Hearts, mobiles and Minnesota

It started out with inspiration from this blog – cut out hearts, write nice things about family members and put them up around the house for the month of February.  One logistical problem – 3/4ths of our children are away to school or on a mission.  Thank goodness for emails.  I asked each family member to write two or three things that they love or appreciate about the other members of the family.  I got a late start, so I decided to have those away dictate, via email, what they wanted to say and then I would write them on the hearts.  Rebecca and Line wrote their own.  With Laurie being at school so much, she ended up sending me a voice mail dictating what to say for our children who are away, because I had to get them in the mail.

So a  two or three day project got a bit strung out, but it turned out nicely and Sam even mailed cut out hearts on yellow paper that had a couple of words or a short phrase for each family member – SMART – for Atkin, etc.  Another logistical issue was also brewing – Katie’s apartment only allows Command strips to attach things to the walls and we ended up with 18 hearts for her – that’s a lot of expensive Command strips.  However, I knew from pictures of Katie’s apartment that there are ceiling heating vents from which things can be hung.  So early on, I decided to do a mobile for her and for Sam – since I doubt he would take the time to put the hearts up one at a time.  I had to consider that I would likely be sending these via Priority Mail, because homemade cookies were being included, so the dimensions of the packages were a constraint.  I looked at the craft store for loops that would work for the mobiles – nothing.  I was in the truck heading for the home improvement store when it hit me – we have two of those little, spring open, side window shades for the car that we never use – I could cut out the fabric and tie the yarn and hearts to the loop so it could be suspended from the ceiling air vent!  It worked wonderfully and I was able to collapse the loops down with the yard and hearts attached for easy shipping!

After assembling everything and prior to shipping, I hung them from our ceiling along with the hearts on our cupboard for those of us at home.  It’s been fun to see family reading the hearts to see what others said about them.

One of the collapsible mobiles

Heart Attack

In other news, Sam thought for sure that he would be transferred in January – after 11 months in the same area. Instead, he and got back an old companion and they were made Zone Leaders of the new St. Paul Asian Zone.  The zone is focused on the Karen, Hmong and Nepali speaking people – but they’ve also been know to work with refugees from Sudan, and other places.  Thank goodness for Elder and Sister Evertsen, they always send pictures along when we wish we could see Sam. 

St. Paul Asian Zone - created January 2012

Another note:  For Christmas I gave Laurie the rough plans of a necklace rack for all the long necklaces she has been accumulating.  Well, I got it done a few weeks ago.  Here it is!

Rack for long necklaces - and one of our engagement pictures!

Another note:  When I saw this blog, it really touched a cord with me - so I decided to make one for our home.  I got out one of my favorite toys, the router, and routed the words into the wood.  I a still not done with it - deciding what to do around the edges, but it's fun to work on projects like this.

Work in progress - routed lettering with pearl finish - suggestions for edge treatment are welcome!

One last note:  I had finished this post up to "Love more" and decided to wait until today to post it.  Well, at about 12:45 this morning we could hear Penny barking and making noise, so I got up groggily and went to the top of the stairs and here come Katie and Atkin up the stairs - they drove home for the weekend to surprise us!!!!  It will be so much fun to have them here for a few days!

Surprise!  We're home!!!!

Our Grate

Our Grate

A grate is used

For many things

To catch and hold

And to let through

A grate in the fireplace

Holds logs to burn

And ash falls away

Letting oxygen through

The grate on a catwalk

Keeps workers safe

As they stride to labor

In high places

The grate on our counter

Helps us to make

Yummy eats that

Put smiles on faces

Trailer grates

Hold equipment secure

While letting dust and

Debris to fall

But the grate that

I speak of

Is elusive you see

And yet, the best of all

For things often pass

Our awareness

That could warrant

More consideration

And if our grate

Is functioning well

We will have our

Grateful of adulation

pic from attractingwellness.net

title at the end

Biding our time
we sit by the fire
Waiting for
the magical hour

“It’s supposed to be starting,
It’s dark enough now.”

“Come on everybody,
Let’s go.”

“Can’t we stay
by the fire?”

“WHY do we have to go?”

“It’s so dark!”

“What are we doing?”

“Come on,
you’ll see!”

Stumbling along
The path now dark
Under night sky and
trees with white bark

Emerging from a ring of
Aspen, Spruce, Fir and Pine
To a clearing full of
Grass, Phlox, Paintbrush, Lupine

Curling up in blankets
on the grass covered earth
Eyes to the heavens
Orneriness turns to mirth

“I’ve never seen SO many stars!”

“WOW, did you see that?”
”What?”
“A shooting star!”

“Did you see that one?”

“Look over there!”
“Where, I can’t see where you’re pointing.”

“Gee, that one lasted a long time!!”


“They’re coming from every direction.”

“I’m getting cold,
can we go back to camp?”

“Just a while longer,
they say the peak
should be near midnight.”

“WOW, three at once!”

“What is that band of light?”
“The Milky Way.”
“Oooh!”

“I’m getting cold,
can someone go back
to camp with me?”

“That one went across
the whole sky!”

“Wow, there’s been so many,
I’ve lost count.”


“I’m cold,
can I have a flashlight
so I can go back to the fire?”



“There aren’t as many anymore.”

“I’m cold . . .”

“Okay,
let’s got back to the fire.”


“I can’t see the trail,
can I have a flashlight?”



“That was Neat!!!
Thanks mom and dad.”


DUCK CREEK METEOR SHOWER