Traces of Time - November 23-29, 2015

Traces of Time . . .

This week 

~ November 23, 2015 
to 
November 29, 2015  

in IDAHO ~

November 23, 2015 - Monday ~ ~ 
We drove to Utah today to go to the Corner Canyon High School play: "Shrek - the Musical." Joshua, Anna, and Sam were all in it.

Josh was Papa Ogre/Papa Bear; Anna was Rapunzel; and Sam was Grumpy/Troll.
We loved seeing them in this fun high school musical.
Tonight we had Grandparents, Aunts, Uncle, and lots of cousins supporting them.
Walt, Eileen, Steve, Natalie, Kimble, Carter, Julie, Jacee, Jackson, Maddie. Uncle Gary, Aunt Kathy, and cousins Abbey, Jacob, and Isaac had come to the play on Friday.

Even friends Kirt Melling who lives in Lehi came, and his Mom, Ruth Melling, drove early from Burley because of the snow predicted.

Julie's Dad their Grandfather Brent Black told us this is the third time he has come to the play.

Here are Josh, Anna, and Sam with their little brother William, and Mom and Dad David and Julie.
(I can't find this photo.  I'll have to have Julie send me hers.)

Here are the three actors with their PetersEn cousins--Kimble and Carter.

And here they are with their PetersOn cousins--Jacee, Jackson, and Maddie.

Plus with the "Donkey."  William also got in this photo.

We're thankful to David for providing the tickets for us.  He's always out front to see that we get in okay.  Then he parked Julie's van for us.  We're proud of him, his darling wife and precious children.  It was a fun night to be with them.

November 24, 2015 - Tuesday
After staying overnight with Julie and John in Saratoga Springs, we headed back to Burley.  One-year-old Rigdon is always ready with a smile for the camera.

We got a photo of Julie, Jacee, Jackson, Maddie, and Rigdon before we headed out.

Julie grew all the pumpkins...and some of them were small enough to put in the flower boxes.

We're on our way home to Burley, I D A H O.  It was a nice sunny day, that got into the 50's.

We drove through Tremonton to see the hospital that Mary White Jensen's Dad had built there in the 1940s or 1950s.  Walt thinks it's an Assisted Living Center now.
We weren't sure where it was, and then we were past it before we got a photo.  We stopped in Tremonton for lunch.
We wished we'd stopped at the Brigham City Airport to talk with our cousin, Lareen.
Since we were trying to get home and on to Rexburg before dark, we were on a tight schedule.  We want to stop the next time we go down and get to see Lareen.
Walt did snap a photo of the old barn between Tremonton and Snowville which is exactly 100 miles from Burley.

We were wanting to get up to Rexburg because snow was predicted for Wednesday,  So we hurried to get sheets washed and a few final things done (like dusting upstairs and downstairs) to have our home ready for Julie and John and their family, and one of John's sisters, Tiffany, husband, and family to stay when they were all here for Thanksgiving with John's parents--Brent and Vicki.  

Then we headed out to Rexburg.  Even tho we drove most of the 2 1/2 hours in the dark, with the full moon it gave a little light.
  It was fun to have Daniel and Kelly there when we arrived.

We were there for the unveiling of the Murphy bed that a carpenter friend had built and installed that very day.

Now their guest room--which is used as their home office--is really a guest room with a nice bed.  

November 25, 2015 - Wednesday
We went to the hospital that morning to see Richard Call. Julie called to tell us that he had been taken to the Rexburg Hospital with a bowel obstruction.  He and Sayda, and their family had been at a friend's lodge in Island Park where all their family was gathering for Thanksgiving.  

Richard, even though sad to be able to stay with the rest of his family in Island Park, was still positive..
[We saw on facebook that he was discharged on Friday, Nov. 27, and were heading to the Huntsman Cancer Center, where he's been treated for the past few years.]

Then we went to pick up some last few treats for the holiday.  I was surprised to see some people just getting their turkey and trimmings.
As we were leaving Broulims, I thought this was an interesting scene: an autumn tree with fall colors with the Evergreen tree all decorated for Christmas; plus there were red Poinsettas.

It was getting colder and a little windy as we got outside.

When we're out in the cold Rexburg almost-winter air, we just want to get back in the car.

When we got back to their home, Janie and I worked together in making the pie crust. Walt had started peeling apples just as Steve and Natalie arrived after having a stressful drive in a blizzard from Tremonton to Blackfoot...having to go as slow as 30 mph because their car was sliding back and forth.
We were thankful for their safe arrival.  

