Adventure Day

We went to the zoo and to Heritage Park. It was a long day but so much fun. Best trip to the zoo because of the Legos they put throughout the park. Also we stumbled on Heritage Park which had many homes from the pioneers. I am sure Josh is more thrilled to do this than the tough mudder tomorrow in Colorado. ;) So sorry that we couldn't make the six hour trip.

LEGO Regroup

LEGO reorg and building. Another conference tradition now. Here's to Dad and Grandpa James Teare for making LEGOs a part of our lives

Great Tradition

[Conference] cake! I'd say the most consistently executed semiannual tradition.

New Car!

Well, we did it. Or rather, Sarah did while I was sick working at home and watching kids. She's a great negotiator and the salesmen can't swindle her.

Here we have a 2012 Toyota Sienna LE. 11,000 miles. Former corporate lease turn-in. Got a slamming deal. Sarah's dream car. I do love it, too. It's ergo. It's functional. It's practical. Road trips will be so much better now. And I know Sarah's outings with Preston and Charlotte will be that much better. That makes me happy.

Originally, we sought the SE. You're really paying like ten grand more for a sportier exterior. Not worth it. Plus, according to Sarah, this LE drives way better than the SE. No swagger wagon for us. Just everything but the swagger.

Backsplash

The tiling has begun. This will span from this corner to the edge of the counter adjacent to the sink. It's a fairly simple project, as I can pull out a tile or two here and there and scrap some Mastic on them, place the spacers, then firmly press in place. No additional prep work required. It's subway tile, with 1/16 inch spacing. Grout to come, once completed.

Target still TBD; but, Dad, I may finish before your tiling, if you haven't already :) Us Teares certainly struggle to finish projects. Anyone overcome that one yet, and care to share the secret?

Goals

I have many goals about getting myself organized.  I have always felt that to be completely organized is completing my family history. Getting myself in order.  It is a hard process to even start.  So I have decided to set up some goals.

1. Print this blog out on a book.
2. Make a book of remembrance for my children
3. Make a book of our family
4. Get a nice looking pedigree chart and frame it


I think I can accomplish those within the year.  I have enjoyed this class to get myself motivated to do family history.  I am excited to start our history today and to continue making wonderful memories.  I am just grateful that I do have my children to carry on this tradition of making family history an important part of their lives.

Pedigree Chart

Blessing Day

Loreen Hansen Matkin – Great grandmother

            This lady was known as “the greatest mother there ever was, patient, loving, and enduring,” as Lorna Matkin quoted.  My Aunt Kathy Palmer stated, “She was the kind of person who did everything to the very best of her ability and that included being a grandmother, mother, wife, sister, daughter, neighbor and friend.”

            Loreen was raised in humble circumstances with ten other children in the family.  I find it so touching to read that Christmas was a frugal time and they considered them lucky to have an orange in their Christmas stocking.  I find that part so refreshing because we over give at Christmas time.  I also find it interesting to read that they loved going to the fair.  Before going to the fair they would rub buttermilk on their faces to bleach their tans.  I actually try to make myself look tan by putting tanning cream on my face.  Times have changed.

            My aunt recalls grandmother Loreen very kind and giving.  Lorna states that her mother would always eat the neck or the back of the chicken.  She always thought that she enjoyed that part, but as she grew older she realized that she was leaving the choice pieces for her family.

            As a young girl her father had a heart attack leaving ten young children and one on the way.  Loreen had to quit school at ten and go to work to help provide for the family.  She learned as she worked with the Jacobs family that they never spoke mean or unkind words about anyone and she put that practice into her own life.

            She was married and they also lived a frugal life.  They were known for eating much rice and canned milk.  These kind of statements make me consider how lucky we are in our life.  She had three small children and one on the way when her husband was called on a mission.  Loreen once stated, “The Lord could have taken him for good, be He only asked for him for 2 ½ years.”  What faith this lady had!

            I realized how she kept her home so immaculate.  She did not drive and had a terrible experience learning how.  She didn’t go all over town like I seem to do instead of caring for my home.  My Aunt Kathy said in her later years when she had cancer that “One Saturday I went over to help her and cleaned a closet and washed the floor.  She said that was the first time she’d had help like that.  She kept house very clean, but she was always happy to have you come and mess it up.”

After one of her babies Loreen had problems with her nerves.  She would cry and say it was nothing.  She started to memorize poems after this too.

            She was a very caring woman.  She took care of her mother who had a stroke and needed much care.  It was remembered she would call out frequently through the night to go to the bathroom.  Also her husband was confined to the bed too with his heart problems.  One night she asked the Lord, “How much longer?” and the voice came back, “Not much longer Loreen.”  When her mother passed she put herself on a guilt trip and had bad times with her nerves again.  But it seems that she loves caring for people.  My own mother states that she loves caring for people and have recently had thoughts of doing foster care. 

            My Aunt Kathy stated how Loreen loved giving gifts to her grandchildren.  She would work hard to get each of her grandchildren gifts for their birthday.  

Sina Olsen Ackroyd.  My great grandmother

I was able to read a about my great grandmother Sina Olsen Ackroyd.  I have to tell you the first paragraph that she wrote on her autobiography.  “Autobiography is a very self-consious effort.  You dare not make much of your success for fear it will savour of bragging, likewise you minimize your failures so people will not think too ill of you, so rather than consider this an autobiography think of it as a few of the happenings that I encountered on my journey through life.”  I find this paragraph astounding because I realize that my mother is very modest in her life too.  My mother would probably write the same thing.  It is so interesting to see these characteristics being passed down.  I also stumbled on an interesting fact that she sucked her thumb and was left -handed.  This was only paragraph two and I find this part fascinating because I sucked my thumb and was left-thumb.  My daughter, Charlotte who is only 2 months old, is also trying to suck her thumb on her left hand.  This is so fun! 

There is a story I have to mention because it makes me cringe and I don’t think I can be as brave as my great-great grandmother.  Sina and her brother Chris were playing with the feed chopper.  Sina put her hand in the chopper and her brother turned the wheel catching her hand twice through the chopper.  Sina’s mother put her on her lap and covered Sina’s eyes with her apron and cut off her fourth finger using her husband’s razor.  I am amazed that her mother was able to do that because I could not keep my cool when red ants were crawling all over my Preston.  These ladies had some courage to deal with things on their own and do the best they could possibly do. 

Sina must have been such a wonderful mother.  My grandmother, Clara had nothing ill to speak about her mother.  Apparently Sina’s husband died leaving her to care for 8 children with only one of them was married.  Their family survived since she knew how to live a provident living for them.  Clara wrote about they survived which was growing everything they needed in life.  They even had a bee farm.  They had to get rid of the bee farm when Sina kept getting more allergic with each sting she got.  One time she turned blue and had the boys help her and by miracle and faith she survived.   My grandmother asked how she was ever able to sleep with all of her responsibilities and she stated that when her head hit the pillow she would go right to sleep. 

I love her closing statement regarding her grandchildren, “As I look them over I can see both physical and mental characteristics of my own cropping out in each of them, so here is a sobering thought, these characteristics, for good or evil will be handed down eternally.  Pray God most of them may be for good.”

My grandmother, Clara was with her as she passed away.