Sunday, May 29, 2016

Future missionaries!

These boys, along with 11 other children were all in my Primary class today.  They read and answered gospel questions.  I was very impressed.  They are three of the best boys I know!

 Molly ready for Church.

Ruby would not allow any pictures of her because she had to fix her dress, she said you could see through it.  Addy came to the rescue.

 We took this picture after Church with her 

Ruby shirt on.

 Lola stayed home with her dad

and Addy.  

Addy is still recuperating from surgery.

 I love this picture of Molly.

 Lola and her friends.

 Emmy was in my Primary class too.

She was the oldest and probably

the wisest.

 James went to Mel Wilhelm's class.

Brother Wilhelm was very impressed

with James's gospel knowledge.

After teaching 14 Primary children, only two who were actually part of my normal class,  I went in to sharing time and Sister Skousen, the Primary president, said I could go to the 5th Sunday adult meeting in the chapel with the bishop.  I was so happy.  

James, Jared, James Hayden, and I all sat together on the 2nd row.

The bishop gave a presentation about FamilySearch and the Find, Take, Teach program.  He said he was directed to do so by the First Presidency.  He used a computer and projected images up on a screen.  He showed us how to use the fan chart and descendency chart to find ancestors who need temple work done.  I was excited to go home and try it.  

When we got home from Church, Jared's lunch was waiting for us.  He prepared ribs and wanted to make sure we had some before we left for the valley.  They were delicious!  Thank you so much Jared!

Evan had a headache during the last hour of Church and spent his time laying down on the couch in the foyer.  As soon as he got home I fixed him, Josh, and Rowan something to eat, and he felt better.

We left for the valley at 1:35 for Michael's seminary graduation and arrived at the Ray and McQueen stake center at 4:55, five minutes before it started.  Thank goodness Stacy saved us places.

Kyle Dana was quite entertaining as he is the high councilman over seminary. Also, three of Kim and Brian's former bishops were speakers: President Campbell, President Lewis, and Brother Nelson.  Michael says Brother Nelson is his Sunday School teacher and he loves him.  He put in a plug for institute.  He actually teaches institute at ASU and Stacy encouraged Michael to attend his class.  Here are some pictures of family members who attended:

Where is grandpa James you ask.  He was in the men's room.

I love these pictures of Alex and Michael.

They have grown up together and have

been buddies all of their lives!

 G-pa and his boys!

They have outgrown him.

After graduation we went to Stacy and Paul's for dinner.  Stacy had fixed a delicious roast with carrots and rolls.  Before dinner Paul showed Elder Bednar's video about light and then bore his testimony to Michael about going on a mission and how he was prouder of him graduating from seminary than high school.  It was felt heartfelt and I hope Michael was really listening to his dad.

It was nice to visit with Cathi and Terry.  They have not been to the ROC since Tuesday because of the smell of the newly varnished floors.  Terry had a trip to the hospital on Friday because of severe stomach pains.  He also had headaches, but seems to be feeling better tonight.

Terry's son Nathan and his girlfriend, Allison came by to see Terry.  Nathan asked if there was anything they could do to help and offered to do yardwork.  I was impressed with Allison, because she was very friendly and came up and shook our hands.  She is a child psychologist and works with high risk kids.  Nathan is my favorite of Terry's boys.  I guess he and Allison met at a "bug" show.  She bought one of his butterflies.  

Lady and Indy were so happy to see us when we got here.  Lady couldn't stop barking and dancing around!

Saturday, May 28, 2016

The Snowflake temple

I took this picture of the temple on Thursday evening on our way to our cleaning assignment.

Alma 7:14-27
14 - Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
23 - And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
24 -And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
Alma's blessing to his people:
27 - And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever.  And thus I have spoken. Amen.

I made blueberry muffins for breakfast.  Molly said she doesn't like them so she had Honey Nut Cheerios.  Jared, James, and Molly waited around all morning for Darrel and his kids to get here so they could go to Greer with them.

Playing a game while waiting.

  Finally, around 1:30 they decided to go without them.  Emmy said she wasn't going anywhere so she stayed home with us.  It looks like Molly and James had fun in Greer.

 Darrel got here about an hour later with a boat-load of kids: Addy, who did not feel well and went directly to the couch to lie down, Rowan, Ruby, Lola, Joshua, and Evan.  Emmy made immediate friends with Lola, and carried her around everywhere.  Ruby and Molly were inseparable when Molly returned from Greer.  Molly is quite a bit taller than Ruby now.

   Ruby explained that she comes from a short family.

When Ruby saw the new storage shed she asked me when grandpa was going to build the kids clubhouse.  I told her when we got some more money.

Finally when Addy took her meds and started feeling better she and Emmy "hung out."  Rowan, Joshua, and Evan spent most of their time outside getting dirty and playing imaginary games.  

Of course, everyone wanted to go on a Razr ride, except Lola.  It took her awhile to get used to it.  

Everyone wanted their turn to drive.

