My Mom and Her Family

 February 11th is the day my grandma gave birth to my mom.  Not a sappy post today.  Just some pictures I found tonight that I thought I'd share with my family.  I give you what I know about each one...which isn't much.  Enjoy the photos and trip down memory lane.  They are in no particular order.

 Obviously Diane's wedding.  The guy on the right is John Pevonka (whoever that is.)

 1951

 Looks like she's at "The Rock."

 Summer 1954

 Hiding behind a pillar?  I have no info.

 My grandparent's 40th anniversary.  I love this picture even though it is way off center.

 Mom and baby Bruce

 Grandma Otto, Marge Schwartz, Mom, Grandpa O and Herb Schwartz

I LOVE Grandpa's suit and hat.  I wonder what the occasion was.

 No clue on an age.  Perhaps 14ish?

 Diane's wedding again.

 Mom and Dad's wedding.

 A trip to Utah.  I believe August 1982.

 Mom, Ibie and Rover About 1942

 Diane and Mom in Summer 1938

 Tim was the baby so whenever he was about two.

 Mom and Dad's wedding with both sets of my grandparents.  How much does my dad look like his father?

 Dad, Mom and August Dey on the porch at the farm.

 I'd say the one standing by my mom is Stan.

 Not a clue when or where but the back of the photo reads, "Won't Carol like this when she's grown up."

 At the Pederson home.  About 1965 or 1966.  Can't tell if Mom is pregnant or not. 

 My parent's wedding on Aug 30, 1958

 Graduation in 1955

 The entire family in 1969.

 The Grosskopf siblings with Grandma Frieda. I see June so much in her mother.

Without these two amazing people my mom wouldn't have existed.  Grandpa died much too early for my liking.  I love seeing photos of him.  My grandson Brock was wearing some striped bib overalls a few weeks ago and it reminded me of Grandpa Otto.

My Dad's Birthday

 On January 30th, my dad celebrates his birthday.  I have been blessed with a very loving, kind, generous man for a father.  I work one day each week for him as Rosy likes a day off each week.  I've been doing this for probably 10 years.  I don't recall when exactly he hired me to be the fill in office help.  At any rate, my usual day has been Wednesdays.  This week, Rosy had an appointment on Thursday so asked if we could switch days.  Not a problem.  I decided I would make dinner for the guys in honor of my dad's birthday.  I made Indian tacos which went over very well.  In fact, on Friday afternoon, Dad called to thank me for making a delicious lunch and sharing it with him and his employees.  I can't buy him anything that he can't get for himself, so I usually make something that he appreciates for my gifts to him.  A loaf of bread or something else he loves and appreciates and doesn't do for himself. 

Here is a few photos of him in no particular order.  Love his smiling face!

Mom and Dad in 1986.

 September 2011

 I loved watching my parents dance.  They took lessons when I was a teenager.  This was my wedding reception January 1983.

 Our wedding day. January 11, 1983

 Kurt and Tina's wedding day.  July 31, 1981

 Christmas Eve 1982

 Senior Picture.  Class of 1955

 Ground breaking for the Chicago temple.  Early 80's.

 Mid 70's.  I remember this Sunday morning.  My mom took a picture of each of us.  I was about 13 and going through a really awkward (just plain ugly) phase. 

 Mid 70's at the Sleger farm.

 Mom and Dad's wedding day.  August 30, 1958

 Tony's farewell for his mission.  About 2004.

 On a trip to the West.  Mid 70's

Dad and Jerry Bents.  I am unsure of when this was taken or even where.

 Dad serving as the district president.  Mid 80's.  Both of these wonderful friends of his have been gone for some time.

Summer 2013 

Again, I hate to sound like a broken record, but I could not have been blessed with a more wonderful man for my daddy than Butch Hoffman.  I don't ever recall him raising his voice to me.  He taught me to work and between he and Mom, I always had plenty of chances to learn how.

Bonny gave him a plaque that says,

"Any man can be a father, it takes someone special to be a daddy."

I agree.

Happy 76th Dad!

