7.13.15 Flowers

We were blessed with many flowers from the funeral. I rarely send flowers as they just die. However recently (in the last 16 mos) I have come to appreciate the beauty and cheer that flower add to a room. So when we were cleaning up from the funeral dinner and trying to decide what to do with the abundance of blooms my mom requested we share them with others. We brought home 3 large funeral bouquets...

and divided them into less funeral like arrangements and had a great week of sharing flowers with friends, neighbors and in general special people in our life.

I think being a florist must be the best job in the world! People are so surprised, touched and happy that you would think of them and share something so beautiful.

We took around about 25 bouquets from 6 big arrangements. It was fun and much better than moping. And much less hot than sharing cookies or bread- which is our usual excuse for visiting.

My grandmother could have grown all of these, I do not. I aspire to be a gardener when my children are more grown up (read gone) but for now I am growing people. However, just as my grandmother loved people and spent much of her time making beautiful pieces of art. I think she would have been happy to know so many other people were made happy.

And sometimes flowers turn into cupcakes. One of the silver linings of sharing is when someone shares back. A fun friend brought mini-cupcakes that stopped our pretend naptime. You can see we were all so sad to miss some sleep. Oh no we were eating on carpet. Oops.

So much love is shared at a passing it is overwhelming and we are so grateful for the many acts of kindness and prayers of comfort. It is sincerely felt and appreciated. Service is the balm for the wounded heart. All different kinds and to different people at different times, loving one another is one of the choice blessings of mortality.

7.11.15 Funeral Weekend

This past weekend was full of funerals. I can honestly say I enjoy the familial ties that are renewed during funerals. I find the services a good time to ponder my path in life, how I am making memories, and what habits I am passing on to my children. This time of soul searching is good as it causes me to clean some cobwebs/skeletons out of my mental closets and helps me recommit to doing and thinking better.

My great Aunt died Saturday and my granmother died on Tuesday. Thus the funerals were close together. This past week was Hot! Triple digits by noon each day and by evening just boiling. The first service was a rosary for my aunt. I had never been to such a service but had been instructed it was the place where the person was eulogized and would be the best to come to. We made our way hastily and angrily to the service. I hate being late and was angry that Greg was trying to squeeze more activity into the time than I thought possible. We got there before the service started, as always when we wrestle the on time- or just on time- principle Greg won. We are gaining quite a list of God helping him out and my anger being stupid shows of lack of self control. But I digress.
The building radiated heat, we were anxious to escape inside, however the air conditioning is a new system and did not work. It was over 100 degrees in that church that night. It was hot. But the humble chanting of forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others was balm to my troubled spirit and after repenting and asking forgiveness of my husband and children had the best nights sleep I had had in weeks.
Unfortunately we had the same expereince for my grandma's viewing. Thank goodness it was shady and slightly breezy at the funeral home so we were able to get breathers outside.

 The two are a year apart and are fast becoming partners in crime. They have the best time together. This is my brothers oldest son and my Reed. They found a glass jar on the street corner and one encouraged the other to throw it in the street, I'm pretty sure they were surprised when it broke in so many pieces.

My grandmother at about 5 years old. 

 Her at my sisters wedding how I remember her.

 Addie and cousins posing for pictures while waiting at the funeral home.
Some of my great grandparents died when I was about 10. I remember their funerals. I remember sitting at this funeral home counting the tiles in the ceiling waiting for my parents and grandparents as the talked and talked. Funny how life cirlces back to experiences I had.
Through this death process I think that has been the number one lesson learned. Life is a cycle. My grandparents were babies, children, teens, young struggling married couple, parents, grandparents, successful and scared. That is mortality! Now they have completed their mortal test and moved on and left examples of happiness, hard work, kindness, service, creativty, adventure, and love. It is my turn and my children's turn to make our legacy/lives. To develop and share our better selves to make the world a better place like my grandparents did.

 The kids were very much a part of this day. We had recently been to the cemetery to decorate graves. they were very interested in the hole.

 No one fell in. Grandma sure loves her family. From one child we are now 34! the Pall Bearers (they have flowers in their lapels) some of her favorite men on earth.

Her sister in-laws on the left side in blue chairs. Amazing how much they resemble my grandfather their brother. From mannerisms to takes on life it's fun to see and hear.
It was a perfect experience. From her peaceful passing to working with my sister to get her apartment ready for clean-out to the funeral dinner. It was just as she would have liked. My family is amazing and so capable. I try not to think about the reality of her being gone and hold onto the deep peace and gratitude I feel for her influence and God's hand in this experience. She will be missed she was/is a great woman.

