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Neighboring Well There are so many good people in the world. Let’s get to know them!

Who can guess which of these pictures is of my ancestor, the horse thief? ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Legend has it..."Lycurgus an...
02/11/2023

Who can guess which of these pictures is of my ancestor, the horse thief? ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Legend has it...

"Lycurgus and some brothers and other men would ride over into Mexico and steal horses, come back to Oklahoma, and sell them. One time he got caught and a Mexican cut the end of his nose off with his sword. The other men caught him and held him down, sewing the end of his nose back on with needle and thread." (This is taken from ancestry.com records)

Sometimes we forget that the stories that end badly or show weakness are just as powerful as the ones with a happy ending.

What story are you telling your family tonight?

Here's the beginning of a new tradition for our family! As I started gathering pictures and decorations for our Day of t...
01/11/2023

Here's the beginning of a new tradition for our family! As I started gathering pictures and decorations for our Day of the Dead ofrenda, I got stuck reminiscing about my relationship with each of these family members and how much their stories shaped my life. Some of them I knew in person and some I've only read or heard stories about but they all mean so much to me! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​So here's how to start your own Day of the Dead tradition:

1. Go online or look in your family's picture albums and collect as many pictures as you can. Make copies or print them out and cut them down to fit in whatever frames you have.

2. If you don't have enough frames the Dollar store has lots of options!

3. Many Day of the Dead ofrendas have orange flowers, such as marigolds. If you live in the Pacific Northwest like me and no one sells marigolds this time of year, you might go to Costco and buy the next best thing.

4. Buy or make your own papel picado banner. There are lots of templates online you can use or your local Latin market will usually have some to buy.

There's lots more you could add to your ofrenda but for me, this was a good start. My kids are already asking about each picture and I am anticipating a great dinner conversation tonight!
Oh and did you notice that there is a mini picture of my dad right next to the bigger one? That's Connor adding his touch to the table!

I've always loved learning about my ancestors.​​​​​​​​​Like most kids, I always wanted to sit in on the adult conversati...
25/10/2023

I've always loved learning about my ancestors.​​​​​​​​​Like most kids, I always wanted to sit in on the adult conversations and listen to their stories. (The story about the horse thief whose nose was cut off as he fled across the Mexican border always intrigued me...and ensured I never tried to steal horses!)​​​​​​​​​
When my sister married an awesome man from Mexico and later moved to Mexico City, I started to learn more about the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Mu***os) celebrations. I knew this was my kind of holiday!
Then when I saw a quote from an article by Emory University about kids being more resilient when they knew their family stories, I was hooked. (I'll try and find the article and post it later).

So here's what I've decided to try all these years later:
-I bought a journal and started writing down the stories I remember about my life. They aren't in any order, just whatever comes to mind when I sit down to write.
-Since I already spend time on the website, I decided to collect pics and stories and print them out. Not sure how I'll organize them yet so let me know if you have any ideas.
-I may make an ofrenda this year if I can get my act together. Maybe one of my favorite sisters who happens to live in Mexico and has her own design business will hook me up :) did the print pictured above! Isn't she so talented!
-Lastly, and probably the hardest on my list, is to start using stories to help my kids deal with challenges. If one of my kids decides to become a horse thief I'll tell them the hazards of the profession based on the story of my ancestor. That should do the trick!

Any other ideas? Day of the Dead is November 2, everyone! Who's going to celebrate with me?



'mlearningalongtheway

Honestly, I was pretty surprised.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​When and challenged Jared and me to set a date for a neighborhood p...
18/10/2023

Honestly, I was pretty surprised.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​When and challenged Jared and me to set a date for a neighborhood party, I thought about all the walks we had taken in our neighborhood over the years and never seen anyone.

We always passed by beautiful homes and wondered who lived there.

So when Saturday evening rolled around and the food tables were set up and the fire pit was warm and inviting, I watched as people started showing up.

They walked down the street holding something to share and they came. (Isn't that always the fear, that no one will come).
And we met tons of new people and we had lots of conversations that all ended the same way: "I'm so glad you did this! We've been wanting to meet people".

Maybe you feel the same way. Maybe, like me, you are sure your neighbors just want to be left alone. And maybe you're wrong. Maybe your kids don't bug them when they are playing outside and maybe they actually enjoy visiting on a Saturday night.

Maybe they will ask to do it again next year!





I've always been better in small groups.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Jared's philosophy has always been "The more, the merrier!"(If...
11/10/2023

I've always been better in small groups.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Jared's philosophy has always been "The more, the merrier!"
(If you've ever been to one of our apple parties in Missouri you know this is true).