I spent much of the afternoon working on my Primary lesson about Korihor.  This evening after dinner we had a birthday party for Emmy.  She will be 11 years old on June 4th.  First we had to sing happy birthday and blow out the candles.

Poor Addy, was still not feeling too well.

A soccer cake with chocolate, and mint chocolate

chip ice cream.

These are some of the gifts that Emmy received: A RipStick from her dad, and a pair of new shoes.  I forgot to take pictures so for those of you who don't know what a RipStick is I took a picture at Walmart:

James was riding it all over the house.

It took Emmy a couple of days to learn how to use it.

We gave her money, a potholder loom, and some peppermint body wash.  Addy and her family gave her a design coloring book and some paper clips and colored tape to make bracelets with.  

After the party we went outside for fireworks.  Everyone who wanted to got to hold and shot off a Roman candle.  Lola loved the fireworks.  Of course there were sparklers for everyone too.  Emmy got to hold the "big one" and fire it at the end of the show.

Ruby wore her lightup bow for the occasion.

Sparklers make you smile.

James looking for a good one.

I think that's Emmy in the background shotting

a Roman candle.

Sorry I didn't get more pictures.  Here are a couple of Lola inside

the house.  

At Emmy's party

She loved our rocking chair.

Friday, May 27, 2016

I love to see the temple
and I went there today.

I was up at 5:30 this morning and left for the temple by myself at 7:15 for the 8:30 session.  Brother Peeler from our ward arrived at the temple the same time that I did.  He is a temple worker but today he was a patron doing an endowment session just like me.

I went through for Margaret Eaton and the name of the officiator for our session was Brother Eaton.  Also, I saw a friend from high school working at the veil, his name, Alan Frost.

After the temple I stopped at El Cupido's for a drink and a bacon breakfast burrito.  I ordered it to go and my next stop was at the Taylor Walmart where I shopped for groceries and Emmy's birthday.  On to Show Low for gas and a carwash and to pick up Emmy's ice cream cake at Dairy Queen.  The only problem with their cakes is, they don't have any cake, just ice cream.  

When I returned home I unloaded the car, put groceries away and sat down to rest and watch an episode of "Chopped."  James was outside putting a door on his shed.

 It looks so nice!

Now all we need to do is plant some grass or build a sidewalk so our floor won't get so dusty.

I couldn't resist taking this picture of the birdhouse.

He made the birdhouse for the humming birds,

so the hole is a little small to get inside.

James says we have apples growing on one of our trees.

 Does that look like an apple to you?

It looks more like a pomegranate to me.

This afternoon I made a meatloaf to go with our scalloped potatoes.  Just as we sat down to eat, Jared and his kids arrived with an Arby's bag.  All the kids are here except Anna who went to Disneyland with Tricia.

Earlier this month Trina and Stacy both killed spiders.  Trina's was in the garage and Stacy's was in the house.  Which would you rather face:

Stacy's

Trina's

Sorry Stacy, put Trina wins this one for the grossest looking spider!

 

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Alma 5:53-6:8
55 - Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?

James had a discussion with Wes Smith about helping the poor.  Wes thinks it's a copout to say, "If I feel inspired I will help them."  He says it's a commandment and we are not to judge.  Wes says he breaks down $100 into fives and gives them away and somehow his pile keeps getting bigger.  James wants me to get fifty dollars worth of five's so he can do the same thing.
I actually gave away $5 the other day to someone in Chandler.  He had a purple shirt on and when he turned around to walk away it said: GSU on the back, Grand Canyon University.  That's where Michael is going to go.

LaVerne and Shirley were back this morning right outside our bedroom window.

LaVerne is with child, or children,

antelope usually have twins.

I went out this morning to look in the car for my present to Emmy, hoping it had fallen under the seat.  No present, but I did find my debit card.  I had to call Chase and have them remove the cancellation.  James told me he looked everywhere in the car.  That's a man for you.

James called to get an appointment with Dr. LeSueur about his ears and they said they had a cancellation today at 3:45.  We were going to leave for the temple at 3 and do a session before we clean tonight, but I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow.  I don't want him to have to wait until the middle of June to get his ears cleaned.  Dr. LeSueur also wrote him a prescription for a hearing aid and now we need to make an appointment at Cosco for a hearing aid.

Addy had her tonsils out today.  I kept texting Trina to see how she was doing.  She said the surgery went well, but she is pretty sore and can't talk.  

We left for the temple around 6.  Again we had to stop at Maverick for Icebreakers because I didn't think I could make it through the night without them.  

James can't find his temple recommend so he had to wait at the front desk while I went back to change clothes and start my cleaning assignment.  
I worked until about 7:40 and then went down to the chapel to wait for our ward members who were coming to help.  
We were so grateful to have so many people come: Chris and Becky Skousen.  Chris postponed his fishing trip so he could be here.  Wes and Theresa Smith, Blain and Diana Curtis, Ed and Wes Miller, Virgil Cooper, Jerry Scott, Judy Hunter, Lorraine Vaught, Dave and Rosa Westbrook, Fred and Barbara Klug, and us.  We had four people who didn't show up, but with us we had 20 that did.  We were so grateful.  We were finished around nine and home by 10, an hour earlier than I had figured.  It was a good experience!