7.8.15 Field Day

We went to the local Farm Field Day this week. Kinda funny as we live and work on a farm daily so this was not new information just presented in a new way. Most of the exhibits included some kind of treat The kids are shown enjoying their soil structure float. The cup was bedrock, the ice porous rocks, the blue sprite the good aquifer water, the ice cream filtering soil, the cookie crumbs top soil, and the green sugar and sprinkles grass and plants. The educators talked about the importance of caring for our water sources and being careful about pollutants. Of course the reward of ice cream soda was not overshadowing that important information!

A second fun activity was the siphon tube setting station. We first practiced then had a timed contest. John set 10 in 1:08, Mark 1:24, and Mom :20. It's been a long time since I won anything and this was fun! The standing record was :24 seconds. It's all about technique. I set many tubes growing up. Here on this farm most of the watering is applied with sprinklers attached to the pivot. So I had much practice growing up, but haven't touched a tube for a few years. I guess it's like riding a bike you don't forget.

Another fun activity was the rock and roll ice cream station. We learned you do have to shake the creams and sugars to get ice cream and that it takes a lot of work to make the yummy treat. Everybody took a turn and we all enjoyed the reward.

Those are orange trees in the background. The lead professor at the station cultivated these trees from orange seeds he saved and planted as a child. Those trees are almost 60 years old! For kids that always ask about the seeds in fruit that was interesting proof.  The neatest part of the day, for me, was talking and seeing science with my kids. It was also enlightening to see how these diligent professors search for ideas and ways to make life better for people in our county. There are a lot of people who work hard trying to make the world better we are blessed by their efforts and ice cream!

7.1.15 Grave Tour

Pre-Memorial day my dad took us on a grave tour. Yep we went to 5-7 cemeteries and visited the graves of many generations of my Corn family. It was awesome. It was a good exercise in learning, respecting, and remembering the dead.

My Mark is named after the Corn side the older boys have names from Greg's side. This picture sums up the tour. This stone was found in an old cemetery in Boise it was just about to rain and Mark was connected with his forefather born almost 150 years before him. WOW!

This is his father's stone in the pioneer section of a cemetery in Eagle Idaho. This man helped clear the land for the Boise State Capital. We got to touch our ancestors from the past. My dad gave us some stories and we had a great time thinking about those that had gone before. 

We also visited and decorated graves in our usual cemetery. The kids knew at least one of these people.

Been pondering a lot lately about our time and seasons here on earth. How we are young and our lives move quickly. I've been considering the lives of my grandparents and how my time on earth is flying by. Am I filling my days with the things that are important or am I just willy-nilly floating at anchor unwilling or strong enough to move ahead and be better? I've not got sure answers.
 Some days and some pictures show great things but much time is spent cleaning, caring for, cooking, and cuddling... all important things to those that are the benefactors. As Anna taught me it is her time to be young strong and firm and in my own thoughts it is my time to sacrifice my desires, money, time, body etc to give you that experience.
I loved my growing up years and all the experiences I was able to have. As my own children begin their teenage adventures I am amazed at how much my parents gave up so I could have those memories. I am continually amazed at how much parents give to their children. Life doesn't just happen it is crafted and created. Best to you as we again ponder the greatness of our past and our ability to make the future similarly grand.

6.30.15 Death

Today my grandmother Lois Corn passed from this earth to the next life.

It's interesting how things work out and God proves his hand in all things. My dad commented he had asked her a while ago how he would know what to do and she told him when the time comes you will be guided and know what to do.

Last week after visiting her on Thursday- it was a good visit, we headed to library and got a flier for a special program today. I thought it looked fun but wasn't super committed. We had some frustration yesterday and thus a cancellation of plans to go to town. We also found many pre-requisites for Harold's upcoming scout camp and we realized we had to go today. I deposited him at an interview with an extension agent to learn about the endangered sage grouse, and got the kids to the library program. I retrieved him and we went on to his first physical. I checked my texts in a quick moment things turned. My dad said at 10:20 that grandma was unresponsive and come if you choose that it was time to release her.

We finished the physical collected books and kids from the library and headed over to her assisted living residence.

After our last visit on Thursday she developed a hernia which was very painful. It was mercifully decided to operated and fix the hernia. She had surgery Friday woke up Saturday. We visited Saturday night, and cried a lot and told her we loved her and it was okay to go. Sunday she was up eating breakfast. She was discharged Monday. Had a nice 2 hours tour of the farms and the crops and had her jello and some ensure last night and went to bed. After a restless night she did tell my mom this morning she wanted to go home. When questioned about which home she indicated her heavenly home. And with that she began to withdraw from this life.

