Spring Showers & Such

Don't you love the first signs of spring every year? 

2022 hasn't had enough of the real kind of showers yet, but it has brought several of the party variety to two upcoming brides and to an expecting grandchild's wife in our family, with a few more party showers to come!

But before those parties, our branch celebrated the Relief Society's Birthday in March and I've included a few pics. We highlighted all of the artists and photographers in our branch by displaying some of their art to view. There was a huge turnout, I think partly because everybody is sick of staying home and is craving social contact.

There was a sign-up sheet for volunteers to make birthday cakes, and artistic talent was also displayed this way!

I think about 15 sister's artwork was displayed and I took pics of just a couple. Dixie is very prolific and she paints about any subject and in about every medium. She works in watercolor often and she posts  many on Facebook.

Holly Laird is also very talented.

The first shower I attended was for granddaughter, Anna Stratford. Her aunt Jodie hosted it at their beautiful home. Everyone loved these vases filled with fresh flowers announcing spring!

We love this dear granddaughter is so full of her love of life!

Anna's mom, Emily, is catching up with Anna's cousins Katie, Londyn, Abby and Jaylene.

Roger's sisters, Shellie and Susie, were so nice to drive from Ogden.

There aren't pics, but the shower was a brunch and there was lots of fresh fruit, yogurt and granola to make breakfast parfaits, breakfast casseroles, fresh cinnamon rolls and fruit juices and milk.

It was such a lovely bridal shower!

Our newly assigned Sunbrook dinner group had our first dinner at Dixie Stoddard's home on the eve before St. Patrick's Day. Remember, she is the artist who is featured above, so there were many of her lovely paintings hanging in her home. She loves to entertain and her home was all decked out to celebrate.

That is Dixie sitting on the other end of the table.

Everyone brought part of the meal. Isn't this a lovely appetizer plate?

This was a delicious fresh beet salad.

I made a grasshopper pie - it had to be green, right? The hostess served corned beef and an Irish carrot dish and we also had colcannon.

My sister, Joan, and husband, Tom, came to southern Utah from Boise for their spring break and stayed with my sister, Kay, and husband, Ken, which they do almost every year. The evening before we left to go up north for our grandson, Josh's wife's baby shower, we met them at the Rib and Chop House for a yummy meal. We next drove to Kay and Ken's for a delicious chocolate dessert and lots of happy conversation. I love to get together with my siblings!

Jodie hosted Jaylene's baby shower and several of Jaylene's wonderful sisters and sisters-in-law were there (she is her parents' 12th child!). Jodie's daughter, Sadie, was able to be there and she is a talented flower arranger, so this time those pretty vases held her creations!

Roger took some pics before most of the guest arrived. Jodie put the BABY decoration together the night before.

The food was so delicious! We had chicken, fresh pear, candied nut, blue cheese salad, fruit parfaits layered with Jodie's famous fruit dip, and she made her breadsticks, lemon cookies, vanilla cookies and amazing black and white brownies - the recipe for them is found on A Bountiful Kitchen's website and they are truly addicting!

Roger's sister, Chyrrl, was out of town for Anna's shower and she drove up with Susie for Jaylene's shower. The cute ladies in pink are Jaylene and her darling mom, Sally. She told us she wears a fresh flower in her hair every day since they lived in Hawaii. Does she look like a mother of 12? 

It was so cute that Jaylene's dad, Maynard, and Josh came to the baby shower and had fun talking to everyone. It was a party!

Jodie's sister-in-law, Becky, with her daughters

Jaylene's sister, Sarah, looks so much like Jaylene, the family calls them the twins. It's even more in their mannerisms, the way they walk and their voices than it is in their features.

When we visited Chyrrl and Glynn in Nauvoo when they were serving their mission, we traveled to Amish country in Iowa. In a shop filled with woodcrafts they had made, I fell in love with this little train, so I bought it, not knowing who I would give it to. We thought it would be perfect to give it to our oldest grandchild's son and the first one to carry on the Stratford name.

Josh was so tickled to get this backpack to carry their son on hikes with them! They love to go on hikes together!

Remember the beautiful waltz these two did at their reception? The reason they are dressed up is after the shower, they left to go to a ballroom dance at the BYU Alumni Center with a live orchestra. Jaylene is a polished dancer and Josh is a willing student. They were excited to go. The shower was such a fun gathering of family and they were happy!

These showers and gatherings are just getting us started for several more fun events coming up in our family. We're off to a great start!