Thursday, August 2, 2012

When James went to Chandler last week he got a request for an MRI from the doctor.  I called to schedule him an appointment for next week while we are down there.  It took several calls and lots of questions before I finally got an appointment for next Thursday.  During this process we found out that it will not be covered by workmen's comp because in January he cancelled coverage for himself. James is so miserable I hope he can wait until next Thursday.  He took a long valium induced nap today.
I found this information on Pinterest today:  " Seventeen year old Brittany Wenger won the Google Science Fair.  Her grand prize computer program can diagnose breat cancer with 99.1% accuracy.  It took her more than 600 hours to code.  Impressive.  I wonder what I was doing for those 600 hours.
I talked to my friend Karen Schneider today and we made plans for lunch next week while I am in Chandler.  I am looking forward to it!
James and I read 2 Nephi 23-24 today and I also read to him from "Secret for a Nightingale." 
This evening I went on a walk.  Here are some pictures I got of the moon.  I wish I had a better camera.

The moon was actually a beautiful yellow-orange color.

While watching TV tonite I walked over to turn the fan on.  As soon as I sat down I saw something crawling on the floor coming from the direction in which I had just watched.  It was a BAT crawling across the floor.  I am so thankful that James was here to take care of it for me.  Just earlier today I did some cleaning upstairs.  I swept lots of moth wings and dead moths up.  I asked James where they came from.  He said the moths lay eggs in the house and then lots of moths hatch.  The moth wings are the remains from the bat eating the moths.  Thanks little bat for getting rid of the moths, but from now on you need to feast outside and not in my house!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Kilee, Leann and I fixed breakfast together this morning.  Kilee cooked the bacon, Leann made some eggs and I made buttermilk pancakes.  Yummmy delicious!
After breakfast we wrapped Molly's presents and went in to Vernon to mail them.  On the way home we stopped at the Vernon "Store" (I use the term loosely) and bought some snacks.  I took Leann home because she had to mow the lawn but Kilee wanted to come back home with me since no one was at home at her house.  We "hung out" for awhile.  She downloaded some games and songs on my phone while I tried to come up with some ideas for tonight's Mutual activity, since no one seems to have a calendar.  Before taking her home Kilee said she was craving some Rolo's.  I casually said we would have to get some the next time we were together and went for snacks.  We were both tired and needed naps so I took her home around 1:00.  I came home and slept until 3.
Before leaving for Mutual I washed my car, but because of the rains it was muddy when I got to town.  For Mutual all the girls met together.  We played a getting to know you activity where you tell 2 things about yourself that you don't think anyone else knows and then 1 thing you wish were true.  It was a fun game and helped me get to know the girls a little better.  Joell Miller came in about 7:15.  We did a Personal Progress quiz.

 We also celebrated Jordyn's 16th birthday and Joell's 28th birthday.  Joell is the counselor over the Beehives.  Jordyn got a temple plaque with a quote that said:  "If this isn't your palace, then you aren't my prince."  I gave her a scrapbook with value colored pages.  We played Apples to Apples and then called it an evening.  I think the girls had fun.  I know I did.  On the way home I took a picture of the moon. My picture doesn't do it justice.

In other daily news:  Sheri's freezer went out and she spent the day moving everything downstairs to her 2nd freezer.  She said that she's adopting Dave and Laura since James and I deserted her.  Something about them helping her out today.

Today was support Chik-fil-a day.  Hundreds of people lined up in their drive-thru line to show support for them.  They came out with a statement that they believed marriage should be between a man and a woman and of course the gay community is up in arms.  I am glad so many people came out in support of them.

In other news Cher Maxwell, Brian's wife, posted on Facebook that the paper mill in Snowflake is closing down putting 380 people out of work.  That doesn't include the railroaders and truckers.  The article she posted said it could well be 1,000 people.  Brian is one of those workers who will be out of a job on September 30th.  Terrible news for those families involved. 

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

This morning I swept the mud off the driveway.  There were huge chunks.  I finished just before it started to rain. 
I decided to give Walmart one more chance to come up with some good gifts for Molly.  This time I struck it rich.  The Dora guitar was there and instead of a Hello Kitty, which they did have, I got her a sock monkey.  I also got a Strawberry Shortcake doll and a Hello Kitty book and lunch pail.  The book is like the one I got for Ruby with the Hello Kitty characters you can play with.  They must have restocked their shelves or else I was just blind yesterday.  I also got a scrapbook with value colored pages for one of the young women in our ward, Jordyn Applegate, who is having a birthday this week.  We will probably celebrate her birthday tomorrow night for mutual so I got her favorite snacks also, Mike & Ikes, and Red Vines.
This evening Kilee and Leann Hunsaker spent the night with me.  They are cousins and so funny together.  We made a late night trip into Dairy Queen for some sustenance. Now my car is totally muddy again.
   We also did our nails and Kilee and I got nail polish remover on the table and totally ruined the finish on the table in several places.  Oh dear I hope James doesn't get too upset.  We turned the table around so he wouldn't see what we did since the place I messed up was where he always sits. 
I went to bed around 10:30.  The girls were still watching the Olympics.  Our women's gymnastics team took the gold!!

