One time she was picking weeds in her year and when we passed by and waved, she threw the weeds to side and gave one of her awesome paint-the-sky-waves.
Bobby Hall. I've known Bobby since I moved her and just adore the lady! She is the most helpful and down to earth person I know. Just today i was in Walmart and told her I was shopping for a DVD for my niece. She stopped everything she was doing and had her kids help me find a movie. That's just one of ten thousand ways she has helped me through the years. Some are big and some are small, like today, but no matter what I am always so grateful to know her.
Colleen Hatch. Oh, how I love Mama Colleen. She is always happy and laughing, includes us as part of her family and always always has righteous desires.
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