Ann's Words

We had a day, a night, and a day this week with Adam and Heidi, who flew in from St. Louis for a job interview here.  Adam is an eye surgeon and he’ll finish his residency program at the end of June.  They are hoping to return to this area.

While they were here, I gifted them their Chopped Snake Quilt and I was able to send a little pile of gifts back for the kids.  I have no doubt this quilt will be well-used in their family!

I think one of the hardest jobs a mom has is sending kids off after a visit.  It always leaves me aching for more.

To soften the goodbye, we happily welcomed Claire, Graham and Aaron late tonight.  They will be staying with us until New Year’s Day.  In our perfect world, we’d keep all our grandkids close by, especially at Christmas time!

We haven’t been home for Christmas in 4 years!  And before that Christmas of 2021, we were in Africa for 2 years.  Before that, we were in Yakima for 3 years.  It was a joy this week to unpack our boxes of Christmas Nativities and be reunited with our international Nativity figures.  It felt like meeting old friends again as we looked into each face and found places to display them in our home.

Group by group, they were unwrapped and set out to help us celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I’ll share more photos when everyone is situated!

This week we also went to pick out a tree.  It was a cold wet evening and the tree lot smelled heavenly!

This year’s tree is a winner!  A Noble Fir, perfect for our home!

This year as we slowly decorate our home, we’re being selective, thinning out the decorations we no longer use or need.  We took several boxes to Deseret Industries so others might enjoy using the things we no longer need.  It feels good to simply a little bit.

Decorating our home for Christmas is heart-warming and Christ-centered.  We are enjoying the process.  It’s good to be home again!

I’ve been telling John that once you’re over 70 years old, you SHOUD NOT be up on a tall ladder hanging Christmas lights (or trimming ivy).  He did not want to listen to me.  Ladder injuries cause over 500,000 emergency room visits a year and around 300 deaths annually in the United States.  We do not need to add to that figure.

This year we decided to install permanent Christmas lighting on our home and on the Farm House.  This lighting will last us the rest of our lives.  We did a lot of homework and looked at a lot of homes in the valley before deciding on the product we wanted to use, made here in Utah County by a local fellow with an engineering mind.

Here’s a bit about the TechniColor Lighting Company.  The thing that sold us is their Warm White Lighting settings that look like old fashioned bulb lights, not like neon LED lights.  It was hard to give up our old bulbs that have hung on our roof lines for years.

We’re The Leader In Smart, Programmable, Permanent Lighting

TechniColorLighting specializes in providing high-quality color changing RGBW LED permanent lights. Offering customers a convenient and hassle free solution to illuminate their homes or business throughout the year!  Learn More

Made In Utah Light Track

We custom make each jobs light track in house, from Mastic Rain Gutter Coil, this ensures a perfect paint match that won’t fade, chip, or discolor like the competition’s imported product.

   

Control Your Lights Your Way

• 16 Million Color Choices
• 3 LEDs Per Bulb, .96 WATT
• Control Your Lights From Anywhere In The World
• Hundreds Of Pre-Set Programs
• DIY Mode- Create Your Own Static or Animated Display
• Light Track Manufactured in Utah
• Timers
• Animation, Chase, Flow, Fade, Flash, Firewords and Many More
• Fully Compatible with iOS and AndroidThe lights are controlled by this small remote control.   It’s really amazing technology that is way beyond my comprehension.

I came home this evening to this beautifully lit home!  I’m really happy that it’s a one and done job and we can enjoy them for the rest of our lives.