Wednesday, October 29, 2014

"As a member of the Church, reach out to those you do not know and greet them warmly.  Each Sunday extend a hand of fellowship to at least one person you did not know before.  Each day of your life, strive to enlarge your own circle of friendship."

-Elder Russell M. Nelson

I took Joshua, Max, Evan, and Brayden Wanlass to school this morning.  Max and I talked about our upcoming trip to Disneyland.  We decided we would leave December 3rd and come back on the 6th.  The other choice was November 20th but we would be gone one less day and have only one day at the parks, but we would be there with Kim and Brian.  Max chose the extra day.  

After school I took Evan on his birthday date.  Max came with us.  Our first stop was the Lego Store at the Chandler mall

Both of these boys love Legos!

I love them too.  This was my favorite set

but it was a little pricey at $239.99.

After looking around for awhile Evan finally decided on the Batman set.  I don't know why I didn't take a picture because it was pretty neat.  

We also went to Barnes & Noble and picked out individual Lego figures.  We didn't know what we were getting but this is what we ended up with.

These boys really are good friends

and love each other.

 

After we were finished shopping we went to the food court where the boys got pizza and garlic knots.  For dessert it was Wetzel Pretzel.

I had a blast with these two boys!

Joseph and Amanda carved pumpkins

tonight.

 

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

"Just as a man does not really desire food unti he is hungry,

so he does not desire the salvation of Christ until he knows

why he needs Christ.  No one adequately and properly knows why

he needs Christ until he understand and accepts the doctrine

of the Fall and it's effects upon all mankind."

-President Ezra Taft Benson

James has not been able to use the wireless printer he has here in Chandler for quite awhile.  He even tried to get Adam to fix it but Adam said he couldn't do it either.  I worked on it this morning and was able to get it to work.  To say James is happy is an understatement!

This morning I went with Sheri to Target.  She is discouraged because both Max and Evan are home from school with coughs which means she can't go to work.  She is discouraged.

I came home and fixed chicken salad sanwiches for lunch for James and I using the roasted chicken I bought at Fry's on Saturday night.  

After lunch I went to Penney's, Hobby Lobby, and Target again.  The only thing I bought were birthday cards for Lois, Dawn, and Jared and three $50 giftcards.  Oh yes, and I went to one more place, this time by myself....Frost.  I got salted carmel and hazlenut.  Salted carmel is still my favorite.  

James went to Susan Jacobson's to help her with some home repairs.  I stayed at home and helped Joshua with his homework.

That's Adam holding Skittles

 Weird

I taught Joshua his 9 times tables and showed him how all the answers added up to 9.  He liked that.

Later Joshua came downstairs to play a game on the computer.  Grandpa was working at his computer too.

A tragedy occurred in Ian's family tonight.  His brother JD fell on the back of his head and dislodged his brain.  He passed away around 11pm.  

Monday, October 27, 2014

Phoenix temple open house

"Choosing to live without faith in Christ

is choosing to admit defeat and

surrender hope."

James and Adam left for work this morning at 6am.  They were back around nine so James and I could go rent a car.  Here is what they gave me:

 A red Toyota Corolla.  I love it!

On the way back from renting my car I met Sheri and Evan at Costco so Sheri could get her picture taken and get her membership

card which I bought for her when I was down in August. Evan is home from school today because of a cough.  He was very excited to get Costco pizza. 

Kim came by around noon to pick me up so we could go to lunch.  We went to Olive Garden, one of our favorite places.  I got the chicken scampi, my favorite Olive Garden dish.  Of course we also had salad and breadsticks.  For dessert we shared a slice of pumplin cheesecake.  It was delicious!

I went home and took a nap and then James and I got ready to go to Darrel and Trina's.  We were there by 4pm.  We all went to the Phoenix temple open house in their new Yukon.  It holds 8 and we filled it up.  

 

One of the things I liked most about this temple was the beautiful artwork depicting the life of the Savior on the walls.  It was a very enjoyable way to spend FHE.  Afterwards we stopped at Frost for gelato and sorbet.

Grandpa had hazlenut and dark chocolate, Ruby

had pumpkin, Addy had her favorite raspberry sorbet, and

Rowan had chocolate.  Darrel and I got salted caramel, and

Trina got pineapple with dark chocolate.  It was delicious

and has much less fat and calories than ice cream. 

James and I were still hungry when we got back to Chandler so we went to Jersey Mike's to get our favorite sub sandwich. 

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Calgary, Alberta Canada

Christlike attribute:

"Virtue"

 I am clean and pure in heart.

Psalm 24:3-4

I have no desire to do evil, only good,

Mosiah 5:2

I repent of my sins and strive

to overcome my weaknesses

D&C 49:26-28

Max, Joshua, Evan

Today we attended the Galveston 3rd ward sacrament meeting program in the Chandler West Stake.  The name of the program this year is "Families Are Ordained of God."  Max, Evan and Joshua all had speaking parts and Joshua sang a solo: "I'll Seek the Lord Early."  He did an awesome job!  Alexis Coffey sang my favorite primary song: "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus."  The program is always wonderful and this year was no different.  It was fun to see Rebecca and Ethan Luke singing and speaking.  Rebecca was so shy about going in the nursery a few years back.

 It was fun to see so many of our dear Chandler friends.  I spoke with Shelly Seymore who was a counselor for me when I served in the stake Relief Society.  Shelly lived in Pecos Ranch and then moved to Queen Creek.  Now she is back.  I was so happy to see her!

