I am a great-aunt again.

I am a great-aunt on the Pitts side of the family! Isn't that good news? Of course, that happened to me earlier when Charlotte and Cydney became grandmothers. But this is the first grandchild for Laurel. They are excited and so are the rest of us. 
Gus is the proud father, Janessa is the proud mother, and Laurel and Tom are the proud grandparents.

Little Garrett Gus Marinos was born on Dec. 18 at 8:47 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces and was 21 and one-half inches long.

Laurel said he has light brown hair, with a touch of red and has his mother's mouth. 
I saved the birthday card she sent me to open on my birthday. Inside the card was the good news!

Al Pitts wrote: I conclude then, that your birthday is December 29, 1941.


Love you 
al 


Myrna wrote: Nope. My birthday is December 24, 1940. You should conclude that my birthday is on December 24, 1940. I tried to see how I had mislead you but failed. Anyway, I am now 68 as of this
last birthday. Love, M 


Al wrote: Your wisdom is beyond my years, simply you are also beyond my years.
You're older than me, hahaha 

Todd Thank You

Todd wrote: Thank you for the Christmas cash. It will come in handy. I want to buy some add-ons for my motorbike. You will need to see it some day. Merry Christmas. I hope you liked your birthday present and other items.
Love,
T


Myrna wrote: We hope to come and visit soon and see the motorbike in person. Perhaps we could come on our way to or from Braden's graduation.

I am really pleased with the necklace. I have wanted one for some time but have not wanted to pay the price. So thank you.

Dad and I have been looking at mills because ours does not work anymore. Julie has the style you gave us so it is proved (meaning we know it works). Thank you for that also.

I actually received your addition to my birthday gift on my birthday! I had waited to open the gifts from all of you until the family who were coming for dinner all arrived. I had finished and we were setting the table for dinner when there came a knock on the door. The UPS worker had your package to me and I opened it right then. I was happy to have a garden tool apron that I can carry on my person. Dad is always teasing me that I have to locate the tools, and that it takes an hour, before I can begin any project outside. Now, he says, I have an apron and, if I remember to put it on the hook he just made for it in the garage, I will always have them handy.

Thank you.

Myrna wrote: We spent a quiet day alone, Dad and I, on Christmas. You can see more about it on the family blog site.

Did the kids like the books? I am sorry there is not an adult one. Maybe I can send two next year.

Love, M


Todd wrote: The kids loved the books. They all read them as soon as they were opened and Hailey had us read them to her. They commented that Grandma T always gets the best books. Everyone had an enjoyable time, I think. I am glad you are happy with your presents. It is hard to know what to get the people who have it all.

Myrna wrote: I am glad that the books were loved. My favorite parts of Christmas, next to family and visiting, was finding a quiet corner to read my Christmas book. As for having everything--we do. We have family and love and the gospel. As for the rest, well, I do want a new sewing machine. Dad gave me money for that. Now all I have to find is one I like. Love, M

Todd wrote: I forgot to tell you that Hailey’s card didn’t have any money in it and Tyler had $5 too much.  We’re not worried about it.

It would be nice to have you here after Braden’s graduation.  We have been here four years by then and you would have only made it once.  Time for a trip.

Myrna: The money is on the way. Thanks for letting me know. Love, M

Todd: We’re not worried about it.  Just wanted you to know in case you have misplaced some money.  Thank you.

Myrna: I did have $20 left and worried about why. Now I know. I have mailed the money to Hailey today. Love, M

Aunt Thelma

Myrna wrote: I suppose you all know that Aunt Thelma also volunteered at a home for those with Alzheimer's, dementia and other age-related medical problems. I suppose you know that two of Dad's friends, Lloyd Sundquist and Robert Jarrett, both have Alzheimer's. Lloyd loves LHT. He volunteers to do any assignment where he can have LHT for his companion. He tells dad that he can feel himself slipping a bit but he is still in the Sunday School Presidency. Robert is Dad's home teaching companion. He still remembers the past pretty well but he can't help teach the lesson but sometimes he prays. If I ever develop the disease and get really bad, I want to be put in a home where they offer specialized help and, as Melanie does, interesting projects for the patients. And as Dad says, I will have the opportunity to make new friends every day (the same ones--I just won't remember them from the day before).
Love, M

Melanie wrote: The interesting thing with the dementia disease is that past and present are the same in the patient's mind. Thus, when seeing your children, you start believing that they are your parents. It makes sense to me. In the end, those whom we cared for, end up caring for us. Part of that eternal round, I suppose....


