Gracie Girl

You know the song "Gracie Girl?" Well...Alan has Grace convinced that he is singing it instead of Ben Folds. She knows every word to the song and gets dreamy eyed for Alan when he turns it on. I thought it was sweet that they literally unconsciously acted out a verse.

Grandma's Funeral

I still can't believe she is gone. I wanted to go to Utah and have her be there at the door with her hands waving in front of her, so excited to greet us. I loved her smile and her hugs and her pats. We felt her there though. The funeral was beautiful. The crowded viewing was evidence of how much she was loved. People were lined up outside an hour before the viewing began, despite the falling snow. She had an influence on so many people's lives. I am so lucky to call her my grandma. I hope I can be a mother and a grandmother like her.

After the viewing, we had a family prayer before the casket was closed. Uncle Steven Dewey gave the prayer and we all felt Grandma's spirit. It was a very spiritual experience. Families are eternal. After the viewing, we were all pretty solemn. We went over the Grandma's house because we just all wanted to be together longer. We started telling stories and laughing, then Collyn's new husband started singing "mormon drinking songs" waving his diet coke back and forth like a pirate. I thought I was going to die. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. We all needed that. It felt really good to laugh again. I know Grandma was happy to see us all having a good time together at her house. We missed her!

Things that stood out to me at the funeral...

Emily said that her mom never cared about being popular or cool. She never saw her dressed immodestly and she was the best mother and mother-in-law.

Dad said that everyone told him he had an angel mother and now he literally does.

All the daughters told of how she would sing to them about the meadowlarks. She would sing thier names in the song. I thought that was so sweet. I need to ask my aunts how she sang it so it won't skip another generation. It's interesting that eventhough the men carry on the last name, there is so much lost from their childhood and thier mother's legacy because it is the mother who makes a home, not so much the father. The Donna Sandstrom household was much different than the Heather Sandstrom household. My mom learned from her mom and that's how we were raised. I learned a lot about my grandma from my aunts at her funeral. I want to learn more so that her legacy can live on even in her boy's family. My other cousins knew all her songs and all her stories and all her recipes. I only knew the songs that she sang to me and the stories she told to me and the recipes I asked for.

The burial is always sad - so final, once again. It was a perfect day for Grandma. The snow started to gently fall during the burial and "her mountain" was covered with snow - just the way she liked it. Her friends tied a huge white bow on her tree. It made the house look special - like someone was loved.

As I played outside with Grace, I was reminded of my childhood. I loved visiting grandma. She would make me feel like I was the most special person to her. She would sit in her backyard with me and I thought she had nothing else to do but sit and talk to me and pat my hand and tell me how much she loved me and being a grandmother.

Grandma Sandstrom

My Grandma, Donna Mae Sandstrom, passed away suddenly this morning in her sleep. I had so many plans for today, but I can't bring myself to do any of them. I just keep thinking of her and how much I will miss her. She was so well. She had plans to go on a field trip with a few of her friends today and had an appointment to get her hair done. Her passing was so unexpected for everyone.

I feel grateful that I was able to be with her at my cousin's wedding just two months ago. I got some great pictures of she and Mae on that trip. Those will be very meaningful to Mae because she is named after her.

I have been listening to the message she left for me on my phone all day today. I saved the message when she left it a week ago because I love her messages. I just can't believe I won't hear her voice again.

She has given us so many things and memories to remember her by. She made my girl's blankets that they can't sleep without, she made them their Christmas stockings, she made them their blessing dress, she made me my favorite blanket for graduation, and she gave my girls their favorite books that we read every nap time and bed time.

I will miss being able to call her for recipes. I will miss her spaghetti sauce. (I have the recipe and I was planning on making it tonight, but it never turns out as good as her's). I will miss making sugar cookies with her. I will miss her fresh vegetables from her garden. I will miss her gathering her family together especially at conference time and feeding us her potato salad and sloppy joes on her porch. I will miss the books she sends us for our birthdays and Christmas that are stamped on the inside with "From the Library of Great Grandma Sandstrom." I will miss calling her when it's my turn to choose the book for book club. I will miss talking to her. I will miss seeing her rock my children in her squeaky old rocking chair that she claims is just saying "I love you, I love you." (She used to rock me the same way in that same rocking chair) I will miss seeing her read to my chilren. I will miss her singing lullabyes (especially "go to sleep little toes go to sleep." She would sing about everybody part until she got to the eyes. Then the last verse went like this "the Grandma does, she loves you so, loves you so, loves you so, the Grandma does she loves you so, it's time to go to sleep.) I will miss her stories of her childhood, of her mother, of her mothering years, and of her grandmothering years. I will miss her saying "Oh dear dolly," "I love you so," "This is the Grandma," "I love you dearly," and "I love my new knee and my new hip, now I just need a new memory chip." I will miss her optomism and her sense of humor. She loved life and always was aware of the good.

