Early a.m.

It's Monday a.m.  I am really having a time of it, between flu and allergies and an earache  and so on.  Nothing's all that bad, but together it's making it hard to finish up some things, or even just to participate in life!  2012 is going out with a whimper, lol.
Not a lot to report, but I'll add more later, I hope.
Hope you're all well and safe.
Many hogs and kisses!
xoxoxo

And Another One, For the Gipper!

For you detail freaks, here's what's going on today:

Mark is gone to print off the bulletin and buy lettuce and bananas or grapes at the store (the last two are for potassium, which I think I'm low on).  I'm allergic to something today, and still somewhat down with the flu I guess, but I hope to get better soon!

We got some really nice photos from the family, including Dan and Brenda.  Thank you all.  Now to display them...I know what - my magnet board!  I'll put the pictures on it! 

I ate ramens last night; we drained them and put Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese on them, for a change.  Pretty good, but I prefer that dressing on salad.  Good Seasons mixed with olive oil is
so great on lettuce, just by itself.  Add anything else and it just gets better and better.  Parmesan and black olives and tomatoes...sublime!

We watched a movie on Netflix called Act of Valor.  It has a few cuss words in it, but is a super-good movie.  I And sometimes she would pat my head and say, "There's a good girl." highly recommend it. 
Another Netflix movie we watched is called Neverwas, or The land of Neverwas.  It was pretty good.  The main character was somewhat slow on the uptake, but it had wonderful performances by Ian McKellan and Nick Nolte.   They made me cry, and then I stayed blubbery, thinking of Eileen in her more lucid moments.  I was too ill to do much for her, but I tried.  And, sometimes, when things were really rough, she would just know.  Out of nowhere, she would pat my head and say, "There's a good girl."   And I would just put my head in her lap and cry.

Our new vacuum works so well: it has a pet hair attachment that works on furniture and bedding, etc.  It's a miracle!

Now Mark is home with my fruit, so I'll go eat a banana now.  Hope you all are well.
We love you!
xoxoxo

2012 Is Almost Over

I just realized there are only a few days left of one of my favorite years. We've learned a lot as a family and as individuals, I believe.  I've loved having so much time with Mark.  Phillip returned home safely from the wars overseas, Seth is in a good program right now, Megan got accepted to nursing school and is taking violin with Aiden, Dallin got out of school and they have a new baby girl, Melinda started the Pathways program at BYU-I, my eyesight's getting better after cataract surgery, Ben started studying for his Mortician's license, Justin has a job he likes (and a nice girlfriend), Bethany and Sabriel and Irelyn and all the kids are growing well (we almost have Little Women, when you count Alaina and Emme and Audrey and Anya - that's seven little girl cousins not counting the six from Cameron and Katie and Marra and Stephanie, or the fact that Kattie and Ben are having a girl, too!  What if you added up all the second cousins?  That would be just crazy!)

Anyway, most of this isn't what makes me the happiest.  It's the love, plain and simple.

And, speaking of love, Haley and Dallin's box got mailed, and that was a labor of love, since you know it's swimming upstream for me to finish things and get them mailed, lol.    I'm working on Megan and Brooks' last bits and will mail them.  Then a couple of things for Mel and Danny's kids, and a few other things - and then I can start on another project that is years over due.
My goal is to catch up before I die.  Haha.  Isn't that everyone's?

I love you, no matter where we are on our lists, no matter what we're doing, no matter what.
Take care!
xoxoxo

It's after 7 a.m., and I'm still awake, as usual

I'm always a mixture of tired and wound up, so I can't sleep.  It's because of all the excitement of Christmas, I think.  Or if I have something coming up or a lot I have to do.  Whatever it is, I'm kind of resigned to it for now.
I enjoyed reading your Christmas posts, and I'm editing our pics right now.
Mark traded my computer table with the little card table I was working on - it's so much better on my back, 'cause I don't have to reach to type.  That was killing me!
Your homes all look so cozy for Christmas.  How do you do it?  I guess it's all that work the rest of the year, right?
Leto and Tut are bored and lazy and happy, all at once.  Tut keeps falling asleep sitting up, slumped over like a beer-bellied drunk man.  We've trying to get a photo for you to see him like that.
(He's a light sleeper.) 
Well, that's all I have to say for now.  Maybe I can get a few more posts in for this year!
Love You!
xoxoxo

Merry Christmas!

