I Don't Think These 2 are Temple Riders!

Lindon has GROWN!

Canada 2009

Orvilla Allred Stevens, 1926 - 2009

Our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great, great grandmother, Orvilla Allred Stevens, age 82, of Provo, Utah passed away peacefully at home, on July 28, 2009, among family members who loved her. Orvilla was born in Cardston, Alberta, Canada on December 6, 1926 to Golden and Josephine Allred, the first of six children. She grew up in Hillspring, Alberta, Canada and loved reading and music. Her talent for music was recognized early in her life and she sang on local radio programs as a teen. She graduated from Hillspring High School and continued her studies at a secretarial school in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

She married Blayne Franklin Stevens in the Cardston Alberta Temple, July 19, 1945. Five children were born to this union. Orvilla’s family and the gospel of Jesus Christ were the center of her life. This valiant and virtuous daughter of God has a long history of serving the Lord in the auxiliaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

An enriching, fulfilling, and beautiful part of Orvilla’s life was her gift of music and one that she graciously shared with others. Orvilla will be remembered for her powerful voice that touched the hearts of those listening. As an endeared member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for 21 years, she has been a featured soloist, sung at 42 General Conferences, 6 presidential inaugurations, sung for the Queen of Thailand, sung in 16 languages around the world, performed in local operas, theatre productions, and as a soloist in community productions of Handel’s Messiah. We have all shared in the blessings of her angelic voice in praise to the Lord; it was her way to say, “I love you.”

Through her years in the choir and three temple missions she has seen much of the world. Orvilla and Blayne were companions in three temple missions: Seoul Korea, Denver Colorado, and St. Louis Missouri.

Orvilla leaves a legacy of 20 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. She is survived by her husband, Blayne Stevens and her five children; Mont (PJ) Stevens of Costa Mesa, California; LaRon (Jeannee) Stevens of Lindon, Utah; Gae Robinson of Provo, Utah; Mona Stevens of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Wendy (Jim) Selmos of Provo, Utah. She is enjoying a spiritual reunion with her father and mother, Golden and Josephine Allred, her sister Velora Smith, her grandson Shawn Robinson, and her daughter-in-law Trish Stevens.

Her life will be celebrated at funeral services to be held Monday, August 3, 2009 at 11 a.m. at the Grandview South Stake Center, 1122 North Grand Avenue, Provo, Utah. A viewing will be held at the Grandview South Stake Center Sunday evening from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Monday morning preceding the funeral from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Interment will be in the Provo City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to info@bergmortuary.com.

Sometimes, I call her "Angel"

I like to call her "Mom" because she is so kind and loving. I like to call her "Grandma" because her hair is white and her skin is soft. But, mostly, I like to call her "Angel" because of her sweet personality, her kind character, and her angelic voice.

I love and admire her courage, her faith, and her testimony. She is loved and admired by many. I have watched family and dear friends come into her home and express their love to her and for her.

I love you Mom, Grandma, ANGEL!

Red Rock Rendezvous

LR had a great time on the new motorcycle this weekend. It was his first time at the Grand Canyon - he loved it and wants to take me there next time. I can't wait! I already have the T-shirt!

So Long, Old Friend

I'm not an animal lover, but I did love this horse. He was a good boy who took good care of my children, my grandchildren and was a special friend for my daughter.

He won enough ribbons, saddles, trophies to fill a trailer, but it was the hearts he won that will make him a champion forever.

Good Bye, Ghostbuster.
Sad Day
Jena's Ghostbuster Pages

Katie's Tribute to Trish

Katie said it so well.....

Nebo Loop Ride 2009

Old friends, new friends, brother and nephew - 11 motorcycles in all rode the Nebo Loop and enjoyed a beautiful day and a fun ride. See for yourself....

Remembering

Celebrating Mom, Trish, Grandma, Sweetheart....

It's always nice to be with family....

and some days it is especially nice!