Myrna wrote: Now you know why Rachel doesn't want to get old. She just wants to stay little forever and live with her mom and dad at her home. But I also do want to live in my home forever--this home. There are a lot of people who are blessed enough to be able to do that. I would like to be among them. 
----

Melanie Works With Dementia Patients

 I have been working with Alzheimer's and dementia patients for a little while now. It has been a rewarding and yet, sad experience. It is hard for me to see these strong willed people dwindle. I have had some amazing spiritual moments with them. They are all mothers, sisters, daughters, fathers, brothers, husbands. They have all been loved. Some more than others. When I read to them and look into their eyes, my spirit can feel their gratitude, even if they can't find the words to tell me. Their spirits are strong and beautiful. They hold my hand. They cry. They are afraid. Some of them have warm days, where the sun shines and all seems well. We love those days, even when our minds are healthy.  I have had testified to me that the atonement will work for them. Their spirits know who they are, even if their bodies don't. It has been a very rewarding experience for me.

There is so much new information about dementia and Alzheimer's. There are so many wonderful programs to help individuals and families. No longer do we put the older people behind closed doors. We encourage the young to visit. We encourage the patients to try to remember the things from their past that hold warm memories. We all have good memories. We read to them stories that they would have heard when they were younger. They might not remember the stories right away, but they will remember the feelings. We play games with them. Some things you never forget: how to catch a ball, how to kick a ball. (Your motor skills work in your behalf: when something is coming toward you, you push it away.) We do wheel chair aerobics. We play bowling, sing songs (sometimes as with a two year old, the same song over and over), and we even make crafts.

I never want to lose control over my faculties, but I know that Heavenly Father loves me and that Christ's atonement will protect me, even if I can't recall how to make my bed or tie my shoes.

When we sang the true carols of Christmas, all those who could speak, testified of their love of God and the belief of the ministering of angels, with tears in their eyes. None of them are LDS, just good God loving people.

Save the brain!

Myrna: But there is a difference between senile dementia and Alzheimers. In my family, it has been senile dementia that has bothered people. My great-grandmother (Pritchett) and my grandmother (Pitts) both had senile dementia. It was caused, in both cases, by strokes. I think that is what caused Uncle Max's problem, as well, though I am not certain. The effects are so much the same--forgetfulness, lack of patience, etc. So what do your doctors say is the cause of Alzheimer's? Isn't it, though the effects are the same, caused more by genetics? What do they do for Alzheimer's? I thought there were new medications they could give to reduce the problems. Love, M

Melanie: At the place where I work, the senile dementia patients have been years without exercise and without good health. The doctors there tell us all the time to stay active and reduce the fat in our diets, it will help to have healthy brains in future years.

