December 30

This year I have read the Doctrine and Covenants, the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. I just finished up with Moroni this morning.

One of my favorite verses is in Moroni 9. Moroni includes two of his dad's letters to him. This is the second. Mormon writes about the wickedness of the fallen civilization. In fact he says his people are without civility. He sorrows that he can not recommend them to God.

But he then tells his prophet son that he can recommend him to God. In all that wickedness and depravity, a righteous father raised a valiantly righteous son. Mormon is full of faith and hope that his son has made it, finished the race, endured to the end. And even thou Moroni has to endure at least 21 more years alone, he does it.

We know that because he is the angel that visits the 14 year old boy Joseph in 1820.

I love that story in the Book of Mormon. A pure testimony that we can overcome the vileness of the times that we live in.

I completed my goal in the scriptures this year.

My new goal for 2012 -- read the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon.

I started in Genesis today also. I am playing with my new toy. I got a nook for Christmas. I have the LDS app for the standard works. I can read and just tap on a highlighted word and it turns to related scriptures and brings up all the footnotes in the LDS edition.

I am looking forward to new insights and lessons.

I can do it.

Merry Christmas

This really is about reading, but who can resist the fun games that are a part of this tablet?

They each have a new book and are loving the novelty of the electronic readers.

Cinco in the sink.

He almost doesn't fit anymore. He is a fat kitty, but he likes to be around people. I was getting ready in the morning and he decided to watch me.

La Posada

Wednesday, the 21st our school hosted a Posada. For about a week and a half before that I was cutting paper and glueing and thinking about a Star of Bethlehem (La Estrella de Belen) and the stable. This is my finished product.

A Mexican nativity play is a bit different than the American ones that I am used to. In this play there were devils rejoicing at the wickedness of the world. But the angels announced plans to convert them after the babe was born.

It started out as a morality play and Maria was sad that so many people were celebrating the birthday of her son and they didn't even know Him.

The children were darling.

My children were rotten. Josh sulked almost the whole time. He didn't want to be there. But Craig had somewhere else to be and I didn't want to leave the boys home alone all night. I was on the set-up committee and the clean-up committee.

We got home after 8 and there was still school the next day.

I'm glad I was involved, but not in charge. :)

The Pharisee in me.

I hate it when my strengths become my weaknesses.

Last week I did not have one of my finer moments. I was in Relief Society listening to a beautiful lesson. A lady that I really admire was teaching. Her lesson was heartfelt and well researched.

And I got hung up on a definition.

Now that I can look back on what I did, I have to ask myself, when did the Church ever put more emphasis in the definition than in the application?

Well -- never.

Sometimes I think I'm so smart and I just get in the way of the process.

I hope I remember this lesson so I don't have to relearn it.

I wish I was better at the application -- faith, hope and charity.

???

My good friend called to wish me happy anniversary. I said, " Oh crap, that was yesterday!"

Our Kitty Playground

Josh tried to take it over, but we put the kabosh on that! This is for the kitties.



















As long as we are in the room, they have fun climbing and playing king of the mountain. Cinco pushed Mayo off about 10 minutes ago. I love that they claw this and not my new table. :)



















Mayo's tail cracks me up. It looks like she is scared with her arched back and straight tail. I think she might have been startled.



For a brief moment, they are both on top of the world.

It's Done!

Here is Isaac's quilt. All blue and tan.


I love the square on the back.

 And booties to go with it. Welcome to Earth, Isaac. :)

Almost done

Oh my goodness. This has taken my way too long, but I am almost done with baby Isaac's quilt. I finished the last quilted stitch today and have half of the binding to do. It is almost ready for a picture.

It is about time. :)

Merry Christmas

A little over a month ago, Craig made a startling discovery. Someone had broken into our storage unit. At first glance, we noticed the chainsaw (worth about $400) was gone and an old guitar. There was one other thing that I can't remember.

Today, we decided to put up Christmas. I also decided it was time to hang the boy's school pictures. Craig came home from the storage unit and the cedar chest that my dad gave me for high school graduation was gone.

In it was a lot of our wall pictures. Two pictures of Christ (not the one from Brenda, we still have that one), the 8 x 10 pictures of the boys and Thea. I store the old pictures in the frame, so I have lost all of the 8 x 10s. The Family: A Proclamation, the Living Christ, my high school diploma, my certificate from seminary, possibly my Dixie College diploma and my BYU diploma. My high school tassel and cord and my sash and tassel from Dixie. Brenda brought an authentic Muslim (male) costume home from Desert Storm back in the 1990's. Some blankets to keep the pictures from scratching each other up. A piece of homemade paper that a friend had made me. Just various keepsakes and memories.

The chest itself has two big cracks in the wood on the lid. It can't really be fixed. I would have to have a new lid made. It also has 6 false drawers on the front. On one of the drawers, the hardware (brass?) is loose and I can't tighten it. It has no resale value. But it was a gift from my dad, who is now gone.

Two Christmas tubs were also missing. In one are my homemade stockings. I made them from wine (2) and pine green (2) velvet with a cuff of the white velvet from my wedding dress. And the four stocking hangers -- snowflakes.

The other tub held all my ornaments that I had collected since college. My 49er bear, my nutcracker, my porcelin baby a friend gave me when Josh was born. Musical instruments, ornaments the kids had made from school and primary, two bear ornaments from the Black Bear Diner in Madras, a snowman playing golf and a santa riding a bike I bought because they reminded me of Craig. Various angels and balls. My white lights.

And the 20 year old Christmas tree stand was gone.

But, I still had the snowflake ornaments I crocheted in college. I still had the brass bells I bought in college. And I still had the pearl garlands that I bought in college. So here is a picture of my Christmas tree. It is almost like my very first Christmas tree that I did on my own. My white lights were gone, but we had the colored lights. And I still have the tree skirt my mother-in-law bought me my first married Christmas.

I am grateful they didn't take all of my Christmas things. I also still have my lovely Nativity sets that my Loretta gave me. I am grateful I still have some things.

It is amazing how little time it takes to trim the tree when it is only bells and snowflakes. :)

And I have 5 x 7 s of my boys and Thea. Some of the poses were just the 8 x 10s, but I still have some of my pictures of the kids through the years. I am grateful for that too.



Simplier that what we have been used to, but still beautiful.



I love these nativity sets. I'm so glad I still have them.

Boaz the basketball player

Craig managed to get some really good action shots. Boaz plays hard. It's fun to watch him. I will post the video on facebook. Auntie Brenda wanted to watch Boaz play. She was sure he would play hard.

Barbershop

Craig has been very lucky in our move. He found a barbershop group that had just lost a member.

From left to right: Stuart, Kevin, Bart & Craig.

They sang at our Ward Christmas party. I volunteered them, but they have been practising Christmas music to be able to sing. I don't think they were too upset.

They did a great job. I love listening to them. :)

Picture a Christmas.

We had our ward Christmas party last night. The primary sung the song "Picture a Christmas" from the Children's Songbook.

Boaz was one of the oxen. Cutest oxen I've ever seen, even if he is singular and oxen is plural. He refused to just be one ox.





Josh was Joseph. He was a bit embarrassed about who was playing Mary -- cutest girl in Primary, but he did a great job.


It's amazing to me what a song can do to me. I love the Christmas story -- the real Christmas story.