The Mormon Formal

I am writing this blog to put all your hearts at ease...

Good clean fun seems to have taken a big hit....in fact there are people out there who think teenagers have no interest in good clean fun.

But when given the chance, kids prove they are interested in just having a good time....no pretense, no pressure..

I give you......the Mormon Prom...just a dance our church put on. There are Mormons all over the Las Vegas Valley, in fact over 100,000, so several stakes participated and it was a great event. A stake is just a unit of about 8 or 9 wards. Each ward has about three or four hundred members.

It started out as an inexpensive answer to the incredibly expensive (well over 500 dollars for some students) proms. Then it became an alternative to negative peer pressure. Then it became an opportunity for everyone to go, shy guys found confidence and a "safe place to fall." The atmosphere changed....pressure was off, it was just a great time to get dressed up, get a corsage, have a great dinner at no cost, and then off to a dance. They all still go to the high school dances, but this Prom is different....

The dinner I helped with was at my friend Susan Wise's house. She, along with her equally talented daughter Ashley, put together an amazing dinner. The tables were set beautifully, with fresh flowers, classy place settings with chargers, lots of forks and spoons to practice on, and candles everywhere.


The food was delicious and it was all cooked and served by their parents.

Everyone went to such lengths to make these kids feel special

It was an honor to serve these kids. This group was like every other group around the valley, student council kids, national honor society, baseball players, cheerleaders, student body presidents, volleyball players, football players, just all around good kids. Every senior I talked to had plans to attend college...doesn't that make you feel good? I loved it....

Just happy kids, enjoying being kids....

More happy kids.....

The dad's needed to take a break to watch the BYU game...

Four Centennial High School cheerleaders with the mascot - he is the one usually under the bulldog costume!

This kind of event was going on all over our valley. Small groups of kids invited to the homes of parents who make dinner at their expense, set beautiful tables, serve them, love them and then send them off to the dance. The girls choose their dresses carefully, they do agree to a dress code...nothing sleeveless, no cleavage, or too short.....you can see it doesn't take away from how beautiful all the girls are.

There might have been a lot of clean up..but no one seemed to mind...lots of hands, quick work.






Then after dinner they all left for the World Market Center in downtown Las Vegas. This facility is amazing and they had the entire top floor....and dessert. What could be better? Actually nothing...it was just the best.

A Great Day At Channel 8

So today Emma and I went over to Channel 8. Every high school nominates one senior to represent their school, and Channel 8 calls this program, "Nevada Pride."




She had to stand in front of the camera and introduce herself...no flies on Emma, she knows her name and the school she attends. So it went pretty fast...Hi! I am Emma Tagliaferri from Centennial High School..




I love this program because the focus is on good students....students who routinely give back. Emma and the student council she heads have contributed money to Haiti, shoes to Afghanistan, lunches to the homeless and collected money for a football player from Green Valley who was seriously injured in a game against the Bulldogs. I know that the parts of her high school life that she will cherish the most were the parts that had nothing to do with her, but what she could do for others.




This cute boy is from Palo Verde, Emma stopped complaining about all the pictures I was taking when we got one with Chandler. Chandler is the student body president at Palo Verde. This picture represents hundreds of hours of service, endless meetings and sleepless nights setting up for a dance, a town hall meeting, or a conference.
All great kids with a great future....Thanks Channel 8!!

Just saying

So I have been away from writing for awhile, so I have a few thoughts...nothing real serious..

I changed my perfume...I wore Ysatis for over twenty years....if you missed the memo, I am reinventing myself, changing all kinds of things about myself...you know every journey begins with a single step...my first step is huge.

New Perfume. I like it.

I am glad I am not in Libya. Muammar Gaddafi (what can you say? There is nothing funny here)........... I just heard a guy on TV being interviewed about his parents who have lived there since July and are trying to leave Libya. He said they are very low key and this is the first time they have ever lived abroad. First time they lived abroad and they chose Libya? Wow...isn't that like your first trip in a plane is on a nuclear warhead?

Our girls basketball team is really good and they regularly beat other teams by a whole lot. There isn't a lot of competition in our division so the score is often lopsided. They are a team of 10 players, no starters, she just rotates them in all the time. So she can't take the "starters" out...anyway an edict came down from on high that if the team wins by more than 50 points the coach will have to resign. The coach has never run up the score on purpose, they just play...and they play hard. They work hard....but now they are being told not to work hard, don't play hard....be mediocre. Wow.....I hope these same guys aren't in charge of say...medical school. OK all you medical students who are making straight A's....the B and C students are feeling badly....could you miss a few shots, I mean a few questions? Could you slip up in a surgery so the other guys feel better. After all we don't want you to be too smart. What's next? No Valedictorians? I bet that make the rest of the students feel bad. You know the ones that didn't do their homework or read the books? Oooooh thats the CPA, Vet, Attorney, Teacher, I want, the one who barely graduated. Jimmer is making too many shots....he has to slow down...slow down for what? To let the rest of college basketball catch up? It won't happen, sometimes people are that good, that driven...No one should be punished for working hard and doing an excellent job.

