Picnik Fun

That is not a misspelling. It's Picni-k, as in Picnik Photo Editing. Need an easy way to edit your photographs and Adobe Photoshop isn't handy, or maybe Photoshop just makes you feel less than handy? Check out how simple it is to get your pictures ready for sharing --whether you have a few simple cropping needs or want to jazz up your photograph with an multitude of fun options.


This is an amazing picture of Kevin's great-great Grandfather, Christian. It's amazing because five short years ago we knew almost nothing about this man. We had one photograph and a few scant pages of history on a remarkable individual who made some tremendous sacrifices of which we are the beneficiaries.

We've learned a lot in five years. We've also discovered the previously mentioned photograph at an extended family reunion two years ago. (See why I LOVE family gatherings?!) Several records were left of Christian's life experiences, most penned through children's recollections of their father's stories. Christian's history provided two short sentences of his 1000 mile trek across the plains. "In the spring of '49, I left my father's family in La Selle, Illinois and came to Salt Lake City. We were seven wagons in company... arriving in SLC October 25, 1849."

That's it! Could that be all that happened?I think not! It took some sleuthing, but gratefully, one Canute Peterson left a more detailed record of his adventures on the trail. He thoughtfully included the names of several in his company, including our ancestor, Christian!

"On the 18th of April 1849, a company of 22 Saints left La Salle, Illinois to come to Utah. There were several young people in the company, among whom I may mention Sister Sarah Ann Nelson, Christ[ian] Hayer [Hyer] and myself. We had six wagons in our company.

A journey of about 200 miles brought us to Burlington, Iowa. We found the city deserted with the exception of the ferrymen and a few guards who were left to watch the city. The streets and porches had been strewn with new lime, because of the great Cholera epidemic."

This small group of pioneers joined the Benson Company in Kanesville, which was the last group to start for Utah that season. They traveled in "good peace along the Platte River and had a prosperous journey for many weeks. There was an abundance of game, such as buffaloes, antelopes, elk, etc."

When their camp was within eight miles of the last crossing of the Sweetwater, at a place called Willow Creek they were blocked by a tremendous snow storm that lasted 40 hours. Canute, Christian, and several others were asked to leave the relative comforts of their small wagons to search for missing cattle that had wandered off during the storm. They started on foot and found it a tedious journey due to snow that was waist deep. Luckily, the cattle had the good sense to hunker down in a grove a willow trees that served both as food and shelter from the harsh storm. Ten miles down the trail the snow vanished and the company returned to dry ground. Good luck prevailed and they reached the Salt Lake Valley October 25, 1849.

Bless you Canute for taking the time to write in your journal!

That's Kevin's great-grandfather, sitting to the left of his great-great grandfather and grandmother!

Susannah Stone - A Handcart Pioneer

Several years ago we had the privilege of helping a family retell the story of an amazing ancestor. Susannah Stone was born in 1830 in the town of Bristol, England. In 1856 she decided to come to Utah and joined one of the last two handcart companies to cross the plains that year.

Those familiar with the history of the Willie and Martin handcart companies will remember the hardships endured by these brave, but inexperienced travelers. Unfriendly Indians, broken handcarts, missing cattle and reduced rations all played a factor in their inability to move quickly across the harsh terrain. An early winter took its toll and 77 of the 404 members of the Willie Company perished before reaching the Salt Lake Valley.

As you read this beautiful story, you are reminded of the difficult life our pioneer forefathers endured. But Susannah is quick to point out that they didn't consider themselves pioneers. That title was reserved for those hardy individuals who had cut the trails 10 years earlier. Her personal history states "We were almost pioneers for we had to travel thru sunflowers and sage brush for many miles."

Susannah arrived in the Salt Lake Valley November 5, 1856. That same day she met the handsome, young Thomas Lloyd who had immigrated the previous year. Both were favorably impressed at their first meeting and Thomas proposed on the spot. Together they share thirty-eight years and fourteen children.

Fast forward to 2009. Last weekend descendants of Susannah Stone and Thomas Lloyd had a family reunion. Someone brought a copy of the story that we helped to preserve. One of the attendees did a double take when she looked at title page. She recognized the name of one of the authors. They have been friends for many years, but in ALL those years, they had never realized they shared the same Great-Grandmother.

