I'll be speaking at the Uplift Utah Families Conference in the Salt Palace on Saturday May 5th at 11:30 a.m. If you're coming let me know and we'll meet for lunch. I just took a look at the schedule and it sounds like a great two-day event.  If you'd like to come check here for details.
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Red Hat Society Meetings Are Fun

I spoke to the women in the Red Hat Society of Salem, Utah tonight. What a wonderful group of women! I enjoyed meeting all of them and talking about ways to bring more love and joy into our lives. A reporter from the Daily Herald covered the event. You can read about it here. 

The Red Hat Society (RHS) is a social organization originally founded in 1998 in the United States for women age 50 and beyond, but now open to women of all ages. As of 2011, there were over 40,000 chapters in the United States and 30 other countries.^[1

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Finding Happiness Where You Are

DOWN HOME with Granny B

.Some of us search and search for beauty and happiness . . . out there

While others are still  . . . and create beauty and happiness where ever they are.

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Family Friendly Vacation Destinations - Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah

Temple Square in Salt Lake City is my favorite family friendly place for a vacation. Many people like to go to temple square at Christmas time when brightly colored lights fill the trees on a frosty night. My favorite time is at Easter when carefully tended gardens display a rainbow of color and the quiet hope that spring always comes after even the longest winter. . . what seems dead always comes back to life. I was married in the Salt Lake Temple so this beautiful sacred place has special meaning to me. Ten children and 20 grandchildren later, my husband and I will celebrate our 37th anniversary this June. 

This is a view of City Creek - a new commercial area across the street from Temple Square.
City Creek Center includes more than 700,000 square feet of retail space
within the 23-acre City Creek development on three blocks in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City.
Over 90 stores and restaurants (one third new-to-the-market) and 
5,000 large, well-lit underground parking spaces

The outdoor fountains in City Creek are stunning.

I loved the covered walk-way so you can cross the street in style.

My favorite place on Temple Square is in the visitor's center where a larger than life statue of Christ calms the soul and calls for quiet reflection on the meaning of life.

I love the spring flowers that adorn every garden and fill the air with sweet assurance that only spring can bring.

Across the street from temple square are two museums for family history and church history. There are child friendly hands-on-areas for the children.

I love the Assembly Hall that looks the same as it did in Pioneer Days.

The near-by Church Office Building also has beautiful gardens and statues that delight the eye and refresh the soul.

Even though you are in the heart of a big city, Temple Square feels like a private walled place - perfect for personal meditation. Everything at temple square is free and open to the public.

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Family Friendly Vacation Destinations - Utah Natural History Museum

If you're looking for a museum that welcomes and educates your children . . . this is the place for you. The Utah Natural History Museum is located on the University of Utah campus in SLC and everything is hands on and child friendly. We spent a day in Salt Lake City during spring break and this museum was certainly worth our time and money. Tickets were $9.00 for adults and $7.00 for children.

The rock and mineral display was one of my favorites.

My children loved the life-sized dinosaur displays.

The museum is beautifully designed and each display was educational and fun.

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Family Friendly Vacation Destinations - UTAH ROCKS

If you're looking for a family friendly vacation spot I suggest Goblin Valley and Capitol Reef. We spent our Spring Break in these two beautiful areas in Utah and this is what we found.

Goblin Valley is wonderland of strange and interesting rock formations. This area is wide open and hands on fun. Spend an hour or two hiking or take an entire day to explore a place that looks like another planet.  Most of the visitors hike in the area directly below the parking, but we spent out time in the valley to the far right and had the entire area to ourselves. Admission was $7.00 per car. There is one restroom and a nearby picnic and camping area with showers. If you have more time try hiking in slot canyons near here. Our favorite is the Little Wild Horse. You can hike the entire loop or just hike up as far as you want and then hike back.

Goblin Valley is perfect for families.

Spring and Fall are great times to visit.

Capital Reef is another favorite area where the crowds are small and the beauty overwhelming. When we drove through this year, all the fruit trees were in blossom and there was no admission fee. You will see rock formations that will astound you. Be sure to get out of your car and see the Native American petroglyphs, take a hike or enjoy a picnic.

