Incredible Woman #38 - Barbara Anderson. Friday's Question. (a day late!)

KARA: "You just started working on you family genealogy-- tell us about some of the interesting things you've found."

BARBARA: "I haven't gotten too far into it. Kara had done some of my mother's family but I found out my great-great-grandmother was never married and she had three sons. She was adopted and that is how she acquired her name. Her welfare was paid for by 3 brothers of the birth father. She managed to purchase the land of all 3 brothers at their demise, for her sons to have. She was very enterprising for a single mother in the 1850's. It is exciting to learn a few things about our grandparents generations back. I know that they were hard working, compassionate people who cared about their families and wanted the best for them. The women were made of sterner stuff than I am, for they all had 8 to 18 children. WOW!!! There is so much to learn and I'm only at the tip of the iceberg. Looking forward to learning more. Bruce's sister has found that our daughters are descended from 3 families on the Mayflower, and that one grandfather was on the boat with George Washington when he crossed the Delaware. It is so exciting to learn about your family tree."

KARA: "Tell us your beauty secrets! What makes you fell healthy and happy?"

BARBARA: "Ha! Ha! My mother taught me that beauty is as beauty does. Every day I try to wash my face day and night and use moisture cream. I still am getting wrinkles!!!! I hope my insides are better than the outside. I think you have to fill your life with as much good as possible. Others see us and judge us by our actions, not by how many wrinkles we have. I have never thought of myself as beautiful even though my husband says I am. I think he is prejudiced! I know that you have to be active and engaged in good things to be happy. I hope for my future I can be."

Just wanted to say thanks to my mom for answering the questions in the interview. I think she was hoping I'd just pass over her! But, she is definitely one of the most incredible women i know! I really love her TONS! I'm sure you can see why. This interview will stay up in it's entirety through Sunday afternoon. Join us next week for another incredible woman.

Have a great weekend!

Incredible Woman #38 - Barbara Anderson. Thursday's Question.

KARA: "Tell us your love story. After 45 years of marriage, what makes your marriage a success? What is the most important thing you and your husband do for each other?"

BARBARA: "Bruce and I met when I was 13 and he was 15, at a church dance. It was not love at first sight. I thought his friend was a better catch. I learned what a big mistake that was. Bruce and I went together exclusively for 4 1/2 years, and were married April 23, 1965. Everyone said it wouldn't last because we were so young, but I knew he was the one for me. We have had our good times and some bad. But we have always stood by each other and our love has never faltered. As our children came along we had our differences about how to raise them but we worked things out by communicating and talking things out. The differences were always about the little things and not about the major things. Our parents had brought us up well, and taught us to follow the council of our family and church leaders. We have always been in love. So you overlook the imperfections and work to make yourselves better. We are still working on that. I think that every good marriage has its compromises. One person is not always right or wrong. You have to work together. We both love our children more than ourselves. And we love each other more than our own selves. You have to want to work together to solve any problems that come up. Bruce is my life now and he always has been. Our love has grown each year, week, day!!!! Have we ever had fights ? YES!! Have I usually been right? YES!!! But you don't get mad and call it quits. You work things out. I thank God every day for such a wonderful husband."

KARA: "Now that you are retired, tell us what plans you have. What are you looking most forward to?"

BARBARA: "Well, because my daughter is writing this blog I am not going to tell everything I'm going to do. I have to keep her and her sister in suspense. But I guess I'm looking forward to doing anything I want. Not having to get up at a certain time each day and go to work. I'm excited to spend more time with my husband doing things that we like to do. Spending more time with my daughters, just going to lunch, or anything else we want. Take Ellie, our youngest granddaughter to the zoo, having more great grandkids. Painting some, doing genealogy. READING. Maybe I'll learn to oil paint at some time. Also I inherited a piano from my mother-in-law and I would like to learn to play it... maybe I can talk Kara into teaching me!"

Tomorrow is our last day with Barbara. I hope you are enjoying this interview as much as I am. I'm learning things I never knew, even though Barbara is my mom! Tomorrow we'll talk about Barbara's new hobby - Genealogy, and ask her what her beauty secrets are (I know one - Oil of Olay!)

Incredible Woman #38 - Barbara Anderson. Wednesday's Question.

KARA: "You've traveled quite a bit.. what is your favorite trip? If you could have any vacation, what would it be?"

