Let It Snow

I participated in an annual ornament exchange for a few years when I lived in Houston. One year this very talented friend brought us these snowmen for our front yards. She made them out of an old fence that someone in her neighborhood was replacing. Clark and I added the wooden trees when we moved to Alabama. Every time I drive up to my house he makes me smile.

Kendall's Gift

I received a cute red bird feeder from Kendall for Christmas. I went to the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Huntsville and got a bag of bird seed to attract song birds. Just like magic I've got a fluttering bunch of song birds surrounding the redbud tree right outside my back window. I love the internet. Whenever I see a new bird I just google it and then It is quickly Identified. So far I have seen some cool birds. I saw a couple of Cardinals, some Finches and a way adorable woodpecker. This wood pecker is actually on the endangered species list so I feel so special to have observed him.

Merritt guarding my Christmas gift. Too bad the birds get scared of her.

A Kingsford Christmas

We have had a wonderful Christmas this year. Kimberly and Austin were able to join us for Christmas Eve dinner and lights at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. The lights were fantastic as usual.
We got to spend a whole hour on the phone with Brendan. It was great to hear his voice! He had so many fun stories to tell us. We miss him alot but we are so proud of his choice to serve this mission.
We have had a very peaceful day today and very much enjoyed opening and tinkering with our presents. Kendall thought it would be a bummer just spending the day with us. But as it turned out Austin and Kimberly got to spend the morning with us. So only half the day was a bummer.
We are going to the movies this evening to see Bedtime Stories. I hope its good.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!!


I love this ornament Dana!







Austin's Best christmas gifts









Our Grand doggie "Rocky"

Homecoming

A young man in our ward hosted an alternative homecoming dinner and dance last month for one of his Faith in God projects. He wanted the music to be fun and clean. He also wanted an appropriate dress code. I was asked to help with the decorations. The theme ended up being "Inner city, disco, warehouse". We had a very limited budget and it still turned out way cute and fun!
Kendall is a freshman so she went to the dance after going to dinner at Cantina Lorado with her friends from school. She had a terrific time in her new great dress that she and I worked on together. She picked out the dress pattern and the fabric and I sewed it. We just didn't have time to help her sew this one.
She looked beautiful and so grown up.

Kendall's fabric choice



"Vintage Purple"















One of my favorite things about her dress is I only had to use this once!




Beautiful...

Sweet Peas in D.C.

We took Kendall's best friend Stephanie with us to D.C. We will definitely take her with us on a trip again. She is a delight. Kendall and Stephanie are like two peas in a pod. They get along amazingly well. I had the best time hanging with these two. The weather was a little chilled which made it all the more fun for these sweet peas to get dolled up and have their picture taken. We took pictures all over and I filled one whole SD card and there were hardly any pictures of the sites. Just these two gorgeous gals. What fun!!

Fall Break in D.C.

We went to D.C. for fall break this year. This was my first time in that city and I loved it! The weather was perfect all week. We stayed in a hotel on the corner of F and 9th street. The city is so clean and pedestrian friendly. All the memorials and many of the museums are free. We bought a metro ticket for the whole week and it took us everywhere we wanted to go. So the vallet parked the car and we didn't see it all week. We either took the metro or walked and walked and walked.

My favorite museum is the Smithsonian National Art Gallery and the Sculpture park. I really enjoyed the botanical garden too. There are so many things we never got to see so we must go again soon.

The Washington Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Sunflowers

Things have finally slowed down a little in YW's lately and that has given me a chance to spend some time with my Laurels. I have been able to take a few of them to ice cream and interview them about their Personal Progress. Sometimes I am so busy just getting the logistics together that I don't get to enjoy the part I really love about YW's and that is the girls. These young women are so amazing to me. I love how teachable they are. I love how inspired they make me feel.
We have a new Laurel class presidency and they are just a delight. Our activities always turn out terrific thanks to the great work they always put in. I love that I can count on them to carry out their responsibilities.
This last week one of my Laurels heard I wasn't feeling very well and she brought me a bouquet of sunflowers and a get well soon balloon. Every morning when I see those flowers I smile big.
I took another Laurel to ice cream on Monday and when I brought her home, in her driveway I saw a little jar of handpicked marigolds and a bowl of garden veggies next to a little paper sign that said "Thank You Sister Kingsford" . So thoughtful. I am not sure if her sisters did it or her mom, but it made my day.
Just like the Sunflowers my girls make me smile big.

