Doings and Plans

Hello! Long time no post...Sorry. However, I'm posting now, and I hope you are cheered by that, lol. Here is a video that Nie posted on her site - extremely touching. I wish we could all reach out like that and say those things to ourselves, but the Holy Spirit can and does give utterance to the truth. I know that for myself, and those promises have proven true time and time again. I know that will continue. Here's the link: http://youtu.be/8nczw6xHJ0I Copy and paste the link in the address bar. Hope it works! If not, let me know and I'll try and fix it. :) Okay...doings...let's see. Well, Mark's been looking for work, applying online (more about that in a few paragraphs). I was sick with something mysterious, but it didn't last long. Mark said it was just meant to keep him home from something he wasn't supposed to do (for his past job). That feels true, actually. Mark downloaded (legally) Masterpiece Theater's version of Jane Eyre, the best I've seen. We both loved it! It's on Netflix, also, but in two parts. And for Mother's Day, Seth downloaded Myasaki's Ponyo, another cute, cute movie that M. wrote and directed. I love his work! So that was happy. Seth just remembered about it yesterday, hahah. Isn't that just like me? Mark and I went to see a matinee of Toy Story 3. We hadn't been to a movie in quite a long while. We thought the movie was the equal of the other two and we highly recommend it! Also, Kattie is following Megan and Brooks back to Idaho - Yippee!!! That's so cool! And Phillip is returning to MO Saturday evening, so we are having a bbq on Saturday, to celebrate his visit and a couple of missed other occasions. Then Mark and I will bring him back here to catch his bus. No one has seen much of Phillip, because he visits his theatre friends in Shelley. I'm sure he's loving that, and we're happy that he gets to see his old friends. He is anxious to get out of the army - is it next spring? - and he is talking about his mission and college. Bravo! Now if we can get Seth in school (have to register still - but it's not too late), we'll be relieved. All you kids are sooo smart, and we're happy for each one of you, when you make and attain your own goals. I could start a list of everything, but I'll just mention a few from the past year or so: Three lucky, cute babies born (Hunter, Josh, and Emme), at home with their mommies now, Brooks getting his Master's Degree and a good job in WVA, them buying a house out there (after a long wait while living in a motel!), Haley getting her Assoc. Degree from BYUI and Dallin continuing with his schooling, Melinda dancing 'toe' in her ballet recital and for a church program, Justin making the move up to Idaho and working at Quest, Linda starting a small preschool and teaching piano, Ben selling Melaleuca and making plans for work, etc., Megan starting her own photography business, Danny having a great month at Quest in June, Phillip having his army leave and planning for deployment, then discharge from the army, Seth not working at Burger King (yay! 'cause they wouldn't let him have any Sats. or Suns. off) and Justin's giving him church clothes (thanks!) and him going to church and making plans to be an EMT, and Leto has made friends and Tut has rolled around on our bed all day (he loves our vintage chenille bedspreads) and Jasmine made her exit from this life, after 17 triumphantly spoiled years! Remind me of what I've missed (probably tons of things), but I just want to say that we are making progress, non? Mais Oui! I have even learned to live my life in a more orderly, serene fashion - however, that doesn't rule out the fun side of things. If anything, I enjoy things more. Oh, I went to the orthopedist here, and he gave me a cortisone shot for my knee (yay!) and basically said he can't do anything more for me, because I couldn't tolerate surgeries, etc. So I'll just get palliative care while my knee continues to heal whatever it will heal. My arm just needs rest, and my hip is pretty much the same story. Isn't that fascinating? The shots have really helped me, and it's been great. : ) Mark and I have a plan A and a plan B, as far as job-hunting goes. Either way, it ends with him getting his RN, to make him supremely, super-employable. That could happen via tuition reimbursement while he's employed at an Assted. Living facility (the large ones do that), or just going straight into the first program he can, living the poor student life. We'll both research these paths, while he makes applications and also fixes things up around here, in case we have to sell. Isn't that a good plan(s)? I think so. There's a clear objective that's worth obtaining, and Mark is so good at that type of work. With his Ph.D. and an R.N., plus his years of experience with all aspects of care and management, he would be such a valuable employee, able to get work anywhere in the country. And if times get harder, a nurse would be most likely to still have a job. It follows the counsel to improve your employ-ability. I like it, and it feels good that Mark should do so. Sorry that he didn't years ago! Anyway, that's the direction we're heading. Everyone should get nurse's training. How's that for a statement? No, but it's a great skill to have - anything medical. It's just so useful, and it gets you into so many other opportunities. Okay, enough about that. The weather has been great lately. Mark fixed our air conditioner and installed it, but we haven't need it yet. We're really looking forward to the bbq Saturday, having Megan and family and Kattie out here, having a girl's party for Eclipse, having all the July baby and adult birthdays, maybe going to Bear Lake at some point this summer, and also celebrating the Fourth of July! Too bad Phillip can't stay, but he's being even more patriotic, whether he acknowledges that or not (he doesn't like to be glorified like that), by serving in the armed forces that defend our country. That's a totally honorable cause, even if the army environment isn't like Sunday School, by any means. I hope the link to the video works. I'd better post this now. I love you all! xoxoxo