 http://www.alzinfo.org/alzheimers-research-prevention.asp
Fisher Center For Alzheimer's Research Foundation
Can taking cholesterol-lowering drugs prevent Alzheimer's disease? Scientific evidence is growing for a link between the use of a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. Statins, which are prescribed to millions of Americans for lowering blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol - the "bad" cholesterol - have been the subject of intense focus in Alzheimer's research ever since a series of epidemiologic studies found that people who took them have a lower incidence of Alzheimer's.Here's what some of the latest studies have found: Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine found that people taking statins reduced their risk of developing Alzheimer's by 29 percent. The study, the largest to date on this subject, tracked more than 2,300 participants and included African-Americans. Alzheimer's incidence was reduced equally in both whites and African-Americans. A team at St. George's Hospital Medical School in London found that using statins to reduce cholesterol levels dramatically lowered the production of beta amyloid in laboratory experiments. Beta amyloid is a protein that abnormally accumulates in the brain in Alzheimer's disease. The group has also shown that raising cholesterol levels increases beta amyloid production. A Tokyo-based research group found similar results, and identified a specific pathway through which statins may exert their effect on beta amyloid. Scientists at Georgetown University found that high cholesterol levels increase the rate at which beta amyloid breaks off from its "parent" protein and accumulates into the plaques found in Alzheimer's disease. They also showed that high cholesterol increases the production of another protein, called APOE, which contributes to nerve cell toxicity when overproduced. Other scientists are looking at the biochemical effects statins have within the brain. A team at the University of South Florida Health Sciences Center discovered that statins were able to block the toxic effects beta amyloid has on nerve cells, and seemed to act through an anti-inflammatory action. Inflammatory processes are thought to contribute to Alzheimer's in ways that are not completely understood.A large, prospective clinical trial is currently underway to try to determine conclusively if statins can prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

A Favor

We got the package today. We would have been fine to wait until Thursday. We got 2 books, 2 dvds and a cd and ornaments. There was also another dvd size package labeled "Tim and Myrna, love Eva." We'll bring that back down.

 Thank you very much.


Myrna wrote: Kimberly, please open Eva's gift and tell me what is inside, please. She gets nervous if I don't talk to her about it soon after Christmas. She will call and ask me if I got it. I would like to say that I had and thank her for whatever it is.
Love, M


Kimberly wrote: A DVD titled "The Christmas Card"

It looks really good, here's a synopsis from Amazon.com. I would watch it.  :)

Product Description: Once in a while, a movie comes along that reminds us how powerful love can be. In the midst of war in Afghanistan, Captain Cody Cullen (John Newton, "Desperate Housewives") is touched by lovely card sent by Faith Spelman (Alice Evans, "The Chris Isaak Show") from the small picturesque town of Nevada City, California. As months pass, the card never leaves his side, giving him the strength to survive and setting him on a mission to find her. The Christmas Card has received massive critical acclaim and audiences are raving. Now for the first time on DVD, Emmy-nominated (TBD) The Christmas Card is available with great bonus features and is the perfect gift for this holiday season!


Myrna wrote, Thank you very much, Kimberly. You have my permission to watch it before you bring it down. It does sound good, doesn't it? Love, M

The Special Gift

Thank you for the beautiful Mother's necklace. You can see it shining in the photo. I do love it. I have wanted one for a long time but have been too stingy to buy one. Thanks dear family.

A DAY OF WONDERMENT AND GRATITUDE

Helen wrote:

Dearest Hon and Sister:

Am sending you a copy of the e-mail I have just sent to Nanci- some will not be relevent for you but the part about Don and Thelma is. Hope you don't mind- I just didn't want to put it all in writing again. I did ask Don for his permission to let you folks and Eva know- He said it was okay- he just doesn't want having alot of phone calls about it. He said he only wants to talk about it when Thelma isn't home, which isn't very ofter. He did say she just doesn't want to be alone any more and if he is out snowblowing the dirve and sidewalk or such, she will come out every few minutes to be sure he is okay and why it is taking him so long. When they go grocery shopping they have the list of items to get- Thelma does check them off and then forgets so they end up with alot more of some of the items. Don just lets it go and said, almost jokingly, at least their food storage is increasing.  Thank you again for the special book for Christmas- the card and christmas letter. Have a really special New Year. So pleased to know how things are going for Crayden. Love you folks so much. Thanks for being you. Love Helen

----- Original Message -----

From: helen trauntvein

To: nanci t done

Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 10:04 PM

My beloved daughter: so much for which to be thankful for.

Thank you for each item of complete thoughtfulness and consideration for meaning for each christmas gift and the card.

Thank you for all of your calls.

