I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged! Life just seems to get in the way.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Geez Louise!
Posted by Linda Lou at 5:50 AM 5 comments
Monday, November 7, 2011
Abomosu Here We Come!
As promised ... I'll catch you up on my trip to Africa after telling you what I've been up to.
Posted by Linda Lou at 7:43 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, October 19, 2011





Posted by Linda Lou at 6:50 AM 1 comments
Looking Forward To This Day!
I know ... I know ... guilt trip ... It's been months since I've posted anything on my blog. I promise nothing is wrong. In fact everything is terrific. Yesterday was a day that I've been waiting and longing for, for years! I officially joined the ranks of receiving social security and I've semi-retired from my job. I'm taking my Social Security early because I'm afraid if I don't there won't be any left when I reach full retirement age. And ... gosh darn ... I've worked hard and I'm getting older and I deserve a little break from work! So yesterday was glorious. I woke early and sat in bed crocheting, then did a little reading, ate a little breakfast, played with the dog, took a little nap, ran some errands, cleaned a little bit, networked three of our computers to a printer, cleaned a carpet, and rearranged Lynn's office. I think he's afraid I'm taking over his personal space. I am!
Posted by Linda Lou at 5:15 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
I'm On My Way Tomorrow!!!
Ghana, Africa ... here I come!
Posted by Linda Lou at 8:28 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
PLEASE VOTE FOR WORLD JOY!
Hey Everyone .... it's a dark, dreary, dismal rainy day here in Salt Lake this morning. I HATE this kind of weather. Give me the sunshine and I'm a happy camper! You'll all probably laugh in a few weeks when my tune changes. I'll be leaving for Africa on June 22nd and I'm sure I will be experiencing some very hot and rainy weather. UGH! But I'm soooo looking forward to the trip. I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm excited ... all emotions are swirling around in my head. I'm not afraid that something scary is going to happen to me. I think I know what I will encounter, but until I REALLY see and feel the poverty and the living conditions of the villagers it will hit me hard and it will be very emotional for me. Not sure how I can handle that. I want to help everyone and yet I know it's not possible!
We had the most wonderful donation from Ogio. They delivered over $28,000 worth of backpacks and computer sleeves for our children and teachers in Ghana. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they are delivered. We have a fabulous sponsor who ships containers to Ghana every few months and has offered to ship the backpacks for free. Our first shipment of used books arrived a couple of weeks ago. They will be going into our first, ever school library. Isn't that marvelous?
World Joy has been nominated for the Vivint Gives Back Project for 2011. With your help, we have the chance to win $250,000, but we need your votes daily to win. A few months ago the Utah Food Bank was in a voting campaign to receive one million dollars ... and with their supporters they were the winners of the million from WalMart! We just need to get the word out! Put the link on your facebook, blogs, e-mails and help us raise funds for our mothers and children in Africa. You can vote once a day for World Joy. Please get the ball rolling to help our wonderful charity.
Here's the link to vote, http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject. When you get to the site you'll need to click on the Mountain Zone, View All, List, and then click on the "W" for World Joy. There will be voting button to click on. Let's make this happen!
Thanks to you demonstrators who have graciously donated retired alphabet sets, stamp sets, ink and paper to World Joy for our expedition. These supplies will be used in the classroom to help support our English teaching classes. We can still use more supplies. Please send to World Joy, 420 W. 1500 S., Ste. 101, Bountiful, UT 84010. If you let me know the value of your donation I can send you a receipt for tax purposes.
Can't wait to see many of you at our upcoming Evening to Remember - World Joy 2011 event. We will be having an organized swap, with (20) in each group. You can access our web here for information regarding the swap. You will need to bring your own adhesive and scissors for your projects. I still have a few more seats available. Please visit www.worldjoyghana.org to register or call me at 801-797-9935.
Loves and Hugs to All! -- Lou
Posted by Linda Lou at 8:13 AM 2 comments
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
I DID IT ... I REALLY DID IT!!
Two weeks ago I participated in my first ever Half Marathon. I've told you before, but I'll tell you again ... I've NEVER run in my life. Well, once ... when I was a teenager and was being chased by a bear. For reals! My counsins and I had walked about 7 miles across the fields to our other ranch in Montana, up in the mountains for a day of fishing and lunching. My cousin caught a fish and a nice, ole bear smelled that fish and proceeded to chase after him, until he threw the fishing pole and fish down and ran. The bear was more interested in the fish, thank heavens! I think we ran the entire 7 miles without stopping and didn't dare look back.
