Traces of Time - December 14-20, 2015

Traces of Time . . .

This week 

~ December 14, 2015 
to 
December 20, 2015  

in IDAHO ~

December 14, 2015 - Monday ~ ~ Family Home Evening

We had "A Dickens Christmas" at the home of Gary and Colleen McCall.  
As each one came, it was interesting to see how they had come up with the 1812 to 1870s attire (lifetime of Charles Dickens).
Gary and Colleen McCall - our host and hostess.

Dan Black...

David and Marilyn Gibbons...

Steve and Sherry Ormond...

Ken and Bonnie Fronk...

Ken and Bonnie Hansen...

Walt and Eileen Petersen...

They served a tri-tip roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, two hot vegetables, a tossed salad, a gelatin salad, homemade rolls, and a refrigerator peppermint dessert.

Gary put on pitchers of ice water, and also bottles of Perrier Mineral Water.

This table beautifully set for 8...

And this table beautiful set for 5...

And the McCall's home beautifully decorated for Christmas...

♪♫It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...♫♪

Looks good enough to eat, doesn't it...

And it was good enough to eat...

The final course was Refrigerator Peppermint Dessert...

Then we retired to the living room to sing Christmas Carols...
♫♪I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day♪♫
♪♫ Joy to the World ♫♪
♫♪ O, Come All Ye Faithful ♪♫
♪♫ Silent Night ♫♪

The rolled up scrolls seen on the Christmas plates had this Charles Dickens' quote from his famous 
A Christmas Carol...

“Scrooge became better than his word.  He did it all and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father.  He became as good a friend as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.

“Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh. His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him.”

Then for the FHE program, the McCalls asked each one there to answer this question:

“How can we keep Christmas in the world for the entire coming year?”

Here are a summary of the answers:

Walt said “The strongest thing to keep Christmas all year long is to remember we are literally a son or daughter of God and brother or sister of Jesus Christ.

“Brother Ormond came and stopped me from shoveling some snow.  He has taken this on as his ‘job’ in helping us.  We all need to be anxiously engaged in doing good like that.  My sweetheart helps me remember to be what Heavenly Father and Christ expect us to be.  She helps me every day.”

Eileen, I can’t remember exactly what I said (I wrote down what everyone else said but not what I said.) I did mention what Marilyn Gibbons said that they keep one Nativity Set out all year long to help them remember the birth of the Savior and His Atonement.  We, too, keep at least one Nativity Set out. 

I try to be loving and kind to all I come in contact with.

I framed the front of a Christmas card that Steve & Susan Tuft sent us years ago:

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” – Charles Dickens

December 15, 2015 - Tuesday ~ ~  My Birthday "77"

We started the morning with a routine EKO for Walt for a follow up ordered by his cardiologist, Dr. Reed Harris.



Then we had our traditional birthday breakfast: donuts and chocolate milk.

Always a fun way to start the day...

Wonder what's in that package?

A beautiful new watch...

I was sad when the beautiful 50th Wedding Anniversary watch gave me on June 14, 2011, stopped running...even with a new battery.  Here's a better view...

That LaRae Crane, my visiting teaching partner, had a lunch for the sisters we visit teach--Cindy Young, Karen Taylor, and Debbie Harrell--plus her two visiting teachers--Chris Kemp and Lori  

I taught the lesson.  For December the Attributes of Christ were


That evening Ruth Melling took Walt and me to dinner at Perkins, and then we watched the Republican Presidential Debates on CNN.



December 16, 2015 - Wednesday

We did an 11:00 a.m. temple session. 


I love the lavender flower bouquet from my son, Gary, for my birthday. Thank you, Gary!

Then we had lunch with Dale and Connie and Ron and Judy Osterhout, friends from Burley.



Walt, Dale, and Ron, were friends at the University of Idaho and lived at the LDS Institute House.





December 17, 2015 - Thursday

next  Today we drove to Twin Falls to rendezvous with Dale Bunn, Dale and Connie for our brother-sister Christmas luncheon at the Depot Grill.  We miss Phyllis not being with us, since she passed away August 3, 2014.

That evening we enjoyed the Magic Philharmonic Orchestra Christmas Concert.   They played wonderful Christmas songs, such as

December 18, 2015 - Friday

next  Today we stayed home and worked on the family history like sketches that we are typing for our kids and grandkids for Christmas gifts.


We took time out to go to the viewing for Michael Pollard.

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December 19, 2015 - Saturday

This morning we went to the funeral for Michael Pollard.



We enjoyed a visit from Brent and Vicki Peterson, John's parents.  They brought back something of Walt's that John had given to his Dad to give to Walt.


At 1:30 we went over to Ruth Melling's home to watch the BYU football team play University of Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.  It was a shock to next


When we got home, this photo had been e-mailed to us by my nephew Michael Robertson of their family.  I had asked Janice to send me current photos of Michael and Candace and their two sons and she had Michael send me this.
It's a darling photo of Michael and Candace and their two little boys, Justin and Ryan.  They are expecting a baby girl in March 2016.

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December 20, 2015 - Sunday

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