Sad State of Affairs

You know? It shouldn't be this hard!

Fret Not Thyself

This is not the first time this image has been featured on my blog, nor the idea of Fret Not Thyself.

My original post was in the weeks before Camille's wedding when I needed to, well, Fret no MYself! I printed several of these images, with the good-parts-version of Psalms 37 (seen in this image) and have them in several rooms of my house. I seem to need that constant reminder to not worry and trust in the Lord.



I also have the text in a note on my old phone and it was one of the first things I transferred to my new iPhone!

I just shared it recently with the sisters that we visit teach. My thoughts came from Elder Richard G Scott's General Conference address about the scriptures.

Some of his words just resonate with my soul:

"Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high."


"They [the scriptures] can become stalwart friends... Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world."


"Scriptures can calm an agitated soul, giving peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one’s ability to overcome the challenges of life. They have potent power to heal emotional challenges when there is faith in the Savior. They can accelerate physical healing."

So today when I wanted just that right image to rework for Texture Tuesday I knew this was the one.  I hope that these *packets of light* will lift and heal you as well.
Hugs...



TT- stats
FRAME- Hof3_OrnateFrame3_RF (on a sad note House of 3 is no longer operating. But I did find Rhonna Farrer HERE. I've been a fan of her art for years!)
TEXTURES-
kk_autumnBurst- blending mode- soft light 55%
KK_seriousmagic- used as a vignette (applied a layer mask to select only the outside edge) blending mode- soft light 100%

Gratitude

Crackin' It

Or perhaps crack-in-it is more appropriate! But since I was playing the pumbler plumber I couldn't resist that title.

So let me tell you my plumber story. You know we just returned from Palmdale where we had fun family time and Spencer and Deborah's wedding. Thursday night about 11:30 I was sitting on the throne, with the lid down, using the counter to paint my nails. I heard CHA-PLINK and then drip, drip, drip... what in the heck? I looked down between the toilet and counter and couldn't see anything. As soon as I'd finished the last of my nails I looked on the other side... there was a steady drip, drip, drip coming out of a crack in the toilet tank!

Can you imagine if that had happened 10 hours later just after we'd left for Palmdale?  

Oh! My! Stinkin! Heck! 

We would have come home to a flooded house!

As it was I turned off the water, grabbed a bath towel to sop up the water and left town feeling confident I could replace the toilet when we got home.

So, were you expecting a long story now? Nope! I spent yesterday in the sunshine... I've learned never to let a sunny and warm November day escape me if I can help it. But today, which was cloudy, Gordon and I went to Home Cheap-O (as Kevin-son calls it) and bought a new ter-let! We brought it home and then Gordon watched me install it, since he'd never put in a toilet before! Funny role reversal at my house...

In Gordon's defense- he did all of the schlepping of toilet parts...



Isn't she beautiful?

Spencer and Deborah's Wedding

I'd like to introduce the newest couple in our family... Spencer and Deborah! I sure love these two. They were married by Bishop Black at the Ave K Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lancaster, CA on November 12, 2011. What a happy and long awaited day.



There is only one problem with being the mother-of-the-broom (I did that a-porpoise)... I can't be behind the camera like I usually am. I didn't realize how few photos I got until I started editing them this evening. (Sad, sad story) But I'm grateful for the ones I do have.

We were grateful that little Riley could be with us on this happy day.



Deborah and her sisters did all the decorating and the cultural hall looked so pretty. Deb and Spencer did a good job planning what they wanted.

A mother and son dance... I'm so proud of my son (I almost said boy... but he's not a boy anymore.  He calls me his little mama!)



Then it was time for Deborah to dance with her Papa. The song was I Loved Her First... let's just say THERE WASN'T A WOMAN IN THE ROOM WHO WASN'T CRYING! (And sweet Bek... I will save your cry-photo for our eyes alone!)



Deborah and her beloved Papa...



Now this is when we all really lost it!! Spencer came and cut in to take his bride!



Look at these sweet lovers...



I'm so happy for them... look at the love...



And who was controlling all of that beautiful, tear-provoking music? Our wonderful in-family DJ's... Kevin and Camille.



Deborah's sister made the wedding cake. This is such a classic pose.



I appreciate that both Deborah...



and Spencer were kind and careful with the cake.



And here at the tail end are some very sweet cousins getting acquainted.

BROCK, RILEY and CADEN

11-11-11 Fun

We told Spencer and Deborah we would take care of food at their reception. I suggested we serve chips and salsa (A friend in our ward did this and it was a wonderful success). When I talked to Auntie P about my idea she said, “I think we should make little taquitos! I’ll call Camille and ask her if she wants to have a taquitos-making night!” (Camille was always her able-bodied-assistant when we made taquitos for P’s annual Christmas party. So I ran the idea past Spencer and Deborah... they were thrilled!