Daniel, Kelly, Sam, and Michael had rendezvoused with Kimble and Carter in Idaho Falls to spend an hour together at a sports center....I think like jumping on trampolines (not sure).

Steve and Natalie helped peel the rest of the 20 apples and we got two big apple pies baked.  
This one said: "Happy Thanksgiving 2015."

This one said: "We love you!"

Parker and Katie came before they headed out to Gooding where Parker's family was gathering at his Grandparent's home (his Dad grew up in Gooding.)  We told them that if they encountered bad weather during this 4-hour drive, they could stop at our home in Burley on the way.

Katie helped her Mom with the final preparations for the Thanksgiving Eve supper.  (I think we've mentioned that her baby girl is due Feb. 4.)

Then everyone was ready for the traditional Thanksgiving Eve supper of stew and scones.

Since family from far away sometimes arrive at various times the night before Thanksgiving....the stew can be kept warm and ready for whenever...  Happily, everyone was there to eat together.
(Except Heidi who was working--teaching dance at her internship-- in San Jose, California till 10pm that night with a flight out the next morning at 7:30 California time.)

The teens were eating at the snack bar...

Just being together and talking... we love being together.

Walt and I love being with each one of our children.  We are proud of their being kind, compassionate, and great citizens.  And this includes those they have added to our family by marrying kind and compassionate spouses, who are also great citizens.

We can talk about church, raising/disciplining children, politics, world events--and although we don't always agree on every detail--we respect each point of view.

Janie had made a delicious cheese ball to have a variety of crackers with, plus there was no lack of sweet treats and nuts.

The holiday season has begun!

November 26, 2015 - Thursday

Thanksgiving Day

Shawn and Steve left for the Salt Lake Airport at 4:30 a.m. to be there when Heidi's plane landed at 8:30.

Janie and her kids served a breakfast of waffles with strawberries and whipped cream on top.  Grampa cooked the link sausages (which my Mom always called "Little Pigs").

I offered to drive over to Albertsons for another bag of strawberries and more milk, and when I got back, Janie said the teens had swooped in, inhaled the breakfast, and swooped out again.  

So I didn't get any photos.

Here are Janie and Sam starting to peel the potatoes.

Natalie and Carter made yummy dessert of peanut butter chocolate bars on an oreo crust.

next

November 27, 2015 - Friday

  Holiness to the Lord -- Guess where we went the morning after Thanksgiving?

We entered the temple at 6:15 a.m. and Janie got the 6:45 a.m. Endowment card #1, as the first person to come for the session.

They helped us walk on the icy roads and sidewalks.  It was 5 degrees F when we headed to the temple.  On the way it went down to 3 degrees.  Brrrrrr....

Natalie and Steve were on their way home to prepare breakfast before we got outside, so we took a photo of them when they were cooking breakfast.  They volunteered to prepare all the Friday meals.
They had breakfast burritos this morning -- which had yummy choices to fill the tortilla with: sausage cooked in with the scrambled eggs; bacon, grated cheese, hash browns, salsa, sour cream.  Juices, milk, and chocolate milk rounded out the menu.  Oh, and the traditional morning after Thanksgiving addition of homemade apple pie.

Everyone was hungry after getting up so early to go to the temple.  The Fisher Teens--Sam, Ashley, Michael and Steve & Nat's Teens--Kimble and Carter went to the temple to do baptisms.  Then Kimble and Carter helped cook the breakfast.

Breakfast Burritos just hit the spot!

As Aaron Blonquist--one of our Mexico Merida Missionaries--posted about Thanksgiving--it's a time of "Food, Fun, Faith, Family, Friends.*
This extends throughout this holiday weekend.

*He also had Football - then a pick-up game of Basketball in the evening.

Scheduled for the rest of the day are now: morning naps after getting up at 5am. Shawn and Steve are on their way to buy the movie tickets for a 5:50 time of "Creed" (Rocky VI) with Sylvester Stallone as the coach for Apollo's son into the boxing world. Steve told us some movie critics are saying Stallone could get an oscar nomination for his performance in this.

At 2:00 or when Parker is back from Gooding, they are going shooting before the movie.  They figure they will only last about an hour in this almost sub-zero weather.  However, it is sunny, and no wind yet.