Molly had her first grade play this evening.  It's the bug play that I have seen but is always so cute.  Thanks Jared for sending the pictures!

Molly was a bumblebee

Such a cutie!

Tonight was Show Low High School graduation.  Shelly from Vernon graduated, and Madison, Monte and Tasha's daughter.

Maddie has a scholarship to UofA.

She wants to be a veterinarian.

Shelly is the blonde and was one of

my young women.  She is going to

be going to EA in Pima.

 

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

This morning's scripture study came from Alma 5:43-52:

46-They are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God.  Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself.  And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

I find it interesting that although Alma had seen an angel he says he knows these things of himself because he fasted and prayed and they were manifest by the Holy Ghost.  This is how we can strengthen our testimonies and receive personal revelation.

48-. . . I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth.  

 49-. . . repent and be born again.

I also read Elder Robert D. Hales conference talk, "The Holy Ghost."

There were two antelope in our yard today.  Both of them does.  James said one of them has already had her fawns and the other one hasn't.  He is guessing that coyotes probably got the fawns that were already born.

 I am calling them LaVerne and Shirley

 James went outside and they ran away.

Hopefully they will come back.

I don't know if I should admit this, but I stayed in my pajamas all day.  James wanted me to go into town with him to go to the dump, pick up a prescription, and get lemons and colored ink for the printer at Walmart.  I declined.  I wanted to catch up on my gospel study.  Being able to stay in my pajamas all day is one of the things I love about living out here.

I gave James my debit card because I needed him to get $20 cash for a graduation gift.  I also gave him $20 to pay for going to the dump.  I told him to only use the debit card at Walmart.  He used
it at CVS and then when he got to Walmart he couldn't find it.  Thank goodness he had $3 to use at the dump so he returned the $30 I gave him.  The last thing I said to him when he left was; "Please don't lose my debit card."  
I called Chase and cancelled the card.  They said I could go into my local branch and show my ID and get a new one on the spot.  I planned on doing this on Friday morning.
James isn't the only one who loses things.  I had a Justice bag with a little purse and some jewelry in it for Emmy.  I can't find it.  I must have brought it in Tuesday night and laid it on the counter and it got thrown away, and of course, we took the garbage to the dump today.  I had bought her a necklace, bracelet and earring shaped like the letter E.  They were so cute!  Also, I am out $27.60.  James thinks he threw it away because he says I never do anything like that.  I am not so sure.  Old age is setting in. We are just a couple of losers.

We are loving the Alpine Valley bread we got at Costco.  It makes the best toast!

Nyle DeMarco America's new top model is this season's DWTS champion.  I liked him but I wanted Paige VanZant, the UFC fighter to win.

  The two finalists

Congratulations Nyle and Peta

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Happy Graduation Day!

Michael

 Alex

These boys are ready to graduate.  They both graduated with highest honors!  And better still, they both are seminary graduates!

I am so in to this book "Christ In Every Hour" I decided to make a trip to Deseret Book and get one for Sheri and a hard cover for me.  

Also read Alma 5:26-42.  This is one of the most amazing chapters in the Book of Mormon for me. 

After Deseret Book James and I went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory, using one of the gift cards that I got for mother's day from Darrel & Trina.  James loves the chicken madeira and I love the herb-parmesan crusted chicken.  I couldn't finish all of mine but I boxed it up and took it home for later.  

We went home to rest for awhile and then James went to get a door threshold and window for his shed.  

At 4pm we went to Michael and Alex's grad party at Sheri and Ian's.  I didn't stay long because Addy and I had a date to go shopping at the mall for Emmy's birthday.  Here are a couple of pictures I took:

Lola is a meat eater.  She loved the chicken nuggets

from Chick-fil-a.

 Addy and I liked the sugar cookies that

Stacy made.

Ruby is a chips and salsa girl.

Addy had seen a necklace with a soccer ball on it at the mall and we wanted to go see if it was still there.  We couldn't find it after going to three stores so I got Emmy a set of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet with the letter E on it.  I also got her a small E purse. 

Ruby was sad I didn't invite her so I told her I would take her for her birthday.

I stayed at the party a few more minutes then left for Cathi and Terry's where James was.  Cathi and Terry were just home from Disneyland.  They took Colin and Colter and had a great time except for all of the California high school graduates who were there.

James decided we needed to go home tonight so we loaded up the car, said goodbye, and left.  It was after ten o'clock when we got home.  We missed graduation but thank goodness Sheri and Paul took pictures.

 Both Alex and Michael graduated with highest honors.

Michael has a gold tassel for being

in honor society.

Two awesome young men!

 

Michael and his cousin Natalie Johnson.

 Sheri's post.

 Paul's post.

Our friends the Jensen's.

Their older son is on a mission

in Australia.

We are very proud of Michael and Alex and Trevor too.  We wish them all the very best in the future! Hopefully they will all serve a mission.