Saturday, August 23, 2014

"Christ's Atonement overcomes the effects of the

Fall, but it doesn't help us overcome bad habits unless we 

receive and apply it over time.  

The justified must still be sanctified."

-Brad Wilcox

James's project for this weekend was to write a talk.  He is scheduled to speak in the Sierra Pines ward on Sunday.

At 10am I went down to help at the RS clothing exchange.  Things were kind of slow so Wendy DeWitt sent me home.  

James had promised he would take me to LaCasita for my birthday, so away we went.  When we got to LaCasita we found it closed with a note on the door saying they were closed because of family matters and they would re-open on Tuesday, August 26th.  I must say I was disappointed.  We had lunch at El Rancho which was not as good as LaCasita but not bad either.  I got a call from Sheri as we were leaving El Rancho and we talked all the way to Walmart.  While I was shopping I was still talking to her until I got to the water.  I told her I had to go because I needed two hands to lift the water.  I love talking to my girls!  James went to Home Depot while I was in Walmart.  

On the way back to Vernon I read to James from the book "As You Are."  He loves for me to read to him.  

When we got home I spent an hour or so typing James's talk and then I fixed dinner while he was studying.  For dinner we had chicken, bacon, ranch panini's.  They were again delicious!

I watched Cedar Cove while James practiced his talk, then we went to bed because we have to get up early.

Sheri sent me these pictures of Lola today just to make me jealous and it worked!

 At the Lego Store

 My favorite!

 I couldn't resist posting this one!

Friday, August 22, 2014

"The Atonement was designed to do more than restore us to the 'starting line' - more than just wipe the slate clean.  It's crowning purpose is to endow us with power so that we might overcome each of our weaknesses and acquire the divine traits that would

make us like God."

-Tad R. Callister

("How Can I Lead a More Saintly Life" p. 89)

Earlier in the week James pulled the ligament in his left shoulder.  Today while pouring concrete he hurt the elbow on his right arm.  Hopefully he will be able to drive home.  I am glad he's driving a rental car instead of his truck.  Erik is still working on it.

I love to listen to BYU Devotionals while I am working on the computer.  They are very inspirational and uplifting.

Annie Critchfield got married in Utah today.  Annie was my visiting teacher when I lived in Chandler.  I am so happy for her.

Annie and Cole

Arizona Hill, one of our young women, is getting ready to go archery hunting.

 

 Today is Analee Hunsaker's birthday.  This is the gift I gave to her and to the other member's of our Young Women's Presidency.

'Lead Kindly Light'

This evening I went to the church to help the Relief Society setup for the clothing exchange they are having tomorrow. There was an explosion of clothes in the cultural hall.

 

Somehow we were able to bring

order to what at first was very chaotic.

 

 

 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

I was sad that James wasn't able to come home today.  When he wasn't quite so busy he used to come home on Thursday.

Here are some of the things I did today:

*I ordered all five seasons of Sue Thomas F.B.Eye on DVD from Amazon.  I used my Amazon credit card points.

*I watched videos on the hasteningthework.org website.

*I took a nap.

*I talked to Stacy about her health problems. 

*I talked to my cousin Rita about growing old.  She said her son Rick, who is friends with Jared, moved to Queen Creek.  He had been living in McKinney, Texas when Jared met him.

*I got a call from Darrel.  He is going to be working in Show Low for a few weeks, starting next week and wanted to make sure he could stay with me.  Of course!

*Kathy Crane brought me some fresh vegetables from her garden.

*I had made visiting teaching appointments with three people this afternoon but all of them cancelled except Rosa Westbrook.  I had a nice visit with her and then I drove into town to get a Sonic cheeseburger.  It rained on me on the way to town.

*Came home and watched a Hallmark movie, "Second Honeymoon", before going to bed.

Elk just passing through

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

"Just be the same person you are in the dark 

that you are in the light."

-Jabari Parker's father

The elk either spent the night here or they were back bright and early.  I guess they were just passing through because they didn't stay long.

I had an interesting experience during the night. I woke up and thought I saw a guy with a red baseball cap in my room.  I grabbed my phone and ran in the bathroom and brought up Chuck Crane's phone number, "just in case."   I accidentally pushed the button and called him.  I immediately 'hung up' and put my earplugs in and went back to bed.  Later I noticed Chuck had called back to check on me.  I will call tomorrow and explain.  How embarrassing!

