November 22, 2011 Tuesday

I started this blog because I wanted to reflect back on family memories and I wanted to remember the tender mercies of the Lord.   It is only 1 in the afternoon, and we have already experienced several tender mercies.  Tamara dropped her HP pad in the tub a strange story.  She was watching a movie in the bathroom.  She stepped out of the tub and kicked her cord and the HP pad went flying.  She was sick.  She got it out of the tub and tried to turn it off but that didn't work, so she had to let it die.  She put it in rice.  It has been a week and she tried her pad this morning, but it wouldn't so on.  But it was dead, so she plugged it in a left for school to take a test.  A miracle happened and the touch pad went on.  Another miracle I just found my best scissors and I found the top plastic square that goes on my sewing machine.  We receive tender mercies throughout the day and I am going to try harder to recognize them.  It is a miracle that 4 in the family got HP touch pads.  My husband had heard that they were not being made anymore, so he got on the internet and tried to order some because they were only 99 dollars, but they were not available.  My children  persisted and one of them stayed on the computer pretty much all day ordering them.  Finally after hours they were excepted.  But we just kept hearing they didn't  have  them in, but weeks and months went by, they said the order we be filled an we received them a few weeks ago.  Miracles certainly happen.  They make school  easier for my college children.  We know it is a blessing to have them.     Thanks to the Lord for our tender mercies this day.

October 8th saturday

Many miracles have happened today. Frank, Lisa and l went to the temple today, while we were at the temple our miracle happened and we received our apples from my dear sweet neighbor Sister Hales So many apples.  Rain, and all my sons went out and picked 5 huge  boxes of apples. They were still picking by the time that we arrived home from the temple. Michelle was working hard trying to get everything ready to start the applesauce.  It was a long day  but  we all pitched in.  We ended about 2 in the morning by the time we got all the bottles filled and the kitchen clean.  We  did all together 240 bottles of applesauce 35 bottles of apple pie filling,  48 pint bottles of baby food.  It was hard work on everyone's part, but well worth it for all of my children to take home some fruit.  It was a miracle every thing turned out where the apples were concerned and they were all done before my children had to go home.  Thank-you everyone for your help, for me it was all about building relationships.  It was great.  I love my family they are a blessing in my life.

October 7th Friday

It has been a day to remember.  I got off work half of a day today and I don't have to go to work tomorrow.  My children all came in from out of town, and we spent the time putting up applesauce.  We got 95 quarts done tonight.  One broke so you can really only count 94.  The problem was, I agreed to pick grapes at 3:00 today.  So off to pick grapes Frank, Tamara and I went. It was raining hard, but if you got under the grape vines it was rather fun.  We did come back soaked.  We also picked some tomato's we were given those too.  We were given them by Paul's sweet mother.  Trust me she was an answer to my prayers.  I have spent the last week working because of a sick employee.  So I have been working full time for 2 weeks now.  It has been OK, but very exhausting.  In the evenings I have been making my daughters blessing dress.  I have been working on it for a week now.  Tonight I have got to get all the finish work done, so that it doesn't interfere with the applesauce tomorrow.  So my dear sweet husband keeps sending me out of the kitchen. I also plan on going to the temple tomorrow.  We ran out of the apples for applesauce, and I know my children want more than we have.  So I will call a lady in my ward about apples and tomorrow a miracle will happen.

September 16th Friday

Today has been a day of reflection.  Sister Ruby Stratton passed away and we attended the funeral today.  It was a beautiful funeral.  It brought me to tears many times.  I remember back when I was pregnant with Emily.  I had a horrible cold and I couldn't seem to get rid of it. I had it for months. I even rapped my ribs because I was in so much pain.  Every time I coughed I doubled over.  It was terrible.  I went to the fruit stand.  Sister Stratton heard me cough.  She insisted on giving me some liquid vitamins.  I think they were a Shakley product I don't know, but she told me they would help make me get better. I know they were at least 20 dollars but that is just Ruby, she cared about everyone. She insisted that I take it, she will never know how much that meant to me, and she was right with in a week I was well. She was a miracle for me.