November 28, 2015 - Saturday
Steve and Natalie will go spend time with her brother Scott, and sister Jena who live here.  Don't know if her sister, Angie, who lives in Tetonia is coming to Rexburg.

We left at 1:30...when the BYU vs Utah State football game was being played.  However, we forgot the game was on and anyway we were listening to the audiobook The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which is very enlightening.

Walt couldn't find the results of the game in the newspaper Sunday, so I googled it:

BYU Cougars (9-3)

51 - 28

Final

Utah State Aggies (6-6)

It was because I was ejecting a tape that had just finished that I missed the Burley Exit #208.


November 29, 2015 - Sunday

Great talks in Sacrament Meeting from Ethan Kemp, Kiley Pierce and Steve Ormond.  Brother Ormond was sustained as the new Boy Scout Leader.

Sunday School was Lesson 43: "A Chosen Generation."
In Relief Society we were taught by Bonnie Fronk from the talk given by Neill F. Marriott "Yielding Our Hearts to God" in the Saturday morning session of Oct. 2015 General Conference.

We truly feasted on the word today.

We pray you have had a peaceful and restful Sabbath Day.
We are a chosen generation--chosen to work, to share the Restored Gospel.

We are thankful to a loving Father in Heaven for all His tender mercies to us.
We are thankful to His Son, Jesus Christ, for coming to earth to become our Savior and Redeemer.
We are thankful for the Prophet Joseph Smith restoring all truths for these latter days.
We are thankful for our living Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, for guiding the Kingdom of God throughout the whole world.
We are thankful for each other, our seven children, their spouses, and our 35 grandchildren, and for our first great-grandchild who is due in February 2016.

We are thankful to our extended family and our friends close, and those friends we have made during our four missions--in Mexico, Guatemala, Central America, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and El Salvador.

This has been a wonderful Thanksgiving week.
We now look forward to the Christmas Season which commemorates the Birth of the Son of God, who will again come to the Earth--this time in Power and Glory!

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Walter and Eileen Petersen - Burley, I D A H O. 

Guatemala - Pictures for Remembering this Land of Father Lehi

Central America…
 G u a t e m a l a
   The Land of

     Eternal Springtime

       …and of the

          Quetzal Bird

 Land of Father Lehi,
  Land of the Mayans, 

   Land of the Book of Mormon…

The Apostle, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, said that 85% of the missionary baptisms are in the Latin America countries because they are of the House of Israel.

Traces of Time . . . November 16 to 22, 2015

Traces of Time . . .

This week 

~ November 16, 2015 
to 
November 22, 2015  

in IDAHO ~

November 16, 2015 - Monday ~ ~ 


I took  We worked all day at getting the house ready for the monthly Neighborhood Empty Nesters' Family Home Evening   that we are hosting tonight.  

Walt always helps so much...like vacuuming while I'm dusting.

Why is it that I can go days and days, then when we're having company, I feel like I have to dust and wash every nook and cranny.  All the knick knacks on the shelves get taken down, rinsed off, dried, then after the shelf is shined, everything is put back.
I guess it's good we have company so all these little things can get done once in a while.

Then Walt went out to the second fridge and brought in the 24 center-cut, boneless pork chops that we got at Stokes on Saturday to create the "Saucy Pork Chops" from.  

I seared them all in hot oil so both sides were nice and brown. Walt cut four onions into rings, which I then also seared in the....hmm, the Pioneer Woman on her blog has a fancy name for it...when the oil is nice and brown from searing meat....can't remember.  But I put all the onion rings in my great roaster that also has a special name.  (I'll go look at the bottom of it to get the name.)

Then the eleven guests came, each bringing a part of the dinner. We do enjoy being together at our FHE's.

Dan brought the mashed potatoes and rice; Gary and Colleen McCall brought the hot vegetable--squash with other interesting things; Ken and Bonnie Fronk, a green salad with homemade dressing; Ken and Bonnie Hansen, a fresh fruit plate; David and Marilyn Gibbons, an apple cake with homemade sauce to put over it for dessert.  I told Scott Bloxham and his fiancé, G'lenn Hamilton, that they were exempt this time since they are being married in 5 days (Nov. 21) and have enough to do right now.

Everything was delicious! Thank you to all who helped make our dinner complete.

Mid-afternoon I mixed up some rolls, which were rolled out and shaped and raised to put in the oven just in time to have them ready to serve hot as everyone had filled their plates and were at the tables ready to eat.

