Stay of execution

We received a stay of execution today!! It's only for 30 days, but it is for 30 days. That gives us time to regroup.

I have been calling Citi Mortgage every day this week to find out if the sale date of our house has been postponed. Today I waited until 1:55 p.m. to call. I asked how long we were going to have to wait. We were going into a holiday weekend. Were we just supposed to sit back & watch our house be sold?

When she took the time to look it up & told me the sale date had been postponed I could barely wait to get off the phone & scream, "YES!!!" Oh my gosh, what a load has been lifted

I got the certificate today from ACDCA for the counseling I took last night for bankruptcy. I was so worried about Monday, I called & asked for the day off, in case I had to run to Pocatello to file bankruptcy.

I told Mother I had the day off & said they could do just fine without me. She was worried & said, "But you need that job." I told her I hadn't quit, just taken the day off.

I found out "pro se" is Latin meaning "for oneself" or "on one's own behalf." (definition courtesy Wikipedia)

It's a good thing I took Monday off, Nick has a dentist appointment at noon, which I had forgotten about. He has a front tooth with a cavity in it. Medicaid has made it so hard for dentists to follow their protocol, that only 2 dentists in town will even take Medicaid. We will have to pay for this dental appt. out of pocket, sigh.

Sick, in more ways than one

Still don't have the sale date postponed on the foreclosure. It is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 3, at 11 a.m. So, tonight I took the first step in filing for bankruptcy: online counseling. It is a holiday weekend & some federal courts are taking not just Friday off, but also Monday. The Salt Lake Federal Court is taking tomorrow, Thursday, afternoon off. Don has tomorrow & Friday off, so, if we do end up having to run to Pocatello to drop off our bankruptcy petition or whatever it's called, he can drive. If they are open, that is.

We don't have a lawyer, & are filing "pro se," whatever that is. We do have someone coaching us. Thanks to Sandee Matthews, who got us in touch with a lady in her ward, who got us in touch with a company in Salt Lake. We just have to wait & pray for the Lord's intervention.

I have a cold & tonight I felt so bad, my hair hurt. My throat is sore, I have an earache & a toothache. Other than that, I'm just fine.

Money tree

Don's money tree didn't look at all like the tree I posted. I took a scrapbooked Christmas card, really cute, framed it & stuck the money behind it. I thought of another way I could have made the tree. Taken the money, folded it so that it made the branches of the tree. Then he would have had to take the tree apart to spend his money. Oh, well, maybe another year. Maybe I can scan the card tomorrow at work. It's too late to get the scanner here hooked up. The scanner at work is always ready to go

Don's been sick since last week, his cold has lasted the 7 days, now Nick has it & I'm getting it. Just so Mother doesn't get it. Don-Mike got a FOUR-day weekend. Wow! That doesn't happen very often.

Christmas was fun. Never did really feel like Christmas though.

Creative Ways to Give Money as a Gift

Ok, I'm the great procrastinator. I always have been. This year there was a reason, I wasn't sure if our property taxes would be paid by the mortgage company or if we would have to pay them.
Property taxes always come due right before Christmas,  Property taxes were paid!

So, here I am the day before Christmas, well before Christmas Eve, but everything is closing early tomorrow & I HAVE TO BE DONE! So, I have nothing for Don or Nick. I decided to just give them the money. (I hope Don doesn't read the blog, but I think I'm safe.) I hate the idea of just handing over money, so I googled the idea & came up with some stupendous ideas. Most all of them take a little bit of creativity & some preparation.

Mother has nothing for the family. I did do some gifts for her hairdresser & a couple of friends, but nothing for her landlady aka sister (Luana)


I'm going to make this Christmas card & frame it for Don. I do have the frame. I bought it at the DollarTree in Smithfield. For Nick I'm going to put it inside a DVD, too bad I hadn't found one with money in the title, but he found one he liked in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart, so I'm going to open it, put the $50 bill in it & have Adventure Video shrink wrap it for me again.
Note to self - get to the video store before they close.

There were some very clever ideas that I would love to do, but would have needed to do them when Don was at work. One was to put money in green balloons & bottle them in a pickle jar. The one for pickles was way down the page so I'm including it

Pickles: One year for Christmas, my mother-in-law wanted money for a trip she was going to take and I remembered when I was a kid and my dad made me "bill pickles". You need a pickle or canning jar and longer green balloons. I inserted the money into the balloons and then blew them up into pickle shapes and stuffed them into the jar. I got about 6 pickles in the jar, each with $5. You can adjust your number of pickles as needed, depending on the size of balloon. I then filled the jar with water. After this was complete, I made a lable on the computer and listed the made-up ingredients! She loved it!

I found it at ThriftyFun Another one was to roll money up into straws. The idea for straws was just a short way down the page with a picture so I'm not including it here.

Mother wants to get shirts for the guys. White church shirts for DH & DSO. And a big & tall t-shirt to cover Nick's belly. He's so heavy & the cheap shirts aren't long enough so his belly shows. He needs pants too, but he's so picky. I need to find a big & tall store. Don needs a long-sleeved white temple shirt. So, I'm online tonight trying to find templates to make gift cards. They will be wrapped up in shirt boxes.

Finally did some Christmas shopping

I had my day all planned, but knew as soon as I got out of bed, those plans would likely not happen as I wanted. They never do. Sure enough, only some of them happened. I'm almost completely finished with my shopping. I have to pick up one more gift & it is set aside for me. Then the wrapping of what I did buy & delivery of the neighbor gifts.

I went searching for sayings to put on my gifts - rolls of gift paper & Mother is giving paper plates & Christmas napkins. I found a really cool blog, how does she? by Googling. The entry for the paper plates was found under 30 Neighbor Christmas Gifts Ideas.

Our Relief Society presidency brought Mother some paper plates & matching napkins in a Christmas theme, tied with a large ribbon bow. It has a cute little saying on it, but I couldn't remember what it was. Here is what I found at how does she?

A bit of "disposable" Christmas cheer! What could be better? No dishes, my dear!

Then for the rolls of Christmas paper, I don't remember where I snagged this from.We got a roll of Christmas paper a couple of years ago, I saved the cute little card that came with it. Of course, now that I need it, I can't find it.

"Wrap" yourself up in a wonderful holiday season!

And no wrapping. I HATE wrapping gifts.

Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010

The winter solstice occurred sometime today. It is only a moment in time, but the term also means the first day of winter. Today is the shortest day of the year, now the days will start getting longer again. We have had the Pineapple Express come through. I don't know whether I prefer the Pineapple Express or the Polar Express. I guess as long as it snows in the mountains, I'd prefer the Pineapple Express.

I told Rod, the editor at the Citizen, that Don had told me the weather pattern we are having, the warm weather & lots of rain, is called the Pineapple Express. Warm weather coming straight from Hawaii & bringing lots of rain & snow. Right now, we are at over 200% of average of precipitation. A year ago, we were in the 60th percentile. So, Rod did a little article on it. Front page news this week is the flooding in one of the Golf Course subdivisions. They had people out sandbagging. The Twin Lakes Canal Company took the canal out last summer & buried pipes to transport the water. Now there is no where for the water to drain.

I sure didn't pick a very good Christmas project - doing service for someone every day. I've been sick & very down because of the foreclosure & Mufasa.

Steve got into the kennel to fix the water buckets & the door didn't get secured tight enough & Mufasa got out. Not only did he get out, he knocked a woman down & bit her on the butt. She didn't press charges, but now Kim doesn't want him on her property anymore. I can't have him in town. Mufasa didn't run away, in fact he didn't leave the property. He just made himself at home on the porch.

Someone took a wolf hybrid up in the mountains last summer & turned him loose. I can't believe people would do that. He was caught killing sheep & so the sheepherder shot him. First of all, they thought he was a wolf, but then found he was a cross between a wolf & a German Shepherd.

I've got 3 more days to shop. I sure don't have the Christmas spirit this year.

Don must be sick

He went to bed at 11 p.m. This man is the late night king. He has a head cold or maybe it's just a bad cold. He called Connie Merrill, the choir leader, this morning to tell her he couldn't sing in the ward cantata today & she didn't recognize his voice. He did fix supper, but then left me to do the dishes. There weren't very many, but it took me almost 2 hours to do them, sigh.

