Tuesday, April 12, 2016

This week's ponderize scripture

The chapter I read from "The Blueprint of Christ's Church" today was entitled, 'Why Do I Need The Book of Mormon If I Already Have The Bible?'  The following are some of the reasons we need the Book of Mormon:

1.  The Book of Mormon answers questions of the soul.

2.  The Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ and His teachings.

3.  The Book of Mormon brings us nearer to God.

I studied from Preach My Gospel today, the chapter was, 'How Do I Recognize and Understand the Spirit?'  Here are some questions to ponder:

1.  Why do I need to receive personal revelation?

2.  Why must I pray in faith?

3.  How can I recognize the promptings of the Spirit?

I listened to two articles in the Ensign about the need for senior missionaries.  It made me realize that James and I should be praying that we might be able to serve a mission.

Around noon we left to go into town.  James needed to pick up something for his project and I needed to pick up a prescription.  

I wanted to get mexican food for lunch, but James wasn't in the mood.  He wanted to go to Darbi's again, so away we went, clear to Pinetop.  This time I had the Arizona roast beef sandwich which includes a green chili and pepper jack cheese.  It was delicious and so were my sweet potato fries.  James had the Reuben sandwich and potato salad.  His was yummy too.

James dropped me off at Walmart while he went to Home Depot.  When I went to pick up my prescription I realized that the text I got was from the Walmart in Chandler.  The pharmacist in Show Low told me he would ask for a transfer, but it probably wouldn't be ready until tomorrow.

I found out something very disturbing today.  When I deleted all the photos and contacts from my old phone, it also deleted all the photos and contacts on my new phone.  I downloaded Itunes on my computer and tried to sync my phone, but it didn't work.  James stopped at the Verizon store on the way home but the guy said he didn't know what to do if going on Itunes didn't work.  These are the kinds of things I don't like about technology!

On the way home we watched the huge black clouds that seemed to be hovering over Vernon, but by the time we got home they had moved, leaving very little rain.  

On the way home we read from our first Chronicles of Narnia book, "The Magician's Nephew."  

When I got home I sat down to watch "Chopped", and fell asleep. 

For dinner we had Marie Callender's lemon meringue pie.  I also shared the last half of my sandwich from lunch with James. 

  I was going to get a coconut cream pie but there were more

than twice as many fat grams in the coconut cream and quite a

few more calories. The lemon was yummy!

We watched a Hallmark movie that was sad and inspirational all at the same time.  It was called "Chasing a Dream."  It's about a high school football played who feels responsible for his best friend's death.  Before he died his friend's dream was to run the mile in under four minutes.  Cam quits the high school football team, his dad just happens to be the coach, and goes out for track and fulfills his friends dream of running the mile in under 4 minutes.

Needless to say his dad wasn't too happy when he quit football, but of course he comes around and supports him in his goal of fulfilling his friends dream.  

Monday, April 11, 2016

Does a place like this really exist?

If it does, I want to go there!

It did not rain today like they said it would.  In fact, it turned out to be a most beautiful day to be outside so James worked on the storage shed most of the day.  I worked inside, cleaning and doing laundry.  It just feels good to be home and to know that I am going to be here for awhile.  I don't go down to the valley again until the first week in May.  

For lunch we finished off the tacos I made last week.  Dinner was a bit of an experiment but we both really liked it.  I cooked cabbage, broccoli and ham in a pot with the steamer tray in the bottom.  Just before it was finished I added butter and salt and pepper.  Very tasty, and healthy too!  James is a big advocate of us eating more veggies.

This evening was Disney night on DWTS.  My favorites were Val and Ginger who played Gaston and Belle.  Second was Lindsey and Wanya who did a song from Lion King, and third was Witney and Von who were Cinderella and Prince Charming.  Witney made a beautiful Cinderella.  Zendaya was a guest judge.  She was a contestant a couple of seasons back and was Val's partner.  Oh yes, Nyle and Peta were amazing too.  They were Tarzan and Jane. 

