A Lovely Sunday

What a difference one adult makes! Today I had help in Primary for the first time in over a month. Just of the presence of Sis. Lewis made my little rascals easier to handle. There were only six today, and they still were wiggly and such, but she was able to take care of the restlessness while I taught the lesson and helped them play the games that went with it.



I ended church with some energy left over. Scott commented on how much more energy I seemed to have (I wasn't dragging the diaper bag in one hand and dragging Danny in the other.) I really did feel so much better. I was able to relax at my parents, without feeling the need to sleep, and I even went with Scott on his Home Teaching route and enjoyed some refreshing adult conversation.



All in all, I had a pleasant Sunday. A lovely break to a crazy week.



Meanwhile, today is the day my In-laws actually come to my house, so I have to get ready to help them. Hopefully everything goes smoothly here on out. . .

Change of Plans

We were planning on going up to Salt Lake this weekend, but things have suddenly appeared, and we need to stay here in Cedar City.

My Mother and Father-in-law have been having problems with the place they live. They live in a trailer park here in Cedar, and thought they were under contract to purchase their home. For this reason, they have been making large payments to pay it off quickly. Last summer they completely replaced the roof, and there are other general improvements they have made. About a month ago, the woman who owned the park brought a new mortgage contract for them to sign. It didn't account for all the extra payments they made and raised the monthly payments. They (not familiar with legal jargon) brought the contract to me and my sister-in-law (who is a mortgage broker) to read. We asked them where their original contract was. Apparently, they had never received a copy, and when we asked the owner for one, it was an entirely different one then the one my in-laws thought they had signed. Turns out that the owner claims they have been renting the whole time.

So. . . after lots of "negotiation" where the owner called all of us all sorts of names, and spitefully used my in-laws, they gave her a thirty day notice that they were leaving. She told them they only had until the first to get out. This gives us less then a week.

She refuses to refund all the extra money they paid, and also refuses to refund the money they spent on the roof (which, as they were renters they shouldn't have been responsible.) There is no real legal recourse because my in-laws didn't get receipts for the extra payments or keep any records of anything. She obviously doctored the "original" contract, and there is no way to prove it, except to say that both Amber and I saw it before it was signed. . . but that is just he said/she said.

Needless to say, with an extra room, we volunteered to have them come to our house until they found something they could afford. As they had not expected to move, they need to save up first and last month rent in order to get into anything. My father-in-law is looking around for a better job, and is hoping to go to St. George and into a retirement community.

So Scott and I are going to be spending this weekend clearing out the back room (I put my bookcases, and the boxes I wasn't ready to unpack yet there) and moving my in-laws.

On top of this stressful situation, my dear mother-in-law was in a car accident last Friday, and is in terrible pain. She isn't lifting boxes, and under my Dad's orders, is icing her body every hour. However, just from the repetitive motion of packing the boxes, she was in a great deal of pain last night. Scott tried to tell her to stop, but I understand her situation. With my Father-in-law working, she really is the only one who can do the packing. I would be doing the same thing in her place. Hopefully we can help her, and she won't aggravate her condition too much. I still cannot lift boxes, but I can do repetitive packing without too much trouble.

Our ultrasound will have to wait. . . hopefully we can do it on Scott's next weekend off.

Sunday is a comin'

There is nothing like having to teach a class to force you to truly use Saturday to prepare for Sunday. I have found that, while I can give an impromptu lesson with a bunch of adults, doing the same thing for 6 year olds just doesn't happen. If I have prepared the lesson well, and don't have to constantly refer to the manual, I can keep control of my class. Preparing in advance also gives me time to think of (with total inspiration, I assure you) some awesome hands on experiences for the kids. At six years old, sitting still just doesn't happen. Pictures, crayons, games, songs, all of these are required to keep their attention. Treats are indispensable. They seem to find it easier to behave if they know they get a reward at the end of it.

It is getting harder though, mostly because of my pregnancy. I seem to do fine through sacrament, but as soon as I sit down in primary I feel the need to take a nap. That doesn't work when you have nine 6 year olds that you need to keep track of. Keeping my focus during class time is hard too, and I am the Teacher! Last Sunday I just wanted to give up and play the popular "HangMan" filler game. I am very proud of myself that I stuck to my guns, but I was so tired when it was over that Scott almost had to carry me out of church. He DID have to carry Danny, the diaper bag (stuffed to the brim with my scriptures, water, my lesson book, etc.) his scriptures and notebook, and all of our jackets. My Darling Pack Mule! I sure appreciate him.

