Author: Angela

I write so my family will always have letters from home.

Chilly

I haven’t taken any interesting pictures lately, so here is our living room in some rare afternoon sunlight. Ha!

It’s been cold lately. My space heater, hot water bottle, and cozy scarves are keeping me comfortable. I have been prone to being cold for most of my life, but I try not to mention it too often. One of these days that sunlight should break the chill.

Parenting through the veil

I am remembering the anniversary of my grandmother’s passing, Rebecca’s passing, and now my counselor’s husband’s passing. My friend shared a quote with me and I have reflected on it a lot this week. President Nelson said this at his daughter’s funeral, directed to her children. So, this is not something he shared at General Conference. I find it very comforting and it affirms my faith that familiar angels minister to us.

“She can minister to you in what I call ‘parenting through the veil.’ She can see us more clearly than we can see her. We cannot forget her. We do not cease to love her. We are sealed to her by eternal ties. She loves us now more than ever. Her desire for our well-being will be even greater than that which we feel for ourselves. So, dear family, stay tuned.”

Russell M. Nelson

Finished baby quilt

Just a few more weeks until baby McLaughlin comes. We are so excited!

I have waited several days to photograph this quilt because the sun has been elusive. In the end, it is still a moody March light that you see in these images.

Children’s Book Illustrator

Little Baby McLaughlin will be lucky to have Paige as a mom for many reasons. She knows how to raise boys, she is patient and gentle, she is a woman of faith, and she is an artist. It is fun for children to watch a parent draw something well. I bet he will ask her to draw all kinds of things and he will be delighted with the results. Lucky baby.

These children’s books were illustrated by Paige and they were privately published, so they are not available for sale. They were my Christmas presents. I am such a fan of Paige’s work. 💕

To see some of her work, you can look at her website, paigemclaughlinart.com.

War chapters

Sometimes life is going just fine when I arrive at the war chapters in the Book of Mormon and I feel a little inconvenienced. On happy days there is rarely something in these chapters for me, so I read the words and move on.

This time as I have been reading the war chapters, life has been more complicated. “Oh, great,” I thought, “just what I need right now, stories about war.”

I was wrong. I have needed those war chapters during February 2024. I have needed the words of resolve that were uttered during those icky times. Concrete examples of faith. A script for how to face a daunting task. Reassurance that it will all be okay. Heroes. Miracle stories.

The editorial lens of Mormon is fantastic in these chapters.

Joseph Smith is a prophet.

This book brings me unto Christ.

I love it all. Even the war chapters.

Finished Dresden Plate Quilt

I began making this quilt right after Tim left on his mission. I let the finished quilt top sit for 9 months before fixing a problem with the outer border, then there was a major delay having it quilted. I was in no rush to finish it until last week when I just snapped and got this thing done at the expense of almost all of my responsibilities. It is made from scraps from my sewing projects and the fabrics go together pretty well because I like what I like. Each fabric holds a piece of our history.