Saturday, November 18, 2023: Sleeping pill and I sleep in, RAIN, Sheri's call about her floor, Kerri, Tamara and I go to lunch, Tamara's treat, El Charro, "A Merry Scottish Christmas"

 

Twin Falls, Idaho

128th operating temple

Dedicated: 24 Aug 2008

By: Thomas S. Monson

Book of Mormon Reading

Mormon 1:1-19

Book of Mormon 100 Favorites

Alma 17:10

And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them; Be comforted. And they were comforted.

Come Follow Me

James 2:1-9 As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I should love all people, regardless of their circumstances.

October General Conference

"Praise to the Man" President M. Russell Ballard

We woke up to rain this morning. It rained all day long. 

Sheri called this morning about a problem with her floor buckling in the kitchen area. She talked to James for awhile and he is going to look at it when we go down next week for Thanksgiving.

I left to pick up Kerri Halcomb this morning around 10:45. Tamara and I are going to lunch with Kerri so she can tell us about some health issues she is having. 

Kerri and I visit on the way to town. Tamara is meeting us at the restaurant because she says she has some errands to run in town.

I told Kerri to wait until we were with Tamara before she talked about her health. 

We are having lunch at El Charro where Kerri and I had lunch about a year ago and she told me about a bacteria she is receiving infusion treatments for. We ate chips and looked at the menu until Tamara arrived and we all ordered. We all ordered the two item special.

Kerri got a chicken enchilada and a tostado. I got a chicken enchilada and a shredded beef taco and Tamara got a chile relleno and a chicken chimichanga. The waitress asked us if we wanted separate checks and I said I was paying for Kerri's. Tamara then said she wanted to pay for everyone's. That was nice of her. Tamara doesn't work at the library, she works for Jimmy at Beacon Treatment Center. They just bought another treatment center in Show Low and are making the needed changes to make it profitable. For the future they are looking at the reservation. I am happy to see them doing so well.

Kerri is teaching full-time at Show Low High School. She teaches criminal justice and she focuses on the constitution. Way to go Kerri!

Kerri does not have cancer. About a year or so ago she took me to lunch and told me she had picked up a bacteria. She said she was taking weekly infusions and I checked with her from time to time. She would say it was better but she never got rid of it and it will eventually destroy her kidney. The doctors said she has approximately 5 years. She does not want to tell her mother because she said she will stress out and worry. We have to honor that commitment. I am so grateful for these two friends!

It was still raining as we left the restaurant, Kerri and I going back to Vernon and Tamara staying in town to do her errands. After I said goodbye to Kerri and drove home I noticed that James was outside raking pine needles off the grass and putting them in the fire pit. 

I worked on my blog, walked with James and then we watched "A Merry Scottish Christmas" with James. This is a good movie starring Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf. 

James listened to Greg Matsen this afternoon to a Palestinian Christian woman who says that Israel is killing innocent people, including patients in hospitals. 

I love this little sweetie!

I love movies starring these two:

Autumn Reeser & Antonio Cupo

Friday, November 17, 2023: 3 am insomnia, dirt for stable, Pres. Ballard's funeral, Christmas shopping w/ James, "Navigating Christmas" w/ J, "A Not So Distant Love"

Panama City, Panama

127th operating temple

Dedicated: 10 Aug 2008

By: Thomas S. Monson

Book of Mormon Reading

4 Nephi 1:23-49

Book of Mormon 100 Favorites

Mosiah 2:22

And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

Come Follow Me

James 1:26; 3:1-18 The words I speak have the power to hurt or bless others.

October General Conference

"Brothers and Sisters in Christ" by Elder Ulisses Soares

I am sleep this morning because of my insomnia at 3 a.m. 

James ordered dirt for the floor of the stable, to level it out and to put above it so the water won't come down from the hill and flood it out. 

After the dirt arrived he and I went into town to do errand and to do some Christmas shopping. I'm so excited that he is coming with me!

We stopped at the post office where we had two packages. The big one was the new business checks and checkbook we ordered. The other one was the Christmas stamp puzzle I ordered for Tamara.

