Carolyn's New Years Eve

The young Brugger family. The photo was poor quality with damage and bad fingerprint smudges. Doreen loves this photo so she asked me to restore it. I have done the best I could with it. This was my gift to Doreen for Christmas.

According to Beckie, this photo was taken at a Relief Society Bazaar in San Antonio. In those days the church did not fund Relief Society so the sisters would spend all year making quilts, toys, food, etc to sell at the annual Bazaar to raise funds for the Relief Society.

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Dec 31, 1991 from Carolyn's Journal
Last day of 1991-What a year last year at this time our house went on the market-we started to pack and close things down in Texas
This year we will have a diffrent type life-Working in the temple-finishing up the house here in manti-my new ovens are here and my stove top comes today-now if we can just find time to work on it.
We have had lots of company Alice Ric and annette and John-3 girls all came Sat. stayed till Sunday night and are coming again today-it makes a house full.
Ellis and Earl had their Golden Wedding on Sat it was real nice.
We had a nice Christmas-Archie gave me a beautiful Doll (Bride) It was fun to have the little girls.-We had Ruby and Rene from next door to Sat Dinner they sure seemed to enjoy it. It was a quiet day in many ways.
We worked at the temple on the 27th there were 52 weddings It was real fun but we got tired.
Bob is looking for work. His grant to go to school ran out also he is sort of burned out on school-He is going to look for work in provo.

Family Ties that Bind and Lift Us Up

It has been an incredibly busy week for me. We had a big family party last Sunday with Popi and Grandma Doreen, Pam, Chris and Dutch, Samantha, all my kids except Julianna, and some other people. We had a wonderful time and I realized how important those family ties are-they are so much more than just knowing someone. We went to SLC to witness a baby being sealed to his parents on Tuesday. Again, I knew how important family is.
On Wednesday all of my kids were here again. Samantha called and asked if she could come and spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with us. Later, she said she didn't want to because she was sad and didn't want to ruin our Christmas. I called back and asked directly, "Is Cyrus there?" and she said," No." Of course, I went and picked her up immediately. It was really the first anyone knew that there were problems. We were delighted to have her and Santa managed to find her at our house and bring some gifts and a stocking. We had a wonderful day, but sometime in the afternoon, Samantha finally called her family and told them what is happening. She was so sad and I went and held her and held her and held her and she sobbed and talked to me. I was so sad for her, but again, I was so thankful for family and that someone was there for her. I have not known Sam very well in the past, but suddenly she became another of my "almost daughters." I know I felt inspired because I kept feeling like I needed to encourage her to call her mother. That seemed a little weird to me, but it turned out to be the right thing. Susanna gave her good advice and encouraged her to call her dad and Popi. The decision they made was to get Sam into Snow College and help her get settled. That way she is moving forward with her life, but if Cyrus is willing, she is close enough to work things out. (Clearly, from small details I can tell that this whole thing is NOT Sam's fault. I have been very impressed with her maturity and testimony.)

Now I need to tell you about a wonderful experience I had at church last Sunday. It is the beginning of all of my feelings about family this week. I had a worry about someone in my family, but it wasn't something I could really take care of myself. I had been praying and praying about it. Sacrament Meeting was all about angels. A lot of it came from Elder Holland's talk on that subject. It was not just about the angels associated with the birth of the Savior. It was about how angels are there to help us and bear us up and they will be on our right hand and on our left hand. Then the thought came to me that my mother was there with me and that she was helping with the problem that I was worried about. I felt her presence as surely as if she was sitting next to me. I couldn't hold back the tears. After church I found out that everything had been resoved in a beautiful way. I know there is nothing in the scriptures that say our family members are our angels, but it seems logical to me, and I KNOW my mother was there. I did not want to go to sleep that night because I didn't want that feeling to go away.
I know my mother and Omi and others are there to help each of us and our children. They are helping Sam right now with a serious problem, but I am sure they are also helping us with our daily problems. I love my Heavenly Father so much and I am so thankful that He has given me this special gift of having my mother this Christmas Season. I love each of you so much.

Carolyn's Christmas Eve

Carolyn, Alice Ann, Sara and Norma

Do you recognize where they are?

