Bums, Cheeks, and Eyes

No, that's not Mark...

It's Hunter Dale Jolley!

Mr. Sober-Sides Am I supposed to be posing? Aww...How sweet!

Melinda getting some sun while she reads the classifieds

And who is this handsome guy?

Okay, the 'ayes' have it!

When You Know Something is Right

First, I have some good news...ta da! Mark should be back on salary in about one and a half weeks! Isn't that great? I think things are much better this time, with a renewed committment and appreciation, improved operations, and a better outlook for the future. I'm just glad we don't have to move!

Okay, so:

Last night we were all in our room, with the French doors open and Leto loving that. We were eating bacon and garden tomato sandwiches, and it was just after sunset, so beautiful and peaceful. The horse in our back pasture was whinnying every once in a while, and the lights in the room were glowing.

We had just been reading and talking about how our prayers are answered, and the good feeling you get when you know something is right.

I guess you know how I was feeling...

Right then, it was just right.

Pain and Sadness

Yes, I just posted about making the best of things. I just want to add to that and say that this world has a lot of pain and sadness in it. It's so hard to embrace it, but that's a part of life, and it makes the happy times happier. What gets you through is knowing you're not alone.

Heavenly Father loves us, even when we are blind and limited in our capacities.

And we can love others, and they can love us. Just think how much that means in our lives.

Think how that will be the only thing that matters, in the end.

Stake Conference Sunday - Messed Up, But Fun

We went to Stake Conference, Mark and I, and Seth stayed home to leave for work in an hour. After a time, my heart was racing. Then Mark and I realized I hadn't taken my shot or my a.m. medicine, so we went back home. We found Seth looking for his work shirt, which he'd just had out the night before, and his room was all clean, so it wasn't lost in that wilderness. Anyway, I told him to call them at work and tell them that he needed to help take me to the hospital, because that's the way I was feeling right then. He called and, as usual, they had given others the day off, so he had to come in. That's the third time they've done that, the other two times were when he was really sick and had to go in anyway (a violation of the health code). He was sick all day those times, so we had him 'play hookey' this time and kept him with us, after we got partway to the hospital and I started feeling better. So we watched a movie, we planned some activities, and we played mind games with Leto by each taking a different door and randomly opening it from the outside, calling Leto, then shutting it. He kept running back and forth like crazy. It woke him up, at least! Than Mark gave Leto treats, made him some gravy, and poured it over Leto's food to make it tastier. Leto liked that. Then we played Rummikube out on the back porch, which was really fun and one of the few board games Mark enjoys. He was behind the whole time, and then he won! Seth's boss called later and said it had been a slow day, anyway. And said to tell me to get well. Now we're having pizza and then Klondike bars. I know, we're bad... But in a good way, I hope. Some days you try your best and then make do. P.S. Seth is going to try to get a job where he doesn't work on Sundays, since they make him work every Sunday, and that's way more than he's supposed to.

Friday - Amended/Thurs. Sept. 17, 2009

Hi! Not a lot going on, which I like. :) Mark and I went to a Soc. Security appt. yesterday (I don't receive that, as far as I can figure it out). They just had some questions. Since the appt. was at 11 a.m., Mark was home in the morning. That was so nice! Just relaxing.

What else is new? Ummm...nothing. I'm posting pictures up above here, to show Leto in the yard, looking at flies. Seth and I are very amused by Leto's antics and his cute face. He makes so many funny expressions. It's easy to trick him or play with his mind.

The other pictures are of the horses in our pasture and next door (they don't belong to us, but they keep the grass down and are fun to watch!). Megan, take note of the black horse - you can't really see it all in my blurry photo, but it's forehead star and strip are just like Holly's! Isn't that cool?

I'll post again if anything exciting happens. I'm really, really enjoying your posts!

Take care!

xoxoxo

The Stages of Mourning

I think that's what Mark and I have been experiencing.

We talked about that this a.m, about how maybe we're starting to see and accept some things that probably aren't going to change, no matter what. Mark has become more valued, but that won't change how things are done. And therein lies the problem. It's a general operating procedure. The only way for that to change is with Heavenly Father's help.

Part of the problem is us.

It's hard for Mark and I to lay responsibility where it belongs; it's always easier to just try harder ourselves. That's a life lesson we are learning: Often, it's not our place to fill in the gaps.

And I'm glad we're learning. You probably think we're rather slow on the uptake, but that's why I mention the stages. 'Cause it takes time.

Meanwhile, he continues his search, perhaps with a new urgency now. If something comes up, we'll pray about that. If not, well, at least he's got someone who values him! :/

september

It's so easy to relax in September, even if I'm working on some goals; that just makes me want to do more. I guess that's why people do fall cleaning, getting ready for the holidays, maybe changing their decor, plus clothes, bedding, coats, etc. Don't you love the light and the air? I do!