Thankyou for your beautiful daughter- she and I had a very good day this day. It worked out , I picked her up from the Dones as 11 a.m. today- we went to Red Lobster for a scrumptuous lunch which included what else ??? Lobster of course. Then by her request we went to the Fashion Place Mall and enjoyed-- Nikki was coming to pick her up about 4 p.m. so we arrived back to Dones about 2:45 p.m. It was such a pleasure to have share our thoughts and some rememberances. She is quite a young lady-- Thank you so kindly for the gift certificate to the Red Lobster, as always this is very thoughtful of you and is most appreciated.

We have had more snow and forcast is for more. We had so much up here on the east bench, with the storm and the lake effect we are literally buried. I LOVE IT !!!!

Thank you so much for the pictures- they are special. They really are "real" people aren't they ??

Auntie called back yesterday and told me the christmas card she had told me came from Judy and Bob wasn't from them. It was from someone whose address back east she wasn't familiar with.

Sweetie, what I now share with you, at least for right now, can only be put in writing as it is toohard to talk about.

 I called Uncle Don and Aunt Thelma yesterday to thank them for the christmas gift they sent me. Aunt Thelma was at the temple so Uncle Don was alone. We spoke about a few things for a while and then with a pause Uncle Don said he needed to talk with me about Aunt Thelma and what is happening. We cried and spoke for about one hour. Aunt Thelma has recently been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimers (?) spelling- Dr. Stone told Uncle Don even though it is in the early stages is is advancing quickly. Uncle Don is just heartbroken and devastated. He said Hon what am I to do- He said he hasn't told the family yet as he didn't want to have it affect their christmas- then through choked tears he said- "I don't know how to tell Thelma".

He reminded me that quite a few years ago Aunt Thelma had worked, or maybe it was volunteered at a nursing home in Logan called the Sunshine Terrace. She really loved it and caring for the folks there. Uncle Don said there were quite a few patients she cared for who had Alzheimers- and she always said if she ever had it she would just want to die.

He said her short term memory is really affected- but she can remember in detail things from the past.

He apologized for putting this heavy burden on me and all I could do was thank him for letting me know and having his permission to let Auntie, and Uncle Tim and Aunt Myrna know, and to reassure him this is really what family is about- is to share in any way possible the burdens and heartaches of each one and do what ever can.

I asked him to call me any time if he just needs to talk or if I can come up and help in any way. I told him as soon as weather permits I will come more often and visit with them.

He is so devasted. They were married 50 yrs. ago this March past.

Oh, my dear--I feel so surreal can't imagine how Uncle Don feels. I did ask him if Aunt Thelma realizes she is having short term memory loss and he said she does and she is so frustrated- I told him this must be very frightening to her also.

Well, my dear daughter, I will close for tonight but wanted to let you know all of the above as I just couldn't call and tell you about Aunt Thelma, this has touched me so deeply for her and for my beloved brother. What devastation and a complete ending of life as it has bee for so long and what changes and challenges to come.

I think I told you some time ago that our beloved friend Pat Jensen also has Alzheimers- ( I did look this word up in the dictionary for spelling- but if one doesn't know how to spell a word how do they find it???? Right--of course right.

Thank you again for the wonderful gifts in all 39 years of our sojourn together--MOST OF ALL FOR THE WONDERMENT OF YOU IN MINE. I love you ever so dearly.

Your Mom

Todd wrote: Not good news.


Myrna wrote: She has always been such a strength to her family. I had the idea, mistaken I now know, that if you stayed active and worked your brain, you had less of a chance of getting this dread disease. Thelma has always studied the gospel and worked at the temple. That requires a lot of memory. I am sad.

Love, M

I Would Like‏ (Auntie Helen's Popcorn Cake Recipe)

From: MYRNA TRAUNTVEIN

Friday, December 26, 2008 11:15 AM

Subject: I Would Like

I would like your recipe for popcorn cake. Both AnnMarie and Amy made it for the neighbor gifts. They also each made one for LHT. I hadn't realized how much he loved it. So I would like to get you recipe for it so I can make it for him from time to time.

Thanks.