Before we left home we ordered Sonic. We went there first and had lunch. We each had a Slinger. James had a side of mozzarella sticks and I had a side of fried pickles. We shared a large diet Dr. Pepper.

James dropped off his tire at Discount Tire. A new tire cost him almost $300. He said next time he's going to Walmart. Next stop was J.C. Penney's. They had blankets on sale. Their $40-50 blankets were on sale for under $20. Some we $12.99, 16.99, or 17.99, depending on the size. This is part of the Black Friday sale. We bought several blankets but we still need more so while James put our purchases in the truck, I walked down to Ross. James moved the truck and joined me. 

I was a little disappointed with the selection at Ross but I manage to find about seven blankets. It was almost time for our appointment at the bank so we headed back to Chase. Our appointment was with Dave Bergman. Dave was a friendly guy who grew up in Pinedale. He knew Charlie Brown, our Pinedale neighbor, and he knows the Maxwell and expressed his concern for Brian. 

The purpose of our visit to the bank was to have me sign a card so I will be an "official" signer on the Lambson Construction account. I have been signing checks for years but I guess I wasn't really a signer on the account. Now I am. Dave didn't have enough time to link our accounts so I will probably have to make a call to do that.

We went back to Circle K and got gas in the truck and then it was over to Walmart. James picked up my prescriptions and I did some shopping. We left to go back and pickup the new tire, then to Epic Sports for bearings for the Razr. Finally we got to go home!

I made us cheese crisps for dinner and then we had baked apples for dessert. I laid all of the blankets out and realized that 33 isn't enough, I need two more. 

James and I watched a new Christmas movie, "Navigating Christmas." Stephen Huszar was one of the stars and the story is about saving a light house because it means so much to the community. It was pretty good.

Today was President Ballard's funeral.

I am going to miss his warm smile and special

spirit.

Charlie is the cutest pilgrim ever!

Kevin took Sophie deep sea fishing for her 13th birthday.

Looks like she was successful.

Lily came along for the ride.

One of my all-time favorite Hallmark

Christmas movies, "It's the Most

Wonderful Time of the Year."

President Ballard and his beloved

wife Barbara.

The younger Ballard's

 

Thursday, November 16, 2023: 6:30 I smell the beans! Follow Him, James in the woods, barbershop bid, Inklings, Rain forecast but only a few sprinkles, "A Not-So-Distant Love"

Curitiba, Brazil

126th operating temple

Dedicated: 1 June 2008

By: Thomas S. Monson

Book of Mormon Reading

4 Nephi 1:1-22

Book of Mormon 100 Favorites

2 Nephi 28:24-25

Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!

Come Follow Me

James 1:3-8, 21-25; 2:14-26; 4:17 Faith requires action

October General Conference

"Seeing God's Family through the Overview Lens" by Sister Tamara W. Runia

Inklings

"The Sealing Power" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

6:30 - I smell the beans I put in the crockpot to cook last night and the smell whisks me into the kitchen. Yummm, they are very tasty!

After our prayers and scriptures James went outside to cut wood and I sat down at my computer to blog and listen to Hank and John and their guest on "Follow Him." J.B. Haws was their guest and I really liked him. Here are some notes:

The most important word in the dictionary according to Spencer W. Kimball is "Remember."

We deceive ourselves if we always think we are the victim

"Your name is safe in our house."

The Atonement cleanses us and changes us

Ezra Taft Benson said: "Righteously hang on to outlast the devil and his oppressive spirit.

Do I teach to impress or bless?

The meeting James had in Chandler on Tuesday was about doing a tenant improvement on a barbershop. The owner got taken by some guy who said he was a registered contractor but was not. His work was terrible and when the owner fired him he tore out a couple of TV's he had for his customers. This is a job that Sal found and James is working on bidding the work. I'm a little apprehensive that the owner won't be able to pay for the work if James takes the job. The other guy charged him over $65,000 and he will only recover about $25,000 of that.

James also ordered the bearings for the Razr and a new mirror for his truck. He is on a roll!