So when Jared suggested we throw a neighborhood party to get to know people better, I suggested a dinner with a few nearby neighbors and he suggested invites for 200! Yikes!

Sometimes it's tricky to plan a party when an introvert and an extrovert are trying to work together!

Here are a few tips we learned along the way:

1. We enlisted the help of other people in the neighborhood who might want to get involved (we have some amazing friends who agreed to jump in and offer suggestions and help gather supplies).

2. We got our kids involved! (they walked the neighborhood and passed out invites with us).

3. We chose which roles each person would have (Jared managed emails and coordinated supplies, etc while I agreed to make the food and shop for supplies. I'm also really good at asking questions apparently ;)
4. The day of the party will be easy... We can both talk to as many people as we want! I'll probably have longer conversations with fewer people and Jared will probably make the rounds and get to know as many people as possible). Both are great ways to meet people and both push us a little but allow us to cater to our strengths.

I'll let you know how it goes next week. Wish us luck!

oh, and if you're one of our neighbors...come out and party!!

Taking advantage of our time with Jared home means our woodworking class just opened up 😁.
28/03/2020

Taking advantage of our time with Jared home means our woodworking class just opened up 😁.

Staring at a clean, fresh sheet of paper can sometimes feel daunting. It’s been years since I’ve painted but the sun was...
22/03/2020

Staring at a clean, fresh sheet of paper can sometimes feel daunting. It’s been years since I’ve painted but the sun was shining, the yard was clean (after encouraging kids for what seemed like a really long time) and I’ve got time to spare. What I like about the result is the color. It makes me happy every time I look at it. Yes it’s imperfect and has empty spots. It also has some really intense spots (kind of like me). But I was going for that FEELING you get when you create something; not an end result. Because I’m not done yet. There’s so much more I want to create. Sometimes I think we try to rush the journey instead of just enjoying the beautiful colors. Life is messy. I’m trying to Stop controlling it and just create something beautiful with what I’ve been given. What are you creating lately?

When at home... plant a garden. 🌈
19/03/2020

When at home... plant a garden. 🌈

17/03/2020

Having our kids home can be such a blessing! Older kids interacting with younger kids without distractions can be fun! If you are overwhelmed with how to teach your kids during this crazy time, just take a step back and enjoy each other. Read great books and discuss them. Snuggle and bake and learn about things you have been wanting to learn about. Breathe deeply, say a prayer and go for it! Let go! You got this!

Love potion hula pie at kimos! Sooo yummy! Lahaina is such a cute town at night./// ///
24/02/2020

Love potion hula pie at kimos! Sooo yummy! Lahaina is such a cute town at night./// ///

Camping in Maui does not disappoint!!
23/02/2020

Camping in Maui does not disappoint!!

Fighting over grandma’s valentine candy is a real problem around here!😂. Not sure who’s going to win this one.
12/02/2020

Fighting over grandma’s valentine candy is a real problem around here!😂. Not sure who’s going to win this one.

Daddy’s and daughters dancing! My fav!
27/01/2020

Daddy’s and daughters dancing! My fav!

💕
27/01/2020

💕

Milkshakes at Ray’s after a day on the slopes.
21/01/2020

Milkshakes at Ray’s after a day on the slopes.

These boys of ours had some firsts today. Carson blessed the sacrament in church today and Cole passed it to the congreg...
21/01/2020

These boys of ours had some firsts today. Carson blessed the sacrament in church today and Cole passed it to the congregation. This is so meaningful to our family because as parents we try hard to teach our kids about Jesus Christ and his atonement. Seeing our boys take part in this important ordinance shows their willingness to follow Him.

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Having our kids home can be such a blessing! Older kids interacting with younger kids without distractions can be fun! If you are overwhelmed with how to teach your kids during this crazy time, just take a step back and enjoy each other. Read great books and discuss them. Snuggle and bake and learn about things you have been wanting to learn about. Breathe deeply, say a prayer and go for it! Let go! You got this! #makelearningfunagain #familyiseverything #wingertway #breathe @jared1369 @tiffasmadge

This man. He spends countless hours teaching our kids and loving everyone around him. He always looks on the heart and never lets appearances get in the way. So glad to be walking hand in hand with him♥️ #christlikeservice #lighttheworld @jared1369

How to make a peanut butter sandwich. By Connor. #makingmemories #teachthemyoung #wingertway @jared1369 @tiffasmadge

Does anyone else “air”kayak😂😂 #wingertway #familyadventures #dadsarethebest #familystrong

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