Miracles

I am blessed to be able to see miracles in my life.  Sometimes I am on the receiving end as well.  On Monday night my sinuses were stuffed up.  Tuesday during the day they weren't bad but as soon as I layed down in the evening, they started draining.  Yucky.  I propped myself up and slept somewhat better but when I got out of bed in the morning, I knew I had a sinus infection.  I despise going to the the doctor in order to get antibiotics for healing purposes.

Wednesday morning I sat up and tried to let things drain.  My sweetie asked if I wanted a blessing.  I figured it couldn't hurt so I exercised some faith in the healing power of Christ via the priesthood.  I put in a good day and by evening I knew I was going to be able to sleep without the tossing because of the plugged sinuses.  No medication, no doctor visit.

I thank my Heavenly Father for the miracle of healing in my life.  It isn't the first time I have had a miracle of healing and I am sure it won't be the last. 

Alma and Amulek

The last few lessons over last week and this week, we are studying Alma and Amulek's mission to Ammonihah.  I have found some interesting things through my study.  First of all, I love these two guys because they weren't like Nephi who was obedient from the womb.  These two had their own issues.  Alma was a real stinker in his younger years.  It took an angel to help him see the light.  Amulek lived in a city where Christ was really not taught although he had knowledge of the truth. I assume he was less-active.

In reading Alma 10:11, Amulek lists the people with which the Lord has blessed him.  He lists:

My women and my children,

my father and my kinsfolk.

I assume he has many friends as well because he tells us he is a man of no small reputation.  That tells me he is well known and respected in his community.

After telling the people to repent, they are bound and thrown into prison.  Then a horrible thing happens.  The men who believe in the words of Alma and Amulek are cast of out of the city and stones are thrown at them.  Then the wives and children of the believers are brought together and thrown into a fire along with their scriptures. (Alma 14:8)  It occurs to me that there must have been some sort of sorting process to determine who were the believers and who were not.  Were they questioned?  Was there a house to house search?  That is unclear but there had to be an opportunity for the people to accept or deny their belief in Christ.

Then someone had a great idea.  Alma and Amulek are brought forth from the prison to witness the burning of the women and children. Amulek begs Alma in 14:10 to stretch forth their hands and use their authority to save the victims from the flames.  Alma tells us in verse 11 that the Spirit constrainth him.

Forward to Alma 15:16.  Amulek is again talking about all he gave up and those who rejected him.  He says "being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred."  Where are his women and children????  The only thing I can summize is that they too were believers and were killed.

Here is where my mind began to work.  It is very possible that Alma and Amulek were brought out of prison to watch this holocaust because Amulek's women and children were going to be thrown into the fire and he was going to be forced to watch.  Now think of Amulek's words to Alma and imagine his pleading in 14:10.  I read it feeling Amulek's very sorrowful heart.

Here are some other thoughts.  What mother wouldn't do anything to save her children?  Yet, these women knowing that their children would be killed would not deny the Christ.  How easy would it be to say the words, "I am not a believer" to save the lives of your children?  Interestingly though, after Alma and Amulek left the city following an incredible "prison break", the Lamanites surprise attacked the city of Ammonihah and killed everyone left there.  Even if you saved your children by denying the Christ you would have been killed anyway. 

What would I have done?  Would I have saved my children and myself only to fall victim to the Lamanite army or would I have stood firm in my conviction that Jesus is the Christ?  I like to think I would have done the right thing but since I have never had to face my children's mortality and my own I cannot say that I would have remained true.  I have my own trials in life but none so difficult as those mothers faced.

31 and Counting

 Saturday marks 31 years since I married the love of my life.  How can that be when I still feel like I'm 30?  Well, maybe not, but it is incredible to me that we are celebrating so many wonderful years together.  We've had some trials and miscommunications but mostly it has been an incredible journey.  I look forward to many more years together and then eternity. 
I remember when Elvis died, I made the statement that he was old.  Of course just being a young teenager anyone who was over 40 was ancient.  I had no concept of time.  I believe I insulted my parents that day when I made that comment as they were just 3 years younger than he.  Through the years I have come to understand more about the concept of time.  I wouldn't trade my wisdom for all the youth in the world.  With the age comes blessings.  Four of them are included in these photos. 
My mom used to say, "If I could do it over I would skip having children and go straight to being a grandmother."  Of course that isn't possible and without her experience I had no idea what kind of feelings she was talking about.  Wasn't being a mom the most amazing part of being a woman?  I get it now.