I listened to Inklings this morning. It was Rio and Katie Hughes. Here are a few notes: The talk is "The Sealing Power" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

Affirmation: I am connected to my roots and branches through the sealing power. Regardless of my circumstances, I live worthy of this covenant and trust in the Lord's promise of eternal connection.

* Jesus "minds the gap"

* The purpose of the gathering of Israel is to provide safety and gospel blessings to God's people.

* We need unification and to make space for hospitality.

* The gathering is in us. The light of Christ leads us.

* We need to claim who we are.

* What is one truth you know?

* Making space for people who might not feel as passionate as I feel about the gospel.

* Sometimes we learn the most from our "mess ups."

* We learn from our imperfections. We are practicing perfection.

* Be an expert at apologizing. Repair hurt.

* Offer grace to ourselves and others.

It looked like it was going to rain today and it was forecast but we only got a few drops. 

I got out the 18 blankets I bought for Christmas gifts. I have 17 more to buy. I got the blankets out on the floor so I could start matching them to family members. 

I watched two old Christmas movies today and The Golden Bachelor. I wish I had never started the Golden Bachelor. I am not a fan of the fantasy suites. Yuk to this show.

I started a new book. It's called "A Not-So-Distant Love" by Heidi Kimball. 

 

Wednesday, November 15, 2023: Word of the Day is Patience, James cuts logs, Trip to town, nap, J moved backhoe bucket!, Dinner w/ Sedigs & Grombachs @ Cattleman's

 

Rexburg, Idaho

125th operating temple

Dedicated: 10 Feb 2008

By: Thomas S. Monson

Book of Mormon Reading

3 Nephi 29:1-30:2

Book of Mormon 100 Favorites

3 Nephi 14:7

Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Come Follow Me

James 1:2-4; 5:7-11 Patient endurance leads to perfection.

Teaching with Power

October General Conference

"Humble to Accept and Follow" by Elder Joni L. Koch

My word for the day is patience. I so desperately need it! 

As part of our scripture study this mornig we listened to a talk by Elder Jaggi called "Count it All Joy." I love this quote from his talk:

"When we exercise patience, our faith increases. As our faith increases, so does our joy." Elder Jaggi also said that we go to the temple to make covenants and we go home to keep covenants.

I listened to Ben Wilcox as part of my "Come Follow Me" study:

I had chow mien for breakfast. It was quite delicious. 

After scriptures and prayers James went out to find logs for siding and firewood.

I took a trip to town around noon. James was too busy to come. On the way to town I listened to "Proposals and Poison." I used my EasyPay card at Circle K. At Walmart I picked up some groceries along with my prescriptions, a heater for the bathroom, a turkey for Thanksgiving, and some kitty supplies, including catnip, although I don't know what it does for cats, and another kitty bed. I ate Andes mints on the way home. Once I got home and put the groceries away, I took a nap and so did James. He moved the backhoe that I was complaining about and we decided that on Saturday we would haul a load of junk to the dump. 

We have a dinner engagement tonight with the Grombachs and the Sedigs. We were supposed to meet the Grombachs at the church at 5:00 and then they would ride with us to Cattleman's in Show Low where we would meet the Sedigs at 5:30. Willy texted James and asked if we could push it back 30 minutes because Janna wasn't home from the valley yet. She has been down there with her mom going to doctors appointments and attending a baby shower for Pat's great great grandchild. I guess the mom went into labor right after the shower and delivered the baby early. It weighed five lbs and is doing well. 

When we were on our way to Show Low with the Grombachs I asked Janna what the latest report on her mom was. She said it isn't good news. She has a leaky valve and she won't have surgery because it is too risky at her age. She is 85 and will be 86 in January. Dr. Memon prescribed some new medicine for her that will help her stay comfortable and he told her to walk a little bit everyday. Pat is such a sweet lady and she had great faith. She is not afraid to die.