It's a small world after all

Today, Dec. 18, is my Grandpa Porter's birthday. He was born in 1893, so that would make him 117. Also, one of my former Cub Scouts came home from his mission to Chile. A cousin's son came home from his mission to Africa last night or in the early hours of the morning. I've been telling Don about these 2 elders coming home & watching Facebook to see if I could catch updates from their mothers, both on my Friend list. Well, tonight I had a notice from Facebook that Kendall Coburn (Syracuse, Utah) & Sean Griffeth (Preston, Idaho) had both friended Micheal Porter. What a small world. I noticed both elders were on Facebook & decided they'd both been released.

I wrote a Christmas letter for Mother to include in her Christmas cards. I'm not too happy with the watermark; I think I'll try something else. In order to compose a letter, I had to refresh my memory as to what happened this year, so I read back over her CaringBridge blog & back over this blog. In June one of the entries on Mother's blog said I'd had 3 crises that day, but since only one concerned Mother it was the only one I was going to address. Ohhhh-Kayyyy! I've looked & looked & can't find what the other 2 were. I thought I'd have at least put them here.

What I took to Facebook

On Facebook there is an application where you can take your statuses & make a collage. We've been getting Christmas letters & I thought a Facebook collage would be pretty cool to see what I "took" to Facebook this year. Besides, it might give me an idea for a Christmas letter. So, here is My life according to Facebook, 2010.

 

Edited to downsize the image.

Saturday, Dec. 11

Now, it really is Saturday. I posted last night at 1 a.m. I went to bed at 2, after reading my scriptures. My feet were SOOO cold, I couldn't go to sleep, so I "wrote" a talk in my head & the next thing I knew it was morning.

I felt so good today, I overdid. We went to Logan & shopped. I got the Christmas gifts for DUP at the Dollar Tree in Smithfield. We ate at Big J's in Richmond. When we got home, we took the DUP gifts over to Mother's, showed her & then I left them there.

I bought Christmas stockings again, only this year I filled them with wrapping supplies like adhesive tape, tissue paper, scissors, little gift bags & a pretty fluffy bow with matching ribbon. As either a personal gift, or something they can re-gift, I put in door knob hangers with bells. The Christmas stockings were satin, one silver & one gold. For the silver stocking I bought silver bells, silver tissue, silver gift bag & purple scissors. For the gold stocking I bought red & gold.

Don & I changed the beds at Mother's & I changed the dressing on Mother's leg. The wound looks really good. If it looks as good tomorrow, I'll go for the dry bandage & let it dry up.

I was so tired, I came home & lay down for a nap, from which I woke thoroughly chilled. Don had fixed toasted cheese sandwiches & tomato soup for supper. I have such a wonderful husband.

Friday, Dec. 10

Day 2, or is it day 3?, of the crud. I'm feeling much better today, but getting dressed just about did me in. It was Don-Mike's turn to take care of Nana today. I need to get over there tomorrow & change the dressing on her leg.

Now, Nick & Don-Mike are feeling lousy too. So, guess staying away from Mother didn't really do anything. Don stayed home from work again today.

Thursday, Dec. 9

As far as service goes, Nick took the honors today. I woke up sick with flu, I think. Whatever, I felt absolutely horrid. Don says we felt NICE. Nauseated, ill, crappy, exhausted. He came home from work sick too.He may have been nauseated, but not me. I had the Mexican two-step.

Nick took Mother to get her hair done, picked her up & took her to lunch. I didn't get the bandage changed on her leg, but I didn't feel up to it AND, this is a biggie, I didn't want to expose her to whatever bug I have.

I'm going to read my scriptures & go to bed.

Monday, Dec. 6

My act of service today was watching the book store while one of the clerks used the "facilities." She was the only clerk there & can't leave the store untended. Vicki & I expected to be through with the paper by noon or 2 p.m., at the latest, so Vicki didn't bring any lunch as she usually does. Nick gave us a ride to the Subway in his car & back. Vicki was going to walk over & I invited her to ride over with us.

Sunday, Dec. 5

I found another December advent-type sharing time from 2007 or 2008 I like better than service. It is reading a scripture every day. Another day of no service. I went to the Church library this morning & ran the ward bulletin. I put a long denim jumper over my pants so I would have a skirt on. I didn't see anyone at the church. Last month I went in pants & there were a lot of people from the Spanish branch needing help. The Spanish ladies always dress up so nice, I felt out of place.

I looked up some recipes & cookie baking party ideas on the internet for the Recipe Corner column for The Citizen & emailed that to work. I dressed Mother's leg again tonight. It looks really good. Still seeping blood, but the bandage didn't stick to the wound.

Saturday, Dec. 4

Doing an act of service is harder than it sounds. It was a very lazy day. I was going to say I did nothing productive, but I did. I took out the garbage & I bandaged Mother's leg. It looks bad, but it's still bright red, so that's good. I didn't even get dressed until later in the afternoon.

Act of Service, Dec. 3

These are not random acts of kindness, these are acts of service. The turkey yesterday was not an act of service, in fact, I hope Clareen didn't think I was unappreciative of her act of service by bringing Mother food from the Community Pantry. I just thought if she hadn't been able to get a turkey for Shannon, she could give that one to Shannon.

My act of service today was cleaning up the blood on Mother's floor & "finding" her bed. She fell this morning, cracked a rib, bruised her arm from wrist to elbow & scraped her shin, again. I think this is the 4th time she's scraped her shin. It's always on the same place. The wound wasn't too bad today. Home Health used up a couple of the things we need to care for the wound. After our doctor appt., I went into the pharmacy & picked up some supplies. We can't use a band-aid on Mother's skin, it just tears & causes another wound. We have to have a whole arsenal of supplies.

Her monthly doctor's appt. with Dr. Beckstead was today, so that worked out good. I didn't have to make an extra appt. He said, "Now let's review. What could you have done different so this won't happen again?"

I said, with some asperity, "Ask for help."

Mother said with equal asperity, "There wasn't any body around to ask for help." Dr. Beckstead kind of laughed & wisely left it alone.

She was trying to get a Christmas tree skirt out of the little trunk in her bedroom & leaned on a TV tray to get up. It was, of course, not sturdy enough to hold her. It collapsed & she fell. She got herself up & out to the kitchen. She held a towel over the wound & applied pressure. We are making process. Don-Mike came home, saw what had happened & called me. He didn't have time to take care of it because he would be late for work.

I expect fussy babies, but it's hard to have a fussy mother. I don't know how to deal with it. I know she hurts & doesn't feel good, but I'm having a hard time with that "gracious" heart.

RAK, Dec. 2

So, what was my act of service yesterday, Dec. 2? I knew it was going to be hard, but I had a hard time with yesterday. Do I count going on an errand with Nick I didn't want to go on?

What about giving a turkey back to Clareen for her daughter? Clareen got Mother a turkey breast at the Community Pantry yesterday. There was no room in Mother's freezer, we have a couple from the Bishop's store house here in the freezer & I knew it would just sit in the freezer & probably not get used for a while. So, I asked Clareen if she had been able to get one for Shannon, her daughter. She said no. I told her to take the turkey to Shannon.

RAK, Dec. 1

Finished the Attitude of Gratitude for the month of November & did pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I decided today I'm pretty thankful to live in Preston. I NEVER thought I'd say it. I think it's the first time in 60 years I have said it.

I've always been fascinated with Advent Trees. I found this on Facebook, followed it to the blog, Sugardoodle, & decided, just for giggles, to try it. You're supposed to color each ornament as you count down to Christmas. I'm posting it here, but won't print it out.

Today was another snowy day. One of my big pet peeves is people who abandon their shopping carts by their car & don't bother to "park" them in the shopping cart bay or whatever it's called. It makes it hard to park if the shopping cart is abandoned in a parking space & run away shopping carts can ding your car.

Today when I went to the grocery store, the parking lot was slushy, as slushy as it can be in below freezing weather. I parked & grabbed an abandoned shopping cart right by where I parked & pushed & pulled it over to the cart bay. A fellow Harry Potter fan was coming out of the store, I asked if she had seen the new Harry Potter movie. She said no, they'd just been too busy. We chatted about the movie while she put her groceries in her trunk. Then when she was finished, I offered to put her cart away. It wasn't pre-meditated, in fact, it was just a gut reaction. Thinking back over my day, I was wondering what I had done that could be counted as a random act of kindness or RAK.

