I got an early birthday present today.

 Linda made this for me.  She is so creative.  She can make the neatest things without spending a lot of money.  Thanks to all who helped her with this.

 Being a grandma is lots of fun. Today we went to Crown Center. There is this really neat display that the kids can go run around in and play. 
They have a new one every few of months. The nice thing about it is that it is free. The last time we went it was an ocean theme. This time it was all about animals. Charlie didn't stop moving for a minute. One reason why he's a big blur. The other is (and this is the real reason) is that I don't take very good pictures with my phone. There were too many people there for my liking, but the kids had fun. So much so that they fell asleep on the way home.

Christmas in April???

Yes I know it's only April, but I've been waiting until I was done with another project before I started on this one. I did this Nativity set on my embroidery machine and did I have fun.

This is the whole thing. The following pictures are close ups of the different parts. I know, nothing real exciting, but I like it.

Easter 2012

Saturdays are great days to get together with friends and family for some fun.

Antioch Park is a great place to have a get together. Lots of great hiding places for eggs,

playing games, and having lots of fun.

An egg toss is all the more fun when the eggs are filled with flour.

New friends can join in the fun too. Sometimes the fun gets a little carried away, but that's what makes it all the more fun right?

What's an egg hunt without hunting eggs.

Look every where Charlie cause you never know where an egg may be hiding.

April Fool's Day

One thing about having a birthday on April Fool's Day is that someone is always playing a prank. This year was a good one. Linda set this one up. She took a Mentos, strung fishing line through it, set it in the bottle of Diet Coke without touching the liquid, and screwed the lid back on. We made sure Joe took it outside to open and I don't think he suspected a thing. It was great to see the expresion on his face.


The next prank was the birthday cake. This may not have been as much of a prank more than it was just some fun. Laura was the instigator for this one. She took a clean flower pot, put pound cake at the bottom, then put some ice cream on top of that, and then put oreo crumbs on top to make it look like dirt. The flowers were a nice touch. She used straws stuck in the ice cream to facilitate putting the flowers in. It was delicious.

St. Louis Science Center

Last week we went to St. Louis with the kids we were mainly going to get stuff from the distribution center. We wanted to be able to try on things so we would get the right size. We did that, but we also went to the St. Louis Science Center.


Charlie and Daryn liked looking at some rocks. Celeste and Linda liked the musical hopscotch game.

We all had a good time even with the car problems we had on the way to St. Louis.

Blessing Day

Cienna's was blessed today. Charlie wasn't very cooperative. He pretty much made a huge fuss all during the meeting including when Nathan was giving the blessing. Kindly someone took him out so the Grandmas could stay in and listen.

Temple Handkerchiefs

Just thought I would share one of the latest projects I have been working on. I've been making handkerchiefs with the KC Temple embroidered on them. Here's a sample. I've done one on black just so you can more easily see the detail cause white on white doesn't show very well. I'm selling them for $3.50. So if you would like to buy one or two or even ten just let me know. I'll be taking orders until April 28, 2012.

San Diego

The view from our hotel room.
One of the perks of working for a hotel chain is getting to stay in a nice play for almost nothing.

My first time to San Diego, CA was a fun time.

Not only did Joe and I get to see the Pacific Ocean,

but more importantly, I got to see my oldest brother and his family. They live in Thousand Oaks which was a three hour drive from San Diego. It was well worth the drive to get to see them again.

I haven't seen them for about four years. It was great catching up with them.

Mike, Madisen, and Deb.

Here Comes the Bride

Weddings are always a special event and they are even more special when done in a temple.

This last weekend, I was able to attend the wedding of my nephew Dan and his lovely bride Katie. It was truly a wonderful ceremony. It was great seeing some of my other nieces and nephews, ones that I don't get to see very often. Plus I got to see the inside of the San Diego temple. It was as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.

All the family from the Fackrell side attending the ceremony.

My eldest niece with her family.