Letters from Home – Page 173 – A blog by Angela Ross

Our Week

These frames are at Michaels in the dollar bins. These are Easter time pictures of each of the kids when they were about two years old. They were all such little sweeties.

I still have so many blank walls in the house. It’s daunting for me to decorate because I don’t put something on the wall unless it is meaningful to me, and that’s a tall order. I’ve been working on a few photo projects to cover some of these empty spaces in the house. I found this collage frame and filled it with photos of Richard and me for our bedroom.

As you can see, it’s still not on the wall. I have so many ideas, but perfectionism gets in the way.

Look at this picture I found:

Tres chic, I know. The baby’s hat! The scarf! The distinguished young man!

In other news, Richard had a birthday.

I made him good things to eat. What did he ask for? Lentil soup, steak, and lemon bars. Steaks are for the weekend. The Young Men were short on rides to the mountains for a night sledding expedition, so that’s what he did on his birthday. He went night sledding with the neighborhood teenage boys.

Paige took her first sick day since going to public school this week. She’s working on an art project with this selfie. She’s feeling better today.

Daniel is working the microphones for the school play. He goes to school at 6:45 a.m. and comes home for dinner, then back again for the performance. He likes working on the stage crew. He got his first taste of it when Paige was dancing in Arizona:

He’s a lot taller now.

I am going to begin teaching violin lessons next week. You have no idea how I agonized over my inability, then my lack of time, and finally my monthly rate. All of my creative energy this week went into that decision and then I took to my bed for a day in exhaustion and with an upset stomach. I’m such a Victorian that I should carry around smelling salts. Despite my turmoil, I believe it will help me to be teaching again.

Spring Lake house demolition

We stopped by at dusk last night to see the progress on my parents’ cabin demolition. It felt a little surreal to walk among the piles of rubble, and looked something like the pictures you see after a tornado.

We took my dad to dinner to celebrate the demolition, an early birthday for Richard, and a reading goal completed by the little boys. My mom was out of town to help take care of my grandpa who had surgery for cancer today. My day has been largely devoted to hopeful waiting for news. So far so good.

Some Essentials

I see some essentials in these photos that Richard captured. We have brothers who are also best friends, markers, a project, and lots of candy. There’s not much more that you need in life.

It’s Fun in the North, too.

1620580_10203291784404280_1102347882_n — Day 2: snowshoeing

IMG_20140208_125121 — Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the women gathered for hot chocolate, salads, and shopping.

A couple of weekends ago Richard and the big boys had a blowout winter sport extravaganza. I stayed warm and enjoyed a visit with my sisters.

This post looks short, but it took an hour to get these photos to post. I wrote and deleted a long post while I waited. You’re welcome. Now go have a great weekend.

Presidents Day

My brother-in-law Richard tells me that in Utah, the holiday is called Washington and Lincoln Day. Well, we celebrated it by climbing rocks.

Did you notice that Sparky is smiling in that one?

Well, that’s all for today. I need to get back to sorting papers, magazines, and toys from all of the baskets on our shelves. So far I have discovered that we have missed several non-required school assignments, allowed numerous gift certificates to expire, and that I need to stop hoarding personal letters. I also need to part with about 15 years of Taste of Home magazines. I just know that if I get rid of them, I am sure to be called to the Relief Society and have to plan meals for masses of people again and I will need those “recipes for feeding a crowd”. Come to think of it, perhaps it’s good insurance to keep them around.

A Day in Snow Canyon

We decided to take the kids to Snow Canyon on Saturday. Richard’s parents, his brother Russ and his family, and his sister Shari and two of her sons, and Rebecca’s daughter Susannah came with us. We had a great time walking beside the red sandstone cliffs. The cousins were very happy together. We brought a picnic lunch of fried chicken, rolls, and fruit which we ate ravenously after our adventures on the Johnson Canyon walk.

It seemed that the uniform of the day was fluorescent colors for most of the kids. They made a pretty rainbow along the path as they hurried ahead of the group.

We saw many families on bicycles in the park, and someday maybe we’ll do that. It seems funny that we haven’t taken advantage of this canyon before with the kids.

We landed at Rebecca’s house and ate cinnamon rolls and played on her swing (well, some of us). Sparky treed one of her cats and generally bothered Rebecca’s other cats. The adults went out for Mexican food that evening and had a great time.

As we talked about the day, Richard remembered all of the years of hearing about family gatherings and not being able to participate. Now we’re living a very different life with our parents and many siblings nearby. I am glad to be able to be within a few hours drive to the red rocks of southern Utah and the nice folks that live among them.

Goodbye, Round House

Demolition on my parents’ Round House begins this afternoon. We stopped by over the weekend to salvage some of the decorative tiles that the original owner placed under the eaves of the deck and in the floor of the family room. Daniel says that someday when he builds a cabin, he will use the tiles he has collected during his lifetime to decorate it.

Goodbye,Round House! We have loved you. Here’s a post I wrote about it several years ago.

My parents are building a new home on the land. I am very excited for them and for the family. It’s good that there are always projects to be done at the Spring Lake property.

Valentine Box

We have made our first valentine box ever. Ta da! It’s a Kleenex box and lids from milk containers. It took 10 minutes plus drying time. That’s my kind of craft. Mark and the boys are totally pleased with this Lego replica.

A great way to spend the afternoon

Mark is a boy who loves comfort. He changes into his pajamas when he comes home from school. He loves to build nests of blankets and pillows. On Friday he had a day off from school, so that meant he could wear his pajamas all day long! While the big boys went skiing, he set up all of his stuffed animals in his bed and read books. I took the picture of Sparky at the foot of the bed, but a few minutes later, he was nestled among the stuffed animals with whom he had claimed some form of kinship.

I have started planning my 40th birthday party. It’s in November, but we can’t be too hasty with these things. The plans evolve each week. Lately I am thinking it will be a book lovers party and may just involve a photo booth with giant cut-outs of some favorite authors with whom you may have your photo taken! I’m such a geek.

Singin’ in the Rain

Well, this is unexpected. Rain in early February? The snow in our yard lives a life of attrition as it gets pelted by rain. Blah.

Yesterday as I drove through the puddles I remembered that smiling, soothing voice of Gene Kelly and I decided to sing along with him. I’m singin’ in the rain… And that helped a bit.

Besides singing in the car, here are a few of the things I do to fend off the February blues:

Bake for a neighbor
Place pictures in frames
Take vitamin D
Plan paint projects
Write letters
Sew happy things
Help the kids make Valentines
Play the violin
Dress up in nice clothes
Sniff freshly sliced limes
Go to lunch with my sisters
Wear colorful tights
Read about good people
Watch the Olympics
Look at beautiful gardens online
Clean up a cluttered room
Make little presents for little people
Attend two elementary school Valentine parties
Wear soft socks
Read December magazines full of Christmas cheer
Eat crunchy, fresh salads and warm bread
Visit the street where my friend decorates her house with Valentines Day lights
Watch Downton Abbey just to hear Maggie Smith’s lines