Disney Busy Book, Mickey Mouse Quiet Book, Disney Activity Book

As a new grandma and huge Disney fan, I have already influenced my little toddler granddaughter to the point that she loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Disney music and especially the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse tv show.

I decided I needed to make a busy book to entertain her on an anticipated flight and trip we were planning before the pandemic changed all that.  Anyway, I finished and thought it turned out pretty great.  My daughter encouraged me to post pictures in case anyone else needed ideas.  Of course I found most of my ideas/inspiration online, but who knows, maybe mine would also be useful to someone.

Cover and back cover (used hair tie as closure)

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse page - find Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy 

(laminated printed pictures sewn in) 

Toodles page (zips open to reveal 4 tools including the Mystery Mousketool)

 Dress Up Minnie Mouse with Closet of Clothes (closet has clear vinyl doors that velcro closed, all clothes, shoes and bows velcro, even her hands can velcro together - could hold a purse or flower)

Name page [yep, her name is Rebel] (letters velcro or pull down into pocket)

Snail page (push buttons around maze under mesh, sun spins on button, wings lift, grass moves)

Did you spot the hidden Mickey?

Picture Puzzle page featuring Pluto (pieces velcro on)

Finding Nemo page (Pearl and Dory switch places on velcro, Nemo swims and hides behind seaweed, pearl in shell, move shells on sand under mesh)

Goofy Peek-a-Boo page (magnets behind eyes and in fingers)

Shoes page (closures velcro open and closed)   Did you spot the hidden Mickey?

Shapes page (pieces velcro, can change places)

Mickey Heads Peek Under page (a charm hides under each)

Counting page (buttons strung on ribbon)

Memory page (pieces flip over on elastic)

My Missionary

It's amazing how time can fly!  I've kept in contact with family via Facebook and have forgotten to update this blog.

The big news of this year - Jeremy submitted his papers (actually an online application) for his mission.

Then he received his mission call.  On July 3, 2013 he received that big white envelope from the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints.  He didn't open it until that evening when we were at his Grandma's house with cousins, aunts and uncles all together.

He is called to the Oregon Eugene Mission and is to report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo on September 11, 2013 - the same day, it turns out, as the other soon to be missionary from our ward - Brandon Morris (who is going to the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission).

His mission boundaries include a little bit of northern California and the corner tip of Nevada, but mostly the south west portion of Oregon. 

We have spent the last few months purchasing the things he needs for his mission, planning family get togethers, practicing a musical number for the farewell and packing up his room.  Hours and days go by in a seeming blink of an eye.

One of those days whizzing by was the very special day that Jeremy went through the temple for the first time on Saturday, August 31, 2013.  We invited family and friends from our ward to attend with us and we had quite the turnout - Pam & Troy, Jen & Neils, his Grandma & Grandpa, aunts Karen & Bebe, and from our Ward - Bishop and Sister Aubrey, Dale & Wendy Winger, Dennis & Katrina Webber, Rachel Tueller, Jess Desmond, Neil Jarman and Brandon Morris.  Melissa didn't want to be left out, so she came with us and did baptisms while we were there!  What a blessing to have so many people who care about and support Jeremy.  It was a very spiritual and peaceful time.

The following Tuesday was our youth night to do baptisms at the temple and Jeremy was able to come and perform some of the baptisms!

Now we look forward to his farewell on Sunday, September 8th.  I hope I can get through the song without crying!

She Put the Music in Me

On my way home from driving Jeremy to work this morning, I turned the radio to FM 100 because I know they play "soft Sunday sounds."  I heard a song that touched me so much, that I had to look it up on YouTube as soon as I got home.

The words of this song could have been written for me, in fact I wish that I had written it.  Then as I watched the video, I just started to cry.  I realized this young woman just lost her mother last year to cancer and wrote this song as a tribute to her.  I could make a video very much like this, and the tears flow as I think of the videos and pictures I see in my mind from my childhood of my Mom singing, teaching me and my sisters to sing, singing to and with children all through her life - very much like this:

Then I realized that tomorrow is the anniversary of Mom's birthday.  I am so thankful that Mom taught me all the songs this song refers to and a multitude more.  She gave me music, she taught me to sing, she gave me the confidence to learn and perform.  She gave me the joy that music has brought and continues to bring into my world.