Anyway, a few months ago I shared with you how I was crazy, but was going to train for my first race. I faithfully trained, following the Jeff Galloway 'walking' schedule for the half marathon. I can't remember how many weeks we trained, but it seemed like it was forever! My daughters would come to the house early Saturday mornings for our long runs/walks. I began to dread our Saturdays because it took up most of the morning. But I loved the talks and associations with my girls.
The night before the race we met at Mimi's Cafe for a pasta feast. Well, mine wasn't much of a feast, because of my small tummy, but it was good and we had a great time laughing, chatting, eating, and geting our minds set for the big race the next day.
My baby sis and her daughter from Idaho came and joined us for the race. They too had been training. My oldest daughter Angie, and middle daughter, Laurel have both joined Weight Watchers and have lost 60 pounds. I'm soooo proud of them, and they raced with us, as well. My darling daughter-in law, Camie and my niece, Nancy joined us too. (Nancy qualified for the Boston Marathon so we weren't quite in her league. And Camie is running a Tri-athalon in a few weeks. She's not only a racer, but a biker too.) So we had a great group to train and motivate each other.
The day of the race dawned bright and early! I was sooo excited, but nervous for the un-known. I was certain that completing the race wouldn't be an issue, but I wanted to complete it in 3 hours. That would mean keeping a pace of a 15 minute mile, which is pretty 'clippy'. The furthest we had walked was 10 1/2 miles in our training. What's another 2 1/2 miles, right? The course started up at Primary Children's Hospital, on a hill ... thank goodness. There were over 10,000 people in the race! Can you believe that? We made our way to the back of the pack. Our race number on our chest had a chip in it, and when we crossed over the start line, it started tracking our speed and time.
I promised my daughter Angie that I wouldn't leave her and we would complete the race together. What a wonderful time we had. I remember seeing the first mile marker and we cheered and raised our arms in the air, as if we had just completed the marathon. It was exciting! There was a LOT of energy around us and it was a perfect morning for a race. The skies were overcast and the weather was perfect for a long sleeve top, with just a little threat of rain in the air. Not too hot, not too cold. As we made our way along the course, I noticed gloves, hats, jackets, and scarves thrown on the ground, left abandoned, waiting for the owners to hopefully retrieve them at the end of the race. Runners were already warming up and discarding their extra clothing. Thanks to Camie and the use of her top, "I was perfect ... not too hot, not too cold, just right", as Goldilocks would say.
We were told that the race would be marked every mile, and it wasn't. It was disappointing because neither of us had those fancy Garmin watches to tell us how far we had gone and how fast our speed was. We were trying to calculate from our watches. But the best site of all was coming down 2700 South, which is just a few blocks from my home and hearing our baby daughter yelling and screaming for us, and seeing Lynn and Dieter and Lindsey waiting for us and cheering us on. It makes me cry just remembering the scene. We were still going strong and feeling great, other than we needed a 'potty' break. We would run some, walk some, and when I would lag behind, Angie would spur me on, and vice versa. We were sooo good for each other.
We probably waited in line for the 'potty' at least 15 minutes. We were tempted to 'squat' behind a bush, but my dignity just wouldn't let me! Some runners who ran past us, looked like they had just went in their pants ... probably did ... that's what I'm told the serious runners do. I guess I'll never be a serious runner! After waiting all of that time for the 'potty' ... Ang decided that she wouldn't go, which caused us to have another potty break down the road.
Who would have ever thought that I could walk from Primary Children's Hospital to my home? This was amazing! And I was still walking ... still had a long way to go. When we arrived at Liberty Park, we found another wonderful site ... Lynn, Dieter, and Linz cheering us on. It was exhilarating seeing the red, 23 mile marker. The red signs were for the full Marathon runners. The route split at Sugar House Park and then joined up just past Liberty Park. When we got to State Street and looked UP the hill, I thought, "Wow ... I never imagined State Street was soooo steep." You don't notice it when you're riding in a car up the street, but you sure do when you're walking it. Those last three miles weren't difficult at all. The hill was great! I had good tunes in my ears and was dancing and singing and 'egging' Ang up the hill. Later she told me that she was having a hard time and every bone in her body hurt. I had no 'hurts' at all ... not one little whit. It was amazing!