Life Back Home on the Farm

Hi! Did you know that tomorrow is Justin's birthday, and Saturday is Sandy's birthday? And Sunday is Father's Day? And Phillip was picked up in Nebraska by Justin and Danny, and they got in on Sat. evening and they all yelled Happy Birthday! to me, over the phone?! Exciting times! Even tho we have no definite plans, it's exciting to know all these things are happening, Phillip is getting to visit, I'm really middle-aged now (Hurray! I love getting old!), and anything is possible! Mark's been doing some work on policies and procedures for Shauna, for where she works, and he's been applying at different assted. living places around the country and talking to people, asking them to keep their heads up for job opportunities, and so on. I've been enjoying the clean bedroom and having Mark around more, Seth went camping and fishing with his friends (in the rain, no less), and I've read The Bounty, by Caroline Alexander, and am now reading a new bio of Louisa May Alcott, by Harriet Reisen. Leto loves it when I read, because I go outside with him. I love to sit in the sun and read. I keep my face away from the sun, but I can feel it on my head. My hair blows around and my shoulders and back are warmed and it's so deliciously peaceful. In the long, cold evenings, we get on the bed and watch tv - many cartoons and movies. I watched an old Randolph Scott western yesterday, "Fighting Man (maybe of Kansas?)." I was surprised by how engrossing it was. Very well done! Tut spends lots of time lying out in the sun, and I look online for job opportunities while I eat plain oatmeal, in the mornings. And I talk on the phone (quite a lot) and write the occasional letter (not so much ;). Read and do blog posts. Talk on the phone. Do Primary assignments. Work on art projects when the house is warm (it's not been heated for quite a while, since it's not that cold - I just want to be warm, so my hands are more flexible for the work). Later on I'll start fishing. Yahoo! My daily life holds a nice mixture of activities, wouldn't you say? I would! Love You! xoxoxo

It's My Birthday!

Yay! And Mark asked me what I want, and I told him a clean bedroom, so he helped me clean it, including cleaning the baseboards, vacuuming, dusting, and moving furniture! Isn't that great? We got out a different bedspread, and we have plans to paint some furniture, etc., for a peaceful, cohesive look. And I threw out a bunch of junk! Also for my birthday, Haley and Dallin got me candy, and Megan and Brooks sent me...Ta Dah! Her pinwheel quilt that she made! It's always been such a favorite of mine, so she trusted me to have it! We're going to hang it in our family room, on the big, blank wall. Won't that be perfect with the browns and reds in there? (The quilt is red and blue on white.) It's a free fishing day, but it's very cold and rainy today, so we won't do that. I'll get a license one of these days, anyway. : ) Since I last posted, Leto had a painful hip/side, so much so that Mark took him to the vet Wed. night before book club. Nothing showed, so it must've been a bruise. With pain meds, he was way better the next day. I wasn't there to see, because I stayed at Melinda and Danny's house after book club (which was at Mary Robinson's house - The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown). I got to see all the kids, and Lainey told me, "I love your big nose!" Baby Emme is such a round little bundle, so cute! In fact, I first saw Angie holding her at book club, and I thought, "What an adorable, darling baby Angie has!" Then I realized it was Emme, so that shows that she really is adorable, and my opinion isn't biased at all! lol Alex was more affectionate than ever before, and he's learning to refer to himself when saying what he wants. Also, his hair is turning a rich bronze color, just like Edward's is in the books! Ahhh... Tristan is speaking so well now! He's really learning a bunch at Linda's preschool. So, the next day, Haley and Hunter came to pick me up, and I spent the day in Rexburg with them. Hunter was so serious and quiet at Melinda's house, and his eyebrows and eyelashes have really grown in. He's very handsome. Once we were at his home, he was so smiley and silly! He offered me a piece of bread that he was eating, as well as playing with me and examining my wheelchair. I got to taste Haley's vegetable lasagna (yum! recipe in Easy Peasy) After Hunter's nap, we went to Porters. Wowee! They have sooooooo much great stuff! I was on brain overload right away, so I just stuck to looking for things I can't find down here. I found bigger clamp rings for homemade books, and I got two votive holders, made from colored jars, for $1.50 each! They're the kind you hang in your tree, if you want. I also got a little sketch notebook, which I'm already using. It's easy to carry around, and I like to draw and imagine, so that's fun to have on hand. I got some darling ribbon for a dollar, and they had some chipboard items on clearance for almost nothing, so I got two little fold-out castle houses to decorate and embellish. I think they were 75 cents each. Great! They had so much on clearance! That was fun. We went back to Haley's and talked and she fixed pork chops. Mmmm. Dallin came home for lunch, btw, and got back for supper, so we got to visit as well. Then Hunter went to bed and Dallin stayed with him while Haley drove me back to Mel's. It was funny to be with Haley without Hunter, and when we got to Melinda's, they got to visit with her and Justin, who took me home about 6:30 or so. We had a good visit, too. One thing we talked about was Danny and Justin going to get Phillip in Nebraska, where his car broke down on his way home for a visit. This will be his first in a year, and probably the last before he deploys to Afghanistan. That night, I had a beautiful dream of us all being blessed, together. I believe in that, and I love it when it feels like we are so connected in this life. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, pretty much, and we work well as a unit when we need to. Our senses of humor and our faith and gratitude are our what keep us going, and our love keeps us together.