I was lucky I had one to use. I'll have to be more aware of ways to have a "gracious heart." 

Day 30

I am grateful for a warm house, for central heating. I froze last night at work. Vicki brought a space heater in & I set it right up on the desk, then my feet froze. My boots have a hole in the top, but it seems to seep into my toes. Our house is very drafty, but at least we have heat.

I was complaining to Nick today that my fingers & hands hurt because of the cold, & it's hard to type. We saw a group of people from Preston at Wal-Mart & Jerry Moore reached out to shake my hand. Now, I remember how shaking hands in the winter hurts

End of November?

It's the end of November already. I've kind of fallen behind on the Attitude of Gratitude. I've got today & tomorrow before Mother's open enrollment on her insurance closes. I'm not quite sure what to do. She also needs to have her meds ordered. I'm feeling quite overwhelmed. It doesn't seem like the foreclosure is going anywhere fast. The sale date is the first part of January. And Christmas ... Ack!

I'm thankful Christmas only comes once a year.

Nov. 27, 1970

Yes, Nov. 27, 1970, 40 years ago today, my sister Wanda Odetta Monson died. She was 10 days past her 24th birthday & it was Aunt Maxine's 28th birthday. I remember I was drinking a can of Dr. Pepper & we were listening to Marty Robbins on her new 8-track player in her hospital room at the Logan Hospital. The old one that was up on the hill kitty-corner across the street from the Logan LDS Temple. Wanda said she had to poo only she used the "S" word. Mother called the nurse & she shooed us out into a waiting room. We heard them calling a Code Blue over the PA system. Mother said she bet it was Wanda. I remember when they came to tell us she had died, my Dr. Pepper spilled & I didn't pick it up. I don't like Dr. Pepper any more. I don't like to listen to Marty Robbins either.

Am I grateful for the advances made in medicine? Yes, it goes without saying. We were told 40 years ago lupus was cancer. People don't die of lupus anymore. Wanda didn't actually die of lupus either, she died of the side effects of cortisone. But her diagnosis was Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or SLE.

Speaking of abbreviations, I have to tell a funny story. Nick & I were talking about Nana, my mother. He said Nana couldn't remember something & I said in all seriousity, "Yes, I know. She has CRS."

He, just as seriously, inquired, "What's CRS?"

"Can't remember $h**!" I said.

"Oh!" he said, "I thought it was something official like that breathing disease she has."

"COPD?" I asked.

"Ya, that. What does that stand for?" he asked

"Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. And then we, you & I, have SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder," I said.

"Whatever," he answered.

Day 26

Nick was rear-ended in Logan today. He is bummed. He got a ticket for an expired registration. It expired in SEPTEMBER. So, I am grateful he didn't get hurt. Our car insurance is already very high, but I am also glad this is a car that is fully covered.

I am grateful for extended family. Have I used that before? If so, I didn't single out my wonderful aunt, Luana. Her kids are having an 80th birthday party for her today, against her wishes. Luana is awesome. Mother couldn't live where she does without Luana's help. She is still a Cub Scout den leader AND went to Day Camp this year. I have it from good authority she didn't complain like the younger women did.

Because of Nick's car crash, I was late to Luana's birthday party, but Lance & LuAnn went & got Mother so she could spend some time with her sisters. Keith & Onda, Jim & Donna & Vaudis were there. They took pictures of Luana & her siblings. I was included in those pictures. I have jumped a generation. I was the only one of Luana's nieces or nephews there though.

A day of Thanksgiving

I am grateful for a day to give thanks. I read this blog entry from 2 years ago:

"Most people do not realize the many health benefits of gratitude. Studies indicate that thankfulness is directly linked to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being."

From bratfactor dot com

 Just now I was checking to see what label I had used Brat Factor as one word or as 2. I found another quote from bratfactor:

"What drains your spirit drains your body.
What fuels your spirit fuels your body."

I was looking for a Thanksgiving graphic & saw this piece of flair I had saved. I may screech this, but I usually jump & run when asked.

At 10 to 2 this afternoon I was sitting here at the computer minding my own business, still not dressed,  & Nick comes out with his phone & hands it to me with a grimace on his face. It was Shari asking me if I could please run to the grocery store right away, it closed at 2. Sure, says I, thinking if I get dressed, I won't have time to get there. If I do go, I'll be running. I jumped up, threw my snow boots on, put on a jacket & ran. Don told me no one would know I was in my night clothes if I didn't tell them. I didn't think of whether I had any money to buy it. Usually I don't have more than $2-3. But today, I just happened to have enough, whew! I checked out just as they were shutting off the lights.

Day 24

First Presidency of LDS Church

OK, tonight I'm going to try inserting a picture of the First Presidency of the LDS Church again. Left to right, President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor; President Thomas S. Monson & President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor. Is that Elder Scott behind President Eyring? Not sure. This would have been cool with last night's Attitude of Gratitude post.

---

Nick's red Impala & my white Malibu, 11/23/10

Today I am thankful for great neighbors. John Donne's words, "No man is an island entire of itself ..." is so true. Our neighbor to the south of us came & plowed us out. We live in a great neighborhood.

Don took this picture looking out our front door. Look at the cool drifts around Nick's car.

A friend on Facebook said they are getting TORNADO warnings in Michigan. I've been hearing bad things about Washington too. Diane, a niece that lives in Seattle, said they got a foot of snow in 3 hours yesterday!!

We had a really bad blizzard yesterday. A blizzard is a snowstorm with winds in excess of 35 mph that lasts at least 3 hours. Don-Mike had to clear the snow off the kitchen window & big front room window at Mother's because they were plastered with snow. He said he cleaned them off so she could see nothing, as the visibility was nothing.

Don put opaque plastic on the kitchen window & I can't see out. I hate it, but yesterday the front room window was just like the kitchen window, only there wasn't any plastic on the front room window. We couldn't even see Balzars.

They closed the highways in & out of the valley, even in & out of town. The public transport buses didn't run yesterday & the kids had a snow day. Angela Nielson,  friend that works at USU didn't make it home last night. They closed the university at 2 & the buses don't run up here until 5 & 6, but the highway was closed. Luckily, she had a niece & nephew she could stay with. Don did not have to work yesterday, which I am so grateful for. No telling who he would have stayed with & would probably have tried to make it home.

The roads are still bad today. Nick wanted to get out today, he was going stir crazy, so we did. He took me to the $ store in Smithfield, about 20 miles away. It's really cold. It is 4° right now. Our house is really drafty. I'm sitting on a heat vent as I type.

Day 23

I am thankful for the scriptures and modern day prophets that give me guidance in my life. I snagged this from Vickie Jarvis, but I am thankful for the scriptures. I've been reading the Old Testament since June & Wow! I've learned a lot.

 

 I tried snagging a picture of the First Presidency. but every photo I tried to load off the computer was rejected. This picture of the Old Testament Student Manual was already on Picasa.

 

Reading the scriptures has ruined my recreational reading though. I tried reading The Red Tent, a book that has been on my reading list for quite a while. It doesn't follow the King James Version & I didn't like what I was reading. No wonder Dinah was only given a line in the scriptures.

Day 22

Don standing by Little Lizzie in Glacier National Park 7/11/08

I am grateful for the independence to do my own thing. The freedom to go where I want, when I want without having to depend on someone else ... for my car, health, eye sight & everything else that goes into operating a car.

Day 21

On Facebook today I've read where people are thankful for the snow. I am grateful our water storage is being replenished. I do like water, just not dished up as snow.

Robert has travel plans

Gloria posted this on her Facebook profile last night:

I just got a phone call from my missionary son, he's finally got travel plans! He's going to the airport day after tomorrow, Monday an 9:45AM headed for Mexico. Yippee!!!! I'm so excited for him. As soon as he gets there and settled, I'll post his new address on his facebook profile.

Day 20

I am thankful for the men & women who work behind the scenes. The mailman, the lineman who keeps our electricity running, the nurses & doctors, the one behind the cash register, the truckers & the list goes on & on. Thank you.

