Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Family Portrait probably around 1983-84.

One of the reasons I needed to go home to Vernon was to finish up my visiting teaching.  I called Jean Howard and found out that she is here in Chandler and so we arranged to go to lunch together tomorrow.  I guess I will be staying and go home tomorrow afternoon.  James also keeps promising to take me out to eat.  He knows the way to my heart.  My diet has gone by the wayside.

Today being taco Tuesday, we went to Serrano's for lunch.  James had the fajitas and I had a chicken enchilada and a beef taco.  We also enjoyed chips, bean dip, and salsa.  It was a tasty meal.

I could only eat part of my enchilada.  I took the rest home.

This afternoon I went to Kim's to watch "DWTS" with her.  She has scouts this evening and needed some pocket knives.  Terry gave her three that George had given him.

I loved Wanya and Lindsey on "DWTS".  They were awesome!

 Tonight was Latin night and they did the Salsa.

 

Monday, March 28, 2016

Happy 88th Birthday to my Aunt Gene,

my dad's only sibling.  I love her!

I was going to go home today to get my visiting teaching done, but James talked me in to staying. While he was at work I drove to Dr. Allen's on Baseline and Power Rd. to pick up my thyroid pills.
I also went to visit Trina and Lola.  Trina took me to see the house they are buying.  It is near Ray and Signal Butte in the new Eastmark subdivision. 

The subdivision is amazing with five parks and other recreational facilities and two schools.  Darrel and Trina have a nice view of the Superstition Mountain out the upstairs window.

Trina is very excited about the house.  It should close either on the 30th or 31st of this month.

 Trina and Lola

Lola trying out the new carpet.

Even though it sounds like it is a long ways out, the 202 goes right to it.  It only took me about 20 minutes to get back to Cathi and Terry's.  

James was home waiting for me to go to lunch.  We were going to use our gift card and go to Black Angus but it isn't open for lunch so we went to Firebirds.  James and I both got appetizers for our entree's.  He had the crab cakes with tortilla slaw and mango habernero chutney and I had coconut shrimp with tortill slaw and mango habernero chutney.  I got five shrimp and he only got two crab cakes.

Coconut shrimp

We also had two small loaves of their sourdough bread.  It is so delicious!  Firebirds is one of my favorite places to have lunch.

After lunch we went home to take a nap. 

Joshua got a haircut today.  Doesn't he look handsome?

He looks alot like Dallin.

Cathi and Terry got home a little late this evening because they went to pick Colin up.  Colin was very happy when he got here.  He came in and said hello to both James and I and then went to eat his chocolate donut with sprinkles.  

This evening James and I went to Black Angus for dinner to use the gift card Kim and Brian got us for Christmas.  We both had the six ounce filet mignon and it was delicious!  I had a salad and mashed potatoes for my sides and James had steak soup and green beans.  We certainly ate well today!

When we returned to Cathi and Terry's, Dave and Laura were there visiting.  We joined them, the six of us sitting around the dining room table.  Colin preferred sitting on the couch, although he wanted Cathi to be with him.  

We told Laura about project Ethiopia.  She came up with the suggestion that James should make it his Eagle Project.  I thought that was a great idea so I told Jared.  He liked it too.  

I didn't get to watch "DWTS" tonight.  Sheri and Kim both had FHE first.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

He is Risen,

the message of Easter!

 It was nice to go to Church with Jared, Cathi, Terry, Dave, Laura, Sheri, Ian, Alex, Ben, Max, and Evan.  Ben helped bless the sacrament.  The Reyna's spoke in sacrament meeting.  We had their little boy, Isaiah, in our Primary class. 

I am so grateful for the Savior and the 

opportunity I had today to renew my covenants with 

Him through the Sacrament.

Our Sunday school class was taught by a man born in Puerto Rico and who grew up in Hawaii.  He taught seminary for 15 years and was a great teacher.  I will have to ask Cathi what his name was.  

Sister Johns taught Relief Society, her son Malachi was also in our Primary class.  The lesson was on Elder Hales conference address.

After church I came home and made scalloped potatoes.  This time I didn't forget the cheese!  I warmed up the ham and the five of us, James, Jared, Cathi, Terry, and I sat down to a nice Easter dinner.  We had ham, potatoes, beans, cranberry celebration, and croissants.  Cathi and I already had our dessert.  We have been eating Kim's sugar cookies since yesterday when I brought them home.  It was nice to be able to provide a small meal for Cathi & Terry after all they have done for us.  

Nap time!  After our nap James and I were going to go visit his mom and Dawn.  We wanted to stay and visit with Jared so James called his mom and spoke with her for awhile instead of going for a visit.