Ginger Zee as Belle

Witney's skirt had lights!

 It was a fun night, my favorite of the season.

Marla and Tony went home.  I wanted Doug Flutie to go.  I like Marla.

Little Mermaid and Eric

 After DWTS James and I tried to watch Castle but it was just too bloody for me.  I can't watch those kinds of shows anymore.  So instead of Castle we went back to the Hallmark channel to watch a movie.  Here it is, "Hearts of Spring."

Lisa Whelchel, Blair from

"The Facts of Life."

Sunday, April 10, 2016

I should have named my girls,
Faith, Hope, and Charity.

James and I left for Church in time to get there around 8:30.  I set up my classroom and he drew a tree on the chalkboard of his.  His lesson today is on the Allegory of the Olive Tree.  Mine is about the conversion of Alma the Younger.  

Alma the younger trying to convince the people that the Church

isn't true.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of James's tree.

I bore my testimony again this month.  I had not planned on it, but  I felt prompted to do so.  

Neither Zemira or Braylin were in class today.  Zemira was sick and Braylin must have been out of town because none of his family was here.  Kiley, a little girl who came a few weeks ago was here.  She is awesome.  I hope she starts coming every week.  Kasey was here and so was Curtis.  I found out that although Kasey is turning 10, she has never been baptized.  When we got home from church, James called, Sean Hunsaker, the ward mission leader to tell him.

Becky Skousen was back in Primary today.  She is the Primary president and has missed several weeks because of knee surgery.  Our pianist, Analee Hunsaker was here too.  She hurt her hand several weeks ago and we have really missed her.  

The Crane kids, four of them, were in Primary today.  They sold their house in Gilbert and bought a new one that won't close until almost the end of the month.  They have set up a trailer in the Crane's front yard.  Kathy looked a little tired today.  They have a granddaughter who has downs syndrome.  She was so cute when we were singing she would rock back and forth in her seat.  When the music stopped, she stopped.  We learned a new song today, "This Is My Beloved Son."  

We spent a nice quiet afternoon at home.  Today is sibling day and I enjoyed looking at everyone's posts with their siblings.  Here are a couple from our family.

 James with his brothers and sisters at his father's funeral.

 Dennis, me, and Harold.

James bought me the sweater and necklace for Christmas.

This was before we were married.

 One of my favorite family pictures, even

if I do have owl glasses

Sandra Wilhelm posted these pictures of her boys, Zemira and Curtis who are following in the footsteps of their older brothers.

Since they are both in my Primary class, I had to post these.

 Zemira got second.

Curtis got second too!

This afternoon I deleted all the pictures and contacts from my old phone because I gave it to LeeAnn.  When she came to get it she showed me where the sim card was and how to get it out.  I didn't have to delete anything!

 

This evening we did some studying by the fire that James built.  It was cool tonight and was supposed to rain but if it did it wasn't much.  After we were finished studying we watched our Hallmark movie.  This one is a new one.  Part of the Spring Fling group.

 Great movie about a 'manny' who becomes the 'daddy'.

 We wanted to watch the finale of "When Calls the Heart" but for some reason it did not tape!  Hopefully there will be a rerun so we can see it.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

This is where I went this morning with James and Kim.  We made it to the 7:45 session.  I love the Gilbert temple.

Nancy Tolman and Karen Bland, two Chandler friends, were in our session.  I was Karen's visiting teacher for a long time.  Right after Stacy had Adam Karen was adopting a little girl.  She said they couldn't think of a name for her.  I suggested the name Stacy had picked out for Adam if he was a girl, Devry.  Karen loved the idea and that's the name she used.  Devry was with her in the temple today and I got to meet her.

After our session when we went outside, I said I wanted someone to take our picture.  Suddenly there was a brother with a nice camera.  He said he would be glad to take our picture because he had been called as a missionary to do so.  First he took a picture of us with his camera and then he took a couple with mine.  We had to sign release forms saying it would be alright for the Church to use our picture if they wanted to.

