She is SO good to make a wonderful dinner for us to enjoy and always sets a beautiful table and I may post that tomorrow but I am fighting getting sick again. Prince One got quite sick over the holiday and several of us are now fighting sore throats but it has been going around so I am hoping to get to bed soon and chose this post hoping it would be the quickest upload as I didn't take any video of the events.
My dad is getting a new kitchen. They waited to do the kitchen until the family party was over but scheduled the cabinets to be delivered at 10 a.m. the next morning. They asked for some help cleaning up and moving things.
My step mother is SO organized and already had cleaned and emptied out all the drawers and cupboard which was amazing as she had dinner made and ready with most of her kitchen packed up in boxes!
I know when I am starting projects, I always forget to take "before" pictures and sometimes even forget "during" pictures but usually remember to take "after" pictures as you want to show off what you did. I decided I would take the "before" and "during" pictures for them as I know they were super stressed to get everything ready for the installer the next day.
Having four sons and four daughters makes for light work when they all work together and one of my step-sisters worked hard the entire time as well so between us all, we were able to get all the decorations down, tree and needles cleaned up, the floors cleaned and covered, the furniture moved for the new cupboards to arrive, the appliances pulled out and hauled off except the fridge which they purchased last year.
They pulled out all the cabinets and it didn't take more than a few hours of work as they had so much already done. I had to leave before they finished with the last few cabinets as I had a longer drive and "the men" could handle it. ha ha
I am SO excited for my step mom as she is one of the hardest working people I know! She spends LOTS of time in the kitchen always providing at least one or two meals for the entire family at each event we have during the year and between the two mixed families, that is about 100 people if everyone is there.
They pay $100 each month to each of their grandchildren's missions for 18 to 24 months a piece totaling $1800 to $2400 per missionary. They are on their 27th missionary doing that! At one point, they had 7 missionaries out at the same time meaning that $700 a month went to that. Can you imagine if they didn't pay for the missions and bought or built a bigger house or drove new cars instead of used etc. If I calculate $1800 for the 8 girls that have gone it is $14,400 and calculate $2400 for the boys that have served as missionaries times the 19 that have served, that is $45,600. Yes, a few came home early but then you throw in a hundred here or there to help them get ready as I know they gave my daughters some before their mission so if you add them together, that is $60,000!
They could have added that to the house they now have and built themselves something nice. I mentioned to my step mother how amazing she is that she would donate so much of her hard earned retirement to "support" our kids on missions as her children have mostly younger children and she said, "I have never thought of any of you as "his" or "mine" you are all ours!
I know this is true! I feel her love all the time and she comes to all the kids events and I LOVE her children and enjoy when they do come to family things. Some live further away making it difficult but I do love them. I am SO excited for this ANGEL of a mom to be getting a new kitchen as she does SO much for others. How blessed are we to have gotten such an amazing example of Christlike love as a "mom" in our lives! I told her I want to post "after" pictures as well as I can't wait to see what she picked out!
My dads grand-mother wrote a song called "Carry On" which is one of my favorite hymns. Here is one of my favorite renditions which I have shared in a past post.
I think my dad and "mom" live this song and, that because of their example, their children and grand-children will "Carry On" with what they have shown in our lives and the lives of our own children and grand-children.
Carry On lyrics ~
Firm as the mountains around us,
Stalwart and brave we stand
On the rock our fathers planted
For us in this goodly land--
The rock of honor and virtue,
Of faith in the living God.
They raised his banner triumphant--
Over the desert sod.
And we hear the desert singing:
Carry on, carry on, carry on!
Hills and vales and mountains ringing:
Carry on, carry on, carry on!
Holding aloft our colors,
We march in the glorious dawn.
O youth of the noble birthright,
Carry on, carry on, carry on!
A palace to the King.
Into its shining corridors,
Our songs of praise we'll bring,
For the heritage they left us,
Not of gold or of worldly wealth,
But a blessing everlasting
Of love and joy
and health.
LOVE YOU MOM! LOVE YOU DAD! 
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