Day 19

Pamela Linton

Today I am thankful for Pamela Linton. A special lady who helped us in family counseling. She effectively got Nickolas off of probation when he was in middle school. And she helped me out of a very harrowing bout with depression. She died yesterday at the age of 61. She had been battling esophageal cancer.

I knew she had been sick & had "throat cancer." I was surprised to see her obituary in today's Herald Journal, especially since we had not received her obituary at work. And funeral services are under the direction of Webb Funeral Home.

One Tuesday I got a call from Mr. John Palmer, the principal of the Preston Junior High School telling me he thought Nick needed some intervention. He was afraid Nick was suicidal. I called Pam & she said to bring him right up. Her office was in a beautiful old Victorian house next to her home up Mink Creek.

Of course, it had to be Tuesday, the day the paper went to press. In order to get time off on press day, you had to call in dead. I was gone 2 hours, my car (an '85 Toyota Corolla) died, Nick was supposed to be under suicide watch & I had to get back to work. I do remember I got back to work, I think Mother kept Nick & the paper got out. My car wasn't worth fixing. It had over 250,000 miles on it.

Shady Home

On Facebook this evening, one of my friends posted a couple of pictures of some cute creations she had made with a link to her blog. The pictures were darling & her blog entry,  "Naming Your Home," was awesome. She got her inspiration, like we do in blog world, from How Does She?

A while back I named our house Shady Home. We probably ought to name it The Monson Place. Many years ago, Jim & Donna gave Mother & Daddy a plaque that says Monson. It was tacked on the porch & has weathered & been there for years. When we were having Cub Scouts about 14-15 years ago, it was there. One of my Cubbies came, but wouldn't come in because it said Monson, not Bartlomé. Not that he would have known how to spell Bartlomé, he just knew it said Monson & went home.

I made a plastic canvas house number when we lived over in Woodruff. I thought it was really cute, but we didn't live there long enough to get very worn. Lance & LuAnn Nielson have the same house number. I planned to give it to them, but ... it's in a box somewhere, a common comment around here. I made a house number for Mother & Don-Mike because the house number on Aunt Vi's house is small, right up under the eaves & painted white, same color as the house. You can't see it.

I made the numbers just as big as I could & have it still fit on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. Cut the numbers out, placed them in the hard laminate & laminated it. It is taped on their front screen door.

Day 18

I am grateful for my employer, especially for Kelly, the local publisher, & my wonderful co-workers. They are great. I have worked at The Citizen for over 13 years. It has changed a lot in those 13 years, but I still like my job.

snopes.com

Don forwarded an email to me. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in. Nine things to do in an emergency situation. It was supposedly written by a cop. I don't forward many things any more, most of the time they are "urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation." I can go to Snopes . com & get the real scoop. So, that's just what I did for 9 Tips. There was one for a serial killer luring women from their homes with a taped recording of a crying baby.

And another one I hadn't heard of before: Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE!

Snopes didn't really address the last one, however, they did give some tips:

1. Avoid potentially dangerous places.
2. Stay aware of your surroundings.
3. Do not get into vehicles with strangers or allow them into yours.
4. Do not let strangers into your home.

In 1983, Don & I, along with his parents & brother Reed, were held up at gun point in a Pizza Hut restaurant in Salt Lake City on West Redwood Road. One of the things, Frank, Don's father, did, was to throw his wallet under the table. He & Bertha had been on several cruises & he may have been given that tip by a "tourist gude." However, it didn't work in a restaurant & probably wouldn't in any closed place. Instead, the gunman made him pick up the wallet & stuck the gun in his belly. We were fortunate he did not pull the trigger. Frank was the only one in the entire restaurant who could identify the make of the gun. Bertha was amazed & asked him how he knew. The rest of us were also amazed. Frank replied we'd have looked at the gun too if it was stuck in our gut. Yes, we may have looked at it, but the rest of us wouldn't have been able to identify it.

Yes, most women do just sit in the car when they get in. I have my key out, ready to unlock my car & I put it in the ignition as soon as I get in. One time, before my mission, I was sitting in my car. I had just come out of the bank & got in the car. I was sitting there getting situated & along came a couple of men talking. The older man, turned at my car, still talking to the other man, opened the car door & climbed in. The other man just stood there staring at him & I ... I was shocked! I said, "What are you doing?" He apologized, got out & hurried over to the other car

Day 17

New furnace

I am thankful for electricity today. I can't have the internet if I don't have electricity. I can't have a furnace if I don't have electricity, or lights or any of the modern conveniences that we so take for granted.

Day 16

Today I am thankful for the internet. It is such a wonderful tool. I can keep up to date on my friends whom I would never have met without it. I can pay bills & monitor bank statements on it.

And, of course, the computer itself is such a wonderful tool. I might have a clean house if I didn't have the computer/internet to distract me. Then again, would I? I'd just pick up a book, LOL.

I spent the afternoon & evening reading an Anne Perry book, "No Graves As Yet." It was moving much too slow, so I had to read ahead. I was disgusted at myself because when I do that, I usually don't finish the book. But ... I was too far into it & the story had split in two. Now, I need to see what happened with Matthew. Urgh

Day 15

Today I am thankful for food. Some people never have enough to eat. Since we have been grocery shopping at the Bishop's Storehouse, I've really come to appreciate the large assortment of food at a supermarket. I'm not ungrateful for the food orders, I just get really tired of pasta, beans & rice.

Today Don came home with another garnishment, Cache Valley Specialty Hospital again. I think I'll die before I ever go back to CVSH for treatment. I was supposed to have had a mammogram earlier in the year. Then every time I go for lab tests, it is $110. Then there is the chest x-rays. Nope, no more blood work or chest x-rays & I don't think I'll go back for my 6 month check up.

Today at work I had a visual disturbance & then the head ache hit. It's kind of hard to read when you can't focus your eyes. Even so, the paper was pretty straight forward today & I was finished by 6:30 p.m.

Gratitude day 14

I have missed a couple of days of posting here, luckily I have been keeping my attitude of gratitude posts up to date elsewhere.

Saturday, Nov. 13, I was grateful for my cats, for their love & companionship.

Today, Sunday, Nov. 14, I am grateful for my nice warm bed. Some people never have a bed to sleep in, much less, nice warm covers.

I should have done the bed yesterday. I went back to bed at 4 p.m. & woke up at 7 p.m. Nick didn't even miss me until he got hungry & it was my turn to cook.

I went back to bed at midnight & slept til 11 a.m. I could've went back to bed today. I've had a headache that doesn't want to quit. It feels like someone is drilling a hole in my head. It's probably the weather - low pressure, but ... whatever it is, it hurts. My eyes feel like they're going to fall out of my head, too.

Pray always

Today I am thankful for prayer - answered & unanswered.

The guys took Little Lizzie ('99 Malibu) into the garage to have her fixed this morning. Don-Mike told me to clean out the front seat because they were going to have to take the entire dashboard out to get to the heater core. Since I am short, I have to have the seat pulled up close to the steering wheel to reach the pedals. So, I also knew the seat would have to go back. I took an empty box out & started piling stuff in it. Front seat wasn't bad, but the back seat & floor is.

I have this abject fear that someone will be hiding in my car or climb in it. Before my mission, so that made me in my early 20s, an old man climbed in my car in Logan. He wasn't watching what he was doing, talking to the man he was with. The other man went to the car next to mine & the old man, opened my car door & climbed in. Another time, I pulled up to a light on North Temple & 3rd West in Salt Lake & Mark Peterson, our upstairs neighbor was waiting for a bus. He ran out to the car. Scared me so bad, I did have the presence of mind to unlock the car door. He jumped in & I drove away. I have also seen someone climb into a car, lay on the floor & the driver didn't even know she was there.

I think I must have read to many murder mysteries. But I feel safe, coming out of the Citizen late at night, knowing that no one can possibly be hiding in my car. It's too messy. Don laughs that my car is the only one passenger car he knows that isn't built for only one passenger.

A week ago Thursday, Nov. 4, I lost $30. I was sad because I was going to use it to pay part of my storage shed rent. I had to borrow from Mother to pay it. I looked & looked for the $30, but could only remember having it at the Subway. I decided it was lost & I'd never find it again. I had been praying for help in finding it. Then when I decided it was lost, I prayed that whoever found my $30 needed it worse than I did.