BARBARA: "Well, I guess I love to cruise. If I could have any trip? Cruise around the world with my family. Bruce and I also love England. I would love to go back there and see more. All the little villages and castles etc. I love art and the museums are fabulous. I wish I had enough money to take all the kids and grand kids with us. But come what may."

KARA: "Tell us about your grandchildren."

BARBARA: "What can I say - they are incredible. We started out with 7 boys from two girls. Pretty good !!!! Then - Surprise!!!!! "Mom how would you feel about 5 more grandkids????" "If that is what makes you happy, great!" Kris added a girl of all things to the works and 4 more boys. What a party we have had over the years. But that wasn't the end. Dave and Kris adopted a little angel from Guatemala. She has been everyone's delight. So you can see there are never any dull moments in our life. We are just starting the GREAT GRANDCHILDREN!!!!! We have one girl and she is as cute as a bugs ear. We are so fortunate."

KARA: "What are some of your favorite memories as a grandma?"

BARBARA: "All of them. It is hard to pick out one over another. All of the kids have been, said, and done the funniest things. They are all the cutest kids alive. We have been very blessed with the smartest, bravest, most giving grandchildren there are. They all show us their love whenever we see them and when they are not around us by being honest, trustworthy. I guess |I am like every other grandma. I just think my grandchildren are the best. There is one experience that I had with Grant, our first grandson. We were at my brother's house for a wedding and Grant was running in and out of the kitchen like a banshee. I turned around and gave him a spank as he went by and he turned and looked at me like he couldn't believe that his grandma could do that. It totally broke my heart!!!! I turned back to the sink and started to cry. Why oh why had I done such a terrible thing???? Kara after a few minutes said "Mom are you crying? Because you spanked Grant?" Well I learned that day why my sweet mother-in-law would never spank her grandchildren. She just had them kneel and pray to be better. As Kris said one time when she was about 3 years old, "Heavenly Father, help me not to be so yukky......."

Haha, yeah, that's sounds just like my sister! Thanks for joining us today. Please return tomorrow for more of the interview with Barbara.

Incredible Woman #38 - Barbara Anderson. Tuesday's Question.

KARA: "Tell us about the businesses you have owned. Which one was the most successful? what are the good and bad things about owning your own business?"

BARBARA: "I have owned a beauty salon for 25 years. It was a great way to help support the family and be able to take time with my children when they needed me. You meet a lot of great people and I made some great friendships over the years.I sold the salon and opened a craft store and taught painting classes. I loved it but the 6 days a week, 12 hour days finally got to me and after 5 years we sold the store to one of my customers and taught painting for a few more years. Then I worked 3 or 4 days a week to help out financially. I guess both of my companies were successful in their own right. We had good customers that supported us in both for many years. We made some really good friends and I learned some good talents to pass on to my family. Both girls cut hair very well and do their families and they paint very well also, Kris taught classes with me and Kara loves it. In the future I'm sure we will enjoy painting together.

The only bad thing about owning your own business I guess is making sure that you provide for your future financially. It is very easy to over look the savings account and just have a good time."

KARA: "Talk about some of the trials you have been through. What has helped you get through those tough times. Which trial has helped you grow the most, taught you the most?"

BARBARA: "When our girls were teenagers, our financial life fell apart and we had to take out bankruptcy. That was not a time I would like to go through again. To be parents of teenagers and have nothing left but kids and furniture is hard. The kids don't understand and it is hard to try to explain to them what is happening and you just want to make it all go away and be ok again. It took a lot of years of hard work to get back to being prosperous again. And because you are so worried about everything it is hard to see the bad effects it has on your children .

Probably our most devastating trial was the loss of our second daughter. She was born at the 6th month of my pregnancy, and lived for one day. I think my husband and I both fell back on our religion on this trial and it helped us get through the tough days. Since that time, I have tried to live the best I can so that in the next life I can have her with me.

My daughters illnesses have been very hard for me to experience. When your children are grown you can only be there for them to lean on for support. You can't tell them what is best or what to do. You can only pray they will get through and be well again. That is when I must turn to a higher authority than myself to get through those trying times."

Join us tomorrow for 2 more questions/answers in our interview with Barbara.

Incredible Woman #38 - Barbara Anderson. Monday's Question.

