Thursday, November 22nd, 2018

 Salt Lake City, Utah

4th operating temple

Dedicated: 6-24 Apr 1893

By: Wilford Woodruff

Jesus Christ, Death of

Isaiah 53:9

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Book of Mormon #1

Mormon 4:1-23

* Why is it important not to boast in your own strength? 

-When we boast in our own strength and go forth in our own might, repenting not of the evil we have done, but persist in our wickedness, our hearts become hardened. This leads to a lack of  the Spirit, which invites anger towards others. When we notice we have anger in our hearts, it should be an alarm to us that something is wrong. Our pride can convince us that we are okay, but anger is destructive. Repentance heals ill feelings, mends broken spirits, softens hardened hearts, and repairs damaged souls. Instead of looking for reasons to find fault in others, we need to recognize the fault within our own soul first. Also, everything good in our lives comes from God. We are selfish when we fail to acknowledge Him and express gratitude to Him for all of our blessings. DC 59:21 - "And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not His commandments.

Book of Mormon #2

Alma 40-42

Old Testament

Hosea 3-5

General Conference

Wounded

Elder Neil A. Andersen

"We search for happiness. We long for peace. We hope for love. And the Lord showers us with an amazing abundance of blessings. But intermingled with the joy and happiness, one thing is certain: there will be moments, hours, days, sometimes years when your soul will be wounded. Wounds of the soul are not unique to the rich or the poor, to one culture, one nation, or one generation. They come to all and are part of the learning we receive from this mortal experience."

Happy Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving started out by James turning on the smoker, taking the turkey out of the brine, cutting it in pieces, and putting it in the smoker, under Brian's capable supervision. 

We walked outside to put the meat in the smoker

and had to take a picture of this beautiful

sunrise.

These two make a great team!

Kim spent the morning making her pumpkin delight dessert. I will never eat plain old pumpkin pie again. The yellow cake crust with pecans is divine! 

Kim started to do the dishes from her dessert making when the water in the kitchen sink suddenly dwindled to a trickle. We told James and as he was going out to check the well, I noticed a huge puddle of water on the floor. The problem is under the sink. James immediately got under the sink and began looking for the leak. It's not coming from the pipes like it did last time. This time it's coming from one of the connecting fittings. 

Under the sink again, not the

way you want to spend Thanksgiving Day.

I am grateful for a husband who can fix anything.

Sometimes he has to wait until the stores are open for parts.

After trying for almost an hour to fix the leak, including using 

duct tape, James said he would have to leave the water to the sink off, but there would be no problem with the water throughout the rest of the house. We ended up doing all of the many dishes, probably the biggest meal of the year, in the bathtub.

James did most of the dishes, and I dried 

and put away.

Our smoked turkey was delicious. So were the mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry celebration, green bean casserole, yams, corn, and rolls. The meal was great and the company even better.

We used paper plates instead of china because

of the broken faucet. Grateful to Kim and Brian

for coming to see us every other year.

One of the reasons that Trina and Sheri like to stay at home is the Turkey Trot.

Turkey Trotters

Trina did her first Turkey Trot when she was a

freshman in high school. Addy is a freshman and

this was her first Turkey Trot.

Some of our blessings:

These girls had Thanksgiving together

in Arkansas.

Christmas movies:

"Wish Upon a Christmas"

"A Christmas Arrangement"

"The Christmas Contract"

starring the cast of 

One Tree Hill

"A Godwink Christmas"

Wednesday, November 21st, 2018

Manti, Utah

3rd operating temple

Dedicated: 21-23 May 1888

By: Lorenzo Snow

Jesus Christ, Death of

Isaiah 25:8

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.

Book of Mormon #1

Mormon 3:1-22

*Mormon loved his people in spite of their actions. What should our attitude be towards those we know who don't keep the commandments?

- When he was in the Presiding Bishopric, Bishop Glenn L. Pace admonished us to strive to emulate the love Mormon exhibited: "This prophet had Christlike love for a fallen people. Can we be content with loving less? We must press forward with the pure love of Christ to spread the good news of the gospel. As we do so and fight the war of good against evil, light against darkness, and truth against falsehood, we must not neglect our responsibility of dressing the wounds of those who have fallen in battle." (Ensign, Nov. 1990, 8-9).

Book of Mormon #2

Alma 37-39

Old Testament

Hosea 1-3

General Conference

The Role of the Book of Mormon in Conversion

"My testimony of the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith has been strengthened by prayerfully studying the Book of Mormon."

Up at 6, I'm two hours late. Maybe my body is trying to tell me something. 