Hopefully I get a helper this week. Especially as it will make it easier to find a substitute for next week, as I am going out of town.

29 weeks?

So this weekend I will be 23 weeks along. Today we had our midwife's appointment, and I am measuring large. . . but not by a bit. I am measuring 29 weeks! (For those who don't understand, they measure from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus and that tells them that the baby is growing without needing an ultrasound.)

I have been measuring a little big consistently, but that was only by a week or so, which is normal. This huge jump from last month is odd to me. My midwife isn't worried, cause sometimes a baby has a big growth spurt and then evens up. The other two explanations are that I am 1) farther along than we thought or 2) twins.

Well, the twins issue will be settled next weekend, as I am getting an ultrasound then.

Tagged -

Sorry it took so long. For some reason it has been hard to actually sit down at the computer to write this week.

1. 10 years ago: I was 17, and getting ready to graduate high school. I was president of my seminary class and part of the graduation committee. My Grandfather Brown passed away. I was grounded for the last time in my life. This showed me my parents commitment to the idea that I was God's child first. (Whenever we were grounded, it was from everything except for church activities.) The week I was grounded I only stayed home one night. I even went to Lagoon (a utah theme park) because it was an activity for Seminary! The only activity I missed was a school dance, because everything else was for church. Pretty Cool!

2. 5 things on my to-do list today:
Go Grocery Shopping!
Type on my Blog
Family Home Evening
Deposit a Check (will have to do that tomorrow)
Laundry Day!

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Ice Cream (all flavors!)
Strawberry Shortcake
Donuts
Chips and Pico de Gallo
Bread and Bruschetta

4. What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
This is an interesting question for me. Having spent a lot of time studying finances and business, I have put a lot of thought into this kind of topic. After taking care of all my needs and wants, what do you do with the left over $900,000,000? I would build a legacy for my family, and teach them how to harness the resources they have for good. How to use the money to impact lives all across the board. This gives us an opportunity to truly make a difference in our world, I would find a need that I was passionate about and do what I could to fill it. At the moment, a great deal would go to promoting education. I believe that to feed a man fills him for a day, but teach him to make his own food, and you feed him for a lifetime. (Oh, and I would take all my family and friends on an extended vacation involving the Disney Cruise Lines and Disneyworld. I figure we might be ready to come home after three or four weeks.)

5. 5 places I have lived:
San Diego, California
Clearfield, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Thomas, Idaho
Cedar City, Utah

6. 5 jobs that I have had:
Assistant at a Ceramic Shop (I did it all!)
Clerk for Sunshine Nutrition
Secretary for a Chiropractor
Cook/Medical Officer at the Boy Scout Camp Steiner
Mentor for Idaho Leadership Academy

7. 5 Random Things people don't know about me:

- I would give up cooking in a heart beat. If I could find and pay someone to make wonderful, healthy meals, I would be content.

- I enjoy being bored. I didn't believe my Mom, she used to say that she loved being bored because it happened so rarely. Now I know what she means. Those moments when there is nothing pressing and quiet are a gift to me. I can do whatever I want. . . and then the moment is gone.

- I really enjoy the show Reba. It cracks me up every time I watch it. Also, Psych is my favorite TV Show, and I will watch every episode I can, and I love introducing it to people.

-Having done FLYLady faithfully for over a month, my house has stayed pretty clutter free. . .except that back room. I still have to tackle it in my fifteen minute increments.

- I am a Primary Teacher in my church for 6-7 year olds. I love them dearly, but I have nine of the rambunctious little ones, and they drain me every week. I have asked for and am praying for another adult to help me. (It was a calling for both Scott and I, but they asked him to be in the Young Men's Program.)

8. People I tag: Katie, Marilyn, Jenny, and anyone else who wants to post a bit about themselves.

More Musings

I really enjoyed Elder Gerald Lund's talk about hearts. I won't go into great detail, but it made me think of the kind of fence I want around my heart. I liked the sound of the little white picket fence with the sign "Welcome Friends." This kind of fence is mostly to keep the toddlers in, instead of others out. I like having an open home, one where others can feel welcome and comfortable, and I think my heart is a lot like that. I have certainly felt my share of heart ache and pain, but I found it was easier to heal if I remained open instead of closing myself off. I think I would add to the picket fence, my Golden Retriever. The gentlest dog I have ever met, he has also become quite the Guard Dog. He barks at those he doesn't know to warn them that, indeed, this place has protection. Yet, if they are friendly and do not abuse the privilege, he loves to have people over, and wants to play. This keeps most of the riff raff out, while enjoying the peace and love of good friends. Elder Lund applied these gates to the Spirit, and how He can carry the message "unto" the gates of the heart, but it is up to us to allow the message past those gates. I hope that my gate will always be open to the Spirit, and that my Guard Dog will ever love this Guest.

