Thursday, May 9th, 2019

Bern, Switzerland

9th operating temple

Dedicated: 11-15 Sept 1955

By: David O. McKay

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

1 Thessalonians 1:10

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Book of Mormon

Mosiah 26:14-39

New Testament

Luke 15

General Conference

The Eye of Faith

Neil L. Andersen

"Jesus said, 'I am the way the truth, and the life.' Truth shows us the way to eternal life, and it comes only through our savior, Jesus Christ. There is no other way. Jesus Christ teaches us how to live, and, through His Atonement and Resurrection, He offers us forgiveness from our sins and immortality beyond the veil. This is absolutely true."

The following quotes go along with this week's "Come Follow Me" lesson:

"Some are lost because they are different. If only we had more compassion for those who are different from us, it would lighten many of the problems and sorrows in the world today."

-Joseph B. Wirthlin

"The distance to 'a far country' is not to be measured by miles but by how far our hearts and minds are from Jesus. Fidelity, not geography really determines the distance."

- Neal A. Maxwell

I heard the following disturbing news this week regarding a family we know and love in Chandler:

My friend, Carol posted this on Facebook for me as it is too hard for me to do right now, so I am tagging a few friends, so they can pass this information on to those who knew and loved our sons, Todd.

"Please keep the Withers family in your thoughts and prayers. It is with heavy heart that we let you know that Doug and Juanita's youngest son, Todd, unexpectedly passed away yesterday afternoon. The funeral arrangements have been made:

Tuesday, May 14th, there will be a 10 am viewing followed by the 11 am service for Todd Withers at the church - Chandler West Stake Center on Dobson & Galveston.

Todd was one of Jared Ammon's friends in high school. We have known the Wither's for years. Juanita was Kim's Merrie Miss teacher when she was in Primary. I don't know the cause of Todd's death but it is always a tragedy when a young person with so much promise passes away.

We had elk in our yard today. The grass is turning green because of all of the rain we have had. Elk in our yard is always a cause for happiness around here, except when they destroy our trees.

The Grapp's were going to come over this afternoon so I got all ready and made sure the dishes were done and the house was clean and then they didn't come. I had made parmesan crusted chicken for lunch so the kitchen was quite a mess. Oh well, I guess I had to clean it anyway, and James probably appreciated the fact that I put on makeup and combed my hair.

Another day with 20,000 steps.

These photos are actually from a video of

Charlie crawling across the floor.

 So proud of herself

One of my favorite Hallmark actresses

with her husband in France.

 Loving this weather

 Congratulations Alice!

Wednesday, May 8th, 2019

Idaho Falls, Idaho

8th operating temple

Dedicated: 23-25 Sept 1945

By: George Albert Smith

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Colossians 1:13

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Book of Mormon

Mosiah 25:15-26:13

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Luke 14

General Conference

Seeking Knowledge by the Spirit

Mathias Held

"But how could we know if what the missionaries were telling us about the Book of Mormon, about Joseph Smith, and about the plan of salvation was actually all true? Well, we had understood from the words of the Lord that we could 'know them by their fruits.' So, in a very systematic manner, we started examining the Church by looking for those fruits with the eyes of our very rational minds. What did we see? Well, we saw: A church where Jesus Christ and families are at the center of everything, where members fast once a month and donate to help the poor and needy, where healthy habits are promoted, teaching us to abstain from harmful substances."

Elk and rain this morning, and also, the hummingbirds are back and James has been feeding them.

I loved Elder Holland's talk, "The Other Prodigal." Here are some notes I jotted down: "If envy were a fever we would all have one." "In the story of the prodigal son, the father doesn't tantalize his children. He does not mercilessly measure them against their neighbors. He doesn't even compare them with each other. His gestures of compassion toward one do not require a withdrawal or denial of love for the other. He is divinely generous to both sons."

"We will be provided with a perfectly tailored robe of righteousness for each of us,cleansed in the blood of the Lamb."

It was rainy and cool most of the day. James built a beautiful fire but he says that we are now out of dry firewood. We just thought summer was here, but today it felt more like winter.

Using the workflow chart that Kathy H. made I worked on the book business this morning. James is too busy to help right now because he is getting bids for the Memon and Kisana jobs. Here are the things that Kathy says she feels are important to do on a regular basis:

- Checking books sold overnight and ordering 10-30 more books. This business is all about building inventory. 

- Setting Keepa alerts on good books to buy when the price is lower.

- Prepping merchant fulfilled books for shipment.

