Ashton's Debut Recital

This last month has been a busy one for Ashton. She's been preparing for her debut recital. You would think that one recital would be enough, but no, this was the 3rd one in 15 days!

Since we've been to each of her recitals I don't think I comprehended what a *debut recital* entailed. It was over an hour of her playing; mostly without music! When I looked at the sheet music for the last concerto (it was a duet and only her teacher had the music) it was mind boggling! I asked her how she could memorize all of that. Her answer, "I have a photographic memory."

Ashton has a lovely touch and a gift for music. My personal favorite was an arrangement of If You Could Hie to Kolob (the music is taken from an Irish melody). It literally brought me to tears.

Ashton and her piano teacher, Kristi

And here is the funny part about our Ashton... she is obsessed with these funny bracelets. At her first recital I asked if she needed to take them off. I took her quite a few minutes to get all 28 of them off.

(But perhaps funnier still, that Grammie had to sort them.)

A New Tradition!

Last week while I was making my gingerbread nativity the thought kept rolling around in my head, "Wouldn't this be an awesome activity with the grandkids?" I knew that the kids needed to be old enough to actually participate so that ruled out the littles. (As it turned out, Jude came to hang in the highchair and eat copious amounts of fruit and beans while Mama went to see if she could get her 2-week migraine under control)

(You know what I love the most about this photo? Yup, that family sign that proclaims- THIS is my family!)

I knew that I needed to have the gingerbread baked and ready when the kids got here to keep this from being an all day affair. My plan was to have the icing ready too... but it wasn't so I had some champion frosting tinters on the job.

Once the frosting was tinted it was time to start decorating. I love how self-sufficient and creative these kids are. I gave them some general instruction and a demonstration and they were good to go.

Well, all except Sophie. It's hard when you have tiny hands.

(I just love her pixie hair!)

I told them about my black sheep and explained how the Savior's atonement cleanses us from all our sins when we repent. I'm so grateful that I can share my testimony with my grandchildren.

When it was time to go home Christian stayed for one last photo op!

(I do love this boy!)

Now can I just say a couple of things?
(Yes, yes I can! This IS MY blog after all!)

I am one of those lucky women who got to live my dream. As a child, when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was, "I want to be a Mommie, just like my Mommie!" I wasn't always able to be a stay-at-home-Mommie (just like my Mommie) but I got to love and enjoy my children. It is the hardest and most fulfilling job I've ever had.

But you know what? This being a Grammie is perhaps even more satisfying. (I am the Grammie-spoiler NOT the Mommie-enforcer) I recognize just how blessed I am that I can be a part of these darling children's lives!

I'm in hopes that next year I will be able to include more of our grandchildren. I do love this new tradition!

Cutest Grandkids!

I know that we all think our grandkids are the cutest... but in my case... it's the truth!

Ashton- 12 1/2 (and 5'8")

Christian, almost 10

Roxie 5 1/2

Sophie 2

And, no, I haven't forgotten baby Jude, but he gets his very own post in a day or so!

"It's All Fun and Games 'Til Somebody Gets Hurt!"

I love our tradition of 3rd Sunday Grammie Dinner. Most of the local children and grandchildren come for a yummy dinner and an evening of fun and visiting. But this week Unca Stuey was in fine form. He took off his tie (on Sunday!!) and went outside with his adoring fan club.



I became aware of the frivolities, grabbed my camera and got outside just in time to see him *airplaning* Kaia around.



But Unca Stuey is always looking for the next fun feat! He got both little girls; Elise and Roxie, each by one leg and started to spin...



Go faster... (At this point mama-Jessica had to look away! Look out of the way!)



Ahhhhh... too fast... Yeah, it's all fun and games 'til somebody gets hurt, or in this case, scare-scare! (But look at Roxie's face! She is totally diverted!)



But that's ok. Unca Stuey can make it all better.



Christian wasn't into the spinning, but he loved the *throw up in the air* routine.



And where is Sophie all this time? Staying safely away from her rowdy Unca Stuey! Showing us the pretty flowers. This little 16-month-old can sure talk! What's up with that?



This little lovely has eyes that are the same color as denim. Uncle Spenny's eyes are like that too. I love it.



Ashton is growing so fast! She is almost as tall as her Mama... she passed up her Grammie years ago! What a lovely girl.



It is one of my greatest joys to be here in Utah with so many of our grandchildren and family. I just wish the rest of them were closer.

Happy time!

332- Ashton's Birthday

I can hardly believe that our *little* Ashton is 11 years old. Not only is she 11, she's 5' 4.5"!

This is the little girl who since she was old enough to speak asked for fruit or fruit salad for her birthday *cake*. Tonight Jessica made some wonderful fruit pizza. The crust was a snicker-doodle and then there were raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. I normally love fruit, but tonight with 8 " of snow on the ground in Orem that fruit was just a piece of heaven.

