Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 started with a Christmas Program at Sacrament Meeting. The music and messages were meaningful and a good reminder of the reasons for celebrating. It was a bright warm (in the 40s) day with all the ingredients for fun with family, exchanging presents (thanks for the thoughtful gifts Dad and I received from everyone), food (the traditional ham, potato salad, shrimp dip buffet, entertainment (“Despicable Me,” Packers football, the Logo Game, the puzzle) and so on. Autumn and the Eagle Mt. Barkers came to visit and we were able to have Skype sessions with the Hardys, and the Hillsboro Barkers. Thanks to all for a great Christmas day. Here are the photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/Christmas2011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCI-MkL2G1oiW3wE&feat=directlink

Christmas Concert

L & P ushered for the production of "Annie" at the Pioneer Theater at the UofU. It was well done and we liked it. The next night we enjoyed a wonderful concert at Kingsbury Hall presented by Jon Schmidt (what a piano player--he makes it seem so easy--quite a Gormo) and Steven Sharp Nelson, an unbelievable, multi-talented cello player. We got to see a few of their YouTube video performances during the show. We liked the renditions of "Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella" varied according to different countries. Thanks to Briton for plugging us into ThePianoGuys.com.

The Annual Barker Family Christmas Party

On Saturday, December 17, 2011, the Barker Bunch gathered for good food and lots of fun as we celebrated the Savior's birth, and the spirit of Santa, and the happiness of family. Thanks to all who came and participated and added to the enjoyment of the evening.

Here are 50 fun photos/videos of the evening's festivities. https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/TheAnnualBarkerFamilyChristmasParty?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOX__rq10ce1Ag&feat=directlink

Goodbye Big Blue Spruce

December Sunset:We bought two live 4'-5' tall blue spruce trees in a big buckets from J&L Garden Center in December of 2000. We were living in a condominium in Centerville for several months while our new home in Farmington was being built. We brought the taller one indoors and decorated it for our Christmas tree that year. We saved the trees in their buckets in the tiny yard and then brought them with us to Shady Creek Lane in February. We planted them temorarily beside the garage. In September the landscapers planted them on the hill leading up to top of our property. We decorated them for many years at Christmastime with tiny green lights with the help of kids and ladders and rakes...some could be seen from 200 East. Last year we decided they were too big (one was too tall and one was too fat) and the green lights were moved down to decorate the mugo pines. This year on December 1st, 2011, a mighty wind storm uprooted the tall one. We were very sad to see it go. But the story has a happy ending. The top of tree was given to another young family to use as their Christmas tree, branches were brought indoors to decorate our home and provide a wonderful fresh smell, and the trunk logs were given to another family to dry and use for warmth in their wood stove/fireplace. Goodbye Big Blue Spruce...you've given joy to many.

Here are a few photos and videos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/GoodbyeToOurBigBlueSpruce?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCILEmLuemvraoQE&feat=directlink

It's Matilda's Day...December 4th, 2011

December 4th, 2011, Matilda Grace gets her name and a blessing. Yes, it was all about the pip squeak. We were happy the roads permitted a trip to Lewistown to participate. Some were ice/snow packed which made the travel time a little longer. We stayed in Helena going and coming, which broke up the drive. We enjoyed watching (with Airie and Abram) BYU beat Hawaii in their last game of the season and we got in a couple of games of pinochle...the girls did a lot of talking while the boys beat the pants off us. (I'm burning the new pinochle deck.) Matilda slept for 7 hours on Saturday night helping everyone feel refreshed on Sunday morning. The blessing was beautiful and Matilda didn't peep. Airie fixed a great pork chop dinner afterwards. It was a quick visit, but worth the effort.
https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/ItSMatildaSDay?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLCggJqG2PL5mwE&feat=directlink

"We got the cold East Canyon Winds"