I found it today, behind the driver's seat on the floor. It was covered up. I shouted for joy & immediately thanked the Lord for finding it for me. When I got to work today, there was another $30 pinned to my copy holder with a magnet.

More thoughts on thankfulness

Kimberlee Harris Coats posted this on her Facebook profile:

"Not what we say about our blessings but how we use them is the true measure of our thanksgiving." 

W.T. Purkiser

Claudia Bundy Erickson said:

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly  making exciting discoveries.

She says she is looking forward to more discoveries. I say, "Have at it Claudia, then you can come to my house & make more exciting discoveries."

Veterans Day, Nov. 11

Thank you, thank you THANK YOU Veterans! Thank you for your tireless strength, your unmatched courage and your sense of duty. Hug a Vet

Matt & Jazmine Alexander

Today, I got to "talk" to my nephew Matt Alexander on Facebook. He is in Afghanistan or Iraq, not sure, I just know he's "over there." He gets to come home for Christmas for a furlough. This is his 3rd tour of duty "over there." I was hoping I could find the picture of Matt in uniform with Jazmine a little bit older, taken before this last deployment. It must be on my laptop. This was taken in 2007.

Frank Bartlome

On Facebook someone challenged people to change their profile picture to a picture of a vet. My grandfather was a veteran of WWI, 2 of my mother's brothers served in WWII & so did my FIL, Frank Bartlome. So, I chose this picture of Frank for my profile pic. It is his high school graduation picture in 1944 (or so I've been told). We found a picture of him in his uniform when Don's mom died. She had ripped it in half & it was in the bottom of her dresser drawer with all the cards & stuff. I still have it somewhere. I need to have it PhotoShopped back together. 

Gratitude day 10

I am grateful for an education, so I can read. Reading is as necessary to me as breathing.

But this afternoon I took a nap. Naps are not something I should take. Now, my bedtime will be off & it takes me forever to recover from a nap. 

And Little Lizzie ('99 Malibu) is sick. Don made an appt. for her to go to the clinic (garage) Friday morning. I just hope I have enough money to pay for it. No heat, new battery, can't remember what else they said. Nick took her up to NAPA while I was taking my nap. Don-Mike asked me to go get a refill with him & asked me what was going on with the car. I told him, but it wasn't very coherent. Then I asked him if he was as confused as I was. Of course he was. I told him he would have to ask his dad & Nick, because I don't know.

Gratitude day 9

I am thankful for transportation. Little Lizzie ('99 Malibu) started & didn't have much to complain about until I was on my way home a few minutes ago. The ABS light came on. She is doing really well, considering she hardly ever has any money spent on her for maintenance. All my spare cash goes elsewhere.

Gratitude day 8

Today I chose to be thankful for this beautiful valley we live in. I love the mountains around us. I always feel safe when I drive into the valley, the mountains are like loving arms that surround me. I've gone through periods in my life when I am very uncomfortable when I leave the valley.

It has been a very snowy, rainy day. Some day to choose to be thankful for the place where I live.

I am thankful for transportation too. I plan on using that someday soon. Maybe tomorrow, if I remember. There are so many, many things to be thankful for.

This morning my car wouldn't start at the convenience store (Conoco). I prayed fervently that I could make it to work, half a block away. I also thanked the Lord that it stalled while still in a parking space & not in the street or the middle of the highway (State Street). The car started rather roughly. I prayed at the stop sign & all the way across the highway. Once across the highway, I knew I could coast into the alley behind the Citizen & park.

Attitude of Gratitude

Several years ago I did a month of posts on a Yahoo! scrapbook group I was trying to keep alive. So, November came around & I decided to do it on Facebook & do a daily blog entry here. I am surprised at the number of people on Facebook that are now doing it.

Day 6:

I am grateful for the freedom of worshiping in the church of my choice. I had 8 likes & a comment.

I've been listening to a CD titled, Joseph, A Nashville Tribute to the Prophet by various artists. It has wonderful narration, songs & instrumentals.

One of the songs is about a man who hears his name called across the waters. He meets missionaries & is converted. He leaves Ireland & when he gets to Ellis Island, he kisses the ground. He asks the man how to get to Kirtland & the man tells him the money is in the Virginia mines. He says there is a man building a temple to his god. He gets to Kirtland & meets Brother Joseph. Then the song end with the young man building a temple to "my" god.

Day 7:
Today for Day 7, I simply put, "I am grateful for Jesus Christ." I have only had 2 likes & no comments. I read down through older posts & read Vickie Jarvis's post for yesterday:

I believe in Christ, He is my King. I believe in Christ, my Lord, my God. I'll worship Him with all my might, He is the source of truth and light. I believe in Christ, so come what may, with Him I'll stand at that great day. And I shall live in joy and love in His eternal realms above.

And I'm thinking, "Wow! I should have put that instead of what I did." Then 4 hours after I posted my simple statement, Leila Cordingley posted this:

I believe in Jesus Christ. One of my Facebook friends challenged all believers to put this on their wall. In the Bible it says, if you deny me in front of your peers, I will deny you in front of my Father, at the Gates of Heaven. This is a simple test. If you love God and you are ... not afraid to show it, repost this!!

Today as I came back from the church after copying the monthly bulletin I had several thoughts of why I am grateful for Heavenly Father & his Son Jesus Christ. I almost put that this morning. In fact, I almost paraphrased the 1st Article of Faith,

I am grateful for God the Eternal Father & for his Son Jesus Christ & for the Holy Ghost.

but I have lots of Facebook friends who are not LDS & I do not want them to feel like I am pushing my religion on them. I try to make Christ the center of my universe & not worship "false" gods, but as the 11th  Article of Faith says:

11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

Days 4 & 5

I missed posting what I am grateful for yesterday. So, I'll just add it today.

11/4: I am thankful for my two awesome sons, Nickolas & Don-Mikel.

I found an awesome poem when I was making my 2011 calendar on Heritage Makers.

Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. 
A child is a child. 
They get bigger, older, but grown? 
What's that suppose to mean? 
In my heart it don't mean a thing.

~ Toni Morrison

11/5: I am thankful for "goodly" parents, especially my mom.

I am grateful for both my parents, but my mom is still alive & I am grateful for that. She was confused today, sigh. "Goodly" parents, of course, is from 1 Nephi 1:1. Goodly is cross-referenced to Proverbs 22:1

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Gratitude - Day 3 - Work

In searching for a quote by Elder Marvin J. Ashton, which I KNOW I have posted, I found this wonderful quote by President Thomas S. Monson:

"Ours is the responsibility to show our gratitude by the actions of our lives." 

-Thomas S. Monson, "Gifts", Ensign, May 1993, 59

Today I am grateful for my ability to work. For my job. Even though Mondays are usually long & stressful.

Gratitude for the Goodness of God

I worked the election results tonight for the Associated Press & so here I am reading my scriptures waayy too late again

"Gratitude expressed to our Heavenly Father in prayer for what we have brings a calming peace — a peace which allows us to not canker our souls for what we don't have. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure. Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future. A recognition of and appreciation for our gifts and talents which have been given also allows us to acknowledge the need for help and assistance from the gifts and talents possessed by others."

--Robert D. Hales, "Gratitude for the Goodness of God", Ensign, May 1992, 63

Gratitude - Day 2 - Voting

Today I'm grateful for the chance to vote. I'm also thankful to be able to cover the election as an AP stringer. I love doing it. I would never have hung out at the courthouse just to see who won the election. Of course, I still prolly wouldn't do it if I didn't get paid to do it. I earn more in one evening as a stringer than I do in one 10 hour day at the Citizen.

I'm grateful for the men & women who have given their all for us to have this freedom. I'm grateful for the women suffragettes who fought for women to have the vote.

I even got Nick to vote today. Mother didn't, but I didn't think it was worth it to get her out in the cold. Nick told his dad I told him he had to vote before he could eat. And yes, I did say it, just not quite that way, LOL. I was taking a litte longer today in cleaning up the desk & hard drive on the computer at work. Yesterday Vicki (job share partner) found some stuff that should have been filed a couple of weeks ago. I decided I'd been a little lazy in cleaning out the basket where we stash the used copy. So, Nick came & we went to lunch. I had a couple of errands I needed to run. First, the pharmacy, he & Mother need some meds by tomorrow.