I didn't get a photo of the two 9x13 pans of six saucy pork chops each.  This pan from the separate roaster holds the 12 more.  I didn't realize that each pork chop was big enough that "seconds" were not needed.  So Walt and I have 6 packages of two chops each, ready to zap in the microwave to have fur six future meals.   [Later, make that five meals left...we had two of them when we got back from the temple on Wednesday.]

After dinner, Walt gave a power point lesson on "Strokes--What they are and how to help prevent them."  


Left to right: Front--Dan Black, Colleen McCall, Bonnie Hansen, Marilyn Gibbons.  Standing: G'lenn Hamilton, Scott Bloxhas, Gary McCall, Ken Fronk, Ken Hansen, David Gibbons, Bonnie Fronk, Walt Petersen.

Bonnie took this photo for me to be in it.

Bonnie Fronk made our day when she said: "I always love coming to your home."

It's always fun to decorate for the month of Thanksgiving.

Bonnie and Ken Fronk...

Dave and Marilyn Gibbons...

Dan Black...

And the soon-to-be-newlweds, Scott Bloxham and G'lenn Hamilton...

I didn't think about taking the "couple and individual" photos until Ken and Bonnie Hansen, Gary and Colleen McCall had gone home.

 Another view 0f those sitting at the dining room table.

Those sitting at the table in the living room...Walt had just gone to pass around more rolls at the other table.

November 17, 2015 - Tuesday

Walt took a random photo of me...

Walt...

Tuesday evening......
I taught a mini-class on the General Women's Session talk: "Worthy of Our Promised Blessings" given by Linda S. Reeves, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency.

Gals making the craft of "Gratitude" blocks...

Another table of gals making the craft...

And the third table to gals working on their gratitude blocks...

And the refreshment table full of all kinds of pumpkin dessert...

Bonnie Fronk is in charge of these evening Relief Society gatherings...

Bonnie's beautiful decorations added to the festivities of the autumn holidays...

We thank all the sisters who came out on this chilly, rainy, blustery night.

November 18, 2015 - Wednesday

We did the 3:00 session at the Twin Falls Temple.  Dale and Connie were in Utah at a family event.

There was no one to take our picture together, so we took each other's photo.

Walt got one a little closer...

Then, instead of going to a restaurant for dinner, we drove home while it was still light and had some of those "left-over" saucy pork chops.

Here's is my Mom's favorite recipe:
Saucy  Pork Chops

(to add)


November 19, 2015 - Thursday

Someone came to show us Kinar finish siding.  However, we've opted to just paint the wooden siding.

We went to Festival of Trees.  It seems so strange having it the week before Thanksgiving.
We listened to the White Pine 5th and 6th graders sing a variety of songs.  Their director is Bonnie Peterson Bair.  She is the daughter of my Mom's Wendell friend, James Monroe Peterson.

It was great to see Gary and Glena Turner who are back from their Palmyra Temple Mission.

Then we saw June Tilley and Judy Ward, whom we sat by to have lunch.  It was so fun to talk with them.

June took a photo of Walt and me.

The trees are nice, but not as beautifully decorated as they have been in years past.  And I don't care who likes this, Walt and I think an upside-down-Christmas-tree is strange.

Even if they did have a lot of fun wooden toys to go with it...

We got the car serviced today, which ended up costing a lot more than we planned on.  We like our 2007 Buick Lucern okay, but Walt says it rides like a truck.  We're having them look for a different car for us...hopefully they can find an older Cadillac DeVille like we used to have. (We understand they are not making DeVilles anymore.)

Tonight was our Serendipity Book Club at the lovely country  home of Kathy Barrus.

Karma Lambert gave the "Whet Your Appetite" on 5 books that would be good for Christmas gifts. She made us want to read all five of them. 
1. River of Doubt - Candice Millward
2. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania- Erik Larson - (on kindle)
3. In the Kingdom of Ice - Hampton Sides (kindle)
4. Coming Home: A Mormon's Return to Faith - Susan Nielson Swann
5. Death Comes to Pemberly - M.C. Beaton

Karma said as a history major she loves non-fiction history.  Any one of these books would be a good gift to give someone for Christmas.

Susan Young gave an excellent book review on Killing Reagan by Bill O'Reilley.  President Ronald Reagan was one of our most outstanding U.S. Presidents -- 1980 to 1988.