It really is a SMALL world!

God Bless America!

Happy belated Fourth of July! I have always loved celebrating the Independence of our nation. My earliest recollections of proper celebrations came during my youthful years. Greendale, Wisconsin knew how to make July 4th special! Every year I would spend the month of June dreaming and then designing the perfect float to be towed by yours truly on the back of her trusty blue Schwinn. I don't remember ever winning a grand prize, but you'd have thought so the way the buttons burst as I proudly wore my contestant ribbon ever year.

The parade route always started at the local high school and after meandering down Main Street, finished on the steps of the town hall with a flag ceremony and inspirational message. We then made our way to the Junior High School parking lot where all the carnival rides and food tents had been set up. Oh my, the smell of German Brats and sauerkraut on the grill defy description!

Fast forward thirty (plus) years! How lucky are we to have found a community that continues the tradition of creating family memories?! Our little town actually starts the holiday party a day early with a July 3rd celebration. Our July 3rd started with a 6:30 am wake up call to get the kids moving and down to the local golf course in time to participate in our first annual Neighborhood Golf Scramble. Our family team didn't fair too well, but that's the beauty of a scramble... it doesn't matter!

For ten years, our neighborhood has proudly held a parade, though I use the term loosely. Come with a big wheel, skateboard or motorized bike...just don't come late. The sirens blare at 6:00 pm sharp and by 6:15 the race, er, parade is over.

The party then moves to our neighbor's, the Edwards. Can you imagine hosting 300+ EVERY year, but that's just what happens. And every year, it somehow gets better!

There is enough delectable food to rival any 5-star cruise ship buffet! Then there's the snow cones, ice cream cones, popcorn and cotton candy; sure to create your own mini explosion!


Of course, this isn't the only party in the neighborhood. We spent the next hour or two, hopping from party to party, all the while checking in on our oldest who had invited a couple dozen friends over for a party of their own.

No Independence celebration is complete without a stunning display of colorful fireworks. This picture doesn't do justice to the amazing show that we enjoyed from our front porch (that's the BEST part - no long lines of traffic to work through to get home!).

Typically, it's then off to bed, but since we were in charge of the July 4th neighborhood breakfast, it was off to the kitchen to scramble 15 dozen eggs and prepare 15 pounds of pancake batter.

2009 was a memorable July (3rd &) 4th. We hope that you had your own memorable traditions that will keep the family talking for years to come!

Sharing Father's Day Wishes

Just got a call from Jackie. Her nine-year-old granddaughter had recently purchased one of our Family Memory Tree kits at Deseret Book. She wanted to give it to her grandfather for Father's Day. She picked out each picture all by herself and carefully created each face button. According to Jackie, it was a big hit! Grandpa loved it so much that he took it to church to share it with his friends.

Next time someone asks me if our projects are hard, I'll be able to tell them that a nine-year-old did one. And did it beautifully, I might add!

THANK YOU for sharing your stories and excitement for preserving memories! We can't do everything, but everyone can do SOMETHING!

Happy Father's Day!

Wishing the happiest of memories to fathers everywhere!

Intermountain Suzuki Strings Institute

What a busy week! It was great connecting with everyone at the Intermountain Suzuki Strings Institute. The sounds coming through the halls were amazing. Wish we could have sat in on every lesson and performance but we had a blast sharing our passion for preserving memories with the parents of these incredibly talented musicians.

As promised, here's a picture of our featured family face frame. It claims a proud spot on a prominent wall in our home. Learn how to make your own here!

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the new practice boards that were unveiled at the show. Be sure to let us know if you have any questions or suggestions to make them even better.

If you're a music teacher and you want to offer the practice boards to your students send us an email and we'll let you know the special offering just for teachers! Send your questions to mythoughts@storiesbyme.com

Mindy Mae's Market, June 5-6 in Farmington, UT

Who doesn't love a good craft boutique? Here's one that promises to provide plenty of mind-boggling creativity!

Get the full scoop here!

We'll be there. Hope to see you too! Be sure to fill out the form for a $100 worth of free loot! Yep- that's right. Surely, you can think of 100 ways to put this gift certificate to good use!

We have a .pdf version that you can print out. Can't figure out an easy way to include it on this blog so email us if you want us to send you a copy... mythoughts@storiesbyme.com