Vile words

While trying to read inspirational quotes on Pinterest, I was accosted with another unneccessary F-bomb.  Everytime I read or hear one, it's like a slap in the face.  I've heard it said that this language is the product of a lazy mind.  Someone who says it over and over, rather than finding other words which would actually better express the thought.  And, while slaps rather sting, I hope I never get used to it.

Nursing Homes

My sister went into a nursing home yesterday.  She has dementia.  Early onset dementia.  She's only 62, and so advanced in this disease that she can no longer be on her own without supervision.  Like so many other diseases, they don't know what causes it.  

Right now, our attention goes to her.  Is she being treated kindly?  Is she combative to the people trying to take care of her?  Is she scared or lonely?  If I had the ability, I'd like to go there and take care of her myself.  

Her family was gathering some family photos, in the hope that it would help her memory.  I think all the little things will help.  I watched videos on facebook that showed people with dementia and how they reacted to music and animals.  And thankfully, this nursing home has both these therapies in place.  

Later on, our attention will go to avoiding this disease ourselves. I've read the basic things like protect your head from injury, exercise, eat right.  And do things to stimulate your brain, like learning a new language, musical instrument, or even trying a new recipe.

It would be nice if a new treatment would be found in the near future.  Something that would bring her back to her former self.  Miracles do happen.  I also know that this life is full of trials and tests and sometimes it's just really, really hard.  I know the Lord loves us all.  I know He will bless us beyond our vision and scope. It may not happen during this earthly life, but it will happen.   

More drama from the farm

The neighbor from Heck strikes again.  Aside from catching our pasture and fencing on fire, he claimed our fence was built on his land.  He actually said Don removed the pins that marked the property lines.  Now the buyers want us to pay for the burned fence.  And the title company won't finalize the sale when there's a property line dispute.  So we'll be paying for a land survey.  

Kelly's Going Away Party

July 2013.  Right after Cassie's baptism, we had Kelly's going away party.  And by right after, I mean that same evening.  Family, and friends, and ward members came to say good-bye.  We had a very busy month.  There was shopping for mission clothes.  Doctors and dentists.  Haircuts.  Missionary discussions with Cassie and the Elders.  Preparing food for the party.  It was busy, but fun.

Cassie's Baptism

July 2013.  My daughter's friend Cassie was baptized just before Kelly left on her mission.  Now we have two daughters.  They have been friends since 4th grade, when we moved to this area.

Above:  Cassie and her mom Heather.  Below:  Cassie and her grandma Pat, mom, and cousins.

Elders, Kelly, Cassie and PJ doing the Bear.  (something 

they used in teaching the ten commandments.  Do

Not Bear False Witness)

Randy's Athiest Story

GOIN' 'ROUND: An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger." The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?" "Oh, I don't know," said the atheist. "How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?" as he smiled smugly. "OK," she said. "Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?" The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea." To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death, when you don't know crap?" And then she went back to reading her book.

Saw this on a friend's facebook page.

Not everyone who says unto me Lord, Lord

I googled a scripture because I didn't have my Bible handy.  It's the one that goes, "Not everyone who says unto me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father in heaven."

I found a website that attempted to explain this scripture.  All I can say is this guy is an idiot.  He says things like if you break one of the commandments, you have broken them all.  He actually twists the meaning of the above scripture to the exact opposite of what it says.  Talk about false prophets.  Maybe he's not an idiot, maybe he's one of the devil's minions.  He doesn't even know it.

Hay fields

July 2013.  We finally got someone to cut the fields.  Grandpa used to use his brush hog on the pasture.  After he died, we couldn't really keep up.  Then we heard about someone looking for hay fields to mow.  Just what we needed!

We were supposed to get paid a percentage for this hay, but we moved and lost contact with Brandon.  We could have been making money on our hay for years.  But no.  Grandpa really liked mowing with his tractor. I  wouldn't want to take away his fun.

Kevin

February to October 2013.  I baby sat for this little guy.  I miss him every time I look at his picture.

My Testimony

I was listening to BYU-TV this morning and it always gets me thinking.  I was thinking about my testimony of the gospel and how it came to be.