Dance Recital in Riverton

There were tutus and tap shoes, make-up and flower bouquets! It was fun to see the girls dance and to play with Brailee and Trysten shout. See what makes me smile.....

Oh NO! I didn't get any pictures with Bri or Trysten, but I did get lots of hugs, smiles and kisses.

Baby Trish

Look how she's grown! She's walking now and you should hear the stories she tells!

not OreOs - ORIOLES!

come have a snowcone, play dingle balls and watch the beautiful birds in the backyard!

we have blue jays, robins, hummingbirds, and we won't talk about the starlings.

Sew Cool!

Jessie and Hannah came over for a visit and sewing lessons. I think Hannah gets the hang of it and Jessie is doing all right too ;-)

Lesson #1 - a cute flirty apron

What Makes Me Smile

Family, babies, snuggling with grandchildren, making suncatchers, and of course Bunny Wars! Well, actually the bunny wars made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe!

Christopher Takes The Cake!

Kathy and I had so much fun - oh, and LR too ;-) making Wedding Cake Cookies. Won't they look beautiful in a pretty celophane bag? They will be the place cards for the wedding luncheon on Friday. It's a good thing they are too pretty to eat because I don't like the taste of royal icing :-P

Ro's Shelves

Since we've had a snowy spring break and LaRon wasn't able to golf - he spent some time in the woodshop with his Dad making some shelves for Ronal. I like the ones he built for me in January and I hope Ro's shelves find a happy home too!

Calligraphy Project

My pens and ink have been boxed up for a long time! So I was a little nervous when Bethany asked me to write in her wedding guest book. SHE MADE THE BOOK and it is BEAUTIFUL! I've taken a mini class on book binding - but she learned the "real" way - even the braid at the top of the book was hand sewn.

Just in case anyone who knows notices that my practice/ink blot page has the wrong date - not to worry - I figured that out before the ink touched the book! PHWEW!!!

I found the perfect color green ink and washed up the nibs - and after clearing the bar and a spot of uninterrupted time so I could focus, I finally got it done. I hope she is happy with how it turned out. I'm looking forward to their wedding in a week!

Spring Break!

The pictures say it all.......

April 16 - this is what we woke up to! My poor little peach tree.

Conference Weekend

I always look forward to General Conference weekends. I was especially looking forward to this one! We had plans to leave very early Saturday morning to be in Riverton, WY for Trysten's baby blessing. At 2am when I checked the weather/road report I was soooo sad to discover that the roads were closed. CLOSED!

I froze the cupcakes and put away the treasures I had ready to take for the rest of the grandchildren. I'm saving them for next weekend when they make their way here - hopefully the weather and the roads will make this trip possible!

Bethany Takes a Shower

We had a great time meeting some of Bethany's aunts, cousin and her grandmother. It was also fun to see some of our cousins and our aunt again!

Gauge Sweater

Some people knit a gauge swatch to ensure an accurate fit - I do an entire sweater instead!

I wanted to make a baby gift and found a fun pattern online. Using the suggested yarn and needle size I quickly whipped up a sweater that would fit a healthy 2-year old. Finding a pair of needles 2 sizes smaller, same yarn, makes a sweater for a 1-year old. A dolly will have a new sweater when I reduced the number of stitches by 1/4. I don't know what I adjusted for sweater #4, but I think it will fit perfectly!

Elise Michelle Day

This blessing dress is for sweet little Elise. I always looked forward to baby blessings - they are a very special day indeed. I love the important part that the priesthood plays in that day and I am grateful to have my handwork be a special part in the celebration as well. If you check through some previous posts, you will see that this is blessing outfit #4!

Here's the handsome little guy

After having 3 beautiful little girls, my daughter Jena and her husband David were blessed with Trysten! HOORAY!!!

Knitting for Trysten

I've had the JOY of knitting Trysten's baby blessing outfit. It was a fun challenge and I can't wait to see him again!

Meet Trysten!

Meet our handsome new grandson - I call him Trysten Shout;-)

Who Needs Mistletoe?