Our British Immersion

What a week! After a slow week last week, we were happy to have this week turn out to be a bit busier.  It started with me deciding to reread an old favorite book. 84 Charring Cross Road.  It's the story of a New Yorker who starts ordering antiquarian books from a bookstore in England.

My copy is falling apart! But As I was reading it, I kept finding hilarious quotes to share.  Scott laughed too and suggested that we rewatch the movie, which we did.  Such an amazing British flavor.

We were off to Mosida the next day, and as always one of us shares stories of the British converts from the Martin and Willey Handcart companies.  Here we see Elder Smith as he shares a story from his own ancestry.  You may recall that the only family to which we have a connection converts from the United Kingdom who came as a part Handcart Pioneers, we talk about out there, is that of the Briggs family.  The Father is on Dad's family tree, and when he and two of the children died on the trail, his widow and remaining 3 children were taken in by my great-great grandfather, Benjamin Thomas Clark, who then cared for the rest of the family.  One of her daughters, married an uncle of mine, and Benjamin married Ruth Butterworth Briggs. kind of funny that we each have one connection, and it's basically the same connection.

The Clark family members are my main British contributors to my DNA.

Dad is sitting by a couple who had come out to see if they would be able to manage trekking with us for a couple of years.

That night we had a couple (Jim and Tricia Faile) come to see the house.  She is the daughter of one of Pat Coleman's friends (Pat is from our Cottonwood Heights ward)

They have just bought a home in Payson, which was built 10 years after ours.

Its a great old house, one we have admired for years.  I love the lincrusta wallpaper.

And the single, but double look pocket door.

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This Lincrusta wallpaper was in a bedroom upstairs.

When I finished reading 84 Charring Cross Road, we watched the movie, then I started reading our book club book for the month, The Giver of Stars, the main character of which, not surprisingly, is also British. 

On Tuesday we worked on the two storage rooms again.  We got out most everything and were able to start talking about how we will lay out the home gym.  We did have to choose a slightly smaller, but still two person sauna, in order to have room for a shower, a must to go with one's sauna.  

Here's the one we are going to get.

After working on the basement all day, we headed over to Caren's for a ministering visit, and were strruck by how close her wall color is to that of our entry way.

When I got home, I found some silhouettes, online, which I always think of as an English Invention, though they were had in the 1700s in other European countries as well.

I have had a few mixed in with our ancestral photos, because the larger pictures were just not even.  Please note the picture of the middle top picture.  She in my grandmother from Norway, Edvarda's cousin.  Her name is Hanna Matilda Wang. More about her to come.

The silhouettes were just one more project, because we had another couple come to tour the house on Tuesday evening, Steve and Shelly Campbell. She worked with Dad in the head office at Associated Food for several years.  When Dad put up Darby's 1950's working yellow wall oven on his FB page, she got in touch and wanted to buy it.  She's worked for Associated as a Bakery Manager and loves to cook. However, they have moved into their old family cabin, and only have a countertop oven.  To make a long story short, they came to pick it up, and see the house.  We do have a promise of seeing their cabin in the future.

We went for Mexican afterwards.

That night I ran into the lady above on social media, who is also the lady in the bottom photo on the right.  I love how she dresses, and of course, she is British.  I have started following her, and am not surprised that I obviously have a soul mate in England. 

On Wednesday, when I went to work, this regular customer came in and I asked if I could get a picture. I think its so weird that this nice old man reminds me so much of Kai.  Does anyone else see the resemblance?

I also put out some of the garden goodies I have been painting and cleaning for the new booth at Treasures.

Yep, it was time to say goodby to my pastel pots.

Meanwhile, Dad spent the day at Darby's and installed her new bathroom sink and cabinet. If you look closely, he also moved the light switch for the bathroom lights into the bathroom, it used to be located in the hallway.

And did you remember the picture of my first cousin, twice removed who was born in 1891?  I got to go to the temple and do some of her temple work when I got off work that night. You might suppose that Hanna was Brittish, given my focus this week, but she is actually Norwegian, and she spent her adult life as a Christian Missionary in China. Her work was never done, because my Grandmother had no idea when she died.  Grandma herself passed away in the late 40's, but there is no record of Hanna Matilda Wang's death. I did some research online though, and found out that all Christian missionaries were expelled by 1951, and there is no record of her going home either.  Alas, I have always had her picture on my stair wall, since it was installed around 2002, because I am so amazed by her devotion. 