We planned our trip down so we would arrive early enough to make taquitos. Stuart, Gordon and I went down in Gordon’s Buick. Camille and Kevin went down in her little Mazda. Silly side note... we left a full two hours before Camille and Kevin, but because of all of our potty stops, meal stops and picking up Spencer and El Pollo Loco for dinner (whew!) we all arrived at Auntie P’s house about the same time!

After dinner we were all there in the kitchen... the girls cooking, the boys chatting, and it felt just like all those other fun gatherings at Auntie P’s. I love that feel of tradition and connecting. Sonny came up for the day so I got to see her too! What a wonderful blessing.

I DO LOVE THESE FUN GIRLS!

We initiated Deborah in the arts of taquito making... showing her how to roll the meat in the softened shell and then secure it with a toothpick. Ah, we do love this girl. We are so glad she's in our family. (Can you guess which are the bride's hands? Hmm, not hard!)



Poor Kevin's back was hurting (9 hours in a car will do that to you!), but he didn't want to miss out on all of the conversations so Auntie P brought out her special quilt (that someone very nice made for her) and he laid on the floor.



After the taquito fry was completed I caught some pix of everyone.

SPENCER, UNCLE STEVE, GORDON, DEBORAH

I'd just turned around from taking this pix when I caught Stuey in the act of eating the last of the pollo! Yummy!



Before Sonny went back home that evening I gave her a haircut (have scissors will travel... that's my motto). I cut P's hair too, but since we both were busy no one got a photo.



What a wonderful, happy, fun-filled evening with our family!

Rodent Conga-line

I was catching up on Facebook a few minutes ago when a friend posted how she should set up mousetraps! It is that time of year, you know?  Ahhh... I had that same thought in the middle of the night (that's when I get all of my great thoughts!) but had forgotten it.  So without letting anything else get in my way, to make me forget, again, I went right out to the garage, gathered up all the un-baited traps the pest-guys set (HA!), grabbed my peanut butter and set those puppies up!



Now you may think me a heartless middle-aged woman... but if you'd seen the rodent conga-line we had here last fall you would understand! Those little bounders must have sent out tweets to all of their little rodent friends that there was a par-TAY! in Joanie's dungeon. They moved in by the herd! (Is that what you call a bunch of mice? Inquiring minds want to know!  So I inquired... it is a colony of mice!  How appropriate!!) Those little furry-free-loaders would lay low all day, snacking on anything their little teeth could gnaw through but as soon as I went to bed they would bring in the dancing girls and entertain Gordon; who is a night-owls, skittering from the dungeon -- furnace room -- bedroom -- under the TV -- bathroom -- under *Stuart's* couch and back again. And would you like to guess what they left me as presents all along their conga-line... yeah, that's what I thought...

In the past I've only had to trap and release the mousey friends that Simba left alive after a fun play time. I soon realize now that Simba is in the *great litter-box-in-the-sky* that he probably wasn't bringing in all of his little friends BUT I AM SURE he brought in the birds... what a naught-kitty-boy!

But I digress... I've used the sticky traps, but they really upset me. What do I do now that I've caught the little furry-fiends? Leave them in their sticky plight? No! That is heartless! But how do I get the squeaking, squirming creature off the glue? My last experience with sticky trap release ended badly with me in tears and a *burial at sea* for the mouse. So... yes, I'm a mouse executioner with the old fashion snap-trap... fast and clean. All I have to do is pick it up, with gloved hands, and drop it in the wheelie-bin, trap and all! I've found I have to embed the peanut butter in the little snap-trap hole...

Oh, this whole subject upsets me... isn't there a way to put out an NO VACANCY sign and have them respect that? Hmmm, I guess not!

Confusion of the Seasons

In northern Utah we frequently experience sudden drastic climatic changes. I can't even count the number of times we experience *the warm before the storm*! Yesterday was a lovely fall day- high almost 70! Beautiful weather for the little trick or treaters!

Today?... yeah, take a look...



This photo says it all. You see the petunias buried under a blanket of snow, leaves from my Japanese maple and snow on the pumpkin! Gordon went out about noon (the snow started here at 9:30 am) and knocked the very wet snow off of our trees. Good thing too, several of our neighbor's trees have broken limbs from wet snow on branches still in full foliage. The good news is that here we didn't lose power like the folks back east!



Texture Tuesday stats-
kk_and then some - blending mode darker color 82%
kk_stained linen- blending mode vivid light 28%