Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Gospel Study

Abraham Lincoln:

"If you would win a man to your cause, first convice him that you are his sincere friend."

- Pres. Monson "True Shepherds"

It has warmed up.  Yesterday morning it was 2 degrees and this morning it's 14.  I slept in until after 6.  We stayed up too late watching that silly Christmas movie last night.

James left for the valley this morning.  He is bidding a job at Troon North Golf course in Scottsdale and is also checking on the Hatch job.  I am left at home alone.  I was so tired this morning I nestled down in my recliner and watched a cute Christmas movie I've seen before called "Help for the Holidays."  I did manage to get up and get dressed after the movie.

I worked on my blog and brought up the rest of the Christmas decorations and did some decorating but still haven't started the tree.  

We had an all board meeting, including class presidencies, tonight before Mutual.  Diana Curtis did some planning with the girls using the new Church youth activities website.  We planned a Young Women combined activity for February and one for March.  For Mutual I interviewed some of the girls for Personal Progress and Diana taught Kilee how to index.  Randa Covert played games with the girls waiting for their Personal Progress interviews.  It was nice that there were three of us there to cover all bases.

Gail's friends from Oregon are suppose to come by tomorrow and may be spending the night on their way to a hunting trip on the Blue.  That means tomorrow will be a busy day for me.

We watched the move "A Christmas Tail", starring Jenny Garth.

Facebook finds:

 Melanie Bentz and her daughter.

Melanie was in our ward in Chandler.

Brookly Carroll, Vernon ward.

The Aaron and Kari Lambson Family

Tricia and her sister Stacy.

Maddie Carroll, one of my sweet young women!

The Westbrook/Carroll clan:

Sadie, Brooklyn, Marie, Maddie, and

Rosa

Sheri with Benjamin Boles

 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

 Gospel Study

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.

-Revelations 21:4

"The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar...When you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual will be swallowed up in God's will, then we are really giving something to Him!  It is the only possession which is truly ours to give."

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

"When our thought are focused on the Lord, we become able to receive and recognize inspiration for our lives."-Becoming His, p. 32

It is 2 degrees outside this morning and there are snowbirds hopping around everywhere.  While James is gone to finish up at Horne's the guy from Spring Mountain Materials finsihes delivering our cinders.  When he is finished he comes to the door and I give him his check.  It is comforting to know that the Crane's will reimburse us for half.  The total was a little over $1,600.

There was a Relief Society dinner this evening at Wendy Dewitt's home.  We had soup, chili, rolls, chocolate cake and hot chocolate with all kinds of "mixins".  The Dewitt home is very nice and their kitchen table can seat over 20 people.  We had about 30 sisters attend.  Rosie Lauritzen, Rosa Westbrook, Ruth Wallace, and Wendy Dewitt all shared Christmas stories.  It was a fun evening.  Afterward Collin Dewitt, Jim Diewald, Diana Curtis, Kaeli Nicoll and I had a Young Men, Young Women planning meeting.

Pictures from our Relief Society Activity at the Dewitt's home.

  

 Sadie Westbrook, Madalyn, Marie, and Brooklyn Carroll

I came home and James cut my hair and we watched the movie "The Twelve Dates of Christmas."  I bought some more of Kathy Crane's jalapeno jelly.  James and I both love it.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Gospel Study

"Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view." 

-Elder Neil L. Andersen

"Whatever binds us, sins, circumstances, or past events, the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Immanuel, has come to set us free."

-Elder Bruce D. Porter

"As long as we are willing to rise up again and continue on the path, . . . we can learn something from failure and become better and happier." 

- Pres. Uchtdorf

Sunrise

 I know you can't see them very well but there are

about a dozen snowbirds digging bugs, etc. out of the snow.

Backyard bunny is out in the cold.  It is 21 degrees this morning.  James waited to go into town, he's still finishing up at Horne's, for the guy delivering cinders to come.  The cinder man was late because his truck broke down.  He delivered about half the cinders and his truck broke down again so he had to leave but will hopefully be back tomorrow.

I paid bills today and got out more of the Christmas decorations.  James worked on putting up the tree for about two hours while I watched "Handcuffed for the Holidays."  Mario Lopez is so cute.  Too bad he's such a jerk.  

We had pork chops and asparagus for dinner.  I had some applesauce I canned at the cannery in Mesa in 2001.  It's still good.  James has to speak in Church on Sunday and today he has laringitis.  Hopefully faith, prayers, and steroids will see him through.  I love him so much for working on the tree and putting up my two wreaths.  

Together was watched "Christmas in the City."

 

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Snow on the ground this morning.

James took my car to his 6am high council meeting in Show Low.  He was back by 8am.  

we got about two inches of snow, just enough to cover the ground.  Because of the wind some places it drifted deeper and in other places the ground was bare.  

Westin Hall was the youth speaker in sacrament meeting today.  He spoke on the importance of choosing good friends.  Sharma and Jim Taylor were the main speakers.  They are new in our ward.  They spoke on reactivation and fellowshipping.  

During Sunday School James and I both attended a stake training for the new youth curriculum for Sunday School and Young Men's and Young Women's.  It was really good.  The Young Women leaders were late for Young Women's but it was ok because the bishop took over.  He was asking each of the girls how they felt about last week's trip to the temple.  It was neat.  Sandra Wilhelm gave a lesson on spiritual gifts.  She used some of the techniques we learned in our training.  Kelly Reynolds, Trenda, Coty, Alex, Arizona and Hunter were missing.  Kilee used me as an example of someone who speaks words of wisdom.  I love that girl!

