SUN GLORIOUS SUN

WE WENT SKIING TODAY AND THE SUN WAS SHINING AND ALL I COULD THINK OF WAS THE SONG FROM OLIVER TWIST "FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD" EXCEPT THAT I SWAPPED FOOD FOR SUN. THAT IS HOW I FELT. IT WAS A GLORIOUS DAY OF SUN AND IT FELT AND LOOKED SO GOOD. JUST LOOK AT THAT BLUE SKY, A SIGHT WE HAVE SEEN VERY LITTLE OF THIS WINTER. WHAT A DAY.

DAY OFF

So I had today off and a lot of great intentions to get some things done. My main goal was to make a "quilted postcard", something I have always wanted to try. However, since I really don't do much sewing, and I didn't have any fabric on hand and knew I would have to go to the fabric store and buy some fabric and by last night the idea was stressing me out. I called Becky and we decided that I could do the same idea with paper and since I like scrapbooking that seemed like the best way to go for me. I once heard that people who think they are multi-taskers are really just unorganized since they can't focus long enough to finish a project. That was me today. I started out the day stressing out about my valentine and because I didn't have a firm idea I just couldn't get started so I started to bake. I baked a cake to make Yummy cake balls this weekend, I made rice pudding and bran bread. Still little was jelling for my card. I knew it had to get in the mail today or it wouldn't get there in time. My ideas started slowly and after I ran some errands and did some laundry I finally finished my card and as I got out of the car at the post office there in front of me was a penny, heads up, maybe, just maybe my card will get there in time and in one piece.

I don't know why this happens to me, but it does especially on my days off, I just have so much I want to do that I get disappointed when I can't get it all done.

Click Here for the link to Becky's blog to get the how-to for making the fabric Postcards. It really is a fun idea and someday soon I will make one out of fabric.

DEEP FREEZE

DOES THIS ICICLE SAY DEEP FREEZE TO ANYONE ELSE?

ENOUGH ALREADY, BRING ON SOME WARM"ER" WEATHER ALREADY.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

"If you don't think every day is a great day try going without one." Jim Evans

MY MOM

THIS LAST WEEK I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF ENJOYING THE COMPANY OF MY MOM, AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE FOUND IT BECOMING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT FINDING AND SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH MY MOM AND TIME IS PRECIOUS. LAST WEEKEND JEFF HAD TO GO TO PARK CITY FOR A SKI RACE AND SO I STAYED WITH MOM AND ON SUNDAY WE LOADED MOM IN THE CAR AND OFF TO IDAHO WE WENT. I KNEW THAT SHE WAS HESITANT TO COME FOR A WHOLE WEEK, BECAUSE SOME DAYS SHE DOESN'T FEEL AS GOOD AS OTHERS, BUT MY GOAL WAS TO KEEP HER BUSY . EVEN THOUGH I DID HAVE TO WORK A LITTLE I KNEW THAT WITH JEFF AND JESSICA IN AND OUT OF THE HOUSE SHE WOULDN'T BE ALONE MUCH AND OF COURSE LEXIE IS ALWAYS THERE. HERE IS A BRIEF ITINERARY OF WHAT WE DID:

Monday: Visit to the IF visitors center for Family Night to see the Mark Mabry "Reflections of Christ" display. If you haven't seen his photography you need to check it out.

Tuesday: Beth came up to play
Wednesday: Took Mom to see Dr. Black to get her toenails trimmed, -who knew that when your old enough Medicare will pay to have the Dr. trim your toenails? She had never had this done before so I figured it was time to have a little foot evaluation. Dr. Black was so impressed how healthy and spry mom was for her age. We went to lunch and then shopping at Macys and she wouldn't leave until we went to Dillards.

MOM MODELING A FEW OF HER MANY SWEATER PURCHASES

Thursday: Mom woke with a headache, but we had a hair appt. to go to. We made quiche for lunch and spent the rest of the day at home. Beth and I worked on our "winter" wall hangings. Went to Johnny Carinos for dinner and then watched Secretariat that night.