On December 1st we suffered an amazingly destructive east wind that affected North Salt Lake to Ogden. Farmington, sadly, was very hard hit by the hurricane force winds on Thursday...sustained winds of 50 to 75 mph and gusts over 100mph! Our power was out from about 2:00am on Thursday until 8:30pm. Dad was able to re-light the pilot light that had been blown out, so we did have hot water, thank goodness, and we were able to light our 2 gas fireplaces which took the chill off, barely. It was very cold outside. We brought up our camp stove and were able to cook some hot food. Yep, it was like camping indoors. The damage is amazing. We've been through some pretty severe east winds in our 31-1/2 years in Farmington, but never with this much wide-spread damage. The freeway was closed for parts of the day and the Farmington Station for the FrontRunner was closed all day with light posts across the tracks and construction debris everywhere. At least a dozen semis were over-turned on the freeway and frontage roads. We were leaving for Lewistown, Montana, but delayed our departure to drive around the subdivisions close to our house and we took some photos. I would say that about every 3rd or 4th home has uprooted trees (mostly big, old pines, but other trees also), huge branches ripped from trees that are now so scarred, shingles gone, some sidewalks buckled, fences down, signs bent over or gone, etc. We lost our biggest pine tree (Blue Spruce) at the top of the hill. Sad. Here are some other photos taken in vicinity.
https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/December2ndAfterTheHurricaneOnDecember1st?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJLh2Lr508CCeQ&feat=directlink

THANKSGIVING 2011

What a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration! We were sooooo happy that the entire family could be together to share the Turkey Feast and enjoy each other's company. Thanks for making the trek, especially those who came the distance from Montana and Oregon. We are grateful for all of our many, many blessings, particulary our family.
Here are some of the memories we made...........
https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/Thanksgiving2011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPj98vff_dAp&feat=directlink

Early Christmas Present

On November 14, Baron came to watch the Packers play their rivals the Vikings. We had already made the decision to buy a new 55" LED TV...our old rear projection Hitachi was 16 years old...before the Thanksgiving Day celebration, but we moved up the date so we could watch the big game. Unfortunately, RC Willey's delivery schedule kept getting moved later and later and the new set didn't arrive until 30 minutes into the game. That was good for us, 'cause Dad got lots of help putting it together. Baron really pitched in, though he missed some of the plays while running back and forth between an old screen showing the game and the family room construction site. We appreciate all the assistance and had a fun evening eating sloppy joes and we did get to see part of the last quarter on the new TV in HD...AND the Packers won!
Thanks Baron!!!

Serious Poker.

American Fork Grandcats & 11-11-11

Autumn invited us to down to visit. We had a great dinner at the Texas Roadhouse and spent an hour or two playing with the 2 kitties afterwards. Thanks, Autumn, it was a fun evening.

Here are some photos and a short video: https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/VisitToSeeTheGrandcats?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPi4nqGPuJe5pQE&feat=directlink


On November 11th, we went to a Geocaching Event in Kaysville, an 11-11-11 party. There was pizza and potluck dishes and plenty of time to chat with other cachers. We met some new folks and talked with our friend UtahJean who gave me a handcrafted wooden whistle. Her apple pie melted in your mouth. We bought a commemorative geocoin and I won another coin in the raffle (a navy seal coin honoring 9-11.) There was a good turnout.

Part of the geo crowd. The tablecoths and balloons are in the geo symbol colors.

Halloween 2011

I don't remember a Halloween this warm. Fun day for us!

https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/Halloween2011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCL_VorrnufzeKw&feat=directlink

Last Weekend of October

We had a fun weekend and enjoyed the warm, crisp days. How long can they last?

https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/LastWeekendOfOctober?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMeZm6C6i8WB3QE&feat=directlink

The Alpine Loop

Upon Autumn's recommendation and after checking the weather forecast and seeing that the warm, dry weather is coming to a close, we decided to head south to American Fork on Monday and drive the Alpine Loop. It's been many years since we've traveled this scenic road past Timpanogos Cave, Cascade Springs, Aspen Grove, Sundance, etc. The leaves were somewhat past their prime, but we still enjoyed the colors and views. We got out of the car many times to take photographs, plus find 2 geocaches. I do love this time of year.
https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/TheAlpineLoop?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNzjkOrel_iRSg&feat=directlink

Whomping the Willows

This blog is out of order...just couldn't get to it until now.
The 2 willows around the pond are out of control. We prune them back every year and it only encourages them. They've taken over. By the end of this summer they were literally 10 feet tall and covering the pond, the rocks and my big pot of marigolds.


If you look at the upper right hand corner of this photo you will see twigs shooting skyward.

Here's the view from the top. We decided to pretty much start over at square one. We got out our pruners, loppers, saws and spent an entire day working on the 2 bushes.

Here's the carnage. We had to drag all of this into the street and down the block. A neighbor said he would dispose of the branches for us....how fortunate.

Yep, we got radical. They may or may not revive next spring.

Not much left.

Hey, we didn't know we had so many rocks and now you can see the pot of marigolds! It's the bare polar bear. Hope we aren't sorry.