Dec 24, 1991

Christmas Eve-It is beautiful outside hoar frost on everything it looks like a fairy land
Gwen and Tom-Archies sister and nephew came yesterday and stayed the Eve-They go back today-It was so nice to have them Its nice to have good beds and lovely rooms for people to stay.

We sure had a nice time in SLC last week-we stayed at the temple Square Inn it is very elegant and not expensive-We overlooked the temple square-We went to the LDS museum and to see the lights on temple square-Walked all around crossroads mall had a nice dinner all in all it was wonderful.
We have about everything ready for Christmas annette and John cant come till the 27th so alice ann will come too it will be fun we have to talk on the 29th at the prison in Gunnison-I don't know what to talk about-I must get busy on that we will have 9 people for dinner tomorrow such a small group I wish it could be more.
archie is still fine his eyes get better and better we sure feel blessed
aunt Zatell died last week I will miss her-even tho I did not see her often. She was an inspirition to me. mom is the last of the Sessions family left
We work at the temple again on the 27th I sure did not get much done on the house this christmas-I still have lots to paint


Mom's love for entertaining sure is evident in this entry. But it would be nice if she used a little more punctuation.
Alice Ann is mom's sister and Annette is her daughter.
Zatell was married to Elveras Sessions. Elveras was Omi's brother.
Is that all clear?
Beckie, do you remember any stories about Zatell?

The Secrets to Perfect Spritz Cookies

I always make spritz cookies at Christmas, but mine have never been quite as good as Mom's. I couldn't find her recipe this year, so I went online and did some research. My cookies were so easy and came out perfect. The recipe is from the Food Network, but I know Mom's would be just as good (maybe better) following the tips I learned. Actually, I think this recipe must be very close to Mom's. If you want Mom's I am sure Beckie has it. She is definately the "Keeper of the Family Recipes."

The tips that really helped me were these:

1. The dough should be very soft.

2. Chill the cookie sheets. This makes the dough stick to the sheet instead of the cookie press, so you don't end up with big globs. Turn the knob of the press exactly the same amount each time.

3. I always use parchment to make cookies, but DON'T use it for spritz cookies-the dough won't stick to it.
4. When you take the cookies out of the oven let them sit on the cookie sheet a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

These tips are pretty simple, but, for the first time ever, all of my cookies turned out perfectly. And they are delicious. Here is the recipe I used:

Butter Spritz Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sifted flour
Sprinkles for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, add the sugar and the butter. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts and mix to incorporate. Sift together the baking powder and the flour. Add the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Using a cookie press, press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets. Top with the sprinkles of your choice. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until firm, but not yet browning.

Copyright © 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Carolyn's Journal: Archie can see again

Dec 18, 1991
This has sure been an exciting time since I last wrote.
We went up to SLC and saw the doctor he said arch had nothing to lose by having an operation-He was so blind- We went to the motel where we stayed before but it was full So we went to a Hotel-even closer to the hospital it was University Park Hotel it was $155 a night but only $62 because archie was going to the hospital-the room was lovely real big we ate there and the food was wonderful
There was no beds ready at the VA hosp so we ask if we could go to the hotel-So Arch stayed with me-on thur we went into the Hosp about 9:30 and they operated about 11:15-It went perfect John Fruhan came and stayed with me during the operation-I took arch back to the Hotel about 3pm he was all bandaged etc-But the hotel was so much more comfortable than the Hosp the Dr let him go to the hotel. Fri morn we went to the VA at 7am the doctor saw him took off the bandages and he could see 20 40 It is a miricle because medically they could not expect so much. We just can't believe it He can drive, read-he could fly and do surgery. A real mirickle in our life.
He is having a little trouble this morn-I hope it is not infection.
We have our tree up and the hous is decorated-But its hard to be excited about Christmas when so much has happened. We go back to LSC tomorrow to see the doctor


Of course, I really enjoyed this entry because I have recently gone through cataract surgery myself and it is wonderful when you haven't been able to see and then you can again. Popi's recent surgery for glaucoma was also a miracle that helped him ragain his sight once again.
I have to comment on mom's spelling and punctuation. Mom always struggled in school-she was never more than an average student. Her spoken English grammar was perfect, but she struggle her entire life with writing. Every time she wrote the word "miracle" she spelled it differently, but she never spelled it correctly. (I have two other things she wrote where she misspelled it.)
I take inspiration from this because I know what a successful and accomplished woman Mom was. I have no doubt that if she had been a career woman she would have been very successful. It eased some of my worry as I raised my daughters because I knew that even they were not at the top of their class that they could still be successful in life. If my daughters turn out to be anything like Carolyn, I will be thankful.