I was eighteen years old.  I had been introduced to the Mormon missionaries and they were teaching me the lessons they teach.  Elders Soderberg and Mottishaw.  I've lost contact with them, I guess I should be glad I can even remember their names.

Each meeting had a particular topic and they would leave a pamphlet and reading assignment.  I usually didn't do the reading assignment, probably because I worked a lot of hours in those days.  But a threat to postpone my baptism made me get on the stick.  I was a person who believed, and I thought that was enough.

As a person much older than eighteen now, I can see the value of getting your own answers and testimony.  You can't let other people's strength be enough for you.  What if those people fall away from the truth?  Are you going to fall just because they did?  What if your Bishop robs a bank?  That's pretty unlikely.  But it's not unlikely that some day, someone you look up to will let you down.  It could be a grievous sin or just a matter of being inconsiderate. You need to have the strength to stand on your own.

A testimony of the gospel is more than just believing.  It's getting an answer to your question of 'Is this really true?'  The missionaries instructed me to ask a question that could be answered yes or no.  The question I asked was, "Did all this in the Book of Mormon really happen?  Were these real people?"  I knew if it was real, then Joseph had to be a real prophet.  Else he couldn't have translated it.  Then the church had to be true.

I went about studying and reading the scriptures for about a month.  I would often get on my knees and ask the above questions.  I was mindful of it even when going about my day.  There is something more.  I told the Lord I would do what he wanted me to do.  If this was his true church, I would be baptized.  And live it.

One day, I was sitting on my bed and asking these questions again.  A feeling came over me which I had never felt before.  It seemed to go from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.  A chill.  But accompanied by an extremely peaceful and loving feeling.  It spoke to my soul.  I remember thinking, at the time, that it filled the room to the corners.  But anyone outside of the room would not feel it. I know now that this was the Holy Ghost.  This is how He answers prayer.

Too much stuff

We have been spending so much time moving all our stuff, trying to sell stuff, practically giving stuff away.  If I could go back in time, I would not allow so much to accumulate.  Maybe have a plan to have a yearly yard sale. Go through drawers and closets to dejunk.  Give to charity.  Keeping things organized would help with overbuying.  I wouldn't buy more if I knew how many I already had.

Stalling my own dementia

As I watch my sister sink deeper into dementia, I feel frustrated at not being able to do anything for her.  I notice my own memory getting worse and worse.  I guess all we can do is take care of ourselves.  I exercised this morning.  Not to look good, but to get oxygen to the brain.  And I lifted weights the other night, I should do it again tonight before bed.  I often do puzzles and games.  What I really need to work on is eating healthier.  I've said it before, but things like replacing the ice cream with watermelon.  And carrot sticks instead of potato chips.

Yep, I still think he's the Antichrist.  You know who I mean.

Waiting for Him

Lots of stories in the news today about abortion and gay marriage.  I think I'd like to be an ostrich.  And bury my head in the sand.  Somebody tap me on the shoulder when Jesus is here.

Are you a bully?

Ya know, Justin Beiber really isn't my thing; but why all the Beiber hate?  I read a story about him and all the comments were completely hateful.  People like to act like they are so against bullying.  Is that just an act?  Maybe we're allowed to bully certain people of our choosing?  Maybe it's cool to bully certain people.  It's all very funny until someone commits suicide.  I have an idea...if you don't like someone's music, change the station.  And be the person you claim to be...someone who thinks bullying is always wrong.

Walking the dog in the snow

It's the end of March and we just got about 15 inches of snow.  Is this what it would be like to live in Wyoming or Idaho?  This is more snow than I think I have ever seen.  So my problem is this:  my boots only come up about half the height of the snow.  I walk the dog around the yard so he can do his business, and the snow gets packed into my boots. We've only had the dog a couple of weeks, so we're still taking him out on the leash.  I'm ready to take my chances.  Open the back door and let him go.  Will we ever see him again?  I don't think I can do it.  We've talked about a shock collar.  I don't really want to shock him (except when I've gotten really mad at him), but it might keep him from getting hit by a car.  Stupid snow.

