Busy Fall weekend

Neal and I were supposed to go to St. George with Ron and Judy this weekend, but Neal had so much to do that he (or I should say I) made the decision to stay home.  I had planned on taking Thursday and Friday off but decided to go into work on Thursday rather than waste those precious vacation days.  Neal was at his computer all day and into the evening working on papers for school.  Friday found him at the computer again all day long and into the evening.

I was going to go to work on Friday, but got a call from Lynda Ann telling me that she and a friend were coming in to Salt Lake for breakfast and then to the Wood Connection.  I was invited to go along and that sounded a lot more fun than going to work so I took Friday off and spent the morning with Lynda Ann and her friend Ronette.  The Wood Connection is like a craft persons Heaven.  This is the place that Jamie loves to go to when they are in Utah.  The place was full of all their fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas ideas and projects.  This store for Lynda Ann and Jamie is like Stitching Craft Center is for me.  You almost want to buy everything in the place!  Annie bought Halloween, Fall and Christmas.  Apparently she spent almost the whole day doing the projects she bought.  She sent me pictures as she finished them.  She did all her Fall and now has all of her Christmas to do.

Neal also spent the whole day Saturday getting some carving done for two Eagle Scouts.  He is doing two Neckerchief sliders for next Saturday.  I’m not going to tell you what this first carving (that was requested by the scout) is a bust of.  See if you recognize who this scouts hero is.  Dang, I just realized his picture is on the table.  Neal amazes me.  How he can look at a picture and from a block of wood carve out the face is beyond my understanding.  Artistic and crafty, I am not!  I’ll be sure and post the finished product.  He also has to carve a paint pallet.  He has never done anything like that before.  That will be interesting.

I had my own projects for Saturday.  The usual cleaning, washing, ironing, etc.  But it was also time to change clothes from one closet to another, bringing out the winter clothes and putting away the summer wear and throwing old clothes in a bag to go to a lady in Midway.  I also had the afternoon to do some more stitching.  My favorite thing to do.  I can’t show you the stitching because I only mark the progress at the first of each month.  But I can show you my side of the closet.  It is clean and straightened.  I haven’t started on Neal’s side yet.  That project is for another day.

Peyton turns 8!

Jamie just texted me this picture of Peyton.  It is her announcement for her birthday party.  It is hard to believe that Tucker and Jamie’s youngest is 8 years old!  Peyton, have a happy birthday.  Wish we could be there for your party.  Have a wonderful, fun time.  We love you and Happy Birthday! It is great to be 8.  We will do everything we can to be there when you are baptized!   Love Gam and Pa

Stake Leadership Meeting

Our stake leadership meeting theme for 2014 was “Seek to Minister”.  Our quote on our invitations was “May the Labor of our hands be a Symbol of our Love.”  I opened the meeting by giving a short message on the Labor of our hands.  I began my talk by expressing my love for the presidencies in our stake and reminded them that they were needed, valued and loved.  I then talked about Mary and Martha of the New Testament and that we are all Mary and Martha trying to “choose that good part”.  We love the Lord and want to show that love through service.  Service is shown through acts of patience, compassion and understanding for one another.  As true disciples we offer our willing hearts and our helping hands.  I talked about my mother’s hands and how beautiful and strong they were.  I remember mother, as poor as we were, crocheting afghans, sewing pillowcases and quilts for Deseret Industries, when she easily could have been a recipient of some of the items that the Deseret Industries had to offer.  I told them that I remembered mother would set aside $20.00 from her social security check each month so she could send $5.00 each to the first four charities that sent her a letter that month.  Those two scenarios spoke volumes to me about the essence of service and love.

I told them that our actions will tell where our hearts are.  Some people have to talk with their hands to communicate.  Our thoughts and our actions are communicated through our hands.  Do we communicate with a soft touch or no touch at all?  Do we ask the next question or just “How are you? and let it be.

All of us can use our hands to serve and love one another.  When we take the hand of a sister we are serving, there is something magical that can happen.  It’s like a quiet heart to heart talk. 

I ended with a four line poem that I had written in my book of notes but had failed to write who stated it. 

“We are conv’ nant daughters with a gift to give.

We will teach the gospel by the way we live.

With each word and action, we will testify.

We believe, and we serve Jesus Christ.”

After the meeting we served sugar cookies in the shape of a hand with a heart in the palm.  We also gave each sister a rose.  It was a beautiful evening and we had a great attendance.  I always pray that our meetings will give the sisters something to lift and encourage them in their callings.

Invited to Jeff and Annie’s for Sunday Dinner

Annie called the first of the week and invited Neal and I to their home for dinner and to celebrate Mallory’s 16th birthday.  We had a delightful time.  Mallory wanted French Dip for dinner and cookie pizza for dessert.  Everything was festive and delicious.  Thanks, Mallory for including your grandparents in your celebration.  Notice the Snoopy / Charlie Brown balloons.  Mallory is a great lover of Charles Schulz characters. 