"Even those who have been grossly unfaithful to God can reestablish their relationship with him if they will but turn back to Him with full purpose of heart." (OTSM, Hosea, p. 103).

The Hebrew name Hosea signifies help, deliverance and salvation. Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos, and Micah.

People I have been asked to pray for today: 

1. Jared Ammon. His girlfriend is asking him to leave because of his drinking. Stacy and Paul have offered him a place to stay if he will get treatment. Stacy asked us to pray that he would agree to get treatment.

2. Gary Auxier. Bishop Auxier was found passed out in his car. He is unconscious in the hospital and they don't know what's wrong. (Later in the day I received a text that he was awake and was doing much better. They think he had a stroke).

3. Nate Westbrook. Nate is the son of our friends Dave and Rosa. He works on a ranch in the southern part of the state. A horse fell on him and crushed his hand and shoulder. 

These are all serious concerns and I will certainly pray for all of these people.

I spent some time today trying to figure out how to add products on Amazon to sell. I'm having a little difficulty and Amazon does not offer a lot of help. In the meantime I am watching Christmas movies and waiting for Kim and Brian to arrive. 

I was taking things upstairs this afternoon when I saw James laying on the bed in my office. He didn't see the quilt squares I had laid out on the bed until I pointed them out. When he got up he had a couple of squares stuck to his behind. I'm just wondering why he didn't use the bed in his office.

Kim and Brian arrived this evening. The turkey is in the brine and James and Brian put together the smoker.

Kim said that Brother Pargetter, an old friend of ours who is now in their ward, is in hospice. The family would like us to pray for him.

Family baptisms are the best!

I love this fall photo!

This girl loves to sleep! 

Tuesday, November 20th, 2018

Logan, Utah

2nd operating temple

Dedicated: 17-19 May 1884

By: John Taylor

Jesus Christ, Death of

Proverbs 14:32

The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.

Book of Mormon #1

Mormon 2:17-29

* What happens when the strength of the Lord is not with us and we are left unto ourselves as it says in verse 26?

-We may not recognize and appreciate how much Heavenly Father helps us in our daily lives as we try to live faithfully. Mormon wrote that when his people became wicked they lost the strength of the Lord that had previously protected them. While serving as a member of the Seventy, Elder Ray H. Wood explained: "When a person violates any of God's commandments, if there is no repentance the Lord withdraws His protective and sustaining influence. When we lose power with God, we know of  a certainty that the problem lies within us and not within God. 'I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise' (DC 82:10). Our misdeeds bring despair. They sadden and extinguish the perfect brightness of hope offered by Christ (2 Nephi 31:20). Without God's help, we are left to ourselves." (Ensign, May 1999, 40-41). I am personally amazed and grateful to Mormon for his righteousness amidst such wickedness. It must have been difficult to stand as a witness of Christ against such odds!

Book of Mormon #2

Alma 34-36

Old Testament

Daniel 11-12

General Conference

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"Last April, when President Russell M. Nelson introduced the concept of ministering, he stressed that it was a way to keep the great commandments to love God and love each other."

Alma 35:15 - ...they began to be offended because of the strictness of the word... (this is still happening today!)

I made LeVain Bakery chocolate chip cookies with walnuts this morning and took a plate to the Grapp's. The kids loves nuts in their cookies and so does Cammy. 

The Grapp kids surrounded me and I found myself in the middle of an Old Maid game. I am not really a fan of this game because whoever gets stuck with the Old Maid gets their feelings hurt. I think Emsley got it this time and she was not happy.

I heard that Cammy didn't teach Relief Society yesterday so I wanted to talk to her about why. It was just a simple family matter. Brother Grapp wanted her to go with him to church in Snowflake to her brother Freeman sing "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." She talked to Kerri on Saturday and made arrangements for her to teach for her so she could go with her family to Snowflake. She loves teaching Relief Society and says it has helped her in dealing with depression.

Next stop was the Halcomb's. I got to visit with both Catherine and Kerri. Catherine loves to visit and I wanted to see what they were doing for Thanksgiving. They have plans and the Scott's and the Scott's neighbors are coming over for Thanksgiving. 

Sister Catherine knows the Goodman's we knew in Chandler. Her son is married to one of their nieces. It's a small world. I love this turkey Catherine made:

Catherine is diabetic so I did not bring her cookies, I brought her a candle instead.

On the way home I dropped by the Wilhelm's and picked up pies I ordered for Thanksgiving. The pies and Village Inn pies and the proceeds go to help the wrestling program in Show Low. All of the Wilhelm boys wrestle, except maybe for George who is three.