The rock formations are especially stunning at sunset

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Blessing Day for Lily

The miracle of a new baby always touches my heart in a way nothing else can. Welcome to life my dear Lily. Your Grandma Baadsgaard loves you so.

My daughter Ashley and her husband Hyrum blessed their beautiful new daughter Lily on Easter Sunday...such a perfect day to celebrate the miracle of life.

Lily wore the same blessing dress that her mother Ashley Laura wore twenty-one years ago on her blessing day.

Lily has two dimples and a happy loving spirit just like both of her parents.

Her tiny bracelet was made by her Aunt Amy and her blessing dress was made many years ago by her Great Aunt Lisa.

Photos by Arianne Baadsgaard Cope

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Sammy's Baptism

My grandson Samuel Jared Cope was baptized this weekend. I will always remember the soft look in his eyes, his gentle smile and the tears that came to his eyes as he made a promise to be like Jesus. I love you Sammy.

Samuel is a miracle baby - born too soon with a long stay in the hospital. His fragile beginning makes each day we have with him seem like such a blessing.

Arianne and Jared Cope are wonderful parents to their beautiful family of four children: Samuel, Sophia, Logan and Liam. I love having them live close to me so I can see them more often.

Samuel had many people who love him attend his baptism. We are all so blessed to have Sammy in our lives.
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Celebrating Easter in My Heart

 

My heart has been healing after the recent loss of my grandson.

 This Easter season

means so much more to me this year because

I desperately long to see

my precious grandson Caleb again.

Because of of Jesus Christ, I know I will.

    
"Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place-the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The Fall of Adam had been reclaimed. The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job's question, 'If a man die, shall he live again?' To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth.

    "I believe that none of us can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane, but I am grateful every day of my life for His atoning sacrifice in our behalf. ... The darkness of death can ever be dispelled by the light of revealed truth. I am the resurrection, and the life, spoke the Master. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."  President Thomas S. Monson

Amy, Aden and Tessa Visit

Amy, Aden and Tessa came to my house this past weekend. Can you tell why I loved having them here? What a blessing they are in my life.
Photos by Arianne Baadsgaard Cope
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Introducing My Brand New Granddaughter Lily

  Photos by Arianne Baadsgaard Cope
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Happy Birthday Andrew

Andrew is Turning Two

By Grandma Baadsgaard

When you’re turning two, you have a lot of work to do

But some don’t understand, what makes your life so grand

There are dozens of toilet paper rolls to unzip on the floor

And shiny silver handles you just have to flush once more

You are king of the hill in high chair land,

or digging for treasure in the back yard sand

Before the day is over, there are cell phones to hide

and a long set of stairs waiting for a tummy slide

When you hear water running you just have to undress

And eat lots of food before it is blessed

There are cats to kick and noses to pick

and lots of gooey worms to smear and to stick

There are ants to squish and new friends to enlist

And adult appointed naps time you just want to miss

You have to figure out how everything works

And make careful plans to drive mom berserk

There are bubbles to pop and spilled milk to mop

People to become like firemen and cops

But when the day is over you just want your mom

She rocks you to sleep and sings you a song

                 Though you’re a hand-full, you’re not two for long.                         

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Having fun at the Wax Museum and Junior High Drama Production

The people around my house have been having fun pretending to be someone else lately.

Alisa as Cleopatra, Josh at Albert Einstein and John as the Beast!

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Spring is Here!

There are daffodils blooming on the south side of my house.

No matter what happens during the day, I just can't quit smiling.

I even danced while I was cleaning the house today. 

Have you ever seen a flower that brought more sunshine!

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Color Day In Spanish Fork

Just in case you were wondering why there were thousands of extra people walking around Spanish Fork covered in brightly colored dye this past weekend. . . An estimated 80,000 people turned out for the Festival of Colors at the Hari Krisna Lotus Temple in Spanish Fork this past weekend. The Festival of Colors, also known as Holi, is a Hindu two day festival. This festival has several legends associated with it. Thousands of people gathered on the hill of the Krishna temple between Spanish Fork and Salem, Utah. They threw brightly colored powder on each other, chanted and danced to live music. Holi, the largest Indian festival, is held on the first weekend of spring to celebrate the beginning of the season.

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