Nothing British that day, but a girl in a crown, comes close. Right?  Congrat's again to Charley on her dance solo trophy.

On Thursday Mary, my fellow Anglophile, Mary, came in and asked me to cater the tea party she is doing for her fiends for the Coronation of King Charles III.  Heck Yeah!!

I also sold this mirror Thursday.  I bought it for $2 about a month ago and sold it for $100, I like that kind of mark ups, they just don't happen much, and look its hand carved?  I didn't notice that initially. 

I also got out the antique English Shams, I had in storage, now that I have a head board tall enough to not be overwhelmed by my square European pillows.

On Friday I put some Easter items in my booth at the Grove Vintage Collective.  I was able to find what I had to sell because of our basement organization project.  Yay.

I loved my friend Marcy's booth there.

Then it was off to see Jared Snell's wedding.  We think they met online, she is a nurse and he's a farmer.  His first marriage, her second.  Her 20-year-old daughter was her bridesmaid.  So sweet.

We  ran into the Garretts, another family from the Orem ward at the wedding as well.

Here we are with the newlyweds. 

and another with Lyle and Mehl Ree.

Then Saturday morning we drove to Salt Lake to meet with my cousin who had shared Hanna Wang's name with me, to attend the temple together.  Unfortunately we crossed wires and missed them, but still I was able to do Hanna's endowments, which was an unbelievable blessing to me. 

On Saturday I finally made it to Oliver and Princess Natasha's.  It was fun to see that Jennine of Le Junk has a booth there.

Another dealer had these swoon worthy mannequin heads.

Next we stopped by Mike Mitko's brother's Matt's house in Sugar House to pick up our Honey Tea Hive, English Tea Party fare.  Yum, Mike's folks who we normally pick up our tea boxes with, had a funeral, and we had the temple, so Matt picked them up for us.  She does all kinds of themes, including Chinese New Year last year, but mostly they are English.  This one had English Scones, clotted cream, lemon curd and cucumber sandwiches.  Classic English Tea.

Oh my.

Then Dad ate his while I did a little shopping at DI where I found one of these.  How perfect is that for my week. 

Having recently finished up the War and Remembrance movies, we decided to relisten to The Splendid and the Vile, a biography of Winston Churchill by Eric Larson, so that has done a bit towards further immersing ourselves in all things English this week.  He's an amazing writer, and Churchill was an amazing man, for all that he was half American. 

Today after church we went by and met with a new couple in our ward, Mike and Heidi Perry. They bought a house to renovate a couple of months ago, then got in a car accident, in which her hip was broken.  She got out of the care center just this week, and it was their first time to come to church together.  

Last of all, we went to our former English Missionary son's house for a Souper Bowl Party (Thanks to our Hannah, as she made this joke after Trevor had announced today as a soup bar dinner, then realized it was also the Superbowl.)   Their hanging ball swing is quite comfy.

Eva

Nell helps van make a beaded bracelet for his Mom. 

Cam finds a creative way to wear her popcorn cup.

Eleanor gives Adi a ride.

Penny, Nenna and Adi play in the little play house under the stairs.

Cam sitting on her Dad's shoulders while he watches the game.  Nell made a joke about her being careful with that top hair, as Spencer couldn't afford to lose it.  Then Cam, who is very smart, caught the jest of the conversation, took it seriously, and was absolutely broken hearted for a few minutes. 

Elias.

Me and Dad

It was fun to find out that our J Scott was appointed the fill the term of the Speaker of their student government at the U, for the rest of the term.  He's running to represent the College of Science next year too. I have included his online position statement just for fun. How great that he's now doing the same kind of work that his great grandfather, Rudy Larsen did in student government back in the 1930's. Makes a grandma proud.

Goodbye cutie Cam all done with her sorrows.

Nell and Eva put away the beads from the bracelet project.  Thanks to you all for hosting us.  It was a great party.

 

Missionaries, Movies, Memories and Memorabilia.

We started our week as we often do with a day out a Mosida.   We are meeting new couples, some who are investigating the opportunity, 

Here are two of the couples who are  investigating, with the Smiths to the right.

The whole gang.

The Crumps have been the best recruiters.  Two couples they invited have already been set apart and and one of the two couples are bring two more couples aboard.  We were worried initially as our contingent was down to just four couples, and we really need at least 9. 

On Tuesday we were down in the basement sorting out boxings of storage (Fabric, holiday, costumes, suitcases, tax records. and memorabilia.)  Fabric goes up to be sorted, costumes as well, most holiday stuff stayed but is now organized by holiday/season.  