This week I'm featuring my mother, Barbara Anderson (in honor of Mother's Day). She a wonderful mom, and I've learned so much from her. She was married young (17). She lost my sister, Carmen, when she was born. Mom was 19 at the time. She has owned several businesses. I remember that she went to beauty school when I was young, and owned her own salon, called The Hair Loft, while I was growing up. She did my hair until I got married and moved across the country. She pierced my ears! I remember the smells from her salon - the perm solution and the hair spray. I really loved that place. My mother taught me that "You don't pluck your eyebrows - you pluck a chicken! You TWEEZE your eyebrows." And, "You don't paint your nails - you paint a house! You POLISH your nails." My mother is incredibly talented. She paints, and own a plaster shop where she taught classes for years. She helped me paint some vases, a lamp, and a bust called "Old Warrior" for my new house when I moved back home to Utah. My mother was 38 years old when I got married. She was a grandma at the age of 40! Mom has had plenty of trials in her life, but has always come out on top! She's taught me so much about being beautiful, kind, helpful, etc. She was so strong while I had chemo for breast cancer a year ago. She was my chemo partner - taking me to chemo, sitting with me all day long, and taking me home afterward - she would stop to get my medications, and then take me home and tuck me in bed. She always believed I would be able to get rid of the cancer, and be ok again. She was one of my strongest supporters. I couldn't have done it without her. I really love her, and I'm excited about sharing her with you this week. I hope you'll visit here each day to learn a little bit more about her. Here are the first two questions... ENJOY!

KARA: Tell us about yourself. What makes you an Incredible Woman?"

BARBARA: "Well, I think I have led a pretty normal life. I have an incredible husband that loves me. I have no doubt about that. I also have been blessed with two incredible daughters. I tried my best to raise them as my Heavenly Father would have wanted me to. Also I have had a lot of help from two wonderful mothers. My mom taught me from her example how to be a loving mother and my mother-in-law also set a wonderful example of what a mom should be. I don't know how I could fail with two Moms to help out all these years. I think that we all learn from our mistakes, I hope I didn't make too many. I have always tried to set a good example to my family , in my deeds and actions. Looking back, I know there are some things I would do differently, but all in all I think things have worked out pretty good. I guess I am pretty stubborn and I usually will discuss things until I get my way. Sometimes I have had to readjust my ideas. I feel that I am a fairly religious person and I try to look at any decisions that I make from that stand point."

KARA: "Describe your family. What have you learned from each one?"

BARBARA: "My parents:
My father was a kind, generous, loving Dad with more patience than anyone I know. But even at that, I could always wrap him around my little finger, which I told my mom I could do many times!
My mom, she was soft and sometimes hard. Loving and strict. Always there for me... a teacher of many things. I probably didn't learn as much as I could of because I always thought I knew everything. Life teaches you that you don't. Maybe some of the things I just learned and didn't know it.

Kara my daughter. I love her so much. She is hard to explain. Thoughtful, trustworthy, a loving mom and wife. Stubborn as I am, but giving, and forgiving. She has always had her head on straight and is very close to her Heavenly Father. She is strong, tender, accomplished, knows what she wants and is not afraid of working to get it. She has been through some incredible trials, some I wish I could have had for her, but she has come through them a stronger, more compassionate person. She is willing to help anyone with any problem. I know that a lot of other women will be helped by her experiences. She is a best friend to her sister, and she will help anyone with whatever. I could go on forever talking about her because I am so proud of her.

Kristin my daughter. I love her so much. She has been through some tough times. She is strong, beautiful,full of love and kindness. She is there to help everyone. She is a wonderful mom. There is a never-ending supply of love with her. She will defend her chicks to the bitter end. She has a volatile temper, which she gets from her father. Don't get on her wrong side! Trustworthy, compassionate, generous, can't stand to see anyone in need. She has had more surgeries than any eighty year old. She has always been there for Kara to hold her hand, and give support to her. Just possibly the best sister ever.

Both of my girls are mothers of boys and so understand them like no other. I have learned that their lives have been much different from mine raising children, but just as wonderful. I keep asking myself what have I done to deserve such great women to call my own.

Two great son-in-laws. They both are hard workers, they never fail to support their wives and children in what ever they do. They protect their families and are always there to help out the girls when they need it. They are loving, generous and kind. I am very proud to call both of them my sons. I could not have picked better husbands for the girls.

13 grandchildren. I learn every day how lucky I am to be able to call them mine.

My wonderful husband, best friend, lover, companion. He is my everything. Loving, generous to a fault, a protector, and he loves me just like I am."