I am so tired of mediocrity being required.

I visited a remarkable friend last night. Just saying that there are amazing people out there in the world, dealing with struggles and trials with grace. I love friends that edify.

Have you ever thought about where you want to be in ten years? I have been. I would like a greenhouse....to be surrounded by plants all day would be heavenly. Oh, wait I already am surrounded by plants.....my only sustained hobby since middle school. I have plants everywhere in my house...a new leaf gives me a thrill. But I would still like a greenhouse....

The madness that is March is right around the corner...for my friends in India that would be basketball...college basketball to be specific. It takes our mind off of Libya anyway. Texas is number 5....hook 'em!!

My son called today to tell me that Spring Football starts in a few weeks. Thank goodness......hasn't it been absolute weeks since the super bowl?

Does anyone set goals? I have always been against it since it just reminds of one more thing I am not doing....

We had a really bad cold snap and so many plants outside died...but the weeds keep growing. How is that even possible?

On to the Oscars...whatever will I wear?

Christmas 2010!!

Welcome to my home at Christmas...
This post is basically a remembrance for our family. But since I love seeing everyone else's decorations and finding out why they have that same tired, broken angel in the same place every year...I thought I would show you mine.
I mean seriously how often do you get to tour someone's house who isn't rich or famous? Just a regular gal...
I love Christmas.



A few years ago I toyed with the idea of painting my door red, but I chickened out, and then my dear friend Betsey painted hers red. I admired her courage.....and it looked perfect, so I did it too.
A red door looks good at Christmas, Fall is kind of a challenge...but Christmas rocks with a red door.










More decorations.....




















When Raymond worked in gaming he would do these fabulous giveaways at Christmas time. One of those giveaways were these Santa music boxes, the supplier would give us samples and I have about 9 of them. I put them all over, on bookshelves, tables and the dining room. Every year my sons bring them downstairs, complain about it, take them out of the boxes and complain some more. When Christmas is over they bring the boxes downstairs again and complain....they put the Santas back in the boxes, complain a bit more, and then take the boxes back upstairs...when they come back down they complain a bit more. That works.





Here is one of my favorite gifts, Just look at this! Three great canisters filled with Hot chocolate mix (with a scoop!) snow man shaped marshmallows, and chocolate sprinkles...She added lovely Christmas stickers, ribbon and candy canes. Don't you love this? Thank you Susan I love it! We also need a Bleacher shout out for her daughter Ashley who is also very talented. You can read her blog at Blush and Bashful (http://colorsareblushandbashful.blogspot.com/) I am expecting great things from her, she is very inventive and creates lovely things.


These pictures are just of here and there....I love Christmas trees, and try to make them as unusual as possible. The one in the fore ground is decorated from my herb garden, I put dried basil, oregano and some Eucalyptus. I enjoy using what is growing in my yard. I dry the herbs first, and they not only smell great, they have a lot of texture.


This year the decorating of the mantle really annoyed me. I take forever to put up garland, or design the top of a table, or do anything - not so my husband. He tackles a decorating job with very little emotion so it goes very fast. ...he is in charge of the mantle and it took him 20 minutes to do this, beginning to end.
Every year he suggests a week might be too long to keep the house upside down while I decorate every light, door and table. I wouldn't understand either if I could be as fast as he is...


He did a great job....minute man.









In the dining room are some of my favorite things...





I started collecting these fairies five years ago when my friend Janet Kelly gave one to me for Christmas. I was intrigued by the detail on their faces and costumes, and couldn't resist getting more. In fact I wired a few of them to garland that hangs over the doorway in the den. I would love to show it to you, but our new dog chewed the end of the garland and shorted out the lights. So this Fairy is an example of the rest of them....this one is just bigger...the smaller ones wire into the garland so easily..




Also in the dining room is my Radko tree. When my mother passed away ten years ago my friend Theresa called and said she would rather give me some Christmas ornaments than flowers. So she drove out to my house with some really beautiful ornaments. I have gotten one or two every year since. There is a story behind each one...and each story is precious to me. I think of my mother every time I put up this tree, and Theresa, and the story of each ornament.
It is a very sweet time for me...Christmas is about remembering. I try to just remember good things.






They are just beautiful aren't they? I used gold babies breath and gold berries to give it more texture...














Did I miss anything?