We have so much fun together, we three, that I think of you as my blood-sister as well as Leonard's.

Love, M

From: Helen
Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:54:18 -0700

Hi, dear ones:  today is a Thomas Kincade picture perfect day of winter wonderland. Thank you for your e-mail- the receipe I use is:
      
Pop corn cake-
. 22 cups of popped pop corn- ( for the one I brought down at Thanksgiving I used the Country Kettle Corn- what a very good flavor it added- or you can pop your own pop corn)

. 3/4's cup of butter or margarine

. 24 ounces marshmellows

. 1 cup or as much as you like of spicey gun drops- omit black ones or if you desire a black pop corn cake- maybe for halloween !

. 1 cup or as much as you like of nuts- I use the small Spanish salted ones with their skins

. 1cup or as much as you like of chopped or ground up peppermint sticks. Mine are chopped as I don't have a grinder. The chopped gives bigger pieces of peppermint if that is the choice.

Melt butter or margarine in a large pan-then add on low heat  the marshmellows- stir often so they don't burn, until all the marshmellows are melted in with the butter/margarine.

Put pop corn in a large container- add all ingredients prior to pouring in the marshmellow mixture- mix all ingredients well- then all marshmellow mixture stirring it throughout the popcorn.

Put into a prepared dripper pan, sponge cake pan or loaf tins as desired- spray these pans with Pam or just use a shortning so the popcorn doesn't stick to the pan.

This will make a big dripper pan or as many small ones you desire to make, with the batch of popcorn.

When working with it in the pans if you want to use your hands keep them moist with water so the mixture won't stick to your hands. 

THEN HAVE A LOVED ONE SAMPLE !!!! THIS IS A MUST !!!!! 

FOR LONGER SHELF LIFE:
 put into the refigerator or in a cool place if desired, if left on the counter or table the shelf life is Extremely Limited.

WARNING !!!!!!
THESE CAN BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH--AS THEY ARE HABIT FORMING.
BUT OH, WHAT A HABIT---RIGHT?? OF COURSE RIGHT.  

ENJOY !!

Have special Sabbath. Love you both very much. 
  Your eternal sister- thanks for being in my eternal sojourn, I wouldn't have wanted to miss having You Both.

Just Me---HT  

From: L H and Myrna Trauntvein 12/28/08

To: Helen Trauntvein

Yummy! I will make one on Monday. I guess that LHT is my sample person, right? He is a loved one and he likes to sample so he fits the requirements.

Thanks for the recipe and for everything else. We do love you.

M

Melanie Wrote

Myrna wrote:  I am really pleased with the mother's necklace. I have wanted one for some time but have not wanted to pay the price. So thank you.

Dad and I have been looking at mills because ours does not work anymore. Julie has the style you gave us so it is proved (meaning we know it works). Thank you for that also. Thank you.

We spent a quiet day alone, Dad and I, on Christmas. You can see more about it on the family blog site. I hope you had the right amount of money in each envelope? I hope you finally got the envelopes and the presents. I will have to remember to start much earlier next year. If you did get the package, did the kids like the books? I am sorry there is not an adult one. Maybe I can send two next year.
Love, M

Melanie wrote: I haven't been online. We were planning on calling you, but had visitors drop by, unannounced. Therefore, we spent time with them that we would have spent calling you. I thought that you would be working today at the Temple, so I didn't call you today. 

We did get all the cards, with the generous amounts of money. The children were so thrilled! They love the money idea. They are still trying to decide how they want to spend it. We encouraged them to save it for next year when we will be coming out to Utah, but they can't seem to think that far ahead. 

The books were very appropriate. We laughed when we opened the DVD, because I had made the comment that I wanted to buy it, but thought I ought to wait to see if someone gave it to me for Christmas. 

We love you!
Thank you very much. 

By-the-way, I haven't used my wheat mill yet. I shared one like it with Marylynne when we lived in Missouri, and I have a TON of wheat. I have a list of many things I want to use my wheat for, so I need to get my nose to the grinding stone, literally. 

Love you.
Melanie