Claire & Jane Neilson

If you have ever read the Nie Nie dialouges or C jane you will love this video of Stephanies girls singing a lullaby with Mindy Gledhill at a benefit concert held for there mother who is still in the hospital. It is very special and sweet. Check it out HERE! If you haven't hear about Stephanie and Christian Neilson please go to there blog, I promise you will be inspired.

Lynn meeting David Archuleta

My sweet friend Lynn was in a contest to win tickets to Houston for a David Archuleta concert. She made it to the finals and they had her on the radio two days ago. Watch the video at http://allthehitsq100.com/video/TBS_David-Arch_102708/ to see what happened. She deserves this more than anyone. She truly is a huge fan. Way to go Lynn you did great!!! Madison was so cute and it looked like she did not know what to do. I loved this video it brought me to tears, because I know how much you appreciate his music and that he is a good example and very wholesome,especially with so much junk out there on the radio these days he is the sunshine on air.

When watching both David Cook and David Archuleta on American Idol. I preferred David Cook, I just like his type of music better. I must admit now, I really do like David Archuleta's song "Crush" and Lynn is right that he does bring goodness to the air waves with his music.

Happy "SWEET SIXTEEN"

We love you and could not be more proud of you.

You are beautiful inside and out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD

I love you

My Grandmother the Hottie-repost

Originally posted: Monday, September 15, 2008 by my cousin Becky. I thought this described my grandmother to the "T" and asked her if I could re post it. Thanks Becky!

My Grandmother the Hottie For about the past thirty years or so, my Grandmother has had a 10x13 picture of herself sitting on her fireplace mantel. The picture was taken in the early forties when she was about sixteen. Anyone who walked through my Grandparents front door would comment on the picture. "You were a very beautiful young girl," was the typical remark. My Grandmother was always expecting these compliments and accepted them graciously. "Yes, I know. I was the most beautiful girl in Texas." My cousins and I usually giggled at the way she boasted, but Grandma made no apologies for her self-confidence. After all, it was part of what made her beautiful.Grandma not only prided herself on her beauty, but also on her sex appeal. Once I went to her house in short shorts, and she looked at me proudly as if to imply that she was ecstatic that I was following in her footsteps. "You know", she said, "when short shorts first came out for women in the forties, they were considered scandalous and only Hollywood actresses would be seen in them. No one in Texas had ever worn a pair. But I didn't care. On my sixteenth birthday, I got a pair of short shorts. Mother didn't approve, but what do you think I did? I put those shorts on with my best pair of high heels and my prettiest lipstick, and went walking down main street so all the boys could whistle at me. That was one of my best days." Only my Grandma.To hear me go on about her, I can only imagine the image you must have in your mind. A self-absorbed woman with perfectly coiffed hair wearing a fur coat and lounging on a chaise. But what is truly amazing about my Grandmother is that in all her diva-Esq glory, she raised nine kids on a truckers salary, cultivated a huge garden that provided the foods she claimed "made her beautiful", volunteered at the red cross, and quit school in the seventh grade to pick onions in a field which helped her mother support her younger siblings. She fed countless hungry neighbors with her beans and cornbread, ground her own wheat to bake two loaves of bread every day, cared for countless sick people in her own home, and invented her own methods of remaining beautiful when money was scarce. Vel Soap, Pond's Cold Cream, lots of exercise, and an old-fashioned healthy diet was all she needed to stay beautiful.I had the great pleasure of sitting with her in the kitchen two weeks ago as she prepared for a long road trip (at the age of 79) back to Texas to attend her niece's funeral. She spent three hours in the kitchen boiling eggs, slicing vegetables, cutting fruit, preparing sandwiches, and filling water bottles so she wouldn't have to stop for that "horrible fast-food that will make me less pretty". All the while she explained to me the benefits of eating healthy. After she was finished in the kitchen, I kept her company while she did thirty minutes of cardio on a machine I'd never even seen in my life, one she'd ordered from an infomercial. When she was finished with that, she said, "Well, sweetheart, I'd like to visit with you more, but I have to go and get my beauty rest."I hope to pass on to my three daughters the lessons my Grandmother has taught me about beauty. Get plenty of exercise, eat natural healthy foods, give service to those in need, and hold your head up high no matter what your circumstances. If you believe you're beautiful, others will believe it too.