For lunch we had roast and potatoes and then we took a nap.  James tried to index an intermediate batch of names.  He worked over an hour and was only able to do 10 names.  

We watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  For the first time that I can remember they had speakers other than the First Presidency speak.  President Monson was the only member of the First Presidency who spoke.  We also watched part two of "Love's Christmas Journey".

Facebook finds:

The Dowdle Family from Chandler

Ben holding his friend Benjamin Boles

Saturday, December 7, 2013

James and I both got up at 4:30 this morning to get ready to go to the temple.  We meet at the Church with the youth and other leaders at 5:30am.  We have a prayer and everyone leaves except for James and I and Hope and Heaven Lootans.  We are waiting for Maddie Carroll.  We are surprised when both Maddie and LeeAnn Hunsaker shop up.  All four girls squish together in the back seat.  It's a good thing that Hope and Heaven are so tiny. 

At the temple, it is very cold and windy.  We all meet in the chapel for a devotional.  Those attending: Brothers Applegate, Diewald, Dewitt, and Mayfield, Sean Hunsaker, Mel Wilhelm, and James were our priesthood leaders.  Diana Curtis, Ruth Wilhelm and I were there for the girls.  We had two young men; Westin Hall and Jace Applegate, and 9 young women: Jordyn and Shelly Applegate, Trenda and Alice Wilhelm, Kilee and LeeAnn Hunsaker, Hope and Heaven Lootans, and Maddie Carroll.  After the baptisms, we took a picture in front of the life size nativity and many of us went to El Cupidos for lunch.

LeeAnn, Trenda, Kilee, Maddie, Heaven, Jordyn, Heaven, Alice, Shelly

The little people, Hope, Sister Curtis, and Heaven

at El Cupidos

We took Maddie and LeeAnn home or I should say back to LeeAnn's where Maddie spent the night.  Maddie said she hoped I was a leader as long as she was in Young Women's.  How sweet!

This evening ASU lost to Standford 38-14 in the Pac12 championship game.  James and I watched "Love's Christmas Journey, part 1."

Friday, December 6, 2013

Gospel Study Notes

"Be thou humble and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers. 

D&C 112:10

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.  And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."

D&C 64:33

"Children born or adopted into the lineage of Israel are placed there because of the role they will play in serving others.  They were faithful and strong before this life, and marked for greatness here because of their former greatness."(RWC)

 "Our children's divine positioning is intended to allow them to fulfill the roles their choices in the premortal realm prepared them for - To prepare the world for the 2nd coming of the Savior. (RWC)

"A prayer for strength never goes unanswered.  Dare to reach.  It is within those reaching moments that we come to know the Lord. (Becoming His, p. 29)

James and I went in to town this afternoon.  We had lunch at LaCasita.  Charlotte wasn't there so I couldn't work my missionary magic on her.  Afterwards I went shopping at Walmart while James went to Home Depot.  Walmart was insace, I guess because it's the first Friday of the month.  I had to buy a new printer because our old one went kaput!

It was cold today and is only going to get colder the next couple of days.  It's suppose to snow tomorrow and Sunday.  I don't mind the cold as long as I'm cozy and warm at home, which I am, most of the time.  Thanks goodness for space heaters though because the heater in our bedroom still doesn't work.  

We didn't have dinner, just snacks because of our late lunch.  I ordered my Christmas present this evening.  It's a purple Kitchen Aid mixer.  I am so excited!

Our Christmas movie this evening was "Let It Snow" starring Candace Cameron and Alan Thicke.

Facebook finds:

Cross Country certificates

The Trezise Guys

A Japanese squirrel

Thursday, December 5, 2013

My morning gospel study

Today I read an article from the December Ensign entitled: "Helping Children Recognize the Holy Ghost."

It was awesome!  I hope my children will read it and it will help them teach their children about recognizing the Spirit in their lives.  I hope they are creating spiritual experiences in their homes for their children.

I also am studying from this year's Relief Society course of study about the teachings of Lorenzo Snow.  Today I read the lesson on tithing and I love this quote:

"The Lord will bless us temporally and spiritually as we obey the law of tithing.  I believe truly if the Latter-day Saints will conform with this law we can claim deliverance from every evil that may come upon us.  Mothers, teach your children to pay tithing."

Today would have been my Nannie's 112th birthday.  She shares her birthday with Walt Disney who was born the same year and in the same state that she was. Two of my favorite people.

It never got above 40 degrees today.  James worked out in it so I could stay home and be comfortable.  I am so grateful to him.

I am still moving boxes out of the basement to make room for years supply.  I stacked cans on the huge tool box James built in the garage and now he says he needs tools that are in it.  

I indexed 60 names today.  It's cold in our bedroom, except for our space heater.  When it's this cold I just enjoy staying at home.

James and I did go on a date, of sorts, this evening.  We left around 5:15 for town to deposit the check we got from Horne Auto.  While we were in town we went through the drive thru of Panda Express to get dinner.  We ech got a teriaki rice bowl with fried rice.  I read to James in the car from Mistress of Mellyn.  He loves it when I do that.  Back at home we watched "On Strike for Christmas", and "Hitched for the Holidarys, starring Joey Lawrence.   I started watching the stage production of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood but will have to finish tomorrow.