Life is good.

Mouse Wars

Yes, I know...it's been a week since I promised to write more. :/ But I've been busy watching movies, reading books, and waiting for sunshine!

Also, I hurt my arm and knee a little, so have been very immobile. I'm feeling better today, and I have an appt. with an orthopedic dr. on the 21st.

Meanwhile, Mark, Seth, and Tut had a Mouse Derby/Competition, keeping score of who trapped, shot, and ate mice, respectively. They kept a tally board, after removing a bag of rice that mice had found. It was stored on a shelf above our basement stairs and the mice started looking for more food after the rice bag was emptied out.

We removed all their food sources, and everything else is in bins or cabinets that the mice can't reach. Hence, the emergence of the mice and the beginning of the mouse wars.

Seth was first, shooting mice in the basement stairwell with his bb gun. Then he taught Tut to catch mice and eat them (he is too lazy to pursue them on his own, so Seth has to drop him in the general vicinity of the mouse). At the same time that Tut was being tutored in mouse hunting, Mark started setting traps out, baited with cheese. That brought them out!

Mark bought more traps, and the mice were setting them off so fast, he could hardly keep up with them. The final tally was Tut - 2, Seth - maybe 8?, and Mark and Seth's traps - 20 something. Over 30 mice killed, during a 4 or 5 day period. Since then, there's been nary a mouse anywhere.

Either they're all dead, or they've moved on. Yay for smart mice! (Or dead ones)

We'd never seen signs of mice in the house, so it was quite a shock to find out they were so numerous. We didn't feel invaded at all. And Mark, Seth, and Tut had a blast, even if it meant killing our little uninvited guests. ; )

I've been reading The Bounty, a 2003 book by Caroline Alexander. It adds much research to the record of the mutiny. I've read a bunch of books on this fascinating event and it's amazing aftermaths, so I'm delighted to find new information on it.

Prior to this, I read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (author of The DaVinci Code). It was so interesting to learn about the architecture and symbolism of our capital city, plus learn a little about the Masons. I can't vouch for the information, but it's a starting point for sure.

I love history!

That's really it, as far as I recall. There's been mowing and home teaching visits and Primary things to make, Mark baked cookies last week, and we went to church yesterday (where we saw Alexandria (the 10 yr. old girl I've mentioned before) and she told me she was fasting for me. Isn't that cute? Apparently, she thought that I was in bad shape, worse than I thought I was, and had taken up the matter with Heavenly Father. When she saw me at church, her prayers were answered, 'cause I felt well enough to be there and see her. Her 11th birthday is on the 10th, just 2 days before mine. I hope I remember it!

I talked to Tamathy on the phone, and she said that the Howald reunion was great, and that everyone made it except Brady, who has a new job, from what I understand.

To me, it's amazing that so many were able to get there! I'm so glad they started this tradition, and I look forward to our reunion on Sat., July 3rd. You're welcome to start on the 1st or the 2nd and carry over to Sun., the 4th, too. Plan all you want, call me with your ideas, and let's celebrate birthdays, too. I really hope Phillip can come visit in June, too!

I hope you are all well. Thank you for your pictures and blog posts. I really enjoy them!

Take care!

xoxoxo