Carolyn's Last Journal Entry

Last time I posted the first entry in the journals from Carolyn. Today I would like to post the last entry she wrote. I think Heidi will particularly enjoy it. It was written about 2 months before she died. Her health was failing quickly and she was never well enough to get her hair done again. She had just learned she had diabetes 2 weeks before this entry and it was very frustrating for her to know what to eat. I was impressed by her constant desire to go to church and do things for her family.

Sept 29, 2000
I was able to go to Sac meeting.
The rest of the week I just slept and did not get much done.
Heidi is going to get married on Jan 12.
I want to do a quilt for her I will just tie it I can't quilt it in the time I have. I want to do the reception at my house but she may not want that.
Last week was the womens conference It was so nice. the second councilor told how the ripple efect works. You start a rock skip then the ripple goes on and on. The gospel is like that as we touch each life.
Our yard is still beautiful it has frozen but not real deep so it is still lovely.
Arch has made a walnut cabnit to hold his dictaphone etc. I sure looks nice now. He is also making music chests for Marianne and Arch.

When I read that last line I asked Dad where my music chest was. He said he never did finish it.

Carolyn Nielson Brugger

Doreen is very concerned that my mother's history be preserved and recorded. She asked me to scan this picture so it could be saved and shared. I am so thankful that Doreen continues to include Mom in our lives.

Wasn't she beautiful?

Carolyn's Journals

The day before Thanksgiving we were in Manti. Doreen said there was a drawer full of my mother's things-including 2 journals. I went through the drawer and found a lot of old photos and a large stack of handkerchiefs. I have been thinking about how to share the journals with everyone who loved my mother and I decided I will just transcribe them onto my blog.
She usually wrote in her journal while she was getting her hair done. She began on Dec 4, 1991.
Here is some of that journal entry. I will not correct spelling, punctuation or grammar.

We went to Salt Lake on Sunday afternoon and went to the VA Hosp on Mon. They treated us so nice and at the end of the day after tests etc said they felt Archie could be helped by having a cataract removed. It is dangerous in that his Retna may detatch and not be able to be fixed but it is worth the risk to Archie so we will go back tue for more tests then possible be operated on thursday. He may be able to see enough to drive if it works.
We had a real big snow storm in SLC while we were there it snowed all day. As we drove to the point of the mountain it Snowed real hard from there to payson then quit then a little again in Nephi Canyon but it was better to come home as the roads were not ice like they would be in the morning.
Curtis and Debbie Cannon and their little girls came Sat and we had such a good time. Bobs girls and the cannon girls were like sisters they had never seen each other but soon they went around with arms around each other
We go to provo today to the Symphony we will also do some shopping for christmas.
I have meals brought in to mother when we are gone and it works out nice.

A new convert to blogs

I just began reading the blogs of family members this week and I enjoyed every word I read. It is different from an email-a phone call-or even a journal. Today I was sitting in the Salt Lake Tabernacle waiting for Elder Wirthlin's funeral to begin. I was reflecting on my feelings and the spirit I felt and I realized that a blog was the perfect place to record these feeling. So this is a new beginning for me. Maybe this will become the journal that I have never been successful in keeping.
I want to say how I felt today as President Monson walked into the Tabernacle. Truly, my heart did burn within me and the spirit witnessed to me once again that he is a prophet of God. How thankful I am for that witness. How thankful I am for a prophet of God. The gospel of Jesus Christ brings great joy to my life.
I am also thankful that I was blessed to know Elder Wirthlin. He was a perfect example of humility and love. He was a perfect example of following the Savior. He was a man of perfect mildness, but the good he did in this life is beyond measure.