 A great way to start the day with people I love!

After the temple James and I went back to Cathi and Terry's and packed up our things to go home. We said our goodbye's and headed to Tempe to have a visit with Jared Ammon.  We needed to talk to him about his car and his ability to make the payments.  He assured James he would have money this Saturday for the payment. 

Our next stop was Jack-in-the-Box for something to eat.  We were late but we made it to Joshua's pinewood derby before they left.  Joshua never lost a race and so obviously he got first place!

Way to go Joshua and of course, Paul.

One happy boy!

We said goodbye to Joshua, Stacy, Paul, and Kim and continued on our way to Rowan's and Evan's soccer game at Greenfield and Knox.  We saw the last five or ten minutes of the game.  I am sad I didn't get any pictures because the boys have purple jerseys! 

Trina family was there and Trina was there with her kids.  I guess Darrel had to work.  Ian was also there with Evan.  Sheri had to work too.  I think the boys lost but I am still glad I got to see them play, even if it was for a short time.

We left for home from the soccer field.  Since we were so close, we went home the Globe way.  We were not hungry when we hit Miami so we did not stop at Burger House.  Our trip home was pretty uneventful.  I forgot and left our book at Cathi's, along with the snacks I had for us to eat on the way home.  

We didn't watch any movies tonight, but prepared our lessons instead and began our fast.

  I love President Uchtdorf!

 

Friday, April 8, 2016

I talked James into going to The Good Egg for breakfast.  It was quite a disappointment for both of us.  We should have gone to IHOP.  At least at IHOP we know what we are going to get.

After breakfast we went to the Verizon store.  J.T., the same guy who waited on James last night, was there for us this morning.  He has been a member of the Church for 14 days and loved watching General Conference.  He said his best friend, Benjamin Lambson, helped convert him.  Benjamin is Dennis Lambson's grandson.

I decided to get the same size 6S phone as Sheri has instead of the big one like Trina's.  I got 64 GB instead of 16.  I also got a plexy glass front and a pretty cool case.

James likes the plain phone without the case because it has a pinkish tint.  He should know by now that I am a purple person.

After we get our phones, it's time for me to go to the arthritis center to get my infusion and see Dr. Caldron.  James needs to go get a Cat tire so he drops me off.  I am there about an hour and a half.

It's around 12:30 when I am finished.  We are both hungry so we head for Zuppa's in Chandler because we have a gift card.  I got the creamy cauliflower soup which was divine, probably because it was filled with creamy cheese.  I also got the Asian chicken salad.  James got a crab sandwich and the veggie soup.  He said both were good.  We got a cake with mousse filling for dessert.  It was delicious!

  Believe me, we ate it all!

Home for a nap and a little shopping at Walmart.  I also got to visit with Cathi and tell her about Mary Ellen Edmunds.  

Sheri came by to borrow our car.  When she returned it was time for us to leave for "Legally Blonde, the Musical" at MCC performing arts center.

Our friend, Kaitlin Booth, plays Elle Wood, the main character in the play.  I can honestly say that she perfectly fit the part and was amazing!

Kaitlin

Kaitlin and her mom, Kathy.

They look like sisters!

 

Thursday, April 7, 2016

I love to see President Monson smile!

This morning James and I read Mosiah 3:1-18.

Mosiah 3:7. So great was His Anguish.

The following is a quote from the BMSM Religion 121-22:

" In his extremity, did He, perchance, hope for a rescuing ram in the thicket?  I do not know.  His suffering - as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity- evoked His later soul-cry on the cross, and it was a cry of forsakeness. (See Matthew 27:46.)

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell 

I worked on my blog and did some ironing this morning before I began to get ready to leave for the valley. We left a little after noon and stopped at Sonic in Show Low for some lunch.  I had a cheeseburger and a diet Coke with regular cherry flavoring.