This is why I frustrate my husband so much...I find a way to swag everything within an inch of its life...
These are just random pictures of the rest of the house...the stairs... wrapping that garland around the railing is not easy, but doing it and then finding out the lights have stopped working is cruel.



This is another of my favorite trees, it is always in the entry way and always decorated the same....Red and green balls, red berries, little wooden green and red hearts that I cut apart from a garland (it was so cute but I couldn't do anything with it, after I cut it apart I discovered perfect ornaments) and pine cones, lots of pine cones....
...Oh and as many bears as I can find!! Big bears, little bears...bears and more bears.

























These ceramic figures were fired and painted by my dear friend Cindy...you can see her work all through my house. Of course, when I am putting them up I think of her......don't you love the Santa and Mrs. Santa warming up their rear ends? They are my favorite...
I wrote myself a note last year to do a better job on the Library Christmas tree. And I did, then the cable guy unhooked the lights and I was afraid if I hooked them back up he would have to come back...didn't want that, so no lights on the cool tree in the library.


Just some things on the bookshelves...add a pick of some kind and it softens everything up...
And yes of course I have read all of these books...












My beautiful Christmas tree....filled with every kind of ornament there is. Some from travels, some from great sales, some hand made, some from friends......all with love.
This year we had lots of opportunities to have people use our home. One occasion we moved 3 big tables in and 24 delightful teenagers had a formal dinner here before a dance. On another day 82 student council kids ate baked ziti and laughed all their tension about school away...on another day we had a cookie exchange, and several dinners, including one with Beef Wellington that was amazing. I love having people over, I like feeding them, I love hearing them laugh....it really is the most wonderful time of the year.
















And these are the wonderful people who live here...












Aren't they fabulous? My family, and the new dog. I hope he stops eating my stuff.

Hope you had a great Christmas......my fondest wish is that we will have another Christmas together in 2011!

Merry Christmas from Switzerland......now get out!

So here are all things Swiss....at least all I thought was cool enough to mention....

Swiss chocolate...essential....

Swiss Army Knives.....essential for the Swiss army for some reason, and a fairly cool tool...

Swiss Mountain Dog....great looking dog...ready to rescue someone...

Not to forget cheese....Swiss cheese.....always wondered, why the holes?




Not mention Swiss watches....Michelle watches may be the rage today...but I'll take a Swiss watch over one any day.

So Switzerland what's the deal?




You want the missionaries to leave after 2012?

Guys on bikes? Always smiling...young girls hiking over your cobblestone streets?

Learning French and German....Bringing nothing but good news?

Seriously?

C'mon Switzerland, say it isn't so.

If every Mormon who has Swiss heritage wrote to you, you would have to stay up for weeks reading all the letters.

Lots of Mormons are Swiss, they eat the cheese, use the knife, crave chocolate, wind the watch and pet the dog....and make sure they ride the Matterhorn at Disneyland first, no matter how long the line is.

So, Switzerland, say it isn't so...


http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50871951-76/missionaries-swiss-church-mormon.html.csp

Thankfully yours

I love Thanksgiving...all of it..... I love buying the food, preparing it, polishing silver, setting the table. I love praline sweet potatoes, cornbread stuffing, and rolls...lots of rolls. My husband carves the turkey, Ashleigh loves the mashed potatoes and Mikey wants chocolate pie...Emma likes apple crisp and Trey says he is not sure what he likes the most.

While I was getting everything ready it occurred to me how many people are a part of my Thanksgiving. Everything I picked up had a story and someone to attach it to.

I washed the curtains in the dining room. Those curtains Connie sewed for me. I got the lace from Claudine after Theresa realized they were just going into storage after Claudine got new curtains.....so three friends all involved in one project....and they are still on my windows after all these years.

I polished the oak side board that I bought from my quirky neighbor who sold antiques out of her house....also the dining room table.

And then I pulled out all the silver......all the memories of my grandmother who ruled Thanksgiving with a silver fist. Her silver is every where in my dining room. She loved the silver, the bowls, tea set and flatware. When she got real sick I flew home to visit her and we pulled out the flatware and just looked at it. So when I set the table it is always an homage to her. She set this beautiful table for Thanksgiving and then insisted we eat at halftime. For those of you from Texas no explanation is necessary but for all of you who don't revolve your lives around football, Texas and Texas A&M always play on Thanksgiving. And we always watched.....so dinner was important, but football reigned. She set the table early we arrived early and we ate late.....and I loved just looking at the table.

I enjoyed the day, the windows are clean, the floor is polished and I can't wait for my family to sit down around our table tomorrow. Everyone is home for the first time in two years......I have a lot to be grateful for....

I hope you are going to have a wonderful Thanksgiving...make it a point to find things to be thankful for.

Gratitude makes all the bad feelings go away...

Now bring on Christmas, my silver is polished!!