We did have a good laugh when several good looking, fit, buff men ran past us. I thought, "Wow ... you mean we've been in front of these guys the whole race? Man ... we're really haulin'!" After a few more ran past us, the lady next to me said, "Those are the marathon runners!" Deflated I said, "Ohhhhh...."
Coming down the home stretch was so energetic. Thinking that we were going to run right into the Gateway behind the Union Pacific, and then finding out that the route turned south for a few blocks was discouraging, because we had started running thinking it was the Finish Line. And of course there were thousands of our fans cheering us on, we couldn't stop running now .... we had to keep going, and we did! Our finish time was 3 hours 21 minutes. I figure that we made our goal of finishing in 3 hours because we stopped twice for a potty break.
If you would like to see more pics of our race along the route, check out the website marathonfotos.com, put in my last name, Hansen, and choose the Salt Lake Marathon race and our pictures will come up. The 'sweat' on Angie's shirt is NOT 'sweat' ... she spilled her water.
Well ... end of race, end of story. But wait ... there's more! I've signed up for the Halloween Half Marathon in October, running down Provo Canyon. It's downhill all the way and is supposed to be a beautiful run. Come join me if you're in the area. I'd LOVE having you. We have a group on Facebook where we motivate and encourage each other with our training program. Now, I've got to get back to training during the week. I've been a 'slacker' lately!
Posted by Linda Lou at 8:12 AM 7 comments
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Urgent Update!
Thank you, thank you for the HUGE response to the building of our well in Abrenya, Ghana, Africa! We're ALMOST there. I only have a few spots left for our Evening to Remember, so first come first serve. I don't want to have to turn anyone away, like I had to last year.
I'm soooo excited I'm going to cry ... literally. This is a dream come true. This could not be possible without your generous hearts.
More later ... gotta run ... we have a well to drill!
Love You -- Linda
Posted by Linda Lou at 1:00 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
I'm Baaack!
It's a great day! Wonderful things are in the works and I'm so grateful for all that the Lord has blessed me with. Let me share a few of those blessings.
I'm so blessed to have you as my friends. You have been such a joy and inspiration in my life. You were with me through the passing of my mother, you have supported me in my Stampin' Up! days, you cheered me on in my weight loss success, and you continue to e-mail, phone, and send cards of encouragement of love and support. Thank you, thank you, thank you ... I'm so blessed!
I know that we are all anxiously waiting for April 1st for the announcement of Stampin' Up!'s convention schedule. Once again, I can reassure you that World Joy's event will not interfere with anything that Stampin' Up! has planned. I've moved my event to 4:00 p.m. so you'll have plenty of time to come over and swap, stamp your projects and have a delicious buffet dinner, and be back in time for any festivities that Stampin' Up! may have planned.
The reason why I tell you this in advance of April 1st is because the media is going to have me on their TV program announcing our event to build the well. The event will be open to the general public. I want to give you 'first dibs' on registering. Click here to register.
Why else am I excited? Because we are going to build a merry-go-round in our little village of Abrenya, the one we are raising money for the well, and the 'whirl' will generate electricity for the school and charge (40) battery operated lanterns for the children to take home in the evening. This village has NO electricity. The lanterns are assigned to leaders who are in charge of keeping them charged. The leaders are in charge of 6 children who gather in the evening as a study group around their lantern. Test scores have risen at least 50% since the children have been able to study at night. Isn't that AMAZING?? I'm going to the inventor's home to play on the 'whirl' and charge the lanterns to see how they work. Doesn't that sound like fun?
Am I'm also excited because World Joy is coming to St. George, Utah and Mesa, Arizona. We'll be doing some fund raiser dinners and auctions in those cities this year. There is a wonderful lady who called our office yesterday and volunteered her reception center and is providing the food and venue for the event on December 2nd. I can't get over the generosity of people! And our Mesa event will be on November 6th.
And .... I'm going to Ghana on June 24th! We will be teaching English to the school children. I'm so excited I can't wait. My Visa came the other day.
What else am I excited about? Oh .... you know that I've been training for a Half Marathon on April 17th in Salt Lake. I'll be so happy to get it OVER with. Our long walks/runs are on Saturdays and it takes up such a big chunk of my time. I'm beginning to not like it sooo much. But I do like the results after the walk is over. I feel good ... well most of the time ... if I've had a good rest the night before. We walked 10 1/2 miles last Saturday!