Because James could neither talk nor hear he asked if we could go home after sacrament meeting, something we never do.  Sheri was surprised.  

Sheri invited us down for lunch.  We had roast beef with potatoes and carrots.  I took her one of the apple fritters I bought at Fry's last night.

James and I went back to the house to read and to take a nap.  While looking through some boxes downstairs I found some family group sheets I had never seen before for Nannie's family,  Nannie is my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Mae Strickland.  Her mother was a Walker and this particular family group sheet has her mother, Artie Elizabeth Walker as a child.  

Stacy had taped a show from between the sessions of General Conference called "A New Day for the Book of Mormon."  James, Paul, and I watched it.  It was very good.  

Michael says he should get the grandchild of the month award because he brought two non-members to sacrament meeting: Alexis and Connor.

I love this!

  

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Phoenix temple.

Christlike attribute:

"Diligence"

 I work effectively, even when I'm not under

pressure or supervised."

D&C 58:26-27

I focus my efforts on the

most important things.

Matthew 23:23

I was up at 4 am to study.  I missed going to the temple with the youth this morning.  They met at the church at 5:30am.  

At 8am I started pumpkin bread for James's home teaching families: John & Sandra Wilhelm, Owen & Donna Peeler, Sean & Stefani Hunsaker, and John & Lorraine Vaught.  I didn't have enough eggs for four loaves so James had to make a trip to the Stanford store for some eggs.  We have a bit of a misunderstanding and don't speak for awhile.  Finally I tell him what he has done to hurt my feelings and he is very sweet the rest of the day.

After making four loaves of pumpkin bread I ask myself the question: "Why is there that big dent in the middle of each loaf of bread?".  I start to Google this question but realize it's getting late and I will have to find my answer another time.  I start getting ready for my week long trip to the valley.

I have some empty storage boxes upstairs that I break down to take with us.  Part of my plan is to finish emptying the cupboards downstairs in Chandler and bring stuff home or give it or throw it away. I call and tell Sheri I won't be making it to the Trunk or Treat.  She is sad but understands and sends me some pictures.

All four of her boys are in this picture and

one extra guy.

 Joshua and Evan.  Star Wars buddies.

Trina and Darrel's ward also had their trunk or treat tonight.

 Lola was an ASU cheerleader

 Elsa, Hermoine, and Harry join Lola.

We arrived at the house in Chandler after dark, around 6:30.  We unloaded the truck and then went grocery shopping at Fry's.  It's still 87 degrees outside!  

We visited with Joshua, Michael and Stacy and Paul a little while before going downstairs to go to bed.  We had to move Adam's bird Lukesy out of the basement.  

James still has laringitis and now he can't hear.  He pokes around in his ear with pens and other sharp objects and now it is infected.  He's never been able to hear very well out of his other ear which is cauliflowered from his years of wrestling.

 

Friday, October 24, 2014

I made Darrel eggs with some funeral potatoes I had in the frig.  I had breakfast with him and it was quite delicious.  James was still in the bedroom when Darrel left.  He is going home to Mesa this evening.

James and I started a new Sarah Eden book today called "Seeking Persephone."  Hopefully it will be as good as the others we have read.

It is always nice to have James here.  When we are here together it seems as if everything is right in the world.  While he was in Chandler he cut down one of our mulberry trees that had died.  He brought the wood home with him and added it to our woodpile.  I can hardly wait to get our fireplace insert so we can start using it.

 This picture was taken about 13 years ago.

The little guy is James Hayden.  I don't know where

Ben was.

We had cows in our yard this evening.  Normally James would have chased them away but he thought there might be elk nearby and he didn't want to scare them.  He blows his elk horn and the cows scatter.

We both took a long nap this afternoon.  Afterwards I worked on my blog.  Blogging makes me feel like I've done something that will last.  

James grilled steak for dinner and I made a salad, some potatoes and green beans.  Afterwards we watched Sue Thomas. 

Rowan got to go to Disneyland and California Adventure with his grandma and grandpa Case.  

 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Christlike attribute:

"Obedience"

When I pray I ask for strength to resist temptation

and to do what is right.

3 Nephi 18:15

I keep the required commandments

to be worthy of a temple recommend.

D&C 97:8

Today is a celebration of Darrel & Trina's family.

They recently had this family photos done

and Trina posted them on Facebook.

I had an appointment with Joyce Malone this afternoon, so this morning I made another batch of pumpkin bread and put it in the oven to cook one hour.  Instead of 350 I actually put it on 250 and it fell big time in the middle.  It's edible but not presentable to give someone else.  I had to start all over and make another batch.  I called to say I would be about 30 minutes late but went with a warm loaf of pumpkin bread to present the lesson on the Savior being the Bread of Life.

Joyce will be 67 tomorrow so I also brought her lotion and body scrub and an Ensign magazine.  She is a new member and just got her first calling to be a member of the Relief Society activities committee.  She is very excited about her calling.

I came home to take a nap but ended up talking to Stacy on the phone.  She was pretty down.  I'm afraid I didn't do much to lift her up, but at least I was a listening ear.

Enjoyed watching several episodes of the Trisha Yearwood cooking show while I paid bills.  

James got home around 9pm with burros from Burger House.  I had made a pork roast with rice and corn for dinner.  I guess we can have burros tomorrow.