Conference Ponderings

I loved General Conference yesterday. I look forward to hearing more from our Prophets today. There were a few talks that struck me strongly this time, as always, and I wanted to share some of my musings.

I have always had a deep sense of spiritual matters. My testimony runs deep, and my relationship with Heavenly Father is very close. It is easy for me to get in touch with the spirit, and to feel and receive answers to my prayers. It surprised me as I grew up that others did not have the same kind of relationship with Deity that I did. Faithful friends of mine seemed to struggle to receive answers, and acted on faith more than on knowledge. I have pondered this for a long time, why I was always so sure. Faith in my life meant acting on the knowledge and revelation that I had received, knowing that I would be stopped if I had misunderstood something. I noticed, however, that Faith meant something different to others. Faith would sometimes mean that they would act as if they knew what the Lord wanted them to do, hoping that they were on the right track. They seemed to never truly know if He had spoken to them, but hoped they were right. I could see clearly that indeed, they had received and were doing right, but they were walking by Faith and I was simply there to give encouragement and, perhaps, some confidence. It bothered me a great deal, and I often wondered why such things came so easily to me, and seemed to be such a struggle with others whom I held dear.

One of the talks yesterday was discussing testimony and mentioned the gifts that are listed in Doctrine and Covenants section 46. "To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful. " (D&C 46:13-14) It struck me that perhaps, this was the reason. I seem to have been given the Gift of Knowing God, and others I have loved have the Gift to Believe. In the end, it doesn't really matter, as long as we "continue faithful" we shall all end up truly Knowing God, and having Eternal Life.

Unforseen Consequences of Mom with a Cold

1. I can't smell dirty diapers. This means that unless I actually look, Danny could have a dirty diaper for hours, and I don't even notice. Typically, this means that it is discovered as soon as Scott picks him up to give him a hug.

2. I can't hardly talk on the phone (my plugged nose makes it difficult.) Scott has had to make the phone calls to set up appointments for me.

3. Cooking is done with one hand full of tissues so that I don't contaminate the food. (Which is funny if you think about it, since the airborne germs are probably throughout our whole house anyways.)

The Glory of the Right Kind of Tissue!

My family has been, in general, a pretty healthy family. So when I went to college, I learned a few things that I had never even considered before. A beloved roommate of mine had constant colds. I lived with her for nearly four years and we always had puffs in our house. She swore to me they were heaven sent. She used to joke about single handedly raising their stock.

She came to visit me a few months ago, and asked in shock where my puffs were. She couldn't believe that I didn't even have a Kleenex box!

If I get a cold, it usually only lasts a day or so. Any form of tissue, except the toilet kind, is usually the last thing on my mind. However, having suffered for three days, I broke down and bought a 4-pack of Puffs. I think this is the first time I ever truly understood the difference between toilet paper and a Puffs tissue for your nose. It felt like velvet or silk, and soothed rather than irritated. I was truly amazed! I am now committed to keeping Puffs in my house. So next time you come down, Rinda, I will have plenty for you!

Feeling Better

I awoke this morning with some miraculous energy. I am now over the illness, everything except a lingering clogged and dripping nose. I felt really icky from two days of runny noses and coughing, so I took a nice long shower. It was wonderful! Cheyanne came to take care of Danny cause I just didn't feel up to showering with a toddler this morning. I had to start off in spurts, as I couldn't stand for long periods of time without feeling low on energy. By the end of the day, I have made lunch and dinner, finished the laundry, ironed the laundry, cleaned the house, and now I am ready to relax.

Safe to say, I am probably over the worst!

Bad Cold!

Today was a miserable day. I woke up sick. I couldn't hardly move. Danny was almost feeling as bad as I was. His cold came back with some force today too. Scott was wonderful and took care of everything until he went to work this morning. By then, Danny and I were cuddled in our recliner watching Cars. My wonderful little sisters Chrystal and Chalae came to help me today. Because of thier help with Danny, I was able to sleep most of the day away. (Last night Danny woke up every hour, so I was extremely sick and tired.)

I am now feeling good enough to type this little blog, and bid all of you a good night. Hopefully this is only a one day illness for me, but since I am trying to avoid medicine, it might be more of a struggle. I cannot wait for Spring to Stay!