We met the Sedigs a little before six in front of Cattleman's. We went in and got a table for six. I realized I should have made a reservation but luckily they weren't too busy. It was still a little before six so our waiter brought the twilight menu where the menu is limited but the prices are cheaper. He brought a regular menu too but we all ordered off the twilight menu. Janna got salmon, Willy prime rib, Cheryl cod fillet, Ralph the New York steak, James prime rib, and I ordered the New York strip steak. When the food came Ralph told the server it looked like he got the 5 oz steak instead of the 8 oz but the server assured him it was 8 oz. I guess it was thick because it looked small to me too. I ended up giving Ralph about half of my steak.

The women sat together and talked. Cheryl said she has lived in her new house for two months without a kitchen. They are starting to put a kitchen together but she has been cooking on a camp stove for two months. I realize how spoiled I really am. 

We stayed and visited after we were done eating. We really do like these two couples. Willy and Ralph have been best friends since high school and they do something together just about everyday.

We said goodbye to the Sedigs and drove home with the Grombachs. Willy has agreed to help James fix the Razr. James is going to order the bearings and he and Willy will fix it next week. We have such great friends!

Adam's work had a turkey drawing contest.

He asked our family group which one we liked.

This one is Adam's

I made this cake for Kim's birthday,

it is delicious!

Tuesday, November 14, 2023: James leaves for the valley @ 6. The barber is late for the meeting, woodpecker is driving me bananas, James back, Panda for dinner

 

Helsinki, Finland

124th operating temple

Dedicated: 22 Oct 2006

By: Gordon B. Hinckley 

His last

Book of Mormon Reading

3 Nephi 28:25-40

Book of Mormon 100 Favorites

Jacob 4:4

For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we know of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.

Come Follow Me

Who was James? James 2

October General Conference

"Hallmarks of Happiness" by Elder Gary B. Sabin

Inklings

"The Sealing Power" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

James left for the valley at 6 a.m., after our family prayer. He feels better this morning than he did last night when he went to bed.

As I was walking around the high table in the family room I heard a pounding upstairs. I know we have a woodpecker that tries to peck a hole in our siding but this sounded like someone tapping with a hammer. My imagination got the best of me and I was sure someone was upstairs hiding in the closet tapping away. I even went upstairs to check. Of course I found no one. It bothered me so much I went into my bedroom and locked the door. 

I listened to Tyler and Taylor this morning on Scripture Central. Here are a few notes that I took: 

Encouraged to listen to the conference address by Jeffrey R. Holland called: "The Tongue of Angels." 

All are alike unto God, He is no respecter of persons.

Know the truth before speaking.

Receive wisdom from above

Use our wealth to help build the kingdom of God

Let us endure well and be ready for the Savior when He comes.

James's meeting was supposed to be at 9 p.m. but the guy he is doing the remodeling for, a barber, did not show up and said he couldn't be there until noon. Some kind of family emergency. He had said he would be home around 2 but now it won't be until 5 or 6. 

I got 12,000 steps before he got home. He walked, holding my phone and got 10,000 more. While I was walking I listened to "Proposals and Poison" Rachelle J. Christensen's third wedding planner book.

James brought home Panda bowls with teriyaki chicken and chow mien for dinner. We both ate about half of our bowl and then put the rest in the frig for tomorrow. 

I ordered these cute gingerbread house containers from a shop on Amazon called Karentology. How could I resist?

Love!

I received the Christmas Carols puzzle I ordered. I thought it was going to be exactly like Kim's. The picture is the same but the size is different. Mine is bigger with bigger pieces. The bonus is it does have a picture of the puzzle on a sheet of paper and Kim's doesn't. Kim knows I like the small pieces better and she offered to trade with me. That is very sweet of her but I know she also likes the smaller pieces better. We shall see what happens. In the meantime I'm doing this puzzle.

It was Whitney Houston night on "DWTS." Billy Porter was the guest judge. They called him the male Whitney Houston. Not a chance. I thought he was a little creepy. Xochitl (Pronounced Soshie)

and Val got the first perfect score of the season! They are my favorite couple. She is only 17 but is such a good dancer. I must say though that my all time favorite couple has to be Meryl Davis and Maks C.

I have been watching YouTube videos of them.

Millie and Jerry Scott

Charlie

12,000 of these are mine

Xochitl & Val

Peta & Barry William went home tonight