 Jared went to the temple visitors center to wait for Melanie who is in Mesa having dinner with her husband's family. Melanie's husband passed away two years ago.  He had Valley Fever which caused congestive heart failure.  She has three girls, 19, 15, and 5.
 She and Jared came by later this evening so we could meet her.  She seems very nice.  She and Jared are going to Ethiopia in September to bring glasses to people down there who need them.  Cathi gave Jared several pair of old glasses.  Melanie belongs to a group who goes down every year.  Jared is excited to go and wants to take James Hayden with him.

This evening Cathi, Terry, James and I watched the movie "The Cokeville Miracle".  It is a true story about a couple who took a bomb into the Cokeville Elementary school and held the school hostage.  Miracles happened and everyone came out alive except the perpetrators.  This happened in the 80's.  Our friend Trudy Lamb is from Cokeville, Wyoming.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Happy Easter from Lambie

Every time I looked over at James filling the Easter eggs, he was eating candy.  I guess he had to make sure it was okay for the kids.  We also put quite a bit of money in the eggs.  The "golden egg" had $10 in it.  

There was also 3 - $5 eggs.  That's the way we get the older kids involved.  

Jared and the girls got up early this morning and went to the Gilbert temple to do baptisms.  On the way home Jared stopped at Filiberto's and got a burro.  He got hot sauce all over his white shirt.  Cathi volunteered to wash it for him.  She was going to iron it too but I told her that was not necessary.

We took the food down to Sheri's a little before eleven.  We kept the ham in the roaster so it would stay warm.  Before eating, we had the Easter egg hunt.

Lola got a head start.  Ben trying to figure out where the $10 egg is.

Is that the Easter bunny, (grandpa), looking for eggs?

 Jared, Ruby, Max, Alex, and Adam.

 Alex ended up finding the $10 egg.  It was partially buried

in the rocks in the corner of the yard.

Joshua on the run, and Ian blowing off the patio.

Rowan found a $5 egg and so did Evan.  We never did find the third one.  Maybe the Trezise's will find it in the coming weeks.

Our meal consisted of the following: Ham, Easter beans, scalloped potatoes, cranberry celebration, Sheri's rolls, a delicious chicken salad that Trina made, and several delicious desserts that Kim made.  She made sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, Martha Stewart bars, and Rice Krispy treats.  Everything was delicious!

Jared's friend, Cami Burgi came by to say hello.  We actually invited her.  She was late because she was playing "nurse" to a friend.

This group was talking about politics.

This group was talking about Trina's new house and how she wishes she had a pool.  Cami says pools are nice and she says she went to "pool school" to learn how to clean hers.

Addy was a part of this group.  She is using the money she got from the egg hunt to donate to cancer patients.  What a great girl she is.

We missed Darrel today.  He had to work.  Trina took him a plate of food.  He loves my Easter beans.

Doesn't Trina look beautiful!

Is James listening to the conversation, or 

staring at the candy?

The only thing that would have made our Easter gathering more enjoyable was if Jared's kids could have been here.  I sure do miss them.

 

As I was taking my nap this afternoon I realized that I forgot to put the cheese in my scalloped potatoes.  James said he thought they tasted different.  Oh well, someone liked them because they all disappeared.

 

This afternoon I went home for a nap with James and then around 5:30 Sheri and I headed to Kim's to watch the women's session of the 186th General Conference of the Church.

My favorite speakers were Sister Marriott and President Eyring.

It was great to see President Monson on the stand!

 

 Sister Marriott also spoke at the United Nations this week.

Trina was going to stay home and watch the conference with Addy.  Stacy said she was going to go to a movie when we invited her to come to Kim's with us.

We were encouraged to support the refugees in our area and to contribute to a new organization sponsored by the Relief Society, "I was a stranger and ye took me in."

Friday, March 25, 2016

James and I went to the Gilbert temple today, just not together.

I went to the 8:30 session with Kim and he went to the 10:30 session by himself.  He wasn't sure if he was going to go because of his voice, but when he got home from work he made the decision.  I am proud of him!

 After our session Kim and I rode the elevator with President D. Lynn Jones and Jessica Lamb and her new husband.  Jessica is Wayne and Chea's daughter.  When we got outside there was a big crowd of people.  We saw Wendy Arnett, Cliff and Cathy Arnett's daughter.  I wanted to see Cathy, but Wendy couldn't find her, so we left.  

Jessica Lamb is now Jessica Brown

 When I got home I waited for James and we went to Olive Garden again for lunch because we still had some money left on our gift card.  This time I had Minestrone soup, salad and breadsticks.  It was all delicious.  

