Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Jason is 28

Happy Birthday Jason!!!

28 years goes by in a flash.

We enjoyed a steak dinner and miniture golf at Wahooz!

It's been a fun day.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Meridian Concert: Kings of Swing

Brady and I enjoyed another Saturday evening attending a free concert at the Meridian City Building's outdoor plaza. We enjoyed it very much!
 The Kings of Swing presented the free concert on Saturday, July 21, at 7:00 p.m
The Kings of Swing is an 18-piece big band dance orchestra that performs music popularized by Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, and other music legends of that era.
The weather was delightful.

The music was awesome. It was fun to see a member of our ward Larry Reader. He's a quiet man, who is a high school band teacher. He also leads the music during sacrament meeting. I was shocked to see him come out of his shell playing the saxophone and clarinet. He played some awesome clarinet solos with lots of heart and soul put in it. It was pretty fun to watch him and say "we know him".

Sunday I stopped him at church and told him how much I enjoy the concert. He was glowing!
There were a few couples dancing - which is lots of fun too. I especially love all the older grandma and grandpa couples dancing like they were young lovers. It was romantic. ahhhhh!

We sure are loving these free concerts!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Motivational Monday: What Kind of God Allows Tragedy?

This past week I have been re-reading a favorite book series called "Barrington Family Saga" by Anita Stansfield.

At church yesterday the opening hymn was "Come, Come Ye Saints". Needless to say, by the 2nd verse I was choked up and couldn't sing. It's amazing to me the faith of the Pioneers, their strength as they were steadfast and immovable.
It's a pioneer story that starts in 1838 about Eleanore and James Barrington, their journey in accepting the gospel and in joining with the Saints during so much persecution.

With the horrific events of the theater massacre in Colorado last week, there was a passage in the book that stood out to me in explaining why these things sometimes happen.

 Because others explain my thoughts much better, I thought I'd share this passage from book 2 "A Quiet Promise". It gives such a great analogy of why these thing happen and why they happened to the LDS pioneers.

Quote from author "Anita Stansfield"

"What kind of God allows such persecution to be the measure of devotion? How can a loving God stand by while His people are driven, raped, murdered, and why they die of disease and exposure on all side? How can He .... let innocent children die and ...." The last came out on the wave of a sob.

Eleanore was surprised at how well she knew the answer.

"The same kind of God who gave every human being the gift of free agency and the opportunity to have it tested through the course of this life.

The same kind of God who stood by and watched His Only Begotten Son suffer more than any human being could possibly imagine.

Because His suffering was the only way we could ever hope to find peace in the midst of the difficulties that would inevitably come to us here as Satan fights to oppose all that is good.

The Saints have suffered immeasurably. No one can dispute that. Some have fallen away, but most remain steadfast and true no matter the horrors they've had to endure or the children they've had to bury. They have the peace of knowing that while God cannot take away the free agency of others, nor stop the natural course of life and death, He loves them. They are in His hands. They feel the peace He offers. They understand the perspective of eternity.

That's why they're willing to suffer, to sacrifice so much. It's not about this life. It's about eternity. It doesn't have to end with death." 

I never want to blame God for any of these tragedy ... because I know where this kind of evil comes from - Satan.

I want to be steadfast and immovable as those who came before me, never wavering in my faith and devotion in a loving God. 

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Shopping for College

We've been having a bunch of fun shopping for Brady's apartment at BYU. We've found some great deals. Here are some of the things we have bought:
Dishes from Shopko, regular priced at $59.99 each times 2 equals $119.98.
We purchased them for $14.88 each times 2 equals $29.76
Savings $90.22
21 piece pan set regular priced at $119.99
We paid $58.88
Savings of: $61.11
But wait ... we had a $30 rebate (that we've already received)
Total cost: $28.88
Flatware set regular priced at $129.99.
Purchased for $38.88
Savings of $91.11

Aren't those some great deals?
I splurged on towels for Brady. I purchased a 3 sets of towels (2 bath, 2 hand towels and 2 wash cloths per set which equals 6 bath, 6 hand towels and 6 wash cloths) from JC Penneys and had them engraved with his name (by JC Penneys). They are nice towels and totally worth the splurge.
It's it fun?
We have been looking for a bed set, but they looked juvenile or were poor quality. I found this one on-line from Brylane Home for a twin. Green is Brady's favorite color, so this worked out really great. We also purchased two 300 count sheets sets in sage and a mattress cover in Twin XL for his bed. I still need to get a twin blanket or 2.

We've been purchasing a few clothing items too. It's been really fun and I'm excited for him. We leave in just 30 days from today to send him to his first year of college. I can't believe how fast things are going. I just hope he is ready by then.

Between now and leaving for BYU Brady has:
Family visiting next week for a wedding and missionary homecoming.
Stake Helamen's camp for Priests preparing for a mission.
High Adventure Scout camp.

After he comes home there will be only 2 weeks to get everything packed and and ready for the move.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Open House Scheduled for Boise Temple

The Boise Temple went from this:
To looking like the photo's below - White:


Photos and story from: LDS Church to Hold Open House for Boise Temple by Associated Press
KTVB.COM posted on July 20, 2012 Credit: Deren Martinez / KTVB
  BOISE: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints plans to offer tours of the  newly renovated temple in Boise.

  Church officials said Thursday the Temple will be open to the public during an open house held between October 12 and November 10, except for on Sundays.