I thought I must have sold this metal fireplace plaque.  I was so happy to find it and a pair of 1880's candleabras in the same container.  Ever since I painted the room the robin's egg blue, I have wished that I hadn't sold it.  My friend Stacy had coveted for years, and I figured I must have sold it to her.  But, it was lost in my storage room.

How perfect does that look.

We met up with the Moes and Heuers that evening in Orem,

Then we all went together to see 'Missing', which I really liked. 

 Then Robin noticed Abraham Lincoln just wandering the corridors.  I talked to him for a bit, and he said he didn't realize that as he aged, he was beginning to look like Abe.  It wasn't until he was doing some political canvasing and a man answered the door, and said it was quite a thing to have Abraham Lincoln come calling. He said he hires out for events now.  I wish you could see his profile.  Its perfectly Abe.

On Wednesday  and Thursday I took in a lot of basement things, including a pair of these candleabras to the antique mall.  They are from the 1860's to the 1880's and on line are priced from 800 to 1200 bucks.  There was one set for sale on Ebay for only 450, but shipping was another couple of hundred.  I also measured, rolled and priced fabric I will never use.  I did one box of fabric each day, and it seems to be selling well.  I have 4 or 5 more boxes to take in. While sorting in the evenings, this week,  I sent the 'keeper' fabric up to the Princess room .

Where Dad had taken out all the fabrics on the side shelves, as well as the hanging bar, and the hanging clothing to refill the closet with more shelves for fabric.  Now if I want to look for fabric, everything I kept is now visible. 

I didn't get it done until Friday, when we worked on the house all day.

On Thursday I got to go the Dave and Bri's kids spelling bee.  The contestants had all been first or second place in their respective class, and it included third graders to eighth graders.  The three winners school spelling bee winners were all eighth graders, but the kids had a ball.  How perfect that they were all alphabetical by last name, so they got to sit together.  I'm betting they were the only group of 3 siblings who had all won in their class rooms.

Bri's step dad and Davin's mom came to cheer them on.

I loved this pic with Adi and a favorite teacher.

And while I was sorting and shelving fabric, Dad was going through a couple of boxes that were stacked in the garage with Grandpa Carlo's stuff and found the photo albums, I couldn't find when I was searching for them to send childhood pictures to Trevor to add to the video he did for Dad's birthday. Just 5 days too late.

He saved out a few here, and put the rest in the top of the big library closet, for me to sort another day.  I even took pics he was going to throw away, to take to the antique mall to sell, as people use random photos for crafting.

This is Leeman and Carlo as children.

And this one is Milt as a child, Carlo's Dad.

We had food from our Indian Guy (Dave's neighbor) for dinner that night.  Yum.

But after a day of working on the house sorting, etc.  We had these rice bowls for dinner on Friday.  Emily introduced us in Texas to sushi bowls.  This one is a Mexi bowl, but on Saturday night we had a more Asian bowl.

Speaking of Emily, how cute is this family portrait on the porch her Sister in Law took of them. It was also Jonathan Clark Talley's blessing day.

I also ran across an old post of what the corner of our bedroom looked like when it was new, back in January of 2016.

Now 7 years later this is what it looks likes.

Also ran into this artist.  She is actually a collage artist from Germany, but I adore her work. I do think she works digitally though.

A posting on Insta.

And a picture of Becca getting another award.  I think this one is for Business Culture.

We got new Temple recommends today.  I took the pic of the note for getting our appointment with the Stake Presidency, but thought, heck, how cute is our first counselor in the Bishopric.  He is Tyrel Salisbury, and he teaches at Pleasant Grove Highschool, but Dad asked him, and he does have Eva this year.

Last of all, the Kews are in town, and look what they got when they wanted a truck to haul stuff to the dump for their rental car ... so, so, them don't you think.

And just for fun, a picture of Steve rendering unto Caesar. 

and just one more thing.  We had a meeting with the Thanksgiving Point Stake as a kick off for their trek the first week of June.  Mike Russell recognized Dad from when he went into our UCCU in Orem years ago, when Ben worked there.  He came up and said to Dad "Hey do you have a son named Ben?" Its been 4 1/2 years and this is the first time it has happened.  He worked with Ben at that UCCU, and was obviously upset at hearing of his death.  Mike is a seminary teacher at American Fork High School, and he and two of his four daughters will be attending trek.