Stanford Scarecrow Festival

The little town of Stanford, Montana, is about an hour from Lewistown. A Scarecrow Festival/Competition is held there every October. On our way back to Utah, we decided to check it out and had a lot of fun taking photos.
https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/StanfordScarecrows?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJWisr2Z_PO9VA&feat=directlink

Last Few Photos of Matilda in Montana

Here are a few more photos of our visit with the Hardys.

https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/AFewFinalPhotosAtTheApartment?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOW3u-fBpqmPZg&feat=directlink

Lewistown, Montana

Before Airie came home from the hospital, Dad and I had some time to look around Lewistown and take a lot of photos. (We found a few geocaches, too, of course.) The weather was pretty nice...warm with only one little shower. If you are interested...you can get a better idea of this remote little town from our snapshots:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/Lewistown?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNfjvsL0xuqN6AE&feat=directlink

Videos of the Skype Session with Hillsboro

Here are the 2 videos of Matilda with comments from Briton and family via Skype on Thursday, October 20th, when Tilly was only 5 days old.

https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/VideoOfSkypeSession1?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJL3n-OZ1qH2MQ&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/VideoOfSkype2?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKrXrezLisP5Qw&feat=directlink

Matilda Comes Home

Matilda came home on Tuesday afternoon, October 18th. Here are a bunch of cute photos and videos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/MatildaComesHome?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCI38nIvmkOjafg&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/103890614854568345609/VideoAtTheHospital?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJrgo9WQ66T2UA&feat=directlink


I'll be putting 2 more here in just a minute. These videos were taken on Thursday night, during a Skype session with the Hillsboro Barkers. Be sure to listen for Sydney saying "cousin Matilda" and Clara saying "baba"!!

Ooops...I've run out of room, so I won't be putting out anything else until I get some technical assistance. Sorry.

More Matilda...it's hard to get enough!

Matilda had one roommate in the nursery the first day...but now she's getting all the attention from the nurses.

Central Montana Medical Center...nice facility.

Hello!

Feelin' no pain.

She looks longer than 19.5" to me. She has Abram's longer fingers.

Checking things out.

Little double chin.

Let me think about that.

Looking at Mommy.

Daddy's little girl.

Chillin' with Grandma.

Miss Matilda Grace Hardy!!!

Matilda Grace Hardy
October 15, 2011
Lewistown, Montana
2:20pm
8 lbs. 2 oz.
19.5 lbs. oops! that's inches!! It was about 2:00am when I posted the blog this morning!!

Conference & Caps & Colder

Conference weekend is a time to enjoy and appreciate hearing the word of the Lord in your grubbies, from the comfort of your own recliner. The messages are always inspiring, meaningful, timely., etc. We were happy that Autumn was able to come to visit and spend the day with us on Sunday. We enjoyed chicken enchiladas and the treats she brought--the very tasty Cream Cheese Danish as well as Spinach, Artichoke & Parmesan dip and chips. Thanks! (Sorry we didn't get any pictures of Peanut...only her food.)

Airie (previously) and I (while watching Conference) finished crocheting 25 purple baby hats for the Purple Crying Time Project. The hats, along with information to educate and help prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome will be given to new mothers in hospitals during the month of November across the nation. Many states and areas of Canada are participating by knitting or crocheting caps for newborns. Would you believe that the national headquarters is right here in Farmington, Utah, in a nice office behind the old K-Mart? Our contributions ended up being quite a melange of colors and patterns...probaby 10 different styles/combinations. I added some blue trim to a couple of mine for the sake of little boys!

I took the 25 purple caps to the headquarters where all the employees were feverishly knitting away and planning a valley-wide "Knit-In" for 4 hours at Primary Children's Hospital the following day.

Speaking of purple, as most of you know, we get together with Darren & Livy Franchow (Dad's old boss, who has MS and retired just before Dad) once a month at Little America for lunch and a 2-hour gab session. They are such nice people and fun to talk to. They have a "purple thumb" and grow wonderful lavendar bushes that are the talk of their neighborhood. They brought us several vases of dried lavender last week...here is a photo of one:

Notice how green and lush our backyard looks for October. However the next day, the temperatures dropped 40 degrees, the wind blew, the rains came and it snowed in the hills. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! This isn't a good photo, because I took it too late in the day, but you can see the cold, white stuff on the hills to the east of our Ornamental Pear tree. Boo Hoo.