The next thing on my agenda was voting. I told him we'd vote before we ate, then he could just take me back to work. I really didn't expect him to vote. He usually is very passive aggressive about voting. He won't say no, but he won't do it either. So, I told him if he voted, he needed to vote yes on all the amendments, vote for Shauna Geddes & Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter. I didn't care who else he voted for, or if he voted for anyone else. He voted!!

Don voted yes on some amendments & no on some

A month of gratitude ...

For the month of November I'm going to try to post something I'm grateful for every day.

Today is Monday, a day I work all day. I usually put in a 10-12 hour day at work, then have to go in on Tuesday & finish the paper before 11 a.m. Ideally, it should be finished by 10:30. I HAVE to leave the building by 8 p.m. Sometimes I do & sometimes I don't. If I had to fix a meal on Monday, it wouldn't happen, so Don cooks on Monday, Wednesday, Friday & every other Sunday.

So, today, I am thankful for my husband.

More legals

There were SEVEN (7) legals again this week. There will be almost 4 FULL pages of legals. At least Don & I aren't in there again for foreclosure. The mortgage company calls at such inopportune times. I know I need to call them back, but it takes almost an hour every time I talk to them.

Today was the Primary program. I got up & left the meeting because it was going longer than usual. My leg went to sleep from my hip to my toes. OMG, I didn't know if I was going to be able to put weight on it or fall to the floor. I knew the librarian from the other ward would be waiting for me in the library.

I didn't notice any water when I went down the stairs, but when Don came a few minutes later he told me there was a wet spot at the bottom of the stairs. We watched the puddle grow until when we left at 4 o'clock, it was creeping into the clerk's office. The Mother's Room is soaked. Someone said there was a classroom upstairs that was leaking too. It's right where the 2nd & last addition to the church adjoins. A rain gutter broke.

This is the part of our climate I do not like, autumn & winter. And cold rain, brrr. I don't think I've ever been in warm rain, but I don't think I'd like it any better.

Just before Don went to bed he said it was snowing in Grace & Thatcher. It's been raining all day.

Tuesday, Oct. 19

I've been looking at the first line in the quote in the Oct. 15 entry & have not liked the highlighted phrase at all. Every night when I come in & see it, I want to go in & edit it. Finally tonight I did.

I spent the weekend digital scrapbooking. It's a swatch book & I don't think I'm going to like it. I spent $20 on it. Another thing I NEVER do! But I enjoyed it. And Don-Mike seemed to enjoy seeing each new page. Maybe I'll give it to him for Christmas. Mother can't see well enough to enjoy it.

There has been a squirrel living in the building that houses The Preston Citizen. Sunday, during Sacrament Meeting, I turned all sounds off on my cell phone. When Sacrament Meeting was over, I forgot to turn the sound back on. I went to work & kept waiting for the phone to ring. Once the Citizen is closed, the phones are turned to voice mail. We can call out, but people can't call in without getting voice mail.

There were SEVEN (7) legals this week. One of them was the sample ballot for the General Election. I was really concentrating when suddenly, someone started yelling, "Are you in there?" It really scared me. After being yelled at again, I recognized Nick's voice. It was almost 8 p.m., & they were waiting supper for me. Since they couldn't get me on the phone, they had driven down to see if they could get me by yelling & knocking on the door. I let Nick in & by then I was spooked & wanted out of there. I hate working alone in the dark & especially with critters running around.

I picked up my regular glasses in the soft cloth glass case & headed out the door, still wearing my computer glasses. I can't see much more than 12 inches in front of my face with them on. Nick thought I could wait long enough to change glasses. No, I couldn't even wait 30 seconds to do it.

I've been paying for my impatience for the last 2 days. Those glasses have been no where to be found. I almost stood on my head looking for them in the car. Not just once, but twice. Nick looked. He went over to Mother's. No, they weren't there. So, then Mother started looking. I even cleaned out the rocking chair where all the stuff gets piled. I got down on my hands & knees & looked around the bed.

All day yesterday I thought of a pair of sunglasses I lost when I lived on Whitlock Avenue in Salt Lake City, late 1970s, with Nancy Yearsley. I used to come home every weekend & would go back to SLC Sunday. One Sunday, Nancy & Janet, our neighbor, were walking to church & Nancy found my sunglasses in the driveway, still in their glass case. She picked up the case & reverently carried it back to the townhouse.

Today, Nick & I walked out to get in his car & I was going to get in my car, on the passenger side, & get my fanny pack. There, on the ground, next to my car, lay my glass case. I had just missed running over the glasses when I pulled into park. I missed running over them both yesterday & today! They had been stepped on, but were not broken. A lens had popped out. The frame was misshapen. The glass case was laying in a pile of leaves & was exactly the same color as the leaves. The pattern on the case is even leaves.

We went to Eye Care for You & the lady who adjusts glasses had them back in shape in no time. They look good as new.

Yesterday Don-Mike brought my old pair of computer glasses from home to me at work. The left nose piece is missing. It digs into my nose. I've tried duct tape, a band aid & am now trying red string from a bag of cat food. Much more comfortable than the tape. It looks funny. The men said they wouldn't make fun of me.

I didn't get my usual Monday headache yesterday. But, in addition to having a comfy old pair of glasses, one of the fluorescent lights was out over my desk & over Rod's desk. I was psyched, then asked Rod if he wanted Kelly to change the light. He said no. So, when Kelly came in late in the afternoon & finally noticed our light, he was ready to go get another light tube. Bob spoke up before either Rod or I could & said we liked it.

Men are that they might have joy

I'm still reading the Old Testament, plugging along is the way I would describe it. I have a very colorful spread sheet to keep track of my reading.

Tonight I logged into my email account & went directly to my scriptures folder, clicked on the COMPLETED button & here is the quote that came up:

Sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are events in life, not life itself. I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord inspired Lehi to declare the fundamental truth, "Men are, that they might have joy." That is a conditional statement: "they might have joy." It is not conditional for the Lord. His intent is that each of us finds joy. It will not be conditional for you as you obey the commandments, have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth."

--Richard G. Scott, "Finding Joy in Life", Ensign, May 1996, 24

This is good to be reminded of. I decided to put it here instead of Quoghts to Ponder. I remember reading, when my kids were younger, don't always tell your kids you can't afford something.

I guess foreclosure is one of those "severe challenges." I spent 45 minutes on the phone with Citi this afternoon. I feel like we just started from square 1 ... again. I have had such a headache all day.

"... have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth."

Hmmmm, now that's a novel idea.

Tiffany

When we went to Cyndi's wedding on Sept. 19, Tiffany said she was going to take out her endowments the Saturday after General Conference. I asked her where & she mentioned a temple in Salt Lake, then paused a moment & said Logan. I said if she went to the Logan Temple I could go with her. I wasn't sure if Don would want to or not. Neither one of us had a temple recommend, but we got our recommends on Sunday, Sept. 26. Tiffany let me know she had made an appt at the Logan Temple for Saturday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m. Great, I responded, we will be there.

Today was Beutler Farm Potato Day. We always get our potatoes from Beutlers. I told Don I had to be up at 10 a.m., so he woke me up. We made it to the potato farm, got our potatoes, & dropped them off at Mother's. We got ready & made it to the temple about 5 after 1, only to find out Tiffany & Gigi (Gloria) had been there since 11:30, & were in the 1 o'clock session. Obviously, we had missed it.

Tiffany, Oct. 9, 2010

 

 

Not all was lost, we did some sealings & then waited for them. It was a very special afternoon. Special always seems such a contrived word, but it was. I am so grateful Tiffany & her mom drove to Logan to include Don & I in this day.

Afterwards, we went to Golden Corral to eat. Here's where my hearing got in the way. I suggested it & thought I heard Tiffany say, "I'll wait." So, I'm trying to think of somewhere else to go. Gigi is not just vegetarian, she's vegan, which is even stricter. I was confused, we'd eaten at Golden Corral with Gigi & her family before. I knew they liked Golden Corral better than Chuck-A-Rama, but we don't have Chuck-A-Rama in the valley. I've heard rumor there is one in the planning to be built out in Providence, the "new" center of Logan, but it's not there yet.

