The Meandering Thoughts of Jan

I do enjoy finding myself some new tunes.  It's a side hobby of mine.  It has been awhile since I found a new band I really liked.  However, during our time in Kansas my bro-in-law Nathan introduced us to this band called Imagine Dragons and I'm loving what I'm hearing.  Thank you Nathan!   Imagine Dragons is a band from Vegas and have a little bit of a sound like The Killers, definitely in that genre of music.  Anyway, enjoy the ear candy!  I looked on their website and they are playing in Provo in June at Velor, which makes me a happy girl.

Friends, I haven't blogged for a little while.  I missed you all.  This is because Danny and I took a little break and flew out to Kansas to visit Nathan (Danny's brother), Erin and their children.  We had such a fun time with their family and Kansas is gorgeous this time of year!  (Except for maybe the tornados.  While I was there, I got to have my first experience hearing a tornado siren, which went off while we were having a picnic.  Luckily, the tornados didn't hit where we were.  My heart goes out to the communities that were damaged by the tornados. They are in my prayers.)  Anyway, I thought I would share my favorite pictures from our visit. The girls put on hats to be like Danny A dino encounter at the Natural History Museum.  (Cue the Jurassic Park music...which I once did a ballet performance to when I was 12.  How's that for a pointless fact?)  Erin and the kids at looking at the animal display. ...

I read the book The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd a little while ago, and keep meaning to share about it.  This book is set in the 60's during the civil rights movement in South Carolina.  It is about a 14-year-old girl, Lily Owens who runs away from home with her black nanny Rosaleen to get away from her abusive father.  They are taken in by three black sisters that live in a hot pink house and are beekeepers.  Here Lily learns of her past, the divine power of womanhood and the strength that lies within herself. Overall I really liked this book.  I liked the spiritual aspect to the story. Even though the beliefs that are portrayed in the book are different than my own, I loved the idea of Lily being guided and protected by a higher power.  I also loved the characters of the three black sisters, especially August who was so wise and strong.  It is a great novel that takes racism head on and is beautifully written.  Plus, you learn a lot a...

Last Saturday was gorgeous weather, so Danny and I went on a walk in the park not too far from our home.  It is so nice being able to be outside and not have to wear a jacket or coat.  (I can't say the same for today, since it is frigid and rainy.)  Danny and I had fun sharing secrets with each other on our stroll. No really, that is what we did.  I had my trusty camera with me and took a few pictures as the sun was setting.  It was a beautiful evening. The pond.  It is already starting to overflow and the runoff has just barely begun.  I perceive flooding is going to occur this spring This is my favorite picture from the evening.

My sister Michele had a brain child of the website origin and named it "Dating for Eternity".  She came up with the idea to start a website about date ideas for married couples.  (Of course all single friends are welcome to visit as well, because the date ideas are applicable.  She just wanted to encourage couples to continue dating and making time for their spouses in marriage.)  She invited me and my sister Noelle to share our ideas on the website as well.  As you can tell, we like sister bonding projects.  You are welcome to visit and share your own ideas.  You can do so by clicking on the button below.

I saw this online today and I had to share it.  You may have already seen it, but I thought it was pretty cool.  Enjoy!

I came across this cute idea from my friend's blog on how to make a yarn wreath.  I showed my sisters and we all decided to make one.  It was fun to see how each of our wreaths turned out and our own little twist  we each added to the craft.  Here are the instructions if you want to make one! This is my wreath This is Michele's wreath This is Noelle's wreath I thought they all turned out really cute.  I learned a few things while making the wreath.  Wrapping the foam ring with yarn took forever. I went around the ring twice and it looked a lot better the second time around.  The felt flowers were pretty easy to make.  I just used the hot glue gun to keep them together.  For the center of my flowers, I used beads from an old broken bracelet of mine.