She loved her garden, she loved her car, she loved to drive, she loved her home, she loved her porch, she loved her diet Pepsi, she loved her computer, she loved to play the piano, she loved her mountain and the way it changed with each season, she loved the snow, she loved the sunset, she loved sitting outside, she loved her friends, she loved to walk in the mornings, she loved to crochet, she loved to quilt, she loved to cook, she loved to read, she loved conference time, she loved to run errands with Grandpa. But most of all, she treasured family, her children and grandchildren. I wish I had spent more time with her, learned more from her in the kitchen and on the sewing machine, and learned more from her wisdom. She was a wonderful lady. I'm so glad she is my grandma. Heaven doesn't seem as far away when someone that you love so much and know so well is there. It can't be very far.

Happy New Year - Holy COW!

Our new years day was pretty eventful. It was time for Alan's dad's calf to be slaughtered and Alan was helping load it in the trailer. Unfortunately the cow went a little mad, and to make a long story short, broke through a few fences, ran through the backyard of the house behind his parent's house and out onto Decatur heading for Gilbert road (a main, busy road). Alan saved the day and hopped in his truck to try and block the mad cow from going onto Gilbert. He cornered it into a culdisac and a few minutes later, animal control and three cops showed up and shot the thing down. It then turned into a ward/neighborhood event with hot chocolate and all. The men gutted it, hung the meat up on the basketball hoop and sprayed it off. Pretty bloody and exciting! Grace thought her dad was the coolest!

Merry (belated) Christmas

I thought I should record our 2007 Christmas before Valentines day arrives. So... my blog is a little out of order - oh well. Just know that all of this happened in December. Christmas time was crazy! It was a party for a month straight. With two families here and constant visitors flying in and out from both families - it was awesome! It was hard to get back into the swing of things when everything was over.

First of all, thanks to Lara Ellingson, the girls got to meet and get their pictures taken with Santa Clause - a mighty realistic Santa Clause with a real beard and everything.

We made christmas sugar cookies with friends and cousins at our house and then later at Grandma Ray's house with ALL of the cousins.

We went on a caroling hay ride with the Soelbergs around the nieghoborhood.

I had my Christmas recital for dance. It was a big success. I wasn't prepared for all the huge mormon families that came to support thier little dancers. The girls were SOOOO cute and it was so rewarding for me to watch the performance!

We had two joy school performances; one at a nursing home and the other at a house for the families to watch. Grace was so excited to perform for her parents, grandparents, and cousins, until someone stepped on her toe right before the performance. We had the privelege of watching Grace pout under the piano while the other kids acted out the nativity and sang thier songs. Remember to never step on Grace's toes:)

We played in the snow at a park near Shawneen's house. Huge trucks brought snow to Mesa for the kids to play in. My kids were in heaven!

We celebrated Joseph Smith's birthday on the 23rd with the Soelbergs, had Christmas Eve with the Sandstroms, where we had our annual acting out of the nativity (which the Sandstrom kids are getting a little old for), along with a talent show. Grace and Mae sang thier Christmas joyschool songs at the top of thier lungs, and Grace played "twinkle twinkle" on the piano (and Mae pretended to play "twinke twinkle" on the piano). We always get matching pajamas from my mom. This year we got to add one more to our girl picture - my brother's wife, Karen, whom we LOVE!

We went to the Nutcracker again, saw the temple lights again, had a big get-together with all of our highschool girlfirends and their kiddies (and I we didn't even get a picture!!!), Alan and I went to Alan's first office party, I sang at my parent's Christmas party with my newly-formed jazz band:), and Grace and I, along with my mom and sisters got pedicures with our gift card from Santa. It was a party!

Christmas day was great because it was our first time waking up in our own house on Christmas morning. The girls got bikes and a few other toys from Santa. I think the biggest hit was the make-up ...until we went to Grandmama Sandstrom's house, where they got every dress-up that was sold at Walmart. We're not lacking for clothes now - since that's all my girls wear. Alan got a new grill on his truck that makes him very happy - (I don't understand - I thought the other one was great). I got a pressure canner from my mother-in-law that I'm VERY excited about and some great shopping gift cards from my parents. It was a day to celebrate!

Erica's Christmas present!

BEFORE

AFTER

Here are my new counter tops!!! Merry Christmas to me:) They used to be this hideous blueish-purpleish color. Now I love working in my kitchen and wiping off the counters. I included some before and after shots - but I never got a "true" before shot of the old counters with the old cabinets. You'll have to use your imagination. Our old cabinets were an outdated 80's white wash. After much blood, sweat and tears, they are now much more updated. Alan and I did them ourselves. It took so much time! (not to mention the mess from my whole kitchen being out of the cupboards and all the dust from sanding) We stayed up many nights until 4:00 a.m. sanding, then priming, then painting, then glazing, then painting the finishing coat, then hanging them back up, then putting the hardware on. It was worth it - I love my kitchen now!