I say that today, because yesterday we were sick, so today is more like Christmas to us.  We went to Les Miserables, but before the previews even started, I started having stomach cramps; however, we got movie passes to come again.  And the flu wasn't that bad.  Mostly some cramps and nausea, and sleepy.  Oh, how sleepy I was!  I slept almost all day yesterday, including the part where Mark got a tummy ache too.

We had a wonderful evening the night before, but we were concerned about Anya in W VA, who went to the E.R. with abdominal pain.  She's on antibiotics now, and they think it was a U.T.I.  Her white cell count was high, but hopefully she will be better soon.
Megan had been all prepared for Christmas, but was up all night anyway.  Lucky she was prepared, at least!

Phillip and Justin and Ben and Linda and us and Melinda and Danny and lots of grand kids were at Mel and Danny's house.  Linda brought 7-layer dip, one of my favorite foods!  We also had meatballs and chips and cream puffs, tuna sandwiches, and peppermint bark (from Phillip's Christmas party with Andrew and Nathan, no less - they made it themselves!), and chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk.  Yay for cream puffs~ Tristan got excited and got sick, and then ate a bunch of cr. puffs, lol.  He gets sick so easily, as in, sensitive stomach.  He'd eaten 5 cookies and a bunch of peppermint bark beforehand; that'll do it for Tristan for sure, lol.

The kids acted out the nativity (pics later) and we sang some Christmas carols and read the Christmas story from Luke.  Then we gave each other presents, and Mark and I got an Electrolux vacuum and bags (and a broom and mop from Linda and Ben) from the whole family!  I was so excited!  Yay!  That was SUCH a surprise!  We haven't had a vacuum in years!
Also, Justin gave us a beautiful Amaryllis plant in a glass display base, like a lantern globe.  I'm excited to see the bloom, which is already starting to grow!
Ben gave me some old Happy Hollisters books and an old, old copy of Rilla of Ingleside, one of the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery.  I love these old books - they are like old friends, and reminders of gentle folks and old-fashioned ways.  And they represent ideals that our family still cherishes.
Ben also got Linda a digital camera (her first), and she was enjoying the picture-taking and the endless shots of the kids and all.  I was so happy to see her enjoyment.
Phillip gave us movie passes - yay!  Now we can see Lincoln!
Megan and Brooks got us a subscription to Taste of Home, a delightful magazine by the people who do Reminisce,  and she sent me a scarf from her New York City trip!
Justin got Melinda and Danny a big pot, to replace their old one that is packed up in our stuff (sorry!) and a new camera, to replace their old, broken one.  Now we can see lots more pictures of them!
I got Mark a DVD, and we both chose to see Les Mis and The Hobbit for our Christmas (we can see Lincoln too now, thanks to Phillip).  Mark gave me some money I can put towards a 2011 blog book, too! 
We gave people some stuff  I'll tell about later, after others get their boxes (nothing great big, but heartfelt, for sure!)   I will say that we got Phillip a Salvador Dali-type melting clock.  I thought he'd think it was cool.  I think he did.  He said he needed a clock, lol.  Good luck reading that one, Phillip!

We still have a few things to mail and drop off to people.  We've been watching some movies on Netflix.  Now Mark is working on his S.S. lesson, and I need to try and do some work too.
And, oh!  I got a stocking from Santa with Lindor truffles :), and Chico-Stix :D, and Pop Rox : ), and Giant Smartees : ), and little, fizzy soda cans : D.  So I'm all set!

I know I'm forgetting things.  I'll add them in as I remember them.
We hope you had a lovely Christmas.  I really feel good about our family phone, letter, and in-person gatherings this year.   I think the whole country was just grateful to be with whatever family and friends they have.  And lots of prayers are going out to our soldiers and the Newtown community.