Because we want to stop at Darrel's on the way in, we went the Globe way.  We stopped in Globe for a snack.  I got a Big Hunk candy bar and James went to Subway to get a 6" tuna sub.  I guess his New York dog at Sonic wasn't enough.  

I put Darrel and Trina's address in Mapquest, but it is so new it wasn't there.  The address it gave got us close and we found our way just as Darrel arrived at home from picking the kids up from school.  

Lola wanted me to hold her.  I played with her for awhile and then I took her outside so she could play on the trampoline.  I talked to Rowan about starting a mission fund and I told him I would help him by contributing some money each week.  

Ruby wanted to make sure we knew that if we went on the carpet we were supposed to take off our shoes.  We sat down and watched a couple of clips from Studio C, one of the kids favorite shows.  It's on the BYU channel so it's silly, but clean humor.  One of the fan favorites right now is Scott Sterling. 

James gave Darrel a check for the job Trina found and he bid.  I think he was surprised that the check was over $500.

We couldn't stay long because I am going to see Mary Ellen Edmunds with Kim and Stacy this evening.  We said our goodbyes and then found our way out of the Eastmark subdivision, which is no easy task.

We stopped at the new Costa Vida on Pecos in Gilbert for dinner.  I had a sweet pork salad, the same thing I always get because it is delicious.  When we got in the car I turned on the air conditioning and soon noticed it was not blowing out cool air.  James checked the thermostat and it was hot. 

 We drove on to Cathi and Terry's and unloaded the car.  James took me to Kim's to go to the Women's Conference and then he was going to wait for the car to cool down so he could check the antifreeze.  It was fine we hadn't lost any.  He drove to the Verizon store on Arizona Avenue and Ocotillo and the car did not heat up.

He got me a new phone and himself a new one also.  Mine is a large size but only has 16GB so I decided I want to take it back tomorrow so I never even take it out of the package.

Stacy, Kim and I had a great time at the Chandler Stake Women's Conference.  The theme was "If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade."  

   Mary Ellen Edmunds is a great combination of spirituality and silliness.  She can make you laugh and cry at the same time.

She is over 75 years old and still going strong.  She is one of my favorite speakers!

When I got home Cathi was already in bed.  I will have to tell her about the meeting tomorrow.  

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

So many wonderful things to celebrate this time of the year.

The most important being the birth, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Meeting in the Peter Whitmer home in Fayette, New York, on April 6th, 1830, a small group of believers formally organized the Church that had begun to grow based on truths revealed to a young prophet,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 The Book of Mormon was first published in March of 1830.  If you have a copy of the original Book of Mormon it is worth $100,000.  My "Nannie", Mae Strickland, gave me a copy of a 1920 edition of the Book of Mormon.  It is almost 100 years old.  I wonder how much it is worth?  It doesn't matter because it's worth to me is far greater than any monetary value.

In my gospel study today I came across this quote by President Howard W. Hunter as I was studying King Benjamin's address and his remarks about service.

"Seek opportunities for service.  Don't be overly concerned with status....It is important to be appreciated.  But our focus should be on righteousness, not recognition; on service, not status.  The faithful visiting teacher, who quietly goes about her work month after month, is just as important to the work of the Lord as those who occupy what some see as more prominent positions in the Church.  Visibility does not equate to value." 

(Ensign, November 1992, 96-97).

Along with reading the Book of Mormon, I think I have mentioned before, I am reading the Book of Mormon Student Manual Religion 121-22.  This course is taught at BYU and most of the commentaries are from General Authorities Conference addresses.

Here is another quote I found inspirational by Elder Robert J. Whetten of the Seventy:

" Conversion means consecrating your life to

 caring for and serving others who need your help 

and sharing your gifts and blessings....

"Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality.  God would use you to bless others.

Your continued spiritual growth and eternal progress

are very much wrapped up in your relationships -

how you treat others.  Do you indeed love others and become a blessing in their lives?

Isn't the measure of the leverl of your conversion how you

treat others?