What she had actually said was, "Always." Whew. Nick met us at Golden Corral just as we were finishing up. Gigi & the girls (Mindy, a friend of Tiffany's had come up from Cedar City with her) left, while Don & I sat with Nick while he ate.

Another tithing moment. I had only taken enough money out of savings today to pay for clothing if we needed it at the temple & money to eat. So, I leaned over to Gigi when we found out Nick was in the parking lot & said I'd need to borrow some money. She said she only had a $10 bill & some $1s. Ok, I took the $10. Don had $5 he handed over & I had 6 $1s. So, Don met Nick, paid for his dinner & came back, handed me the change, which I immediately handed to Gigi. Then, for some reason, I was digging in my little fanny pack. I think I was trying to zip it closed. Gigi made a comment on it not being big enough. I said it would be plenty big if I took out all the papers. I promptly took the papers out & started looking through them. Lo, & behold, there was a $10 bill!!!!!!! I could have sworn I was broke. I don't know how many times I've looked through those papers trying to find some money, LOL. I handed over the $10 bill to Gigi, she handed me back $6 & I counted through it, gave Don 5 $1s back & had $1 to leave as a tip.

The senior meals are going to do her in

Mother hasn't liked the senior meals for quite a while. I have complained to Rod (editor of newspaper) about them. One time (Uncle) Jim came in to the editor's office & asked how Mother was doing. I said ok, as I usually did. Rod spoke up & said, "Those senior meals are going to do her in."

Today was probably the worst one I've seen. This is what I posted on Facebook:

It's pretty sad when your mother has to pay for a home-delivered meal that ends up in the garbage, uneaten, & when you walk in 30-45 minutes later with food from a fast food restaurant, the garbage has to go out because it's stinking up the house.

I went over to Mother's about noon & Luana was standing by Mother at the table. Mother was trying to eat her home-delivered meal. She asked me what the main dish. I poked around at it & said it looked like stroganoff. Luana said that is what she thought it was too. Mother asked me to taste it & tell her what it needed. It was so pasty. It had been overcooked, I tried to swallow it without gagging. I told her it needed salt. I got in the fridge & grabbed ranch dressing. Luana laughed & said ranch dressing will help it. Luana told me to try the scone. She said when you took a bite of it & oil just oozed out of it. It smelled stale. I took one bite of it & spit it out.

Mother said the veggie was as old as she was. I told her it was pretty old (she's 84). I told her to put the honey butter on it, but it was cold & the butter wouldn't melt. The salad was good. It looked like it was dry jello salad. Luana had brought some apple crisp over yesterday or Monday & she took some of that & poured milk from the dinner over it. Mother said the milk was gross too. The milk comes in a cardboard carton & is warm. I remember how gross those cardboard cartons of milk were when I was in grade school. I took the chocolate cake, put the lid on it & set it in the fridge. But I threw everything else away. Luana chided me for throwing it away. She said Mother hadn't eaten anything. What was she going to eat? Then Luana decided to go home & make some soup.

I said I'd go buy some chicken. Mother said she didn't want chicken.

I came home because Nick was hurting. He thought Chesterfried Chicken sounded good. Why didn't we get some & go over to Nana's. I bought a chicken bowl. I LOVE chicken bowls, but they are so darned big!! A chicken bowl has mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cut up pieces of chicken tenders with grated cheese sprinkled over the top. Mother & I can share a chicken bowl & still have some left over.

I offered Nick the cake from Mother's lunch. Mother wouldn't eat it because it was dry & she doesn't like chocolate. It was crumbly & he had to eat it over the garbage. I told him to eat it over the sink. He said it was good, but not to tell him what I thought (zucchini) was in it, LOL.

In telling Don-Mike about Mother's dinner he said Shannon (Montandon) came through the drive up window today at Big J's because her home-delivered meal was not good.

Ouch

Nick's chest is really hurting today. I think he probably hit the steering wheel rather hard Sunday in the car accident. There are no seat belts in the car. I gave him the choice of a heavy duty pain pill (hydrocodone) or alternating ibuprofen & XS Tylenol. He took the ibuprofen/Tylenol.

Sunday after the wild ride, I gave Mother a tramadol pill for pain. I thought it was the pain pill she can take. Must not be because she said she had a hard time sleeping Sunday night. She went on the ride without her oxygen. I carry it in my car all the time & no one thought of it until after the ride. She's been suffering all week & is "terrible."

Sunday driver

Don-Mike took Mother for a ride today in his blue Trans-Am. Nick & Don went in Nick's red Camaro. I think I jinxed them with this entry from another blog:

So, while my family is out enjoying a Sunday ride, I hope they are enjoying it & not broken down somewhere on the side of the road, I am nursing my headache.

At 5:41 this afternoon I got a call from Amber Hayes wondering where Mother was. She had a gift she wanted to give her. I told her about the ride & I was frankly getting a little worried about where they were. So, I said I'd call Don & call her back. I called Don asking where they were. Well, they were NOT along side the road, they were out in some field in Riverdale. I don't remember why, but they were on the old Riverdale highway. Don-Mike had passed a truck & then Nick decided to pass, just as the driver decided to turn left. Nick clipped her bumper & ended up out in a field. Don-Mike said he is amazed the car didn't roll.

The police were not called, but I've been thinking since, if he ended up in a field, was a fence broken? Will they be cited for leaving the scene of an accident? Nick can't afford another ticket & it was his fault. His license will be suspended for having too many points. Don says there was no fence, big sigh of relief. The other driver stopped & they exchanged insurance information.

So, Don-Mike came on home, stopped at Mother's & hared into the house because he had to pee so bad, leaving Mother to get out of the car herself. The door swung closed & shut her leg in it. She has this huge black lump on her leg. Amber was there & helped her in the house. Meanwhile Amber had started alternating ice packs & heat. Mother called me & wanted me to come right over. I wanted to see the damage on Nick's car. 

Don-Mike had come home, got the black Camaro off the flat bed trailer & gone to get Nick's car. I did wait until they got here with the car. There isn't much damage to Nick's car, but he is certainly depressed.

Conference weekend

It's a beautiful weekend for LDS General Conference, warm & sunny. I haven't listened to any of the sessions. Don-Mike went to the priesthood session for the first time in his life. No, actually, he may have gone a couple of times when he was a teen-ager, but Don doesn't go, so the boys haven't gone.

Don-Mike went with Ian Porter. I asked him if he saw Robert Bartlomé in the missionary choir, but he said he didn't. I don't know if Robert got to sing in it or not. I would assume he did, but haven't heard.

Don-Mike wanted to take Nana for a ride today. She loves Sunday rides. He wanted to take his "new" Trans-Am. He offered to take me, I would've had to ride in the back. Riding in the backseat makes me car sick & I already have a headache. He even offered to take the Duramax (extended cab pickup). I don't know how many times in my life I've gone on a ride when I've had one of these headaches. I have not enjoyed the ride nor have I made it pleasant for others. They went & I stayed home today. Nick wanted to take his red Camaro. Don rode with Nick. People laugh at us when we take 2 vehicles wherever we go, but it works.

Listening

Today on our way to church, at the very last minute, I decided I needed something to read. Now, remember, my job or "calling" at church is ward librarian. I am the keeper of the library, along with Don. I have loads of things to read in the library. I even thought of that as I stood there debating what I was going to read. I snatched a book off the shelf, I even wondered which book to grab as there were 2 slim volumes of poetry, Carol Lynn Pearson's Beginnings & The Search. I grabbed the top one, The Search, & ran. Don was waiting for me in the car. We got to the library & I sat there & read my poetry, pondered it & thought, "I've missed this." I also thought, "I've been struggling so hard to read the Psalms & I can sit here, read these poems, & they mean something to me. Why can't I 'get' Psalms?"