I miss her.

Merry Christmas Wishes 2012

My Favorite Version of Jingle Bells

Christmas music is the best!  I love it in all it's varieties.  I have loved singing Christmas songs and carols with my family, school choirs and church choirs.  I have enjoyed putting together Christmas programs and choosing Christmas music for my ward choir when I was the director.  I even "transcribed" a piece of music that we could not find the music for anywhere.  It was an arduous task of listening to the music bit by bit and writing down the notes that I heard for all four parts.  When I was able to actually sing that piece of music with my sisters, it was my favorite Christmas moment of all.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Jingle Bells."  There are so many versions of Jingle Bells, once I put together my own mix (on cassette tape) of about 10 different tracks of just Jingle Bells.  My favorite version was one by Bing and his son Gary Crosby from my LP (that's a long playing vinyl record) "Happy Holidays with Frank and Bing," called "Jingle Bells in Swing."  Check it out!

Thanksgiving 2012

I love Thanksgiving!  Sometimes I think I love it better than Christmas, that is until Christmas comes.  I love the chance to get together with some of the family who I don't get to see too much throughout the year.  It's a chance to catch up, to laugh, to play, to eat of course, and to reminisce.

This year we spent Thanksgiving day with Anthony's family.  They set a beautiful table, and the food was great. This year Anthony made rolls and stuffing, the rolls turned out pretty good (I don't care that much for stuffing).  Most of the evening was spent playing with babies and looking through ads for black Friday.  The babies got their first taste of solids with mashed sweet potatoes.  Anthony likes to say he was the first to feed Willow - and he fed her with a fork!

 Then on Saturday we got together with my family.  We had a great time eating and playing games and watching old family movies of the Throckmorton Family Christmas parties from 1968-197?

I am so thankful for my family!

Halloween 2012

This year for Halloween, Melissa was in middle school so I didn't think I had to worry about costumes any more.  Wrong!  Jeremy reminded me that they still wear costumes to school all through high school, so we had to come up with a costume for Melissa.  Well, we thought and we fretted and came up with nothing until the night before Halloween.  Finally she agreed to a Hawaiian shirt, lei and straw hat - normal clothes yet still a costume of sorts.

Jeremy (no longer in school, so a costume was not entirely necessary) found his costume idea and couldn't resist making his own costumer this year.  And I still have to come up with costumes for myself every year because Herriman City employees do that (besides, I get a $10 gift card if I dress up to entertain the residents).  I have come up with a new costume every year for six years now, so I figured I could start to recycle and wore the witch outfit mom made me many years ago.

Labor Day Fun

Thanks to Jen for planning a get-together for the McFarlane girls and families.  We had fun with those who could come and missed those who could not.  Here are some snapshots from the day.

(Anthony was there too for a while, unfortunately I didn't get a picture before he had to leave for a show.)

Obama's Promises vs Reality

I kept hearing about the promises Obama made during his first campaign and what he has done since then, that I just had to make this picture of Obama's promises vs. reality.  I don't know if it will matter, but I did it anyway. I don't understand why anyone would vote for him again.  I hope America will get rid of Obama.

Lagoon Again!

Our company summer party this year was at Lagoon, to the children's delight.  This year Melissa was much more brave.  We had already gone to Lagoon on my birthday in June, and she had tried a few new rides and had a lot of fun.  So this time she tried even more rides.

She rode the Rocket, the Jet Star, the Air Race, even the Samurai!!!  But she just couldn't bring herself to ride the Colossus.

We were also able to get half price tickets for any family members who wanted to come.  Some of Anthony's sisters and their kids were able to come and have fun with us.  Jeremy and Melissa were delighted to have cousins to ride with.

(Melissa and two of her aunts.)

We even had a couple of extra tickets to dinner that Jessica and Nate couldn't use, so two of the cousins were able to eat with us.

It wasn't very crowded, so we were able to take some time and go over to Pioneer Village and walk around.  Melissa had never seen any of it.  She was not very impressed, but I was amazed at the things they had on display.  I had a very nice time there.  Her favorite thing was getting ice cream.