We are so grateful that we know Heavenly Father is over all, and the He loves each one of His children.  He sent His perfect son to this world, to save us and make it possible for us to repent and live with each other and Him forever.
Won't that be so wonderful?

We love you!  Thank you for your comments!
xoxoxo

Sue's News, Views 'n Muse: Empty Chairs

Sue's News, Views 'n Muse: Empty Chairs: Dedicated to the beloved children of Newtown, Connecticut Empty Chairs: A Lament for the Children ©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson W...

It's Almost Christmas...

Hi!  And Merry Almost-Christmas!  I couldn't sleep last night, and yesterday I had muscle spasms in my back from making things all day, the day before, so I couldn't do much of anything!  But I promise to keep trying to finish up.  Halers, yours is basically done, so it will be mailed asap.  I know it won't get there in time, and neither will Megan's box.  So solly.   I am really trying, and it's not some weird thing I've done, like procrastinating, ok?

Please comment on my blog if you read it.  It's sad when I get so few comments, after working on a post for a long while.  : (  Help my frown turn upside down!

Actually, I'm quite happy with all we've accomplished:  Mark has been working nonstop on various projects, and we mailed a box and card with letters to Mrs. C., have stuff for the Bishop, gave stuff to Lori, plus Mark's old boss, Misty D., my visiting teaching ladies, my aides,  Eleta and Nesta (my elderly friends), and maybe others.  That's beyond our immediate family, like Kattie and Ben.  And we ordered Seth's stuff (through the place he's at), sent him a little m.o., and ordered him a Book of Mormon (it has to come from the publisher), plus sent him a card, letter, and photos.  We have most of what we have for the fam., too.

You may wonder why I didn't do the mailed stuff first, but I did.  I'm just still working on other boxes getting mailed.

I'm pretty punch-drunk right now, 'cause it's almost 7 a.m.  Sorry for rambling on.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

I love you!

xoxoxo

Trip to SLC and Grandkids

Sorry I'm so delayed in posting...no excuses!  Although, come to think of it, I did have cataract surgery on one eye.  Now I can see so much better out of that side!  It's a miracle!
I'll get my other eye done next month.  : )

This first picture is a remnant from our trip to Wyoming to see the Jolley family - I present to you the lovely Paige!

And this is one of our local Buddha,
who is often found sitting in this position,
or on his back with front paws stretched out and head upside-down, draped over the edge of our bed.

 This and the following are pictures from our Salt Lake trip for Julie and JR's wedding.  We drove down on Thursday for the sealing, staying for dinner at the Joseph Smith building, in their Empire Room.  Leto went with us, and he did great, waiting in the car and sleeping in our room at Susan's house at night.
Temple Square and the surrounding plaza were amazingly beautiful, with glowing Christmas lights and a reflecting pool with the Nativity Scene in the center.

Julie and JR

The beautiful ceiling of the Empire Room.
(This photo doesn't do it justice.  It was more a burgundy and gold color.)

These were our place settings!
We were served roast beef or seasoned chicken,
both very good, and were treated to a delicious buffet with asparagus, broccoli, fresh melons and berries, roasted potatoes, and fresh veggies.
There were warm rolls as well, and, the piece de resistance, two luscious desserts: chocolate cheesecake and chocolate macadamia nut cake.
I wish it weren't rude to take pictures during the meal, because these were spectacular-looking, and oh so scrumptious!  

You can see how happy we were to be there -

I'll continue with Temple Square; how blessed we are to live so close the this lovely city!
(Can you guess the pictures that Mark took? ;)

 I was sad to leave Temple Square, but you can see by Susan's clock that it was getting late.
We must've gotten to Mike and Susan's about 9 p.m., just in time to catch Sharon and Bruce!
We had a good visit with them, and they are doing fine (sorry, I forgot to take pictures in my excitement to see them).

 After Sharon and Bruce left, we adjourned to the kitchen, where we solved all the problems in the world!
And then we went to bed.

(Sorry for the thumb in the way - these are unedited, amateur photos taken by a blind woman who hadn't had her eye fixed yet!)