- Strive to get positive feedback on sales made. This helps the Amazon algorithm trust you as a seller, and encourages more buyers, too.

- Have a plan. What are your goals, financial or otherwise with this business. 

- If not using a prep center, prepare shipments on a daily basis.

- Add books that you have purchased to the inventory list

-Repricing keeps you competitive, so reprice often.

- Buy as many books as your budget allows, find new sources or ways to buy, reprice, and local source once a week.

- Check feedback and then do any cleanup (stranded inventory, client messages, etc.)

Well, Kathy is my hero in this business. She just did $20,000 worth of sales last month. Two of the things that I like about Kathy are her willingness to share her trade secrets because she genuinely wants to help people and her personal touch. She responds to everyone who asks a question or makes a comment on Facebook and she does that in every aspect of her business. She is a nice person who wants to help others. I wish I could afford to have her be my mentor.

I did desk work today and paid some bills, including Lambson Construction bills. 

James got a call from the Willis's daughter Sandy today. She works during the day but lives with her parents and helps take care of them. Today the company James had do the drywall patching the Willis's needed sent a guy over by himself and I guess he was a bit of an annoyance. He knocked on their door and asked to come in and use the bathroom. When Sister Willis told him no he asked if he could go in her yard. She again said no. He also knocked on the door for a drink of water. Sandy was concerned for her parents safety and that's why she called James. He immediately called the owner of the company and complained. The guy said he would take care of it. The job isn't done yet so hopefully this won't happen again.

 I know it doesn't look very fancy but

those little venison steaks are very tasty.

 My hubby the fire starter

Nothing like a nice fire on a cold day to create

a homey atmosphere.

 Meghan and Prince Harry with their baby boy

 Before the press knew his name they were calling

him baby Sussex. I guess that's because Meghan and Harry

are the Duchess and Duke of Sussex.

 Scarlett sweeping while holding her drink.

 Trying to get out of her seat.

 In to the magazines. At least she

chose a good one.

 The mountain disappeared

Tuesday, May 7th, 2019

Mesa, Arizona

7th operating temple

Dedicated: 23-26 Oct 1927

By: Heber J. Grant

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

1 John 5:20

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Book of Mormon

Mosiah 24:16-25:14

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Luke 13

General Conference

The True, Pure, and Simple Gospel of Jesus Christ

President M. Russell Ballard

"In thinking about my last 43 years of service as a General Authority and the privilege I have had to minister to Heavenly Father's children, I have come to realize more fully that He wants all of His children to find peace, joy, and happiness in their lives."

We watched and listened to "The Great Reveal" book profits webinar today starring John and Luke. They have been promising us some exciting news for several weeks now. The exciting news is that they are selling "Done For You" book lists that you can buy on a monthly basis. There are two kinds of book lists, one more for beginners and one for those who have been in the business longer. I ordered one of each. The cost is high and if I don't make any money off these lists I will be cancelling at the end of the month. Researching books takes a lot of time and effort and having a list already with the right kind of books should be extremely helpful. We are ready to take this business to the next level!

We had a little rain today and when we went in to Walmart it looked like they had even more than we did. We came in to get my prescriptions, tramadol and my thyroid medicine. We also did a little shopping. I bought some snacks to eat on the way home, popcorn chicken, and hazlenut M&M's. They have so many different flavors now but my favorite is still peanut M&M's.

Stacy called today to tell me they got a better house than they had before. She just didn't feel good about the house they were getting so she looked on Zillow and found this house that is 3,000 sq ft with five bedrooms. It's on Arizona Avenue and Queen Creek and they would be able to stay in their ward where Joshua is the deacons quorum president. The house is only a year old and the current renters are moving to Peoria so they can move in next week. The best thing is that we know the owners, Jen and Rod Coffey. They built the house for their family but their kids don't won't to move out of their childhood home in the Galveston 3rd ward, Sheri's ward. 

I texted with Sheri today and she has some trials. In spite of all of her efforts Ollie still have fleas. Evan got a device put in his mouth which isn't very pleasant and Max has a cyst on his hand and has to have surgery to remove it. I told her that in spite of her trials I knew that the Lord loved her.

We had baked asparagus with parmesan cheese and lemon pepper, and a greens, berries, and cashew salad for dinner. It was very tasty. Afterwards we watched the latest episode of Hailey Dean starring Kellie Martin.

Happy Birthday Autumn!

I don't like fleas...

 My friend Pam would love this quilt!

 So glad she's feeling better