How am I doing with my weight? Well, I'm maintaining. When I started training for the Marathon I gained about 4 pounds. I've lost 2 of those. My weight stays right around 147-149. I'm still wearing a size 10 ... oh wait ... I bought a pair of size 8 corduroys the other day. I still continue eating too much sugar and have bad headaches. When will I EVER learn? After the candy is gone in the house I won't buy more, I promise!
And last, but not least, I'm blessed with a wonderful family who love and support me. Most weekends have been spent tending grandchildren, which I adore. Our daughter Natalie joined us last week from Oregon for a few days. It was wonderful having her just to ourselves ... no children to compete with. She didn't have to make her bed ... got to sleep in ... eat when she wanted ... lounge around in her jammies ... and just have a relaxed time with her siblings and Mom and Dad. She needed the R&R. She's expecting her 4th baby.
So, that's about it for now. I'm teaching myself how to can meat tonight. Pray I don't blow up the house with the pressure cooker! Yikes .... I'll share more on the Bag Meal preparation and why I'm canning meat. It's amazing what I've been doing with food storage and I'd love to share my recipes and how to's. It's great for the working Mom in helping simplify meal time!
Love and Hugs to All! See you soon!
Posted by Linda Lou at 8:11 AM 3 comments
Monday, February 21, 2011
Register Now for An Evening to Remember, 2011 - World Joy
I'm so excited I can barely stand it! The possibility of bringing clean, pure, beautiful drinking water to the villagers in Abrenya is becoming a reality with each new day. Many of you have already taken a leap of faith and registered for our event, not even knowing the schedule of events for convention. I thank you for your trust and support!
I would never purposely plan anything to interfere with the scheduled events for convention. Not knowing what is being planned I need to take a 'leap of faith' and schedule my venue for Friday, July 15th. At the present I have our event scheduled from 6:00 until 9:00 p.m. IF we need to move the event to earlier in the afternnoon, I have the option of doing that as well.
For those of you who attended last year, you know that it truly WAS an Evening to Remember. Not only was the food 'to die for', but the renewing of old acquaintances, and making new friends, and stamping gorgeous projects, and participating in the best swap ever was priceless. BUT this year will be even BETTER, because your participation is truly making a difference in that little village in Ghana. Seats are going quickly, so don't delay. Click on this link to pay for your spot for An Evening to Remember and build the well in Abrenya!.
For those of you who can't attend Convention, you can still participate in the building of the well. We'll accept any donation, large or small, and it's tax deductible! Click on this link to make a donation for the building of the well.
So what's for eats on the menu. Let's see, how about The Traditional Buffet, with all you can eat.
- Mixed green salad with condiments and dressing.
- Assorted seasonal fruit tray.
- Prime Rib with Au Jus
- Apricot cranberry glazed chicken
- Seasonal vegetables
- Parslied new red potatoes
- Chocolate macadamia nut moussecake with an Oreo cookie crust.
- Hard rolls
- Sparkling cranberry juice
And yes, we'll have an organized swap that you'll want to sign up for. More details forthcoming. There will also be an incredible item that will be up for 'auction'. I'm not going to tell you just what it is ... but it's something that you'll ALL want, I promise! So, save your pennies for the 'live' auction item.
And, last but not least, don't forget the incredible stamping projects donated by the one and only, Dawn Rapsas! Dawn is the creator of UStamp with Dawn and Friends. This is an amazing website which gives you access to incredible stamping projects with tutorials and step by step instructions with pictures. This new round of projects will focus on the Big Shot. Dawn has a line up of incredible designers, including the one and only, Jaron Winder, and THE Designer of our Exclusive Stampin' Up! Bigz XL Die the O Christmas Tree Pop-Up and the Pop-Up Three Tier Cake, Karen Burniston. Oh, and did I mention ... I'm a Guest Designer on UStamp too and I've got some great projects that I've already started working on. You won't want to miss out. Please click on this link to register for UStamp with Dawn.
That's about it for now. Don't delay. Last year's An Evening to Remember sold out quickly!
Posted by Linda Lou at 10:34 AM 3 comments
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Get Ready ... Get Set ... Go!
Before I break the BIG news ... let me tell you a quick story. Almost two years ago, I took my last trip with Stampin' Up! to London, Ontario, Canada. On the way home we had a layover in Detroit, Michigan. I had my really expensive handbag on the chair next to me. It was a later flight in the evening and the only people down by our gate were the ones waiting to board our plane. My traveling companion sat down next to me and her skirt was covering my purse so I didn't see it when I stood up to board the plane. As soon as I got seated on the plane I realized that my purse was missing. The pilot had me come up to the front of the cockpit while he radioed for help to find my purse. But alas my purse was gone. It was the worst trip home ... because everything was in my purse, from SS card to passport, check book, debit card, camera, glasses ... you name it, it was in there! It's the most horrible feeling knowing that someone is pilfering through your personal items and knows a lot about you.