Friday: We went to the Prepared Pantry one of my favorite places and I thought Beth would enjoy it. We finished our wall hangings and then made tutu's for our grandbabies. I WAS SURPRISED HOW FAST THE WEEK WENT AND WE HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME AND BETH IS ALWAYS A GOOD MOTIVATOR FOR ME TO GET PROJECTS DONE. MOM HAD A GOOD TIME AND I AM HOPING THAT I CAN GET HER BACK UP HERE WHEN THE WEATHER IS WARMER AND WE CAN SPEND SOME TIME OUTSIDE.

JUST A TEASER!!!

SUNNY DAY OH SUNNY DAY, HOW WE WISHED YOU WOULD COME AND PLAY.

SATURDAY AT GRAND TARGHEE WAS NOT QUITE AS FOGGY, HOWEVER, FOR A BRIEF MOMENT WE THOUGHT THAT THE SUN WAS GOING TO JOIN US, BUT ALAS IT WAS ONLY FOR A MOMENT. YOU CAN SEE THE FOG IN THE BACKGROUND, IT FLOATED IN AND OUT ALL DAY.

IT WAS FUN TO HAVE MICHELLE WITH US BUT I'M GLAD SHE WAS AHEAD OF ME (SO THERE IS NO PICTURE EVIDENCE) WHEN I FELL ON THE CAT TRACK. -THE FLAT CAT TRACK- OH WELL, I GUESS IT HAPPENS BUT IT WAS PRETTY EMBARRASSING. I LOOKED LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER FLOUNDERING ON THE SNOW TRYING TO GET UP. UGHH!

THE WALL OF TREES...

I HAVEN'T BEEN TO TOP IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS BECAUSE OF THE FOG. WHEN WE WERE UP THERE ON NEW YEARS DAY WE SAW THIS WALL OF TREES THAT WAS JUST AWESOME, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE A CAMERA. JEFF WAS ABLE TO GET THIS PICTURE THIS WEEK FOR ME.

LEXIE ALSO ENJOYED HAVING MICHELLE UP FOR THE WEEKEND, SHE NEVER LEFT HER SIDE.

HOW SWEET IS SHE...

DAYNA SENT ME THIS PICTURE THE OTHER DAY. IT IS SO CUTE TO SEE OUR LITTLE HAILEY FINALLY GIVING IN TO SLEEP WHILE STILL SITTING UP. HER GREAT-GRANDMA JOAN ALWAYS HAD A JOKE THAT THE SWANER'S HAVE BUTTONS ON THEIR BUTTS AND WHEN THEY SIT DOWN THEY FALL ASLEEP, MAYBE IT HAS BEEN PASSED ON.

IN A FOG

I HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF A LOT OF THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH MY MEMORY. MY KIDS HAVE TOLD ME ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION THAT I HAVE "MOM-NESIA" WHICH I DON'T DENY. AND AT TIMES I HAVE FELT LIKE I HAVE BEEN IN A FOG, BUT TODAY GRAND TARGHEE LIVED UP TO IT'S NAME OF "GRAND FOGGY". THIS WAS MY FIRST REAL EXPERIENCE OF SKIING BY BRAILLE, IF YOU WILL, I LEARNED HOW TO SKI IN THE FOG AND BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE I HAD TO FEEL WHERE I WAS GOING. THIS WAS VERY CHALLENGING. WE SPENT THE MORNING SKIING ON SACAJAWEA AND AFTER LUNCH WE DECIDED TO GO OVER TO THE BLACKFOOT LIFT THINKING THAT IT WOULDN'T BE AS FOGGY. WRONG! THE ENTIRE

MOUNTAIN WAS PRETTY MUCH IN A FOG, JEFF WAS ONLY ABOUT 10-15 FEET AWAY FROM ME WHEN HE TOOK THIS PICTURE. BEFORE WE LEFT, JEFF AND OUR FRIEND BRYANT TOOK TO THE TOP OF DREAM CATCHER AND THEY EVEN GOT A LITTLE OUT OF SORTS IN THE FOG.