 The next morning we packed up and went to the NPS store, which Julie's family owns (it also does a huge ebay business).
It was a happy conglomeration of things for sale,
all marked down from retail.  I had a ball there, and got some makeup and nail gel, plus some salad fixin's.
When we went to our car, Leto looked so strange to me.  Then I realized it wasn't our car - ours was one car away; this German Shepherd Dog with floppy ears was in the back of another white car like ours!  Isn't he funny?

We had a safe trip back home, after dropping off our present at the Open House location (we were too anxious to get back home to stay another night in town - aren't we Old Fogies?) 

Linda and Ben's kids came over for a visit, as did Emme and Irelyn and Cooper and Wes (Ben and Katie's boys).  I snuck in some picture-taking of Josh and Beth - isn't Beth such a little dumpling?

This is the bag I decorated for Julie and JR's wedding gift.  Glue guns rule!

 Just a few more photos from Salt Lake...we thought the peeling bark on this big old tree was beautiful.

And, finally, the doors on the side of the temple,
and the towers above.

I read most of an article by "Oman" at byustudies, on the symbolism of the Salt Lake Temple.  I found it amazing uplifting and inspiring.  It quoted the General Authorities in explaining that the temple is meant to symbolize the universe, with its center an axis like the North Star, which doesn't change position - where time ceases to exist.
I just found that to be such a peaceful concept.  The other symbols on this temple have such interesting and educational meanings, also.
My understanding of the temple and the eternities was enlarged and strengthened by studying them.

We also went to the Ward Christmas Brunch recently, which was a pleasant change from the normal Christmas Chalet; however, I would like to go back to the evening Chalet next year.  : )

And I got to attend a professional production of The Nutcracker Suite ballet, here in Idaho Falls, with Danny and Melinda.  Alaina was in it, as a Sneaky Mouse and a Butterscotch Princess (or Fairy?).  It was a glorious production, and the little dancers always make this ballet have such a festive Christmas air of excitement.
At one point, when the Sugarplum Fairy (or the Fairy Queen) was dancing near Alaina, she lost all sense of time and place and just stood there with her mouth open, staring at the beautiful ballerina, in awe and wonder.  It was great.

And now I'd better return to things I need to get done.  Mark is in the kitchen, making treats.
We love all of you!
xoxoxo

Temple Ready

 

We're finishing up the last things for attending Julie and JR's wedding - at least Mark is...I have yet to do much, since I slept late (ahhh!) and read people's blogs and commented (at least that was supportive of others, right? ; )

I still need to get a note to Haley and Mrs. Cannon and Sandy, and then do the wedding card and decorate the bag that our gift of caramel corn will go in (in several cellophane bags).  What else do you get someone who already has everything?  Julie loves Mark's caramel corn, and it's uniquely from us, plus, it comes out of our food budget - an all-around winner, I'd say!

Mark also cleaned the car and Leto, both, so that will make the trip much better.  We've been invited to the sealing tomorrow afternoon and then, that night, a dinner in the Joseph Smith building, looking over the lights on Temple Square.  Won't that be memorable?

Then, Friday night, there is an Open House for them.  Fun!

I'm very excited to attend a really dear friend's wedding!   I can't wait for you all to meet her someday, 'cause you'll love, love, love her!  (And JR's okay, too. haha)

Yesterday I went to the dr. and then Mark went to his dr. in Roberts (who is 85% the price of other drs.!).  He is getting help for a painful foot, mostly.  It's so good that there is a dr. that he can afford to see now!

Tonight is Book Club at Maria's, and we're bring our picks for next year.  I'm not sure of mine yet, but I think I'll do Half-Broke Horses  by Jeanette Walls - I love that book.  And The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy.

When we get back from the wedding, I'll have my first cataract surgery on Wednesday - the other will be after Christmas, maybe in January.  Yay!  I'm hoping I will have better eyesight, which would be a tremendous help.  Then I'll work on my shaky hands, perhaps, and my neuropathy.

As for Christmas, well, I'll think about that later...after all, tomorrow is another day!  (Just kidding...that is an ongoing - and fun! - project.)