Hosting a dinner party Saturday night.

Every year I have my presidency with their husbands over for dinner to say “thank you”.  And every time this dinner ends up costing me a small fortune.  I don’t know why it always has to be so expensive but I seem to never get away with less that a couple hundred dollars!  I know, that is ridiculous, but the dinner is always worth every penny.  I just had to take a picture of the table setting and the center piece.  I love my blue and white dishes.

My laugh for the weekend

I laughed so dang hard when I saw the cartoon above.  “No Grandma, Listen, Double-click the internet Explorer Icon.”  How many times have I had to call Jamie, Tucker, Mindy or Lyndsy with computer and phone questions.  I’m sure each one of them have rolled their eyes and put their head in their hand at one time or another. 

This one just made me think of Jeff and Lynda Ann.  they aren’t twins but I could so imagine Jeff convincing Lynda Ann of something that wasn’t true and then have a good chuckle about it.  Did you Jeff?  Did you when you were little play a trick on your sister and make her cry? 

Dinner at Lyndsy’s

Lyndsy and James invited us over for dinner.  James fixed the dinner himself and it was delicious.  We had enchiladas, Spanish rice and refried beans.  After we played a quick round of Shanghi and then headed home. It was a nice ending to a wonderful weekend.  Thanks James and Lyndsy for having us over.

I also have to report on the progress of my sewing project.

184th Semi Annual General Conference

I love conference!  I can go way back in my memory as an early teen laying on the carpet in our front room and watching Pres. David O. McKay and the other apostles speak.  I loved the sun coming through the window and picking the spot on the carpet that had been warmed by the sun.  When I was in mutual (as we called it then) we got credit for watching at least one session of conference. 

This conference was incredible and filled with wonderful messages, such as “Ponder the path of our feet” quoted from Proverbs.  President Eyring spoke on personal revelation.  We need continuous revelation from God from the Prophet down to the parents in the home. 

Brother Nelson spoke on sustaining our leaders.  His quote, “Ye have not chosen me, I have chosen you.”

Sister McConkie:  We are lead by a true prophet and we sustain him.

Brother Hales:  Feast upon the words of Christ.  The Holy Ghost will testify to us what is true.

Brother Hamula:  Talked about the importance of the sacrament and that we should all partake of the sacrament with deeper desire of what Christ did for each of us.

President Monson talked about agency and that our decisions determine our destiny.  We shouldn’t worry about walking where Jesus walk we should walk as he walked.  Christ experienced disappointment, sorrow, temptation pain and suffering.  We will all experience the trials of life as did he.  Christ also taught us service, prayer, humility, peace, letting our light shine, to be morale and clean, to improve ourselves and to rescue those who have left the path.

I especially loved Brother Ballards talk about the “Old Ship of Zion”.  We should stay in the boat (stay with the church), the Lord is at the helm.  Wear our life jacket by studying the scriptures, loving and living the teachings of Jesus Christ and to hold on with both hands through prayer and study. 

And President Packard said, “Don’t be distracted” by earthly things. 

The whole theme of the conference was amazing.  It is always interesting to me that subjects are not assigned.  Each speaker is lead by the promptings of the Spirit.  Apparently we all need to be reminded to “stay in the boat. 

I’m so thankful that we have a living prophet and apostles.  I’m grateful for my knowledge that I am a daughter of a loving Father in Heaven and that I am on the boat holding tightly with both hands.  How I love this gospel.

Lila Mae’s Birthday

Saturday Susan, Lynda Ann, Mallory, Abby, me and Emmi got together in Provo to celebrate Lila’s birthday.  We had a fun time shopping and dinning.  Lila Mae has a great granddaughter who is a freshman at BYU so she and Emmi had a chance to meet each other.  Somehow, I don’t see the two of them ever getting together but it was good to have them meet.  Because no one likes their picture taken, I was finally able to snap one of the the three Gertson girls.  It is fun to see them as teens and laughing and enjoying being together.  I think they really miss Emmi and Emmi misses being with them.

Time for change–Fall is here

Every year as fall officially rolls around it is time to bring out the Halloween bin fallowed shortly by the Thanksgiving bin and then last the Christmas bins.  You notice Christmas has more than one bin.  We also like to change the china cabinet to the holiday dishes.  General conference weekend is the best time for holiday projects.  It is also this time of the year when baking cookies in the evening is fun because you don’t mind the heat from the oven.  I also had to take a picture of beautiful Mt. Olympus and the gorgeous fall flowers while I was out walking.  Fall is a beautiful time of year.