the joyful nest!

Posted on April 29, 2010 by joyful_admin

I don’t know if you remember, but one of my first posts was about “choosing joy”.

It is what I do.

I have come to a time in my life,

when the chicks are mostly grown.
Time flies when you’re having fun, and

I know that in just a few years the nest will be empty.

OUCH!

I feel a pain in my heart. I’m OK, it’s just so hard to have my childers growing up and leaving. What’s weird is, I have been looking forward to this for quite sometime. I just didn’t know it would come quite so quickly. Being a mom has been the greatest, hardest, most amazing experience. When they were tiny, I would give anything (pretty much) for a break. Just 20 minutes! You know, run to the store by myself, take a shower, eat MY food by myself. I think all I did was feel overwhelmed and worry. Come to think of it, I still worry. But now they’re gone alot and doing so much, I worry when they don’t come home at the designated time. Did the car break down? Have they even looked at the clock? These days, I miss having them all safely tucked in bed by 8:30 pm.

After all is said and done, life is wonderful. It is a challange, and I love it. I choose to love it, all of it.

————————————

I sent my oldest son off to boot camp on Tuesday, he has chosen to serve his country. It’s going to be a great thing! I will miss seeing him for a while. Then my second son will be leaving on his mission in July. Oldest daughter is at a crossroads, as well. Bonus baby just turned sixteen on the 19th and had her first date all in the same week. Wow! I know that I’m still their mom and hopefully they will always come home to the nest for visits, bringing lots of grandbabies and sharing love and togetherness.

When I first heard Eva Cassidy sing the song, “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” I cried….I sobbed. I thought of my darling children flying away. It’s hard, but when it’s time for them to go, I know it. I have to have faith in them and in God. I know I have taught them, and loved them, and they are amazing!!

I had a friend tell me once, “Joy, you’re not the only one who loves them.” Father in Heaven loves them even more than I do. They will be just fine!!!

One year Blogiversary!!

Posted on April 29, 2010 by joyful_admin

Today, it has been

one year

since I started my blog.

I feel pretty good about it!

It isn’t the most famous, or the most impressive.

It is however mine and I have enjoyed so much sharing the past year with anyone who stops by.

One of my goals, was to do posts encouraging others to do their Family History. I did write “37” FHF posts, and if I didn’t inspire anyone that’s OK. I reminded myself, of the love I have for my ancestors and their legacy. They are amazing to me and I hope someday to meet them and to tell them how much I love them. Maybe, they will tell me, they think I’m amazing too?

I have also written very fond and wonderful memories of my life and family. I’m always happy to share my stories and the lessons and things that life has taught me, but it is also for my posterity. How will they know…unless I tell them.

So if by chance you’ve happened by, thanks!

I hope to see you again and get to know you. I have gotten to know lots of amazing people, and am very grateful for all of you.

Happy Blogiversary to ME!!

Family History Friday (FHF): State Historical Background!

Posted on April 23, 2010 by joyful_admin

If you have family from a certain area in the United States, and would like information about the place, you can go to the new “FamilySearch” here. Once there, click on “research helps”. Once there, you will find an alphabetized list of possible information you can use. Click on the letter at the top of the state that you wish to look up. For example if I want information about the state of Utah, I would click on the “U”. When the list comes up, go down to “Utah Historical Background”. Click on it to see a chronological history of Utah. It is a great way to learn important dates and information that could be added to the history of an ancestors. It can/will be helpful and informative. Try it!! Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

My Baby is 16!!!

Posted on April 22, 2010 by joyful_admin

My bonus baby’s

birthday was on the 19th.

We gave Emily a surprise party!!!

It turned out pretty great, and I think she was surprised.

We had fondue!

Cheese w/ ham, broccoli, cauliflour, carrots, pretzels, crackers, and –chocolate w/cinnamon bears (my personal fave), nilla wafers, pretzels, teddy grahams, marshmallows, bananas– also caramel w/ apple slices, pretzels, and all the stuff that was dipped in the chocolate. YUM, YUM!!!

what a darling smile for the camera!! Not!!!

(In case you were wondering, Emily is notorious for silly and crazy faces.)

Rachael forgot the “D” in birthday,

but did an awesome job decorating!

Then the kids watched “Zoolander”!

Emily calls her friend Linsey, her twin.

They were born on the same day,

April 19th, about 4 hours apart.

Linsey’s mom is one of my best friends, Lilli.

The girls have had their picture taken every year on their b-day,

since their b-day!!

Happy Birthday darling Emily!! I love you!!! oxox

Favorite TV/Movie Quotes! You’ve Got Mail

Posted on April 17, 2010 by joyful_admin

I absolutely LOVE this movie. It is my happy movie.

You know, the one I watch when I’m feeling kinda blue.

If you haven’t seen it, you should do it.

I think I’ll watch it again today.

Kathleen Kelly: [about “NY152”] He couldn’t possibly be the Rooftop Killer!

Christina Plutzker: Remember when you thought Frank might be the Unibomber?

Kathleen Kelly: That was different.

-You’ve Got Mail

Family History Friday (FHF): The Wall.

Posted on April 17, 2010 by joyful_admin

I actually teach an organizing class for people getting started doing their family history. I’m not always organized, but I do know how to organize.

One of the visuals I use in my class is a

picture of a wall.