The person who does only those things in the

Church that concern himself alone will never

reach the goal of perfection.  Service to others

is what the gospel and exalted life are all about."

(Ensign, May 2005, 91).

James had to go to town today to get some more cement for his building project and to take a tire in.  I needed to pick up some prescriptions and do a little shopping at Walmart, so I went with him.  

Of course we went around lunch time.  We have been wanting to try Darbi's restaurant in Pinetop for a long time, so that's where we decided to go.  

This parking lot was pretty full, but we found a spot.

The food was delicious.  James had a french dip sandwich with a side of potato salad.  I had a green chili chicken sandwich on buttered sourdough bread with bacon and cheese and a side of sweet potato fries.

The fries had a cinnamon dipping sauce that was very yummy.

I ate most all of the fries and consequently could only eat half of my sandwich.  I was going to take it home but decided to give it to James instead.  He gobbled it up.

After lunch James dropped me off at Walmart while he went to get a tire fixed.  As we were driving home I was reading a short story to him from our Sarah Eden book.  They are doing work on Highway 60 between Show Low and Vernon and the traffic was a little backed up.  Suddenly a truck from behind us passed.  James made the comment: "Do you know why I am driving a little slower?"  I said: "Because of the bags of cement you bought which makes our load heavier.?"  He looked at me with a shocked look on his face.  "I forgot the cement!"  We were just past the St. Johns Y so we turned around to go back to town first stopping at the Stanford Store to see if they had any cement.  They didn't.  We had to go all the way back to the Home Depot in Show Low.

On our way back to Vernon we saw a huge plume of smoke.  James made the comment that if it was a prescribed burn, it looked like it was out of control.  Here are some pictures he took.

About 7 miles from our house, according

to James.

This picture was taken on our road.

I posted this first picture on Facebook and got some interesting responses:

Pam Giles: "I went to look.  Highway 60 has a do not report prescribed burn flashing sign. ( It's past the Vernon turnoff which is why we didn't see it.)

Courtnie Dobson Angell: It is prescribed, they are burning over 1000 acres.  It's not about burning the trees it's burning the underbrush that fuels the fires, and they do cut, it's just seasonal.  The marked trees are the ones that stay.

I hate burning.  It ruins our air quality and makes the forest look desolate.  I know it needs to be done but I wish there was a better way.  I especially wish they wouldn't do it on dry, windy days.

James finished the footings on the shed, just as he planned, in spite of an hour delay.  

I did some work around the house and paid a few bills.  

This evening we watched the LDS World Report which was on between conference sessions on Saturday.  I loved seeing Elder Ballard and Elder Kearon helping distribute goods to the refugees in Europe.  We also saw Elder Bednar and his wife speak to the saints in Libya and Sister's Esplin and Marriott visit the saints in Asia.  When you see these leaders out in the world serving it brings a whole different light to who they are.  I would like all my children and grandchildren to watch this report.  It just might strengthen their testimonies of the gospel.

We also watched "Ice Dreams" on the Hallmark movie and mystery channel.

A former Olympic figure skater coaches an up

and coming star.  It was good.

As we were getting ready to go to bed I hear that James has started a load of laundry.  I have already said my prayers and am waiting in bed for him to return so we can say our family prayers.  When he finally comes in he says: "I had another senior moment.  I washed my pants with my phone in the pocket.  When I remembered I found it in the bottom of the washer.  It had been immersed in water."  

  I looked up some information on Google.  James blow dried it and then immersed it in wheat since he couldn't find any rice.  

We will see what happens.  Apple says not to take the phone apart but seek help.  I guess we will be going to Verizon tomorrow when we go to the valley.  I think James might have "Sometimers", instead of Alzheimers.

It seems I have disappointed some of my children lately.  Last week we missed going to see Jared and this week we won't be in town soon enough to babysit Lola for Darrel or pick up Sheri's kids for her. I hate disappointing the people I love the most!