Showing posts with label grandma hepworth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grandma hepworth. Show all posts

Sunday, May 13, 2012

20 Lessons I Learned From My Mother


1.  Prayer works, whining doesn't.
2.  TV is bad, books are good.
3.  Some oldies music and a comfy pair of sweats is all you need for a good workout. 
4.  People of a certain political persuasion need to get their heads examined.
5.  Simple is better.
6.  Kids grow fast and it's important to focus on the things that really matter. 
7.  Coffee cakes and coffee tables don't really exist, they're actually called breakfast cakes and tv tables.
8.  The only difference between a person chewing gum and a cow chewing its cud is the intelligent look on the face of the cow. We had this quote hanging on our fridge for years, but alas it was one of the least effective of mom's edicts, since most of us kids have decided that we prefer having minty fresh breath over looking intelligent.
9.  Keeping one night a week set aside for family night is well worth the sacrifice and effort.
10. Our church leaders are called by God.
11.  One pair of tennis shoes and one pair of Sunday shoes is all the footwear you need.  I actually have about five pairs, three of which I wear on a regular basis, which basically makes me a shoe horse according to mom.  
12.  Freckles are angel kisses and nothing to be embarrassed about.
13.  America is a blessed land and we should do our best to be good citizens--by voting in every election (big or small) and by getting involved in trying to affect positive changes in the community.
14.  Beauty comes from within.
15.  You need to vary the hiding places of goodies and gifts frequently. 
16.  Embarrassing topics should be avoided at all costs, but if one has to refer to it, then code names make it less embarrassing. (For instance, saying you need a new "arb" is much less blush worthy than saying you need a new bra.)
17.  It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. 
18.  We are blessed to live in a day and time when there is a living prophet on the earth. 
19.  Why pay full price for something, when you can just skip buying it altogether?   
20. Slow down.  Take time to smell the coffee....er, I mean roses. 

...And the list could have gone on and on.  Thank you mom!!!  I love you!

                                          Our mothers on our wedding day-- Denver, Colorado Temple---December 1993

   from left:  My Nana Crain, Glen's Grandmother Loughton, Glen's mother Sandy, My Mom, My Grandma Hepworth             (The only missing grandmother that day was Glen's Grandma Goold)


 


I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude and love to Glen's mother,  Sandy, who is as kind, generous, accepting, and loving a mother-in-law as anyone could ever wish for! 

Happy Mother's Day!
"...I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them."  Alma 57:21

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"Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mothers image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child's mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security, her kiss, the first realization of affection, her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world."

                                                                                                                                                             ~David O McKay

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

My Trip in NUMB3RS

After a VERY long day yesterday with more than 12 hours spent in airports and airplanes, Ellie and I are finally back home again. I have a whole list of blog ideas that I'm busting to write, but I really wanted to get this summary of the trip down before I forget everything.

So, in an effort not to bore you with too many pictures and boring descriptions you don't care about, I am trying out an idea I did a few years ago....


My trip summary in NUMB3RS:



10
years ago (or more) since I'd last seen most of my Hepworth cousins.

9
times a day that Ellie and her cousin Andrew tried to turn on the TV each day.


8 decades young: I was so happy to be a part of the surprise party for my Nana's 80th birthday.

7--$20 bills plunked down at the BYU Bookstore for new Cougar paraphernalia indoctrination for the kids.
6
straight days away from my family....hip hip hooray! (for the first day or two anyway)


5-hour lay-over in the world's worst airport. Do you have a guess (or vote) at which airport earns this title from me? I was grumpy enough about our flight being delayed two hours on the third
leg of our trip that I didn't actually take any pictures of the experience (this picture is from our trip out).

4 hundred pictures that I took while in Utah and Wyoming.


3
out of 4 sisters and our Mom...talking, cooking, cleaning, reminiscing, and laughing together.


2 sweet grandparents finally reunited after almost 26 years apart.


1 very tired, VERY happy lady ecstatic to be back home surrounded by her sweet husband and rambunctious kids. Oh yeah, and to be sleeping in her own bed again.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Grandma's Legacy

There was a time not that long ago when my kids were some of the lucky few who actually knew most of their great-grandparents. When Ellie was born there were 6 out of 8 of them still living.

Over the course of the past four years though, each one of mine and Glen's parents has in turn buried a parent.


*First it was Glen's Grandma Loughton who passed away peacefully in July 2005.
*Then in September of 2007 my Grandfather Crain passed away in Oklahoma City.
*In January of 2008 Glen's Grandpa Loughton joined his sweetheart of 60+ years in the eternities.
*Then in March, Glen's Grandmother Frances passed away rejoined with her beloved George who passed away in 1995.


And tonight my dear, sweet Grandma Hepworth at almost 94, is finally reunited with her beloved husband, Fay, who passed away 26 years ago.

I love this picture of my Grandpa and Grandma Hepworth together with my brother and I. Grandpa died just a couple of years later and I don't have too many pictures of them together.


My Grandma Hepworth was one of those amazing people you don't meet very often. She raised 11 outstanding children (including my mother) on a farm in Star Valley, Wyoming. She spent her life busy and engaged and was sharp and witty right up to the end of her life.

Even with the dozens and dozens of grandchildren she had (and now great-grandchildren) somehow she always made me feel so individually loved. She would always send me home from a visit with her with some special hand-made treasure she had created just for me and made me feel like I was somehow her favorite grandchild. Of course if you asked any of my siblings or cousins they would claim that they were her favorite. Even four years ago at her ninetieth birthday she was still sharing her handiwork with us.

How grateful I am that my own kids have known her and loved her...

and for the legacy of love, kindness, hard work, thriftiness, creativity, faithfulness, and dedication she's given to me and all who've known her.


We'll miss you Grandma.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Grandma's Snowflakes

Meet Grandma Hepworth: She's 93 years old, the mother of 11, grandmother to 60+, and great-grandmother to many more!

Often in my years as a mother I've been inspired by her courage and faithfulness in raising eight daughters and three sons on a farm in the mountains of Wyoming. She nurtured them, taught them, loved them, and worked tirelessly side by side with my grandfather taking care of the farm...all with a happy heart. Her cheerfulness even into widowhood, arthritis, and oxygen tanks encourages me to have a greater appreciation for wherever I'm at in my life. She is an amazing lady in every sense.

Although lazy and untalented in comparison, I like to think I inherited my love for creating things from her. She sewed, crocheted, and knitted countless beautiful creations. Then selflessly shared them with her children and grandchildren (and remember there were A LOT of us).


My two boys have each worn this same hand-knit sweater, that had in turn been worn by each of my four brothers before. And it's still in perfect shape.


And check out these gorgeous handmade crocheted snowflakes. Notice how each one is unique.


I treasure each one and love the memories they bring to my heart each Christmas time. Memories of my grandmother, memories of her love and devotion to her family, to sharing, and to the gospel.

We love you Grandma!

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