Happy Birthday Sweet-Ashton!

241- Fast & Easy Finished!

Ahh, finally finished! (I talk like it took me days instead of hours!) I had the skirt all finished last night with only the hem left to put in when I realized that this fast-growing Ashton-girl could probably use ever bit of length we allotted when we cut her skirt out a month ago (I can literally WATCH that girl grow!) I realized that if I did just a rolled hem it would get her another 1.25" of length. So that meant another trip to JoAnn's for my $.95 purchase of another yard of coffee-colored tulle! (Hey, I had my 40% off coupon that was going to expire tomorrow!)

I added another ruffle of tulle to peek out at the hem which made it even puffer! Well, can I just say that there is no such thing as too puffy for Ashton? I delivered it this evening so she would have it to wear tomorrow to church. She is such a dear, sweet, appreciative girl! I'm so glad to be near her and our other grandchildren that are here.

Can you believe how cute this little almost 10-year old girl is?


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229- Ashton's New Skirt

** I am playing catch up here...

Ashton finished her skirt today! Yeah for Ashton... it has been a several week project since we only have lessons on the 2nd and 4th Thursday each month (yes, I know, this wasn't a Thursday, we had to reschedule)

It has been fun to teach Ashton to sew. She is such a compliant little learner. But it is more than that... I am no longer the *Mommie-enforcer*, I am the *Grammie-spoiler*. It makes all the difference in the world when you are teaching grandchildren. It's as if I already have several gold stars in my crown so everything is happy... does this make sense? Even if it doesn't I am enjoying teaching another generation of seamstresses.


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204- Sewing Lessons

I've probably written before about Mary Greiner, my 4-H Sewing Teacher. She was a wonderful little country lady who had a knack for vexing a bunch of 8-year old girls with her terrible pickiness about *How to Sew Properly*. I used to think she was just torturing us but as the years have gone by I have blessed her name many times that she taught me the way to sew! I've learned lots of wonderful shortcuts and trick, but when the chips are down and I needed to get that zipper into a wedding dress (with fabric that was as slippery as snake skin) I knew how to hand baste that puppy and then sew it in like a charm.

So let's fast forward almost 50 years (yikes!) *Little* Ashton, who is nearly as tall as I am, has a hard time finding skirts that are long enough for her long legs. Jessica asked me if I could make her some skirts. And then I had the bright idea... SEWING LESSONS!

Ashton and her new sewing box.

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We got off to a slow start. We went shopping for fabric and a pattern about a month ago. I gave her the homework of washing her fabric before we did any cutting. But the pattern we chose was just too difficult for a beginner (what was I thinking?). After our first lesson I realized that we needed to back this sewing truck up a few feet. I offered to finish the *too-difficult* skirt for her and got some different fabric to make a S-I-M-P-L-E skirt (say it, Grammie... simple!)

Today when Ashton arrived for lesson #2 I surprised her with her very own sewing box and the cutest little pink and black sewing kit! I was amazed how much Ashton remembered from our first lesson and how quickly she learns (but I don't know WHY I should be surprised, she's always been so smart!)



I drew her some pictures of the different kinds of skirts we could make and she opted for the full skirt (it was the twirling-feature that got her!!) We took her measurements with her brandy-spankin'-new pink tape measure and got to work with measuring, marking, ciphering (do you know how much math & fractions are involved in sewing?) and cutting. Today's lesson got us as far as pinning the front to the back and sewing one seam. Then we folded it all carefully in her new sewing box to wait for our next lesson.

I wonder if Mary enjoyed teaching us as much as I'm enjoying teaching my sweet granddaughter? I doubt it... we were just kids and, well, Ash is family.

Oh, to the joys of being a grandparent! I love it!

Ashton's Day to Shine

One of the best parts about our move to Utah 3 years ago is that we are now closer to some of our grandchildren (unfortunately, the others are all much too far away!)

Last August as we anticipated Ashton's baptism I asked her if she would like me to make her second white dress. (There is a poem about "my 3 white dresses"- blessing, baptism and wedding). She was very excited at the prospect of having some input into this second white dress. We went to JoAnn's Fabrics one day and looked at all the pattern books until she found the dress that just suited her. It is interesting, if I had been choosing, I would have gone frilly, but Ashton knows her style, and well, she just isn't a frilly! She choose a darling two-piece dress with princess lines in the bodice and big Renaissance bell-sleeves.


The day of her baptism it snowed and it made the perfect backdrop for her photo-op! She danced and twirled in the snow for the camera. It was wonderful to be with her on her special day.

I love the fact that I can be a real part of my grandchildren's live... that is the joy of being a grandparent.