We want to get to the other side of the wall, but the wall is stopping us. The wall represents an obstacle or problem in research. Something preventing us from going any further, or progressing. How will we get over the wall? Well, on this side of the wall, the side where we are, there are many possible ways to get over the wall. There is a pole vaulter, a person holding a large bunch of of helium balloons, someone with a ladder leaning against the wall, someone with dynamite, someone digging under the wall, someone with a jack hammer, two people on a teeter totter, one person standing on shoulders of another, Rapunzel has her hair hanging down to help someone up, a group of cheerleaders are doing a pyramid, someone is on a tractor- ready to break through, a person with springs on their shoes, etc. The purpose of the visual is to tell others-

don’t be discouraged.

There are many ways to accomplish what you want to do. Sometimes you need to find out that there are other ways you haven’t tried yet. Saying to yourself, “Well, I tried this way, and also that way. What else could I try that I haven’t tried?”

There is more than one way to find

what you are looking for.

In fact, you can find the same exact information many different ways. Don’t give up. If I am having a difficult time finding something, and I have tried many different ways to find it, it might be time to take a break from that part of my research for a time.
I’m glad I have the picture of the wall
to remind me I can do it, you can too!!
Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

5 Faves on the 5th

Posted on April 6, 2010 by joyful_admin

1- Family!

and family gatherings!

———————————————-

2-Spring blooms!

New beginnings.

————————————————————————-

3–Easter!

I am so grateful to

our Savior for

His life,

His atonement,

and His ressurection.

———————————-

4-This beautiful world!

The opportunity to learn and grow and love!

——————————————————-

5- Life!

Amazingly darling!!!

Two Cents! by T and G.

Posted on April 3, 2010 by joyful_admin

Talking to Kelsey about school grades one day.

T: “What does a B mean?”

Kelsey: “It means you did pretty good!”

T: “What does a solid B-minus-A mean?”

Family History Friday (FHF): Technology!

Posted on April 3, 2010 by joyful_admin

My daddy writes these amazing stories about his life, giving all who read a glimpse of his perspective and experiences. I thought I would share another one with you.

On Technology

I was born in the mid-1930’s (1934) (my memories of the way it was then) I never saw an indoor, flushing toilet until I was eight years old. Outhouses were the standard, with either a Montgomery Ward or a Sears and Roebuck mail order catalog for toilet paper. We carried our water from a neighbor’s pump a half block away until dad hand dug a well in our front yard. Mother washed clothes in a washtub using a washboard and a bar of ivory soap. After they were washed and rinsed she would wring the water out of them by hand. They were then hung outside on the clothesline to dry. Her apron had big pockets where she carried wooden clothespins. They were gathered up and brought in after they were dry. They smelled so fresh after being blown in the breeze. Mother would sprinkle them, and roll them up to be ironed. She ironed with a very heavy, hand iron that was heated on top of the cook stove. The iron had to be reheated frequently while she was ironing. We heated our uninsulated house with a potbellied wood stove and mother cooked on a cast iron, wood burning, cook stove. Wood had to be chopped year round for one or both stoves. In the coldest part of the Minnesota winter, both stoves had to be fed wood most of the time to keep the house warm. All of the logs were cut with a hand held bucksaw into one to one-and-a half foot lengths. Then dad used an axe to chop them into smaller chunks for burning. Dad would keep his axe sharp with a spinning grindstone using foot-pedal power. The work was hard but a sharp axe reduced the work considerably. We had an icebox that kept our food from spoiling. Ice was delivered twice a week, as I remember. The iceman, in an old Model A Ford truck, delivered a one foot square block of ice to each house on his route. The block of ice was dropped into the top of the icebox and the food was kept in the bottom section. Since we had no running water in the house, we carried water in buckets to fill an elongated copper tub for our weekly baths. The water was heated on top of the stove and then the tub was placed in the middle of the room. There were five of us kids, at the time, and we all bathed in the same water. The girls bathed first and the boys waited outside until they were through, and then the boys bathed last in somewhat, dirty water. We did have electricity in our house; there were two light bulbs, one upstairs and one in the basement room. There were strings hangingdown from each light that switched on the lights. If they were not turned on before dark the strings were very difficult to find.We had a large console radio that we listened to. There were only a few programs and usually there was more static than program, but we would listen anyway. We also had one of the first RCA phonograph players of our day. We would wind it up and listen to the music recorded on large, round, black Bakelite records. The records would break or get scratched easily and then the music would include a strange sound each time it came around to the scratch. The most technical thing, that I was aware of in that era, was an automobile. My dad had an old 1924-5 Essex, which he could only start with a hand crank from the front of the car, but he could only get it to run part of the time. The only paved roads in the town we lived in were the highway running through town and the main street. The rest of the roads both in town and in the country were gravel and very dusty and bumpy. I don’t remember ever seeing wrist watches.

There may have been some, but pocket watches were very popular. The men that could afford them had nice fancy silver or gold chains that hung in front of their vests with the watch safe and secure in their vest pockets. My grandfather, Judge Emil O. Hanson, was one who wore a chain with his pocket watch in his vest pocket. I have heard the story of a patent clerk who quit his job in 1900, because he said that everything

that was going to be invented had been invented by then. In my early years, we too may have thought that most everything had been invented. After all we had a washboard, an icebox etc. What more could we ask for? There are so many wonderful appliances and other technical things that have been invented since those many years ago. In reality, it almost seems like most everything of value, that has been invented, has been invented in the three quarters of a century since I was born.

I love him so much and am so grateful when I here where he has come from. Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy