Monday, September 12, 2016

This is what I like about Vernon.  

The kids here know how to work!

Helaman 3:1-18

How did the Nephites persevere despite their difficulties?  

This answer is from Instagram - bofm365 - sue_heugly:

I noticed four things that helped the Nephites persevere despite their difficulties. Verse 3 - There were many contentions and dissensions so they departed and went to the land northward. 1.) Walk away from contention.  Verse 7 - They went to work. They became expert in making cement and provided homes for their families. 2.) Go to work.  Verse 9 - They were concerned about the future of others, so they were united about not cutting down trees until they grew tall.  3.) Concern for others and the future.  

Verse 13-16 - Record keeping was important.  4.) Keep individual 

and family records.

GC: 'To the Rescue: We Can Do It' by Elder Mervyn B. Arnold

"The Lord has provided all of the tools necessary for us

to go to the rescue of our less-active and non-member

friends.  We can all do it!

I invite all of you to heed the Savior's call

to go to the rescue."

I made chicken tacos for lunch from the leftover chicken I had. They were quite tasty.  James liked them too.  

After lunch James took me outside to demonstrate his logsplitter.  

First you set the log in place.

The you cut the log in to four pieces.

"This is going to save me hours of work!"

(I don't think he likes it when I call it his new toy.)

Well, yesterday I lost my permanent crown and I used the adhesive Dr. Higgs's office gave me to re-attach it.  Now today I lost my temporary crown and I have no more adhesive and we aren't going to town until tomorrow.  Oh well.  This is getting old.  

I did my menu planning for the next two weeks and tried to make most of our meals healthy.

I have alot in common with Dory.

I also finished reading about the miracle at Midway Island during World War II in my book The Seven Miracles that Saved America.  I am now reading about Ronald Reagan and how he stopped communism.  I love this book!

This in from Jared:

This was actually a video and this little guy was moving fast!

Well, I checked on Aunt Gene today and it's not good news.  She has been in the rehab center since last Thursday or Friday but now they are putting her back in the hospital.  She started throwing up blood and they discovered that because of a hernia her stomach is up in her chest.  She is back in ICU and will probably have to have another surgery.  Just when I was hoping she was getting better!

James made us his version of his mom's apricot-pineapple pie, his favorite.  Lois gave us some filling from her freezer when we last saw her.  James called and got the directions from her but instead of using a regular crust he used a premade shortbread crust and then put 1 cup flour, 1 cube of butter, and a package of chopped pecans all mixed together on top.  He put it in the oven about 30 minutes and walla, a pie.  It was quite delicious.

Adding the top "crust".

Good thing James isn't camera shy.  He is my most photographed

person.

I read to James and then we listened to Elder Bednar's conference talk for F.H.E.  Or, that could have been in the reverse order.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

"I love to see the temple,

I'm going there someday,

To feel the Holy Spirit,

To listen and to pray.

For the temple is a house of God,

A place of love and beauty

I'll prepare myself while I am young;

This is my sacred duty.

Alma 31:24-38

24 - Alma was grieved because of the wickedness of the people and that their hearts were set upon gold, silver and all manner of fine goods.

25- Also their hearts were lifted up unto great boasting, in their pride.

26 - He prayed: O, how long, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that they servants shall dwell here below in the flesh, to behold such gross wickedness?

27 - They cry unto thee, but their hearts are swallowed up in their pride.

28 - O God, their hearts are set upon the voice things of the world, and their costly apparel, 

29 - They say thou hast made it known unto them that there shall be no Christ.

30 - O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities. For such wickedness among this people doth pain my soul.

31- O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ.  Grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of my people.

32 - Wilt thou give us success and comfort our souls in Christ.

33 - Give them (us) strength to bear our afflictions because of the iniquity of this people.

34 - O Lord grant us success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ. 

36 - Alma clapped his hands and those with him were filled with the Spirit.

37 - They separated themselves from one another.

38 - The Lord provided for them that they should not be hungry nor thirst.  He also gave them strength in their afflictions and they were swallowed up in the joy of Christ.  This was Alma's prayer and he prayed in faith.

GC: "To The Rescue: We Can Do It" Elder Mervyn Arnold

When James was the bishop of the Del Rio 2nd ward in Chandler we had a young married couple move into our ward in about 2006, Justin and Kate Gunther.  They were excited to become parents and they were hopeful for many years.  Finally, just this last month they had a baby boy.  His name is Evander.  There were complications at his birth.  Let me share with you a post Kate put on Facebook today:

Evander update: Evander is continuing to progress at the

Phoenix Children's NICU.  We're hopeful to be home by the beginning of August!  We have seen/been a part of many

miracles over the past three weeks and are so grateful for the love,

support and prayers on our family's behalf.

More details: Evander was born with a diaphragmatic hernia.

His intestines/spleen, etc. were all up inside his chest cavity, squishing his left lung, due to a hole in his diaphragm.

He underwent surgery to have this hole repaired and to diagnose the remainder of his condition.  He was blessed that his left lung had developed 50% (most kids with the condition are considered

in a good place with just 30%).  He's gone from a respirator

to oxygen. to now room air with just some flow to help keep his lungs open.  Due to the nature of his condition, he's been on

a feeding tube for the past few weeks, but yesterday the staff started working with hi on bottle feedings.  To give some perspective,

most kids with his condition do not survive, and when they do they usually have complications with their heart, lungs, and intestines

that require several surgeries and a lengthy stay in the NICU.

So far, this is not the case with Evander.  We have been told

that our son is phenomenal by the medical staff.  

Of course, we understand that he is a miracle.

Thank you again for everything!

Kate has red hair and it looks like Evander does too.

For lunch today I made the garden vegetable soup recipe I got from Weight Watchers years ago.  This is a zero points food so you can eat as much as you want on the Weight Watcher's diet and it is delicious!

I added some potatoes so mine isn't

zero points.  It was yummy.  James and I both loved it!

James ordered some abc for his concrete pour on Monday and now we have a big pile of it in the back.  Also, he was digging trenches today and he broke a gasline for the hot water heater and furnace on our bedroom side of the house.

It looks like a mess right now but it is going to be nice!

We left for the temple at 5:45 this evening. We don't have to be there until 7 but James wants to do some initiatories and I have some baptisms I want to see if I can get someone to do.  James did two initiatories and I got one brothers baptism done.  I was too late for the sisters I have.

We are so grateful for our ward and the support they give us in our new calling as temple cleaning coordinators.  We had 21 people come to help: Jim and Linda Diewald, Darla and Ronnie Freeman, Owen and Donna Peeler, Chuck and Kathy Crane, Jerry and Millie Scott, Bishop Miller and his dad, Ed, Wes Smith, Tamara Applegate, John and Linda Price, Sister Thompson, the Klugs, and Mel and Ruth Wilhelm.  When we got home and said our prayers our hearts were filled with love and gratitude.  Love for our ward family, and gratitude to Heavenly Father for providing us with this opportunity.

Millie Scott told me about a good deal on blueberries so we stopped at the Taylor Walmart on the way home to get some.  Basha's has a pint of blueberries for .75 cents.  Walmart does ad match so they sold their pints which normally go for $2.64, to us for seventy five cents!  Thanks Millie for the heads up!

For the first time in months we parked our car, Lexy, in the garage!

I love this quote by Mother Teresa.