I shared a "rest of the story" about the Priesthood connection of President Reagan being able to say: "Mr. Gorbashev, take down the wall!"  

Susan is always so interesting to listen to.  Her dynamic personality comes through and her enthusiasm for life is evident.

Jule Tilley served delicious refreshments of chocolate cake with Christmas frosting, ice cream, and melt-in-your-mouth fudge.
Below: Kathy, Karen, Marilyn...

And Gladys, Jenny...

And Bonnie, June, Karma...

Karen Robins had to leave before I got the photo taken of the group together..
Left to right: Karma Lambert, Marilyn Gibbons, Gladys Harrison, Jenny Egbert, Bonnie Fronk, June Tilley, Susan Young, Kathy Barrus.

Same gals, except Bonnie took photo so Eileen could be in it.  Carol Cheney was out of town.  We don't know why the others couldn't make it tonight.  We missed them.  We always enjoy being together with our good friends.

We will be meeting the first Saturday in December - which is December 5.  Linda Petersen is hosting us at their Marriott Fairfield Inn at ____ (I have to find out the time.)  It will be a potluck of Christmas treats.

November 20, 2015 - Friday

Here is what we do on Friday mornings--working on genealogy with Kathleen Hedberg, our ward family history specialist.  She is currently working with Walt in the Swedish records on Nellie Katie Olson Petersen's Swedish ancestors.  Nellie Katie is Walt's grandmother--Ray's mother.

This afternoon Ken Fronk is coming to do our semi-annual update on our insurances--home, car, etc. The value of our home for replacement is much more than the appraisal for it. But that does include the contents which the appraisal does not include. 

Walt got his carpenter apron and went out to work some more on the fence.  I went out a couple of hours later, at 5:30 and told Walt it was getting dark so he better come in.  He still worked for almost an hour more.  I turned the backyard flood light on so he wouldn't stumble and fall as he made his way back across the lawn.
"I got a lot done," he said as he came in from the freezy cold weather.

Tonight we're getting everything ready to be ready to leave at 7:00 in the morning when Dale and Connie come to pick us up to ride with them to Provo.  We plan to come back Saturday evening.

November 21, 2015 - Saturday

Today we plan to leave at 7:00 a.m for Provo to visit with the family at 12:30 noon before the Memorial Service at 2:00 for Mary White Jensen - wife of Walt's cousin, DeLamar Jensen.  She passed away last Sunday, November 15.  We just found out on Wednesday morning.

Mary was one of the most outstanding women we knew.  She was very Christ like and had the quality of making everyone in her presence feel loved and important. 

Dale and Connie picked us up at 7:20 Saturday morning and Connie drove..  We could not believe that we pulled in to Provo at 10:30 a.m.  Exactly 3 hours!  We could not believe it!!
The traffic was light and we did not stop. We have never driven straight through like this since the new 80 mph speed limit.  

We decided to fill up with gas to save time getting home after the service.  

Then we went to have lunch at Olive Garden.  Connie said they have a great bargain for lunch of soup, salad, and bread sticks for $6.  

However, when our bills showed up on the personal automatic credit card gadget on our table, it was $9.00 each.  I just said: "Nothing stays the same."
The soups were good, as were the breadsticks and salad.
Walt and I had potato soup, Dale had ministrone, and Connie had chicken nokee (?sp).

As we left the restaurant at noon,I took a photo of my three traveling companions.  We didn't know how soon the traffic would get busy for the 1:00 BYU vs Fresno last home football game for the Cougars, but we got past the Lavell Edward Stadium without too much delay and got to the Oak Hills Seven Ward a few minutes before the 12:30 time to visit with the family.

Dee was excited for his two Petersen cousins to be their with their wives.  Dale had lived in Dee and Mary's home when they were in Europe on a year's Sabbatical Leave from BYU.  Dee told us how happy they were with how well Dale and his roommates took care of their home in their absence.  Another cousin, Glen Petersen--Stan and Vida's son-- was one of those roommates.

Also on Saturday, November 21, 2015
Today, Scott Bloxham and G'lenn Hamilton were married.  The only thing that kept us from being there is our family ties to DeLamar and Mary Jensen.

Scott is surprising G'lenn where they are going on their honeymoon.  He just told her to have her passport up to date, and it would be where there is jungle and a zip line. [Walt and I are pretty sure where that is....but we're not saying so it will continue to be a surprise for G'lenn.]



November 22, 2015 - Sunday