This afternoon Sheri and Kim, and Sheri's boys and Joshua colored eggs at Sheri's.  Joshua was so sweet.  He asked me what was my favorite color, and then he made me a purple egg.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of it.  Here are the few pictures I took.

Kim and Evan

 Evan looks a little sad waiting for his egg

Ben enters the scene

Joshua coloring my egg.

Gee, I wonder what Sheri is doing over there.

Cute picture of Stacy.  Sheri on her phone.

Kim making a suggestion to Evan.

Joshua and Evan "horsing around."

Joe brought his guitar for our entertainment.

Alex and a friend hiked Squaw Peak today.

After we had finished coloring eggs, we heard a knock on Sheri's door.  When Sheri opened it, I thought it was Tricia and so did Kim.  It was Anna and Amanda.  Anna's hair is dark and she had on sunglasses.  She looks older than her 14 years.  They came in and visited with us for awhile.  It was fun to see them.  James was outside playing football with Ben and his friends.  He came in and gave me a big hug.  

As I was walking back to Cathi's I passed Jared going down to get Anna and Amanda.  He is taking them and James to a Fallout Boys concert at the Talking Stick Arena in downtown Phoenix.  It's where the Suns play and use to be called America West Arena.  

They left El Paso at 4:30 Arizona time with their youth group and did baptisms at the Mesa temple this morning.  The rest of the youth are going to the Easter Pageant this evening.  Jared and the girls will be staying here at Cathi and Terry's and James will spend the night at Sheri's.  Jared and the girls will go to the Gilbert temple in the morning to do baptisms and then Anna and James will spend Easter with Tricia and the Wallen's.  

I went shopping for the food for tomorrow's potluck at Sheri's.  I bought a $36 ham at Sam's Club and ended up taking it back because I decided it was too big.  The one I bought at Walmart cost me $21 and was plenty big.  I am making Easter beans, or Calico beans, depending on what you want to call them, and scalloped potatoes.  Sheri made a plea for me to make potato salad, but James had already ask me to make scalloped potatoes.  Besides, as Cathi says, scalloped potatoes go better with ham.  I agree.

Cathi and Terry went to dinner at the Keg this evening with the previous directors of the R.O.C. who are returning to their home in Salt Lake.  Their names are Marlow and Mary Ann Ashton.  Marlow is a friend of President Monson's.  He says that 20-30% of the missionaries who arrive at the MTC are sent home because they can't give up their cell phones.  What a tragedy.

James and I went to bed quite early because we have to get up early to fill the Easter eggs and do the cooking. 

I forgot to mention that when Cathi and Terry left for the center this morning, the doggies came to visit me.

 

Thursday, March 24, 2016

So grateful for the variety found in Heavenly

Father's creations.

James is working in Fountain Hills this morning.  I decided to go get some of my Easter shopping done, so I headed for Target.
I bought candy, plastic eggs, and a nice basket to put all of the candy in.  I also bought six Zootopia Tsum Tsum's.  

Here are the Tsum Tsum's I got:

Nick Wilde

Finnick

Judy Hopps

 Chief Bogo

Mr. Big

Assistant Mayor Bellwether

Here is what my candy basket looked like when I got it all filled:

I think Sheri or Ian posted this.

Whoever it was did not get a picture of the entire basket.

I came home from my Target trip to put the chocolate in the house and then headed for Deseret Book to buy the new Wendy Watson Nelson book.

I also bought this cute pink journal:

 A nice one to add to my collection of journals.

I also bought a new journal for General Conference:

 I like it because it has the Salt Lake temple on the front and

reminded me of when I use to go to Salt Lake every six months for

the General Women's Conference and Relief Society training.

My friend Karen wants me to do the 21-day challenge in Sister Nelson's book.  I am looking forward to seeing what that challenge is.

James was home from work when I returned to Cathi and Terry's.  We decided to go to lunch at Olive Garden and use our gift card that we got for Christmas from Sheri.  I had one of my favorite meals:

Chicken Scampi

I ate it again for dinner and still had some left for tomorrow.

Kim and I were going to go to the temple this afternoon but she called and ask if we could go tomorrow morning instead because she was so tired.  James and I were going to go but he had no voice and was nervous about going.  We took his truck to get the oil changed at Sears instead.

While James's truck was being serviced we hung out at the Chandler mall for awhile.  We went to our favorite store there, Barnes & Noble and I bought another journal.

 This one was half price and had a tree on it.

I am going to call it my "Tree of Life" journal.

This evening for dinner I had some of my leftovers from Olive Garden.  Sheri invited us down for steak if we hadn't eaten.  I told her dad hadn't.  I went down with him.

Thanks for the nice dinner Sheri!