Jessica's "Movie Night" birthday party

Jessica and her friend Alyssa both have birthdays three weeks apart. So they decided that they would like to have a birthday party together. Here is what the invitations looked like: It was a shape of a ticket with glitter sprayed over the top. Then we inserted them into popcorn bags. They rocked!!!!

The girls made posters to hang up. This is them working on them. (Rachel does that board look familiar that Jessica is writing on) yes she still has it and uses it.

Alyssa checking to make sure she doesn't have any text messages.

This is the red carpet that everyone came in on.

These were the signs that they made for the movies they showed. The boys in our ward had made Dewey Finn and Missionary Possible a couple of years ago. The movies were very very well made, very professional also so FUNNY!!!!

My dear friend Jaime let me borrow her big blow up movie screen and projector again!!!! She is awesome!!!

I told the girls to go and take a few pictures. I loved this one of Jessica, except for the car in the background. They asked everyone to dress up in a costume, WHY?? They wanted to make their own movie, but then decided not to last minute. Jessica was a hippie.

Not such a good picture of the party. My camera is wacko. We had a whole concession stand set up were we rented a popcorn machine, we had nachos, pretzels with cheese, big size candy bars, and pickles. We wanted it to be like if they were at the movie theatre. Here they are holding Jessica up in a pose. They are all wrapped up in blankets, because a cold front decided to drop in that day. It was windy, and in the 40's. But they had a BLAST!!!!

The kids in our ward are always up to something. The boys made a pyramid, so the girls had to out do them and made a higher one.

Wimpy Wimpy Wimpy!

Don't these girls look happy? Would you want to date them? They are looking now that they are of legal age. I just think that Jessica has such a glow about her.

Ok so this is not the best picture, but they just had to raise her up.

Then it was Alyssa's turn and she just struck a pose.

Here Jessica is with one of her best friends Seth, who decided at the last minute to pull his shorts up mess up his hat, shrink, and add a cheesy smile.

Jessica didn't open her gifts until everyone was gone, except Shae. They were having so much fun that they had forgot all about it. She has some really great friends who are very thoughtful and I know that she appreciated the thoughtfulness. But her favorite gift of all was this red rose from Seth. He also gave her some funny gifts, a gum ball machine, and bubbles. Seth also brought Alyssa a yellow rose, can I just say the drama that came from that was to funny. Jessica didn't care, she loved the rose and I could not believe that she let me take a picture of her with it. Her first flower from a guy.

Jessica we are so glad that we were able to give you the party that you wanted and it went great for you. Dad and I both love you very much, but you will always be our first baby.

Go Jess!!!!

Two of Jessica's really good friends kept telling her that they were coming to her volleyball game and that they were going to paint there chests. She did not believe them, but when it happened she was so embarrassed, but loved it. I am glad to know that she had really great friends who support her and they just have good clean fun. They had a surprise in store for Jessica. Watch the video to see what happened and Jessica's reaction.

Remember who you are

I always tell my children "Remember who you are" when they leave the house, or whenever I say goodbye to them. Lots of times there response is "I know mom." I never knew if they really took it to heart, but on Sunday we had our Fast & Testimony meeting and Jessica bore her testimony and said that she appreciated me telling her to "Remember who she was." That was a very proud mother moment for me. I started tearing up and I knew that I have reached my children and they do listen to me. Jessica I am so proud of you and all of the good choices you have made in your life and that you do Remember Who You Are!!! A daughter of God. Now that I am Young Women's President I now tell all of my girls to "Remember who you are" when they leave. I know that they are listening because this past week they were joking around with me and now they tell me to Make sure I remember who I am. I know who I am, and I hope that I am a good example to my children and the young women in our ward. Being an example to not only my children, but to people who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a joy me.