Hunter

About a week and a half ago, Don and Kelly took a little trip to Pittsfield and brought home a little doggie.  Well, he's not so little.  He's a black lab, and he's probably about a year old.  He showed up at a farm in Pittsfield and they went about trying to find him a home.  They checked animal shelters to see if anyone was looking for him.  Then they put his picture up on facebook on Tri-County Trading.

Our friend Nikki came over to see him and started looking at pet names on her phone.  Usually two of us liked a name and the others, not so much.  When Nikki read the name Hunter, we all liked it.  So Hunter he is.

Hunter will be an inside dog. We are currently trying to train him to not bite, not jump on us, walk on a leash, and house break him. Thank goodness for all the information on the net.

New Years Resolutions

My husband never makes any new year resolutions.  He says people never keep them.  That's probably true. Yet something in me knows I need to start fresh, again and again.  My biggest problem is narrowing it down to just a few.

1. Read my scriptures every day.  I've had good habits in the past, only to let them slip away.  Other things seem more important at the time.  But reading scripture and praying every day allows the Spirit to be with us and guide us.  I don't know much that's more important than that.

2. Eat healthier.  This shouldn't be hard for me, because I eat so poorly that anything would be an improvement.  I'll start by substituting fresh fruit and vegetables for some of the junk food I've been indulging on.  I haven't been feeling well, and believe it's a direct result of the crummy diet I've adopted.  I know myself well enough to know that I need to keep it realistic.  I'm allowing myself enough junk food to keep from the binging.

3. Use my time more wisely.  Spend a little less time on the computer, and a little more time doing something constructive.

4. (Speaking of something constructive...) Actually make some of the things I've pinned on Pinterest.

5.  Work smarter.  I haven't figured this one out yet...but there has to be a way to get more accomplished.  I feel like I never stop cleaning house and washing dishes.  I guess I need better habits like - put things away as soon as I'm finished with them.  Have a place for everything.

I should probably have exercising in there too.  I actually have more of a list than I think I'll be able to manage.  Well, maybe if I do something on the list everyday.

Later:  March 21, to be exact.  I was just reading over my new years's resolutions and decided that maybe I should start them.  

Little Joyce

Last night I found out my old friend and next door neighbor lost her battle with cancer.  We had rather lost touch with each other.  Either one of us could have probably figured out how to contact the other if so desired.  We just moved on.

We had been friends from the age of four or five, until we finished high school.  As I started looking through old pictures, the memories flooded back.  Here we are playing with her Uncle Freddie's puppies in her backyard.

We used to ride bikes and play on the swing set.  We played in the field and creek at the end of our street.  We went sledding there when there was a good snow.  We hung out at the elementary school where her father was the janitor.  Our families camped and fished together.  We swam in the summer and rode the same school bus in the fall.

Everyone called her Little Joyce because my older sister was also named Joyce.  As teenagers, we changed her name to Jo.  We'd sit in her living room, listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zepplin.  I served as one of her bridesmaids.  It was at that point that we didn't see each other much anymore.  Such is life.  People get married and move away and lose touch. I suppose that's the way it needs to be.  But I spent more time with these girls than I did with my own sisters.  And they'll always hold a special place in my heart.

Homemade Thank You Cards

I needed to give some thank you cards to some friends last week. I did an internet search for some easy ideas. Everything in my search looked like something I was not capable of making. So I came up with this.

Use card stock and cut it with a exacto-knife to get clean lines. Cut the short edge at 1 1/2 inches. Then cut the long edge at the same measurement. Cut the remainder at 4 3/4 inches, which makes two pieces the same size. This allows you to get 4 cards from 2 pieces of card stock.

Use paper punches and scissors for decoration.

Glue on 1 1/2 inch strip from contrasting color. Use a glue stick that dries clear, and you won't have to worry about the spaces from punched out areas.

Fold card so that card color shows at the bottom of contrasting strip. If necessary, you can tidy up the sides with the exacto-knife. I experimented a little with different sizes, but this is the one I like the most. Easy as pie, even for people like me who are not very crafty.