The Sun is Out!!!

Wow, it feels so good! It's been so overcast lately. The world looks different in the sunshine, very full of possibilities! I'm watching Bob Ross's son paint some mountains. That was always fun to do. I miss painting, and we should set up a studio area for painting and stained glass, etc. Maybe we could move the office into the craft area and put a little studio in the office, where it gets more light. Or, move the exercise stuff and the tv into the office and put the art area in the family room, where the light is really good. It's nice to have so many alternatives! I thought of something for those of us who worry: whenever we start to worry about something, we should think about stepping on a nail and getting tetanus (or a husband or kids doing so). It's possible, yet very unlikely, so it diverts our attention while pointing out the absurdity of worry. Anything like that would work. I tried it this a.m., and it really helped! On another topic, Mark and Seth found a bag of grain (the other grain bags are in bins) that mice had been eating. It's on a shelf above the basement stairs, and there's a little opening there that they come in through. Well, Seth got out his BB gun and has been getting them with that. He must be a good shot, 'cause he kills them instantly, and he got several just on the first day. I hope word is going out in the rodent community, tho, because it's kind of sad. The mice were probably very excited to find the readily available, abundant source of food; kind of like us at Golden Corral. That's the report from here. And thank you for your kind attention! xoxoxo

Our Family, or The Day After "The Bachelor" Gave Away Only Two Roses

Hi. Okay. I can't tell any more about the bachelor's doings, 'cause I might spoil it for Megan, who watches it on her computer the next day - or for someone else who may not have seen last night's program. I half-titled my post what I did, simply because "Tuesday" sounds boring and repetitive. So there! :) I just want to reply to the question about whether Seth enjoyed his birthday: yes, he did! His knife came yesterday, his dream knife which he is partly paying for, called a Black Sable from Cold Steel. It's super high quality and feels great in the hand. Anyway, Seth couldn't wait to get it and he was so happy with it that he sat in the car, while we went in to Dollar Tree, just admiring it. His arms won't have any hair left on them, 'cause he shaves little patches off to show how sharp it is. I'm jealous! Seth also enjoyed dinner and the movie. The food was all excellent at Golden Corral. I ate chili, deep-fried, good-sized shrimp, real mashed potatoes and poultry gravy (my favorite part), some green beans, and some ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top. I also took some gummy bears for the movie. Hehee. Mark and Seth ate meat of all kinds, besides a few other things and desserts. I kept thinking of the eating scene in "Spirited Away", although we had much better manners than the people who turn into hogs in that movie I love Mr. Myasaki's movies! There are only a few that we don't have on DVD yet. One just came out here in our theaters, although it's been out other places for a long time ("Pom Poko"), another ("Porco Rosso?") is on my wish list, and the third I don't care for - can't remember its name.

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So Seth is 17, Phillip is 19, Haley is 21, Melinda is 29, Megan is 31, Justin is 33, and Ben is 35. Did I get that right? We have 1 Army guy (for now), one new mommy whose husband is in college, three in transition (new daddy Ben, Seth, and Justin), and two mommies of bunches of kids. That is besides daddy of four now Cameron, a health dept. administrator who is in school to be an RN, Jaylynn, mommy of two, who is a CNA, Katie, mother of two, who works for a beauty/cosmetology school, Marra, who may work in a dermatologist's office, and, of course, Stephanie, whose daughter has been adopted by Cameron and Janick. We also have Mark, who is a Psychologist-Turned-Manager grandpa and still dad, and me, who is a blogger/grandma, and still mother. Our family is resourceful, and we help each other. Considering that my generation is the first to get some college, we have come a long way. A number of you have advanced degrees and/or multiple vocations and talents. You are all good, honest, kind, and intelligent people and you who have married have found wonderful spouses. But we're more than the sum of our parts, because we are a family, and we extend outward and backward and forward to many hard-working, righteous people (I was tempted to say dudes). We are an eternal unit which will still be intact on the other side of the veil. We have a duty to teach our families and to set an example for them. This isn't practice; this is the real thing. Please remember these things, but also remember that each and every one of us is worth our potential, or what we were intended to be, to borrow a phrase from "Ink." The Atonement takes us from where we are to perfection, right here and now, and it does the same for each of us. The worth of souls is great, to borrow another phrase. Rejoice in your perfection. Love You! xoxoxo

Valentine's Week

This post is about last week, and I thought I'd have pictures, but still waiting on those; I asked Mark this a.m., but he forgot. Oops! So you'll have to wait a bit longer. Sorry. However, I will tell you about last week. Let's see...well, Friday was Seth's 17th birthday! So that was exciting. We ordered him a knife he wanted, to be delivered today. He was so surprised! And we got him some junk food, too. We used the gift card from Megan and Brooks (from Christmas) to eat at Golden Corral, then we saw the movie, "Edge of Darkness," with Mel Gibson. It's quite a good movie, but has some language. Anyway, it was a fun evening. Saturday we spent at home. I can't remember what we did, but it was pleasant. Mark found out from Greg Olsen's company that he couldn't use the particular photo of Jesus he was planning to. They were really nice and grateful that Mark checked with them. It just leads to greater problems, they said. Maybe we can use one of the church's pictures. Sunday we went to church and then I can't remember the rest of the day. In Primary, the leader said that Jesus died for everyone, so we could go to Heaven (or something like that. A four-year old (or younger) boy promptly piped up with, "For Heavenly Father." She hesitated and then said, "For everyone." And he replied, "If it's everyone, that includes Heavenly Father." Later, during the sharing time, a toddler that was sitting on a teacher's lap said, "It's taking too long." Both comments were spoken loudly and very matter-of-factly. I thought they were so funny! Today Seth and I went to the dentist in Pocatello. I really liked him and his staff! His name is Dr. Evans. His brother has a chiropractic office by his, and the chiropractor is in our ward. His wife is my visiting teaching companion. Anyway, he is probably going to barter with Mark for my dentures, in exchange for a stained glass work. Isn't that cool, if it happens? Then we will save so much money! After our dental appts., we went to the Dollar Tree. That was so fun! I haven't been out for sooo long, other than church. We got sugar-free Hawaiian Punch that is super-good, and we got antibiotic ointment and 'Diabetic' socks for me (they have a nice, loose cuff that will fit on my leg), to add to my knee sock collection, and some sticky notes and sachets. Mark got some Bugles, too. Isn't that exciting? Now you are up to date, and I will try and get pics up soon. Love You! xoxoxo PS Mark got me Lindor truffles for Valentine's Day!! And thank you for the Valentine, Haley and Dallin - I loved it and the pictures of your little Gerber. : )