Funny

We have a fire station a few miles from our house on the main road. They always have funny sayings or warning you that the kids are back in school and to slow down etc, etc., etc. When I first read this one I could not stop laughing. I thought it was so funny and I thought I would pull over and take a picture of it to share with you.

We've been BOO-ED

We were Boo-ed Saturday night from a Halloween phantom from our Ward. The bucket was full of candy. Now we get to return the favor and boo two more families.

Fireside

Our stake put on a fireside for the whole family last night and Tonly Ingle the head basketball coach at Kennesaw State University was there to speak to us along with Shawn Bradley who he recruited and coached at BYU. Shawn Bradley stands 7'6" and is a former BYU star, played 12 years in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76's, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks. He is such a wonderful speaker. Hunter, Jessica and I were able to go and listen to him speak. We could have listened for hours to him, he was so funny, spiritual, and entertaining. When he stood up the crowd just aaahhheedd. He is so tall as you can tell from this picture. When we were leaving he was outside and Hunter was standing by him and asked if he wanted a picture with him. I just happen to have my camera, because of Hunter's football game from the night before, but my batteries had died, but I was able to get it to work. Hunter is 5'6 mind you, Shawn was two feet taller.

Halloween

HALLOWEEN IS GOING TO SUCK THIS YEAR!!!!!

My dad sent this to me in an email and I just had to share it. It cracked me up. Thanks dad!

Piano Lessons

Spencer and Taylor have started taking piano lessons from a wonderful dear friend of mine Melysa. They get to learn on a baby grand piano, how awesome is that. I got to learn on a baby grand piano too. We have a piano that I paid $125 dollars for. It was a steal, but it still needs to be tuned. I will get around to it soon. I need to just do it. They have loved it so far, even practicing. I know that it will not last, I have been there and I loved piano lesson's for a few months then I begged my mom to let me quit, but she would not let me. I finally talked her into it after a year. I wish she would have never let me quit, but you can't force me to do anything. Gotta go to piano lessons. Wish them luck.

County Champs!!!

Jessica's volleyball team became the County champs last Saturday. They ended the season being undefeated. They still have four more games this week, but even if they lose they still have the county because they have played these teams already and beat them. Jessica has done a fabulous job for it being her real first year of serious volleyball. Jessica is #8 serving the ball and is in white, even though her team is in green. She is their Libero, click on it to find out more information what the Libero does click on it. Here are a few more shots of her playing. She takes whatever she does seriously. She is very competitive, but has great sportsmanship. She loves the sport of volleyball now!!! We were sad to see her leave softball, but we are excited to watch what ever sport she wants to play.

TAGGED AGAIN, BUT DIFFERENT

My friend Rachel & Loree both tagged me at the same time, with the same thing. So here are the random things you may not have known about me.

1. I don't like to sit in a restaurant where people are walking by my food. I would rather sit in a corner or sit on the inside of the booth or table where my food won't get sneezed on, talked on, spit on by people talking or just there body flakes getting on it.

2. I did track in High school. My events were discus and the shot put. I was the littlest one out there and did pretty good, placing third in state as a sophomore.

3. I hate to sleep with any light. I can't stand even the light from my alarm clock. But get this, I can sleep with the TV on. Go figure.

4. I always move my furniture and decor around at least once a month. Don't believe me ask my husband. Ok not all of my furniture, but it is something that I change in the house.

5. I use to play the flute, saxophone, clarinet, piccolo, and piano. No, I can't play anything now. Which is very, very , very sad.

6. I was president of my class for Freshman, Sophomore, & Junior year. Every year 6 people ran against me and I won. Then when I was a Senior I ran for Student Body President and no one ran against me. So I won. They all ran for Senior Class President.

7. I did ballet for 11 years, till I was a sophomore in High School.

Now that you know a little bit more about me and maybe some things you wished you never knew.

I choose to tag: MYKELLE, JODI,JENNIFER, LORA, MELYSA & LORI