Copying Megan's Numbered Points

I like that format so well. It's just perfect for when I have a lot of things on my mind. So, thanks, Megan - here goes! 1) I've gotten strong enough to actually do some cleaning, and I'm going to have Mark or Beixe fix me a pail of soapy water with a rag each day from now on. Then, I will scrub till the water gets too gray. Then I'll pour the gray water on the plants outside, in the summertime (if I can pour it). I want to think of other things I can tackle, too, and how to set things up so that I can manage them on my own. 2) I enjoy going outside early in the a.m., whenever I can. It makes for a much more peaceful day, even if I'm only out there a short time. And Leto LOVES it. 3) If I want to write longhand letters, I have to do so early in the day as well. Once things start distracting me, I never get them written. 4) I like starting creative projects in the early afternoon, so I feel like I have lots of time if I want it; however, it takes discipline to resist the computer until later in the day! :/ 5) I am going to get my pictures and shelves hung on Saturdays or some time when Mark is home or someone is! I really want to get it done! 6) I am going to go through the books I have out and organize them. After that, I will slowly bring in more and go through them. And I'll do the rest of the unpacking. I need help for that, too! 7) That's all for now. There are other things I'm already doing and are already a set part of the day, like scripture time, blood sugar tests, taking medicine, and spending time with Mark. We try to do things with Seth, but it's harder since he works so much. I mostly see him during the day, when he does his chores and we visit. Anyway, after (whenever!) I can fit these things into my day, I'll work on some more things and post about them too. Fascinating, huh?

Another Baby Blessing!

Sunday was Hunter's baby blessing

(Thanks, Haley, for the use of the photo right below this)

Haley isn't proud, is she?

Lori's Heavenly Potatoes were great

I want the recipe!

My first time holding Joshua

Isn't he cute?

He's making a face at me, like, "No, not Grandma!"

He must take after Aiden

The Mahrs of West Virginia

Megan's friends, and good company for us

The Mahrs and Ben discuss Megan lol

Tristan has a request of the cook

Dallin's like, "Hey, I'm the only one who gets special requests

around here!" ;)

I love this shot of Alex

Melinda accuses me of only taking pictures of her eating

So I did this one on purpose (insert wicked laugh here)

The newly blessed Hunter

In the little tux Lori had a seamstress make up special

Just for blessings

Questions for Our President

President Obama is a good speaker, and he seems sincere; however, all I have to go by is behavior. Past behavior, of the government. Of this administration. So I'm skeptical. A man who seems so calm, measured, and reasonable has done extreme, extreme things. That wasn't good with Bush, either. Or any other president we have had. So I have some questions for Pres. Obama, that I thought of during his speech last night: 1) If there is waste in Medicaid and Medicare that would save us 500 billion if corrected, why don't we address that now? Why wait? What are we waiting for? 2) You barely mentioned medical malpractice (tort reform issues), and said you'd have your Health Minister look into it. What?!! Tort issues are why we have these spiraling costs -why are you approaching things from the wrong end? Why are you barely addressing (which probably means not addressing) the root of the problem? 3) You said that you just want to make the insurance cos. accountable, but who is the govt. accountable to? A government option for healthcare insurance doesn't inspire much confidence in me, based on the govt.'s track record. And it seems like a gov't./public insurance option, even if limited to the presently uninsured, would be unfair competition for private insurance, since it wouldn't have to make a profit. 4) Comparing required auto insurance with required health insurance isn't a correct comparison - auto insurance is required for liability reasons. How does that apply to health insurance? Yes, the public bears the cost of many uninsured, but it's not the same as the costs and injuries directly inflicted on another person if you are at fault in an auto accident. It really isn't a valid comparison, so why did you try to pass it off as one? 5) What do you mean by "we'll call you out" if someone says something you don't think is true? Doesn't that imply a threat to free speech? 6) If illegal aliens won't be covered by your health care plan, why did Democrats turn down the chance, twice, to amend your bill to specify banning that coverage? 7) How is it right to ask employers to bear the cost of health care, if they don't provide health insurance to their employees? Why is it their responsibility? Insurance is offered by employers to attract good employees, as a plus, a bonus. Now they would be required to "bear their share" of the cost of healthcare? I wish I could get answers to these questions. If they could be explained to me, I still wouldn't understand why that huge, sweeping healthcare bill, that no one had a chance to read or debate, was being pushed through for passage. There had been clear promises that no bill would come to a vote without time allowed for reading it. That bill, if passed, would have made huge changes to health care, which accounts for one-sixth of our national economy. And legislators were supposed to vote on it without knowing what it contained? That is frightening. There are other things that have been done, like the humongous bank bailouts, without accountability about how that money was used. Those are the things that make me ignore the sincere demeanor and the reasoned arguments. Every president should be held accountable, himself, for what he does. I've felt that way about each president we've had since I was in high school. I won't change that for our president now.

State Fair

Saturday, Mark and I and Seth went to the State Fair

First, we checked the baking to see how Mark had done

He got one first, one second, one third, and two fourths

out of five entries

We couldn't believe his cheesecake didn't do better than it did,

until we tasted the one we'd left at home...

Yech!

Apparently, the extract he'd used had turned bitter.

No wonder it got second out of two entries!

It's funny, like something that would happen to Anne of Green Gables.

He only got five entries in, so didn't go for most blue ribbons, after all...

That's okay. There's always next year!

The placard above is a large one that tells about Brooks' father,

(that's MegJill's father-in-law)

And there was a special display of some of his sculptures.

The following, and the one above, were some of my favorites:

And Allen didn't even tell Brooks and Megan about his display -

That is so like Brooks!

The Indian painting below was done by a kid in junior high school

Can you believe it?

And here are some other exhibits I liked

Including my favorite quilts:

I hope you get to visit your state fair!