I went there many times to pick up my daughters from work, because 2 of my daughters worked for her at different times.  She would always give us something.  Some fruit or a fresh gallon of apple juice.  It was amazing because I always walked out of there with something.  She insisted on me taking some juice to my parents, or she would give me a deal on fruit.  I will miss her greatly.  I miss the fruit stand and the wonderful surprise bags that we bought for our children there.  When my children would walk to the fruit stand for a surprise bag I was grateful, I knew who would be there, the lady with the sweet smile and always a kind word.  We will miss our dear friend!!!!!!  Good-bye, Sister Stratton.  As the song said at the funeral today.  God be with you till we meet again!!!!!

September 14th Wednesday

Sometimes in our lives we find ourselves searching for answers and they come.  I was reading in Ensign tonight and came across something that I thought was incredible. It is a story about a man that felt bad throughout his life because he was heavy and received a lot of teasing.  He has learned to deal with it since he is married now and has a couple of children.  He read his scriptures and drew closer to the Lord and has understood what forgiveness is all about.  There is some amazing information in this story but a couple of words that I read in it has really made a lot of sense to me and I probably haven't thought about it before. There is this statement that this man suddenly realized.  "It wasn't how people treated me, it was my response to that treatment that determined the outcome of my life. " What an amazing thing to think about. When we study the gospel on a daily bases we view ourselves and others through spiritual eyes, then become more tolerable and forgiving of others imperfections. But we learn to love ourselves as well and then we can become who we need to become.

I worked all day today.  I have a dehydration class in the morning and I have been getting ready for that class.  At least I was at the store today to do it.  I actually got paid for all I did.  But it has been an exhausting day.  I had a Primay Presidency Meeting tonight as well.  My day has certainly been full.  I am glad that tomorrow is another day, but a busy day as well.

September 10th Saturday

In getting ready for work yesterday I did a crazy thing, but I didn't realize how crazy until it happened.  My bangs are pretty curly and it makes me mad.  So I grabbed my round brush and blow dryer.  The blow dryer is old, as a matter of fact I didn't really realize it was on.  It starts out with the fan really slow and then it goes a little faster.  So I turned it on and picked it up and ran it across the round brush close to my head.  It was definetly on and way to hot.  When I lifted the blow dryer up, my hair was totally fried.  Not just a little bit but tiny little fuzzies of burnt hair fail from the brush.  I had fried my bangs.  I rubbed the top of them and hair just flittered away like it wasn't meant to be there.  I was horrified!  Needless to say my bangs are pretty thin because of it.  But I say it certainly could have been worse.  I could have left it on longer and had no bangs at all just a big bald spot. 

I have been to work all day today.  It was so busy and I was so tired when I got home.  I put up 8 quarts of freezer peaches, but my husband fixed supper.  We had tacos, they tasted great.  My husband also brought me a great lunch to work today.  I was so happy to have it, it is nice to have someone who cares!!!!!!!!!

September 7th Wednesday

I have spent the interior day at work.  Sometimes that can be draining.  Especially today, because I cleaned, helped customers, unloaded the bosses car and put everything away.  It was a frustrating day.  We got a letter last week on the foreclosure of our home, it made me a little mad, because we have been paying on this home for 16 years.  We have paid for it twice.  We hope to be able to look into some options, but at this point we are being taken advantage of as far as I know.  Our home has been sold to 6 or more different mortgage company's.  Then we get a foreclosure from a totally different mortgage company.  One we have never dealt with.  Does anyone out there know what our options are.  This is just crazy.  We have hit on some hard times for the past year but I don't think there is any excuse for this.  We have tried to reason with them on several different occasions but to no avail, and yet they send us letters that tell us they will help in any way that they can.  We were instructed that we could qualify for a re-writting, but then after 1 year of stringing us along they told us that their company didn't do rewrites.  Talk about frustrating.  We will see what happens in the next couple of months.  Hopefully it is great news.