James pulled a ligament in his left shoulder on a pour today and couldn't do much.  Stacy has been in alot of pain and went to the doctor today.  She has a cyst on her ovary and has absolutely no vitamin D in her body so they put her on a mega dose.  No wonder she has been feeling exhausted.

I finished all of my Personal Progress requirements today.  Now I need to make an appointment with the bishop.

Tonight for Mutual we played a game called: "A Minute to Win It."  Trenda was in charge and there were four teams chosen to compete in these activities each lasting one minute: 1. Soda can, spaghetti carry, 2.Fruit Loop stack, 3. Elephant walk, 4. Cookies in your face, 5. Bootie shake, and 6. Balloon pop.  Collin DeWitt was chose to be the judge and that's why you see him in so many of the pictures.

 

Tyler Hunsaker and Talon Wilhelm doing

the Fruit Loop stack.  Tyler won. 

Kilee Hunsaker did manage to get 

the cookie in her mouth. 

I am not so sure Spencer Iannoli

was successful. 

LeeAnn Hunsaker and Ty Applegate doing the Bootie Shake.

 

 

Talon and Jordyn trying to pop their balloons.

The soda can, spaghetti carry.

The elephant walk

Hope and Shelly doing the soda can carry.

Jackson Allen and Noah Iannoli

 

Jordyn Aplegate

Kilee Hunsaker

Alice Wilhelm

John Wilhelm entertaining Natalie Nicoll

Alice and Jordyn doing the Bootie Shake.

It was a fun night and I believe Tyler Hunsaker's team won!

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

My 66th Birthday

I use this picture alot but it's the

only one of me that I even remotely like.

"Just as those who keep pedaling a bike can stay upright despite gravity's influence, those who are guided by the Holy Spirit in all they do can withstand the influence of the adversary."

-Sister Oscarson

I got so many birthday wishes today via phone calls, texts, and Facebook.  It is one of the things that I like about Facebook.  It certainly did make me feel loved. Stacy sang happy birthday to me and so did Darrel's kids. One of my favorite messages was from one of my young women, Alice Wilhelm who is a Beehive: "Happy Birthday Sister Lambson. You are one of the greatest people alive, you are pretty much perfect.  Don't change.  Just wanted to say happy birthday."  Such a sweet message from a sweet girl.    

Although James was not able to spend the day with me I know that what he is doing is for me and our welfare.  I know that he is thinking of me and would do anything in the world to make me happy.  Thank you honey. 

 It was my kind of day, overcast and rainy! It was the kind of day where you just want to curl up with a good book or in front of the TV all day, which is pretty much what I did.  I watched: Sue Thomas F.B.Eye, Stranded in Paradise, The Wild Stallion and When Sparks Fly.  I did make a trip to town to pick up my prescriptions and to get something to eat.  I bought a piece of carrot cake at Walmart but it was a poor substitute for Lois's (Jame's mom's) carrot cake.  I also got an orange chicken bowl at Panda Express.  It rained most of the way home. I stopped across from Maverick and bought some roasted green chilies from a little roadside stand.

I took this picture of Vernon's sunflower field on the way home from town.

 

  I was going along thinking how although I was alone today that it was a pretty good birthday, when a bunny ran in front of me.  I looked back in my rear view mirror to only confirm my suspicions; there was a dead bunny lying in the road.  I was feeling pretty low until I got home and realized there were 25 elk in my backyard. 

I tried to get some pictures but it's so hard to get close.  They stayed for a long time and two little calves were playing tag with each other.  It was the best elk show I've ever had in my backyard.

Jared called me to wish me a happy birthday and to tell me he sent me a gift in the mail. 

 James called to say he deposited some money in our account and to give me a weather update for the valley. "There is lots of flooding and people have lost livestock, etc.  Phoenix has had 8 inches of rain in the last 24 hours.  A whirlwind came in and lifted up and destroyed 8 sheets of siding that were tied down and weighted.  They were stacked under a roof.  A cardboard box full of trash 30 yards away was untouched.  I wouldn't have believed it but I was there and saw it happen." 

Another message from James: 

"I tore a ligament in my left shoulder and arm and it was hard to sleep last night.  It's painful to move my arm."  

My birthday is about to end.  I guess the thing that made it the most memorable was the herd of elk that came to visit me.