*Talk* to you later!

We love you!

xoxoxo

 

Blog Post to Seth

I usually copy my latest blog posts for Seth, too, so I'm going to write this one in letter form:

Dear Seth,

Hi!  How are you?  Did you get back to go back across the street (he got moved):?  I hope so!  I know you wanted to go back there so much.  And thank you ahead, if you will mail Mrs. C's letter back to us.  Sorry for the mix-up!  

We are fine.  Still applying for jobs.  It really feels like things have been held back for a reason - maybe to get our emergency supplies organized (which is almost done!), to wait for the best job, to be free, for if something does happen soon, or maybe just to be with our same ward, as they fasted and prayed these past 3 months, over Bishop Baird.

Yesterday, he attended fast and testimony meeting~ he still can't walk, though he looks great, just skinnier.  He said he's very weak.  First, he met in the Primary room with the kids and youth.  I went in early and said hi.  We had to use hand sanitizer and put on surgical masks.  It was so great to see him!  He talked to the kids a moment and then they all sang Primary songs.  He told them that, when they first fasted and prayed for him, when he was really bad, he was shown each one of the little children's faces, one-by-one, and asked if even one of the children's faith wasn't enough to heal him.  He knew it was.

Then, in the fast mtg., he bore his testimony first.  He said how wonderful it was to see all of us, and he thanked us for our prayers and fasting.  He said he could feel them helping him when he needed strength to go on against the terrible pain.  Sis. Baird also bore her testimony and thanked us and Heavenly Father.  They both emphasized the reality of the Godhead and how they work together for us, all the time, on a personal basis.  He had experiences that confirmed this to be true, while there in ICU.

He's expected to walk again, and we're still praying for his total recovery.

It was such a wonderful thing to witness his return to his ward!

I was thinking of how we often have to lean on other's testimonies until we grow a strong one of our own.  It says in the scriptures that some people's gift isn't to know, but to believe on others' words.  It says that this is the greater gift: to know without seeing for yourself.  

Many people have strengthened my testimony, people I have admired, respected and loved.   I think of the Andersons, Sis. Davis, the Hendricksons, Grandma Wakefield, my parents, President and Sister Hinckley, the Weatherbees, Sister Kline, the Sheets family, the Olivers, the Bairds, the Wheatleys, the Murdocks, the Harts and the Shulls and the McEvoys and the Leirheimers, and on and on.

I also have witnessed so many miracles and answers to prayers, and I have felt the Spirit and know what a difference it makes in my life;  I will have to write more on my blog, about some of those hundreds of miracles I've experienced.

I just finished reading a book, Little Bee, and now am going to finish The Folded Earth.  I'm  also making little things for the kids, and Mark is baking some.  He made peanut butter cookies the other day, and also beef jerky.  I thought it was delicious, but am now tiring of it.  It's supposed to be to store, but I don't know if it will make it!

We had Ben and Linda's kids over for a while last weekend.  Josh ate a giant peanut butter cookie, and he watched My Neighbor Totoro, and The Polar Express.   Beth was happy snuggling Tut while Mark kept him occupied.  She loves animals and music!

Thursday we head down to Utah for our friend Julie's wedding, and on the 12th I have cataract surgery on one eye.  Later on they'll do the other eye.  They're just day surgeries.

We'll be rather busy, for us.  

The weather is sunny and cold today, and windy.  Mark was sitting outside with Leto when Leto ran off.  Mark searched around in the car, till he got a call from our vet's office.  They were called by a man who has a female German Shepherd Dog at an apt. in the area.   Leto ran over there and the man called the vet's number on Leto's dog tag.  He was only gone about 15 mins. in all, but, sheesh!  We have to keep him on the leash, even if we're sitting right by him!

Saturday we picked up his dog treats at the pet store; well, Mark did, while I looked at Porters.  It was really busy in there!  So Leto is happy to have his chicken-flavored dental treats, and we are happy, because now his breath is good.  : )

I'll close for now.  Please take care and know that your family loves you, and Heavenly Father does too!

xoxoxo,

Doc and Tut and Mommy and Leto