Of course none of these beautiful babies would have been possible if I weren't first a mother.  AND, before that I needed to be a wife.  I have spent so much energy raising children and seeing to their physical, emotional and spiritual needs that I forget that there is this amazing man in my life who loves me more than life.  As our children have grown up and need us less I have the opportunity to spend more time with this man I call my husband.  I cannot even begin to express the love I feel for him and how appreciative I am to have him care for my needs physical, spiritual and emotional.  It is a journey that we've been on for many years and yet I feel like we have so much ahead of us.
So, I look forward to vacations, missions, family time, motorcycle riding, walking, snuggling and attending the temple often with my handsome husband.  We are off to the temple today.  What better way to celebrate our anniversary than go to the Lord's house where it all began.  I love you Patrick!

The Deep Freeze

How does cold look?  No different than any other day.  I got up this morning and my weather bug said it was -31.  Feel like temperature was -54.  As a result there was no school.  I spent my morning in the basement by the wood furnace.  I did the laundry while I was down there.  Warmest part of the house.  Actually the sun shone for a while this afternoon while I was in the livingroom doing Just Dance on the Wii.  I even worked up a sweat. Good thing that room was cooler than the others.

Tonight I made chicken gnocci soup for supper.  Tonight I have the oven going making mint chocolate chip cookies.

Tomorrow's school is already canceled.  Around noon tomorrow we should get some relief from this POLAR VORTEX.  There's a term I never knew existed.  Oh well, life in Wisconsin.  I still love it here with all our crazy weather.  Not a fan of the super hot or super cold.  Just saying.

Christmas 2013

 Christmas 2013 was full of activity and full of love as well.  Just the way it should be.  We started out our Christmas celebrations by having a Pleshek family get together on Clare's birthday.  Adam got a "swig-a-joe" dino aka switch and go dino.  He climbed up on his great-grandpa's lap to tell him all about it.

Last year all of our children were in our home for Christmas morning and it was wonderful.  This year it was just Pat and I with our boys.  Just as wonderful.  We were able to watch Sammi, Jeff, Evelyn and Erin open their gifts from us via FaceTime.  Isn't technology wonderful?

 Andrew opened new Nike socks as well as two new t-shirts.

 You may think I posted the same photo twice but he is actually holding up his two different shirts.

 Tom loves Home Alone 2.  He watches it on youtube and loves the part where Marv gets fried.

 I found the triology of Home Alone and he was pretty excited. 

 Andrew asked for a new jacket just before hunting season.  He wanted a Carhart.  I couldn't find one on sale, but Fleet Farm carries an identical jacket for about $20 less.  The sizing on those was a little better as well.  I would have had to buy a Carhart that he would've drown in just to get long enough sleeves.

 He LOVES it!

 I asked Tom what he wanted for Christmas and he finally came up with something.

 A Packers Sweatshirt!  He loves it as well.

 I never know what to get for Pat but I do know that if it is something I make he's always appreciative.

 This year it was a scrapbook chronicling his first 6.5 years of being the stake president.  It has official communications as well as photos and letters from others.  He always puts the book in front of his face to hide his tears.

After Christmas we had the Holiday basketball Tournament which is basically our big fundraiser for the Booster Club.  Andrew's team won for the second consecutive year.  That's never happened before in all the years this tournament has been going on.  

On Saturday afternoon, we got together with Pat's Mom and siblings.  We had a good time being with them.  I have the best mother-in-law.  I love her immensely.  She doesn't give these grand gifts, but she loves us all and I appreciate that so much.  It is true that a mother is the glue that holds a family together.

Another Christmas in the books.  I love Christmas!

Today I am taking down my tree.  It's only been up for more than two months.  I'm ready to get my livingroom clean from top to bottom.