Monday, July 30, 2012

James left this morning around 10:30 for the valley.  He has a doctor's appointment at 2:30 and then tomorrow he will be back on the job in Scottsdale.  This time he is staying with Darrel and Trina because they invited him.  Before he left he made grilled pork chops for our lunch (yes, it was a little early).  They were delicious!
This afternoon I went to Walmart to look for birthday presents for Molly.  I wanted to get her a Dora Guitar like the one I got Ruby because she loves to sing but I couldn't find one.  I also wanted to get her a Hello Kitty stuffed animal but I couldn't find that either.  I was so discouraged I went home and decided I was just going to send money and a card. 
On the way home from Walmart I went through the car wash.  I don't know why I bother because the first time I drive on our road when it's wet the car will just be dirty again.
I began unloading boxes we have had in storage since we moved.  I figure if I do one box a day I will eventually have them all unloaded.  The trick is to find a place to put everything.
I started my walk a little late today, around 7 pm.  I had planned on walking for at least 30 minutes but as the storm clouds began to move in I decided I better cut it short.  I made it back to the cabin just before it began to rain, hard!   I sat down to watch some TV and listen to the downpour, the thunder, and to watch the lightning flash.  The lightning was a little too close for my taste and the TV kept going off.  Darn I need that TV when I am here alone!  The storm finally stopped.  I love the rain but a storm at night when you are by yourself is a little scary.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

I had no lesson to prepare today.  It's the 5th Sunday and so the bishopric is in charge of Young Men and Young Women's.  Eric and Anita Pope spoke today in sacrament meeting.  They spoke on service.  I hope my young women were listening.  We had a lesson on service last week and I have been emailing them service challenges to do everyday.  I know Trenda is giving lots of service with two of her little brothers in the hospital, she is in charge at home with the help of her grandpa, Mel Wilhelm.  She is such an awesome young woman.  I also know that the Applegate girls, Shelly and Jordyn give alot of service.  The girls in this ward are hard workers.  The Hunsaker girls, Kilee, Leann, and Mackenzi help their dad's pour concrete.  Although they are getting paid I am still impressed that they are willing to do such difficult work.

James went home teaching to Sean and Stephanie Hunsaker's today and he brought back two of the Hunsaker girls with him.  Kilee, who is Sean and Stephanie's daughter and Leann, Kip and Alicia's daughter.  They are both Beehives and are 26 days apart.  They have been asking me if they could come over and now seemed like the best time.  I gave them a tour of the cabin.  They both loved it.  We made smores using Nutella instead of candy and then we played Apples to Apples.  They had dinner with us, James grilled us some burgers, and then Leann, Kilee and I went to the fireside in Show Low.  Brother Crockett, the stake patriarch was the speaker.  Sean Hunsaker was the only other leader from our ward there and the only other kids there were Mary and Glenso Swift, Arizona Hill (I finally got to meet her!), and Aaron Windsor.
Glenso rode home with Leann, Kilee and I.  They had the windows down and the sky roof open.  If was a fun afternoon and evening.  My car was a muddy mess when I got home because of the rain this afternoon.
I love Kilee and Leann.  The Hunsaker's are such a great family!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

I wish I could do something to get rid of James's back pain.  He is in such pain it is difficult for him to enjoy anything.  In the morning we sat out on the porch off of our bedroom and read and took pictures of the humming birds and watched it rain.  It was one of my favorite ways to spend a morning here.

Two birds like our feeder.  One of them is a bully and chases the 

other one away.

This guy is the bully.

How many pictures of a hummingbird can we take?

They are more fascinating in real life.

Here is my picture of the rain.  Hopefully something

green will grow where all that dirt is.

 This afternoon we drove into town to get some lunch.  James wanted to stop at La Casita but it was raining so hard we drove on up to El Rancho in Pinetop.  It was still raining, but not nearly as hard.  We both had green chili burros.  I wish we could give them The Burger House's receipe so they could make them for us.

I watched Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh win their first set of beach volleyball in the Olympics.  I think these girls are unbeatable.  I would like to design them something a little more modest to wear.  

James and I watched a cute modern take on the Jane Austen move "Sense and Sensibility."  This one was called "Scents and Sensibility."  James thinks the producer must be LDS.  I am no so sure, but we both liked it.

Friday, July 27, 2012

I love this quote by President Henry B. Eyring:

"You will succeed through your faith."

We had both sunshine and rain today.  It was gorgeous!

I wanted to take a meal over to a sister that I visit teach who had surgery on her foot and her foot is not healing.  Her name is Lannie Gillespie.  When I called and told her I had some taco soup I would like to bring over for dinner she said that was nice but she had been quarantined.  She said her nephew had been diagnosed with spinal meningitis and she had been with him,  hence the quarantine.  I asked if it was one of John's kids and she said yes.  John Wilhelm is her brother and he is the elder's quorum president in our ward.  His four year old son has leukemia and now his baby has spinal meningitis.  It is so sad.  They are a wonderful family.  Trenda is their oldest and she is one of the Young Women in my Mia Maid class.  I love her!  We will definitely remember the Wilhelm family in our prayers.  

James did some home teaching today.  He visited Brother and Sister Peeler, one of the retired couples in our ward and then he went to the adult pinewood derby activity this evening where he met Sister Vaught and her non-member husband.  While he was there he was asked to judge the races.  He was supposed to get some pictures but he forgot.  Alicia Hunsaker had a car that looked like a woman's foot in a flip flop complete with nail polish.  She won one of the races by a close margin and James said "She won by a toe", which made everyone laugh.  Darn I wish I had a picture!

I watched the opening ceremony for the London Olympics this evening and I give it a mixed review.  Part of it was weird but much of it was fascinating.  My favorite part was when Queen Elizabeth and James Bond jumped out of a helicopter and parachuted down to the ceremony.  Also the lighting ceremony was awesome.  Let the games begin!

I went for a 50 minute walk this evening and burned 265 calories.
Since I didn't get any pictures from the pinewood derby I am going to post a picture of Ruby.

I sure do miss this girl, and her brother and sister too!