Letters From Home

Brendan left for Japan Monday August 20th. He called us from the LAX airport and we got to talk to him for an hour before he boarded the plane. We called Kendall at school for a conference call and then she called Kimberly at work and so we all chatted with him together. It was so good to hear his voice. He was so excited and a bit nervous. We got an email from him the next day and he said he had arrived in the mission home. He said he would email us the next day and we didn't hear from him. I had a feeling he wasn't doing too well. I do have that extra sensory perception when it comes to my children. Clark kept saying "don't worry he is fine". But I still felt anxious for what he might be going through. I got and email from him yesterday and I was right he was depressed some. He said that he felt he had been dropped off on an alien planet where all the aliens were doing a really bad job of pretending to be Americans. Then he read my last letter to him and he felt comforted. I feel that way so often when I read my scriptures. I feel like I am getting a letter from home and so many times an amazing feeling of comfort washes over me. I cried when I read his email but I am so glad that my letter made it to him before he left the MTC.
We have a blog set up for Brendan at www.elderbrendankingsford.blogspot.com. This is where we post parts of his letters and emails and pictures that he send us.

Heaven Sent!

Don't know why but I was feeling sorta low. Nothing came to mind as to why. I just couldn't shake it. It was not that time of the month even. Then I looked out my kitchen window and I saw him in my bird bath. A gift from heaven! Wow! I AM loved.

Blue Birds are my Favorite!!!

He appeared to be doing some serious house hunting...

Does his wife approve?

"But, I like this one!!"

Next year they will stay because I am getting them a real blue bird house!

The Last of June

We left for Orlando June 27th. I thought I would never get packed! All the girl's camp junk was left in my garage and on my living room floor as we bolted out the door. We stopped in Tuscaloosa to pick up Kimberly and Austin. We rented a van in Birmingham and Kendall got a back seat all to herself. Kendall's dance team won a scholarship to the dance competition and Hollywood Vibe hosted a special gala, including a nice dinner, for all of us.

We stayed in a 5 star hotel and got the park hopper tickets to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. We were in Magic Kingdom for 4th of July fireworks by the castle and all around us!! So fantastic!!! The weather was great for us Alabamians! No complaints. Many happy coincidences blessed our trip with so much fun! I loved every minute of it.
Austin and I love Animal Kingdom. Clark and Kimberly's favorite park is Epcot. Kendall's favorite park is Hollywood Studios.
We missed Brendan.

Some More June

Off to YW's camp June 23-27. It was so fun being with my ward. I love our young women ! They are the best! We have the biggest ward in the stake. We brought 3 non-member girls with us to camp as well. They were all such good helpers and good to each other. The girls in my cabin read their scriptures every night with each other and taught Kendall's good friend Stephanie about the scriptures. I look forward to camp because I get to spend time with all the girls in a relaxed way. The girls who went as YCL's worked their booties off. They loved the younger girls they were mentoring and I was so proud of them. I can't believe how much I laughed!! Such sweet times!!

Our Cute Banner!

The girl's decorated our cabin.

The Goofy Gang!

gotta love 'em.

More June

We left for Trek 2008 on Thursday June 5th. It's so hard to describe it. I was anxious about how I would handle it. The weather was hot and humid and we had to camp out among the stars and bugs. (mostly ticks and spiders) We were given a family when we got there. We had no idea who our kids were going to be. We had 10 kids. 5 girls and 5 boys. One of our boys had some health troubles the first day and had to go to the hospital. We were all so sad and worried for him.
The trek was longer than the kids thought it would be and kind of intense. So hot! Clark and I fell in love with our family immediately. They were such troopers and so hard working. The big brother and big sister we felt impressed to call on were amazing leaders. They all made us laugh so many times. Two of our girls fell to heat exhaustion the seconed day but they stayed on when the medics helped them get better.
While Trek helped me to think about and be more grateful for what our pioneer forebearers suffered through it also showed me clearly what our youth suffer through today. The assault that Satan places on them daily is not so much physical as it is spiritual. While we were on Trek there were no Ipods, cell phones, T.V. or computers which allowed us to see more easily the amazing quality and strength of the youth in our stake.
I loved Trek 2008 !