On the way to this new situation, I have never been present or desired to be present for a death, I was very worried about bringing 9 children to such a sacred and possibly difficult event. however there was not time for the hour round trip back home and then to her care facility. I lectured and explained that death is a sacred time calling for reverence and quiet. No running around, slugging, punching, arguing, or noisiness. I explained that angels come to escort people home and we did not want to disturb their presence and we wanted it to be a peaceful experience.

We entered the room and my 2 sisters and 2 brothers were there already, along with 3 nieces and 2 nephews and 1 brother in-law. My sister and her husband are nurses and their tender bedside manner and calm professionalism have been rocks of comfort for all of us involved. My parents were in with my grandmother she was peacefully sleeping.

We came in and I observed. I and some of my children told her of our love for her again. I held her hand and cried. I cried a lot this weekend.

The kids were excellent and quiet. They read, they pushed around in the wheel chair and then watched some television. The room was thick with love, concern, sadness and peace from a life well lived and a person much loved. I personally believe there were many extra spirits there.

My dad, brother Dan and brother in-law Clay gave her a blessing of release. My mom and sister tenderly removed the oxygen hose that was mostly ornamental by this time and we watched her slowly mercifully pass from this life to the next. After about 40 minutes later her heart stopped beating. It was peaceful and beautiful.

I have birthed in hospitals and switched to the less invasive birthing center. The quiet tranquility of that event and this are similar. (Yes there is pain involved in both and some breaks to the quiet but the spirit of peace is there in both.)

My brother in-law and sister monitored with stethoscope and called her death at 12:21. WE had gotten there about 11:30. After some tears and composure my brother and brother in-law took 11 of the kids (babies stayed with moms) to Carl's Jr. and we waited for the mortician. The spirits departed and it was just us again.

I'm thankful I was able to be there. I'm thankful for the blessing of birth and death and I am thankful to know and hope and believe in life after death and the plan of salvation.My testimony grew today and my conviction of life after death was solidified as I felt those who have concern for those of us on our journey through mortality. It is with great gratitude that I thank them for their watch and care and concern for our milestones in eternity.

I love my grandmother. Her influence and felt in so many aspects of my life. From our love and craving for literature to my approach to housework. She is one of my greatest mentors and she will be greatly missed even though she lives on in so many habits and traditions we have. Life is short live it well.

6.30.15 Story time

This summer our library asked for volunteers for story time. We love books so we volunteered. It was CRAZY!! but all's well that ends well.
We did a pancake theme. We shared "If you Give a Pig a Pancake..." From there we acted out the little red hen and then ground wheat with a hand grinder and prepared pancake mix with the kids. Then we mixed up some of the mix and made pancakes.

So the highlights were Aliza ground 40 lbs soft white wheat for this activity. We left all the leavening ingredients at home. The stone mill was put together backwards and the screw was stuck. We called Greg for HELP! He of course came to our rescue and saved the day loosening the screw so it could be assembled correctly, and then dashing to the grocery store for the missing ingredients.

Besides being flustered it was fun! Someday I'm going to have it all together but right now I just have us all together! And so we can and do accomplish lots of things. The best part of blogging is remembering (from a distance) and thus realizing the goodness that is mine.

The theme of the summer reading program is every story has a hero and mine does too his name is Greg and how thankful I am for him always helping me succeed. Marriage is great! And I used my ag degree teaching children how flour is made. Fun memory.

6.29.15 Wedding

This year Sheryl married Whit!

 It was a big event with lots of fun and delicious treats! Aunt Brenda made this cake and the flowers. They are made out of food modeling clay... she is so talented. Too bad Afton doesn't like chocolate that was one delicious cake. Only Whit and Sheryl got to taste it though it got forgot in a car in all the hub-bub of late night and lots of people and activity... it went to the garbage.

 It's always amazing when we get the whole family together, we grow a little bigger every year.

With the getting bigger we develop more talents. It was so awesome to watch the kids take down the reception. They are handy helpers and got a big job mastered lickety-split

It won't be long before these two are the ones in the wedding picture. Crazy how time flies. Just a few minutes ago his mom and I were lamenting how slow the time was going and we were sure we would never survive the long nights and days. Now they are awesome interesting teenagers with distinct personalities and abilities that we really depend on. Anna really enjoyed helping with all the wedding festivities and it was a great week having Conner and his brother Caleb here helping on the farm. Enjoy your babies they grow up very fast.