Just before Christmas I got a notice in the mail saying that some loose items had been found at the post office and there was postage due of $1.90 for the items. I kept ignoring the attempt to deliver because I didn't know of anyone sending me a package. I finally stopped at the PO and the desk clerk retrieved the envelope with my name on it and told me to open the package and I could refuse it if needed. I opened the envelope and the message inside was from the post office in Detroit telling me that some loose items had been found at their office. Out plopped my Stampin' Up! passport holder and inside was my credit cards, DL, and passport. I was floored. This has been almost two years! My temple recommend and SS card is still missing, which concerns me and of course my camera, glasses and nice handbag .... BOOOOO! Just wish I knew the story behind the stolen purse. Wouldn't that be interesting? Anyway, someone was either feeling guilty or simply found my items dumped somewhere. Thank you whoever you are!
O.K... so I just participated in my FIRST EVER 5K Frigid Race in Provo, Utah. What an amazing experience! I'm not a runner and don't profess to be one. I've only been training for the Salt Lake Half Marathon for less than three weeks, but my daughter-in-law talked me into running with her. Although the air was 'gunky' and it was cold .... duh .... wonder why it's called the Frigid 5K?... it was a wonderful experience. There were only about 35 in the race and they were mostly young college kids. That was to my advantage because I received an award for the oldest female and I had the best time in my division ... 43:47 for 3.2 miles. Not too shabby for an ole slow-poke. I walked fairly fast and shuffled a few times. There was a lady with a dog behind me and a young, heavy-set girl behind her. I was bound and determined that they weren't going to beat me. Every time I heard the woman running behind me, I picked up the pace. I beat em' both! I think I'll enter the Chinese New Year 5K race in February. Come join me!
Now for the BIG NEWS .... YES ... I'm going to have another Evening to Remember in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 15, 2011 at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. I was debating the other day about having the event because it's so much work and after hearing about the forgotten Village of Abrenya, the thought hit me like a bolt of lightening ... why not hold the event, charge $50 more than last year and donate all of the proceeds for the building of the well. I contacted the villagers and they are so excited to think that this may become a reality. And by paying your money directly to World Joy, this will be a tax write off for you because we're a 501 (c)3 non-profit foundation.
I'm taking reservations now, and payment, because all of the profits will be donated to World Joy to build a well in the Village of Abrenya, Ghana, Africa. (I need $10,000) They need to build the well during the dry months which is January-March, hence that's the reason for taking payment now.
The cost for the event will be $100, which will include a delicious buffet dinner, gorgeous ambiance and view of the city, entertainment, and some stamping projects. Call me quickly at 801-294-5581, World Joy from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday to reserve your spot. I can accept credit cards over the phone or you can e-mail me your information at lindah@worldjoyinc.org. Or you can send a check to World Joy, 420 W. 1500 S., Ste. 101, Bountiful, Utah 84010. Remember, last year's event sold out in less than a day!
Now for another BIG ANNOUNCEMENT .... Our famous, one and only, Dawn Rapsas from the state of New Jersey has offered to donate ALL of the stamping supplies for the projects that will be made at the event! Dawn is one of the most generous, kind, happy, creative, business oriented, exciting, and motivational people I have ever known. In 2008-2009, Dawn earned the status of #32 Demonstrator of the Year. In 2009-2010 she was #1 Demo of the Year. And for 2010-2011 she earned the title of #3 Demo of the Year! Last year she was the Winner of the Workshop of a Lifetime Recruiting Challenge. She is also the creator and CEO of UStamp with Dawn. For a small fee you will have access to some of the greatest stampers in the world, showing you projects through pictures, detailed instructions, and video. Thousands of crafters have received ideas for their personal projects as well as their business ideas.
Our stamping projects for the evening will be phenomenal, thanks to our own Dawn. We love you, Dawn!Due to the payment of the drilling of the well, in advance of our Evening to Remember, there can be no refunds. But, if for some reason you are not able to make the event, you are welcome to sell/give your seat to another attendee.
Posted by Linda Lou at 7:36 AM 6 comments