Don teaches the priesthood lesson on the 4th Sunday. He said he was having a hard time with the lesson he was going to teach. He's a born teacher & seldom has a hard time with a lesson. I asked him what it was. He told me & showed me. It was "Turn to the Lord" by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the 70, given in the Sunday morning session of the April 2010 General Conference. I got excited & said, "We had that lesson last summer from Brother Burns (our home teacher). We discussed it." He didn't remember, but I gave him a couple of examples from my parents' life, an example from a family that is struggling right now here in town. And then, lo, & behold, one of the poems from my book leaped to mind, "To One Who Has Been Done Dirt." I quickly thumbed to it, read it aloud to him & then another one. He took my book, read it & took it with him to class. He used 3 poems. He told me later those poems were just what was missing from his lesson.

We got our temple recommends today. Tiffany (our niece) is going through the temple to take out her endowments in a couple of weeks & if the location is right, we can go with her!! I am so excited. She has been called to serve in the Switzerland Geneva French-speaking Mission.

I've stayed up way too late - again.

dearelder.com

I discovered a cool website, dearelder.com. Our nepew Robert mentioned it in a letter home. We were at his mom's on Saturday when she got a letter & passed it around for all to read. So, last night I checked it out & today I wrote letters to THREE missionaries, Robert, Janene & a neighbor/ward member Sean Griffeth. Sean is in Chile, Morgans (Janene & Grant) in Philippines & Robert at the Provo MTC.

The MTC missionaries get their letters daily, probably with the exception of Saturday & Sunday. The other missions with mail packets are FREE & are mailed weekly on Thursday. Thence the reason Janene & Sean got letters, the price was right.

I'm feeling stuffy & dizzy today. I'm gonna read my scriptures & head to bed early. I have a book I could read, I could start a new one, I could look for one, but bed sounds best

Quick update

Have I mentioned lately how I dislike Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP)? Luckily, it's not as bad as it has been, simply because I'm almost through with the secretarial duties.

Tuesday was our first meeting of the season. A couple of years ago, I asked that our meetings be changed from Monday to Tuesday because I work on Monday. Well, two of our numbers work on Tuesday at the temple. So, Tuesday, it was proposed we move our meetings back to Monday. I was just going to sit there & let them change it, then Mother & I wouldn't have to go. Jean Carter spoke up & said, "RaNae, you have to work on Monday don't you?" Jeanne Cutler, our captain, confidently said, "Oh, you can come on your lunch hour." I said I don't get a lunch hour. Anyway, we had a brisk discussion on it. I said they could change it to Monday & I could take off long enough to pick up Mother & take her to meeting & pick her up. I said I lay pages out & then I'm the last one to see them before the editors sign them off. If I fall behind on my part of the production, it slows everything down. I stay until 8 p.m. or until the paper is done.

Again, it was stated no lunch hour & no breaks is illegal. I simply stated I am glad to have a job. If they were willing to have their meeting earlier, 11 a.m. on either Monday or Tuesday, I'd be willing to try it. Why can't they come on Wednesday or Thursday? Neither one of those days was even suggested. So, it was decided to leave it on the second Tuesday of the month. Mother & I don't even want to go anymore. Why accommodate us?

I talked to Beth Gunnell, this year's secretary, on Saturday & explained I have not felt well all summer. I have had very low blood pressure, diarrhea & extremely fatigued, we are facing foreclosure on our house ... I just laid it out. I also told her I didn't want anyone to know about the foreclosure, I hadn't told Mother.

Today, since our foreclosure notice was published in the paper, I finally told Mother. Jeanne Cutler had already told her on Saturday!! It seems Beth had called Jeanne as soon as she hung up with me, who immediately called Mother & told her. Argh!

Hopeful

I got a call from Citi, the mortgage company, today. The man I spoke with was calling to see if we had any more concerns about the modification on our mortgage. I said, not really. All we wanted to do was to make up the arrearage & not be foreclosed on. We weren't asking for our house payment to be lowered. We would have to pay rent if we had to move. He said there will be a package coming by UPS next week detailing the modification & they will do what they can to help us keep our home.

Our house payment is around $500. My gosh, $500 is pretty low if you ask me. I know we had a house payment of $291 in 1991-3, but that was because it was a "farm" home & USDA was helping us by making a supplemental payment to bring it up to whatever the total house payment was.

I want to open a savings account for the mortgage once the garnishment ends. Put money into it every two weeks, so we always have money to pay the mortgage. Don & Nick agreed to it. It looks like this next pay period will be the last one garnished!! Yes!!

Foreclosure

Thursday, Sept. 2, was just like any other Friday at work, even though it was Thursday. It was preparation day for the long Labor Day Weekend. I had a couple of legals on email. Vicki (Atkinson, job share partner) had left the legals for me. I did all the normal stuff, printed out the instructions, saved the document, translated the document to be read by our MAC word processor, printed it out & prepared to take it out to the front desk for a number. I scanned down through the document to find out who was being foreclosed on & there, in UPPER CASE, our names jumped out at me: DON RAY BARTLOME AND RANAE MONSON BARTLOME, HUSBAND AND WIFE. I don't usually find the names so fast.

Here is what I put on Facebook as my status

I'm worried. It's kinda hard when you open a foreclosure notice on your email at work for the legal notices, you scan down through all the legal jargon to find out the name to put on the form & your own name jumps out at you! Kind of a kick in the gut. The lump is still there.

I put "kind of a kick in the gut." If you ask me, it was more like I'd been bitch-slapped. And the lump is still there, every time I think about it or see the paper work. I saw it at work before I ever saw it in the mail. Then we got EIGHT envelopes in the mail on Friday. I got 3, Don got 4 & Mother got one. Then, on our way out of the house Saturday morning to run errands, I stuck my hand in the mailbox & there were 2 certified mail slips to take to the post office & pick up some certified mail. The post office is open for 2 hours on Saturday, so I just took the slips to the post office & retrieved EIGHT more envelopes, 3 for me, 4 for Don & one for Mother. I opened them all on Sunday at the library.

Nick & I came home on Tuesday to find the offensive paper taped to the front door. A deputy sheriff brought it by. I thought they had to have a signature. Oh, well, they didn't wait for one. I now have it taped on the back of the door.

I did call the mortgage company & finally was able to talk to a real person. I've been getting more phone calls, but no messages. It is so hard to talk to someone, I had the thought this morning to write a letter & fax it, just like we did the 9 pages explaining why we were in arrears in the first place.

I still haven't told Mother, but know I need to before Tuesday, Sept. 14. That's when it will hit the newspaper. I wish I had some ideas.

Nearer My God to Thee

I finally remembered the 2nd hymn the Whitney 2nd Ward sang in Stake Conference. Nearer My God to Thee, hymn 100. It was a beautiful arrangement.

Our niece, Tiffany Bartlomé, received her mission call to the Switzerland Geneva Mission French-speaking. I was telling the boys today, she won't have to tell people how to pronounce her name. That's where the Bartlomés come from.

Choices

Another quote

"The choices we make determine our destiny."
--Thomas S Monson, "Choose You This Day", Ensign, November 2004 pg. 67

A quote I'd like to enlarge on, but not tonight.

New Franklin Idaho Stake presidency

The stake presidency for the Franklin Idaho Stake was released today. They have served almost 10 years. It doesn't seem possible. I don't even remember who the stake president was before. President Reid Carlson has been the stake president. He has retired, but has been principal of the elementary school & then they called him back from retirement to be the principal of the high school. His 1st counselor was Ed Moser & 2nd counselor was Doug Porter, my cousin.

Last night the Whitney 2nd  Ward Choir was asked to sing in the Saturday evening session by request of President Carlson. He walked up on the stand, saw us sitting there & gave us 2 thumbs up :)

We sang "How Great Thou Art" & another number I can't think of right now. Beautiful hymns. Connie Merrill, the choir director, does such a good job of picking out songs to sing. It helps, too, that Dr. David Beckstead gave the choir a "budget." With money, Connie can now buy folders & sheet music. Don & Dr. Beckstead are our tenors, Don-Mike sings baritone. I'm supposed to be singing alto, but ... I'm just up there lip-syncing, LOL.

The new stake presidency is Lane Peterson, president; Chad Womack, 1st counselor; Robert Child, 2nd counselor. Robert is a neighbor & in our ward. He sang in the choir with us last night. He was so calm, yet he had to have known he had just been called to be a counselor in the new stake presidency.