 Free reservations for the open house can be made through the www.boisemormontemple.org website in the coming weeks.
  The Temple will be open only to LDS believers after it is formally dedicated on November 18, 2012, according to an update posted on the Church's website.

Temples are considered the most sacred of LDS church buildings and are used for marriages, proxy baptisms and other ceremonies.

The temple in Boise was closed in July 2011 for renovations and is currently one of four in Idaho.
The church plans to build a fifth temple in Meridian.

The temple will be formally rededicated on Sunday 18 November 2012 in three sessions. In conjunction with the rededication of the temple, there will also be a cultural celebration featuring music and dance on Saturday, 17 November 2012.

The temple closed in July 2011 for an extensive renovation of the grounds and the interior. The variegated marble that characterized the temple's exterior has been replaced with white granite. A new gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni sits atop the temple's tallest spire. Inside the temple interior is fully renovated with new finishes and furnishings.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Garden Update

This time of year brings me such happiness. I love watching my garden grow. I love the beauty around me. I love the taste of freshly grown vegetables from my garden.
Our carrots are ready to be pulled and they are soooo delicious! There isn't anything better then fresh carrots in the many casseroles and soups I make - especially Chicken Pot Pie - Yum! (We had that tonight)
 We've had 1 zucchini ready to eat and I had to make stir-fry.
 Chicken Stir-Fry with garden vegetables. I used green onions, carrots and zucchini from our garden. Plus we used celery, broccoli, parsley and chicken (not from our garden). Saute'ed in olive oil, then I add chicken gravy with a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of ginger in the gravy. Then I pour the gravy over the vegetables and served over rice.
 It is yummy with fresh vegatables from our garden. We eat a lot of stir fry all summer long.
 A couple of weeks ago I pulled up the pea plants before our temperatures hit 100 degrees. I ended up with 21 bags of frozen peas (1 cup each). Then I put the containers of beans where the peas were. I thought that worked out very nice. I am enjoying all the vegetable plants through my yard. It's been fun to have food instead of all the flowers I normally grow. Plus I think they are pleasant to look at too.
 Crookneck, zucchini and pumpkin plants are growing.
 More zucchinis are growing - Yea!
 Also the crookneck plants are producing.
 I have 8 tomato plants that I started from seed and they have tons of tomatoes! They all look very healthy! The marigolds and asters peeking out from the tomatoes plants were grown from seed.
 Here are the tomato plants by my patio. They are very tall and it's fun to see all the tomatoes from both angles. I love having them here - 3 plants.  The pot in the front is all volunteer Zinnias growing. It's crowded, but I just let them grow. They are getting ready to bloom.
 Here is a look of my berm with corn in the front and potatoes in the back. The flowers above the purple and red petunias are marigolds that grew on their own and I dug them up and re-planted them in a line. I love free plants that grow on their own.
 Here is a view going from the gate to the back yard. (I don't have a sprinkler system - so my hose is out watering).
 Our grass is green, wave petunias are growing in the pots by my arborvitae trees and vine over the back fence. It's nice to have this growing between me and the alley.
I love this berm. I see this outside my window each morning and it makes me feel such happiness from all the beauty before me. I wish the daisy's last longer. 
This is a look from the yard into my patio. I love sitting on my patio to read or have a barbecue.
I absolutely love this time of year.
The front of my house - still decked out with 4th of July decorations - all through July.

Every day I am elated with the thought that this is my home and my yard. I feel such gratitude for the beauties and blessing I have been given. Daily I pray for a good harvest so that I may have additional food storage.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Motivational Monday: Gratitude


Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it. Frequently we are oblivious to the Lord's hand. We murmur, complain, resist, criticize; so often we are not grateful.

A family was going through a difficult time. It was hard for them not to focus on their challenges.

The mother wrote: "Our world had completely crumpled, so we turned to Heavenly Father for guidance.

Almost immediately we realized that we were surrounded by goodness and were being cheered on from every side. We began as a family to express our gratitude to each other as well as to the Lord daily.

A close friend pointed out to me that our family's "blessing basket" was overflowing.

From that conversation came a sort of game, which my children and I grew to love. Before family prayer each night we would talk about how our day had gone and then share with each other all of the many blessings that had been added to our "blessing basket."

The more we expressed gratitude, the more there was to be grateful for. We felt the love of the Lord in a significant way as opportunities for growth presented themselves."

(Story from Bonnie D. Parkin in the April 2007 General Conference "Gratitude: A Path to Happiness)

Doctrine and Covenants 78:19
And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Brady's Graduation Photos

Dorian took professional pictures at the graduation. Before the student went up on stage, they had their picture taken with a "dummy" diploma holder.
 Brady is such a handsome young man. I love the picture!
 They also had cameras on stage to take a picture as each student received their diploma.
We also received a picture of the graduation class. Unfortunately Brady is not among the class right now. This was taken during the National Anthem and Brady is with the choir. Oh well, he is there in his heart.

Great pictures for great memories! I love that Dorian provides this service. We also received a DVD of the whole graduation ceremony. 

Primary 2 Lesson 29

Primary 2 Manual
Lesson 29
I Can Be a Good Example

 Let Your Light shine puzzle from October 1999 Friend here, unfortunately the printable is no longer on LDS.org. However, you can click on the picture below, copy, paste and re-size in a word document and print. 

In the blank space on the circle with pictures, draw a picture of yourself and write something underneath it that you wish to learn in Primary about being a better example of a believer.




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