I bought a lemon supreme, cherry, and chocolate cream pie.

When I got home I put a pizza in the oven that claims to have a cauliflower crust but I could not tell the difference. It was really good!  I also had a taste of lemon and cherry pie. Quite good.

James came home for lunch and took a nap. While he was napping I realized that I had forgotten to go to the post office earlier and I knew we had a package waiting. I hopped in the car and made a quick trip, only 30 minutes. Sure enough, the scale I ordered to weigh books on had arrived. 

James went back to the Howard's to work for a short time. They are going to the valley for Thanksgiving. I paid bills while he was gone but didn't quite finish. When he got home we went to town to buy a meat smoker and to do the rest of our Thanksgiving shopping.

We found smoker's at Home Depot and chose the most reasonably priced one for $99. We got it into the car without too much difficulty and then headed for Walmart. We only had a few items to pick up so it didn't take long. 

We were home and had all of the stuff put away by 8:30. 

I paid bills and walked before bed. I did not do a blog post or work on the book business today, but what I did was important.

Wallen's Thanksgiving:

Jared's kids James, Anna, Emmy and Molly are

in this photo.

Patrick's family spent Thanksgiving in Utah.

Kit and Kristina had their first baby today.

Her name is Myra Lily Lambson.

Congratulations!

 Kilee posted this today.

Monday, November 19th, 2018

St. George, Utah,

1st operating temple

Dedicated: 6-8 Apr 1877

By: Daniel H. Wells

Jesus Christ, Davidic Descent of

Luke 3:23

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli

Book of Mormon #1

Mormon 2:1-16

*What is the difference between sorrowing and sorrowing unto repentance? How can our sorrow help turn our hearts to the Lord?

- President Ezra Taft Benson explained the nature of godly sorrow so that we might understand the sorrow that leads to cleansing repentance: "Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having a 'broken heart and a contrite spirit' (DC 20:37). Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance." 

Book of Mormon #2

Alma 32-33

Old Testament

Daniel 9-10

General Conference

Becoming a Shepherd

Sister Bonnie Cordon

"Last April, President Nelson extended an invitation, like the Savior's to Peter, to feed our Father's sheep in a holier way through ministering. To effectively accept this invitation, we must develop a shepherd's heart and understand the needs of the Lord's sheep. How do we become the shepherd's the Lord needs us to become? As with all questions, we can look to our Savior, Jesus Christ - the Good Shepherd. The Savior's sheep were known and numbered, they were watched over, and they were gathered into the fold of God."

James and I are home alone after the morning rush for work, school, and the gym. James hangs around until around ten o'clock when he leaves for his appointment with his back surgeon, Dr. Crandall. Now I'm "home alone." I walk, study, pay the Amazon credit card, work on my last Wednesday blog post, email Ben, and have banana cream pie for breakfast. I end up throwing most of it away at Trina's earlier request. 

Lola and Trina get home before James gets back. While Trina is upstairs taking a shower Lola and I pay Llamanoes. Lola has her first dance concert tonight and we won't be here. I ask her if she could dance for me and she said, "No, not without my teacher."

Trina and Lola left for a lunch date with one of Trina's friends before James gets back. 

I re-pack the car to get all of my purchases in while James emails Ben. I emailed him earlier. 

We stopped at Fry's on the way out of town for a small turkey, a spiral cut ham, and some cranberry celebration. We also stopped at Jersey Mike's for our favorite subs.

James drives until Globe where I take over the wheel and drive until just before Show Low. 

After unloading the car and putting most everything away, I sat down to watch the "Dancing with the Stars" finale. I happened to be looking on Instagram and saw who won before I was finished watching. I was surprised to see it was Bobby Bones. He is the worst dancer of all of the four finalists but he has a lot of fans and is a great entertainer. Sharna Burgess is his partner and I'm glad for her because she has never won.

Brian and I were rooting for Evann & Keo to win,

Sheri and Kim wanted Milo & Witney, but Bobby

and Sharna took home the trophies.

Congratulations

 Charlie loves the tree lights

 And playing peek-a-boo with Tanner

This boy can run!

 Our fancy girl is taking a bow

Dancing is more fun with your cousins.

Admiring her trophy with grandpa Case

This came up and I couldn't resist posting.

When Adam was five years old and came down with diabetes, we had a haunted house in the basement in our home in Chander.  and

Ian was on the pool table inside a coffin. He

jumped up like this when the kids came by and the kids loved it!

One of my favorite family memories.

It was great to sleep in our own bed tonight!

Rowan's bed is very comfortable and

we appreciate him giving it up a few nights

for us.