December 10, 1978 - Sunday

Dearest Ron, Ann & Susanna, Rick & Jean and Bob & Claire, and Roy,

Your Christmas Present - better quality paper and new carbon!!!!!

Ron and Ann - your little Susanna is simply beautiful -we really loved the pictures of the day she was blessed and have shown them to EVERYONE - she looks so bright eyed and alert - almost like she could talk. Ann -the pictures of you is beautiful too. We can hardly stand to not see her in all her different growing stages -is she following things yet with her eyes - that's one of the first things, isn't it?

Rick and Jean- thank you so much for your phone call - you must have known have been so lonesome for all of you and your calls help so much. Forgot to ask you how you were felling Jeannie and I almost called you back - I wish you would write and tell us about the medications you're taking and the progress you're making because I get too excited when we're on the phone and forget to find out. I'll bet it's so much fun fixing up your very own home for the holidays - do you have a special theme for your tree or is it a mixture like ours have always been. I was in the store the other day and a lady was paying $3.00 for one of those little tiny Hallmark ornaments - it was a drum with drum sticks - and she every changes the "theme" of her tree. I laughed because our tree is really a mixture of different things. Rick - ha-e you been skiing yet this year? I wish you would get equipped Jeannie so you could go with him.

Roy - thank you so much for your phone call too - I was really relived because it has been quite a while since we have heard from you - you sound so busy with computers that I'm wondering if you are in the right field. We will be so-o- happy to have you come home. We're disappointed that we won't be able to come to Memphis to pick he up - Johnny has been practicing for the past month on Christmas Play in our Ward and it is put on that night along with the Ward Christmas Party - it starts at 7 p.m. and with your plane getting in Memphis at 7:50 we just won't be able to get there - we'll call you to make sure you won't be expecting us - if you can't get a plane to little Rock within a reasonable amount of time after you get there it might still be advisable for us to come after the play - we surely don't want you to have to spend the night in the airport. I am so happy you are coming by plane and not driving!

Bob and Claire - we haven't heard from you this week - we have forwarded a lot of things to you and we have received the Mill & Mix that you mailed so we have been in contact. We held your letter from Vanderbilt up to the light and read where you could not expect to go to Med School there - that really wasn't very nice to us but I have to be honest and I'll take the blame for doing it. We weren't surprised about that but we hope you won't be too disappointed. This Med School there admittance things is really something - it is an exciting and frustrating experience and one we can all learn from - we want you to come back here so bad and were getting ready for that disappointment if it should come!!!! Claire - you're probably right in the middle of finals right now - we surely hope you won't have to study too hard. I made a batch of that golden fudge to take to those on my visiting teaching route and it's really good if you like the flavor of those butterscotch morsels - Johnny didn't like it.

We had one ice storm on Friday - it was a funny day. Daddy has had a lot of trouble with a pain his shoulder so decided to go see the doctor about it - the doctor gave him some pills and they have helped his shoulder but have bothered his stomach. He decided on Thursday to stay home from work on Friday to see if he could get feeling better because he really had a full weekend with church activities. As is turned out they closed the Olin office at noon and also John's school - we hurried to the grocery store and also to get our Christmas cards thinking we would be confined all week-end because they predicted three inches of snow and temperatures in 20's. Daddy cancelled all the Stake meetings for Saturday the sun came out and melted everything by soon. We could have had the Stake Activities but it would have been dangerous - they postponed them until next Saturday but today they decided the Relief Society dinner will be held in January because of conflicts in the Wards. I'M HAPPY because I was in charge of the turkey and dressing - the Golden Host was doing it but it was a worry.

We put our tree up in Friday - we have it downstairs in the den - we spend more of our time down here and since it's artificial and the fireplace heat won't bother it we thought it would be nice for a change. The upstairs dining room table has Christmas cloth and your beautiful wreath, Jeannie, on it so it looks Christmasy too - we used to spend a lot of time around the piano but we don't do that so much anymore - I remember so well last year then Claire played and Bob sang - we'll really miss that this year. Christmas is for families and I hope that someday we can all live close enough so we can get together, at least for dinner. I had to laugh at John the other day - we were visiting with our Mission President and his wife and they have five little girls and a baby boy - I asked Sandy if they were going to have company for holidays and she looked so sad and said "No, we'll be all alone" - Johnny just about yelled, "All alone!!!!" Their family is so large there is hardly room for company but they did have family from Pleasant Grove visit them at Thanksgiving time.

Before I forgot did you know that Allen Culwell and his wife have a new little baby boy - it's about two weeks old. They still live in Provo. Daddy said that he thinks Karl Sherwood and his wife have a new baby but I don't know if that's right or not. Marvin Greene was just here - he is such a nice guy and loves to come visit. He said to tell you all "Hello" for him - I asked him the news of his family so I could write and tell you - Ciasy is working at AMF bicycle factory, Betty and Eileen are both working for Windsor Door Company and Leslie is working for a dry cleaning company driving their delivery truck. Marvin is a good mechanic and wants someday to own business. We're trying to find him a good wife - do you think he and Linda Kelley would be good for each other? He's going with Susan Dasher right now.

Thursday night John and I went with Daddy to Pine Bluff for their Branch Dinner - they're trying to raise enough money to build a new chapel and this dinner was the first one since they had paid off a big mortgage on this old one. They have a small congregation but they have a lot of spirit and Daddy's really proud of their Branch President. They put in Keith McKell as Brach President at Benton today - they'll attend all the meetings all the meetings there now instead of in Little Rock and try t improve that Brach. They are the sweetest people in the world and if anyone can do it they can - it is really amazing the difference strong leadership can make in these different Branches.

Do you remember the Forrest Hoyt's in Phoenix? Their daughter Margo is getting married next week - they're having the reception at Camelback Inn - wouldn't if be fun to go????

Jane Sherrod is having neighborhood Christmas Party tomorrow afternoon - it will be fun to go because the neighbors don't get together as often as they used to when Janie Bass was alive. Our sweet neighbor, Jeannette Barbee gave us a beautiful knitted Santa Claus for our home - we have put it on the fireplace mantel and it looks so pretty - I can't believe all she does - she has made three beautiful rugs for gifts for her grandchildren.

We're going to have our Relief Society Homemaking meetings this Wednesday and I'm in charge of the food demonstrations - we're going to have woman from Salome (sp.?) come demonstrate cookies that are rolled on a pencil after they're cooked. She's a friend and neighbor of Sherry Rivers and Sherry says they're really good - you have to buy a special thing to cook them on - its called a crumb cake iron. If they're really outstanding I'll buy it and let you all know.

When I went to see Aunt Marvel this afternoon she was sound asleep so I didn't awaken her but she is really doing wonderful. They have raised her nursing home care to $28 a day it has been $21 - the home is under a new management again and we can see great improvement in fact, I don't have any doubts that they earn their money - she requires constant care !!!!

Bro. Beyers is in the hospital - Ciasy called Daddy this morning and said he had gained several times yesterday and they don't know what's wrong so they put him in for observation - I believe we're just all getting old and we think we can go at the pave would when we were much younger - I keep trying to tell your Daddy that !!!!

That's all the news - we love you all so much rally do miss you. When we were looking at the pictures of Jeannie, daddy said "Wouldn't it be fun to just drive out for a couple days" - it would be so far. Please be careful - especially with the holiday.
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