WE HAD HIGH HOPES THAT THE FOG MIGHT LIFT BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY BUT IT DIDN'T. THE FOG WAS THERE TO STAY, SO WE WILL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK ANOTHER DAY, AND PRAY FOR NO FOG.

THE ROAD TO PERFECTION IS ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION....

You won't believe that I heard this quote while "listening" to ski racing on tv.

Jeff spent this weekend coaching the D-teamers on the Kelly Canyon ski team and I was home alone, so you might ask "why was skiing on tv when no one else was home?" Contrary to popular belief(Brandon) my tv is not always turned to HGTV or the Food Network, sometimes I like to watch skiing. Usually Skier's World so I can get skiing tips from "Ask Butler" not sure anything has rubbed off yet. ha, ha!


Skiing has been a big part of life in the Swaner family. The first year of our marriage Jeff taught me how to ski, something that he had done most of his life. I learned at Nordic Valley, now called Wolf Mountain, and every Wednesday was ladies night and I skied for free, so that is where we went. I remember one night I guess Jeff thought that I was good to go on my own and as I stood at the top of the hill I could see Jeff, Joan and Clix at the bottom of the hill urging me forward, I was not happy, thus the beginning of my skiing sojourn.
Jeff became a ski instructor at Nordic Valley enabling us the opportunity to teach our kids how to ski on a great beginner hill. I even admit to a couple of our kids falling off the chair lift while under my care, but they were ok, I think. Later, after we moved to Idaho we spent many weekends at Kelly Canyon and then Ben decided that he wanted to join the Kelly canyon ski team. At that point Jeff decided that he would help out and soon became a coach on the team and the skiing became even more of an interest in the family. Ben traveled a lot with the team, and at times we as a family were able to go and attend the races and ski at the resorts. As time progressed and Jessica decided to trade in her two boards for one, and my familys skiing ability bypassed mine and my interested started to wain. Jeff and the kids continued to ski and snowboard but due to a back surgery, I quit skiing for about 7 years. Last year I started to feel bad that Jeff would get up every Saturday morning and go to Grand Targhee to ski by himself and so by the time the ski swap came around I had talked myself into skiing again. Was I crazy at age 50? Well I can't say that it has been all roses, I have enjoyed being back, even with the challenges and my erratic emotions, and I've learned that I love resorts with gondolas and if anyone says lets go to the back side that it always entails and long cat track to get back to the front. And so the quote " the road to perfection is always under construction" This year I am going to work on my confidence on cat tracks, I have a problem with my small motor skill and making tight turns. As for watching ski racing on TV? yes, I do enjoy it, and I watch it with Jeff at night. I am awe struck at the fact that these guys are going down the hill at 75 mph, that is as fast as driving down the freeway. CRAZY! Ben is now a coach for the Beaver Mountain ski team, and the legend lives on. I also suspect that even maybe next year Brandon will have Hailey on the ski hill somehow, we"ll see...

I know this Blog is long, but bear with me, I am going to sum up the other reason this quote resonated with me. I think that it can be applied to everything that we are trying to do better in our lives, whether it is personal study, prayers, service, showing love to others, attitude...anything that we have set a goal to be and do better. Like President Hinckley was always urging us to "always try to do a little better".
So I guess that I am still UNDER CONSTRUCTION even at my age. And even at -6 deg. last weekend at Targhee, It was soooo cold but the last two runs in the sun were delightful.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I HAVEN'T HAD MUCH TO POST THIS YEAR SO FAR, HOWEVER TODAY I FOUND A
GREAT QUOTE... I DON'T GENERALLY MAKE NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS, BUT THIS IS ONE REGRET I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE. SO THIS YEAR I AM GOING TO TRY AND SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY, ESPECIALLY MY MOM. SHE TURNS 90 THIS YEAR, NO TIME TO WASTE.
"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.” -Barbara Bush