Celebrating Dean's Birthday

 Family Pic with Hayden

 Austin, Harrison and Hayden

 Harley

 Janna and AJ

Family Pic #2

Dean, Amie, Harrison and Hayden came up to celebrate Dean's birthday with the family. It was a quick overnight visit that made me so happy. It was good to see them all.
Dean took us all out to Outback Restaurant. It was delicious and so much fun. I have the best kids in the whole wide world.
Grateful Statement: I am so grateful for the wonderful man Dean has become. He is kind, thoughtful and generous. He truly is a man of God.

John, Gina and Heather Have Arrived

 Gracie and Grandpa John

 Rummy Tournament

Austin with a Beard

 What a cute Couple

Heather and Gracie

John and Gina brought Heather up to see Gracie. I love when they come. And I love the Rummy games we always play. We love it when Gina or I win. It makes the boys mad. It doesn't happen very often for me so I really rub it in. Austin was playing with us. He loves his Uncle John. Always has.

Gracie had a wonderful time with her mom. Sometimes she couldn't get her to wake up when she wanted to play but she dealt with it. 

We went to Cafe Rio for dinner with Janna, AJ and the kids. I love their food. It was a wonderful visit.They came on Saturday and stayed Sunday and left on Monday to go home.

Grateful Statement: I am so grateful that John has found Gina. It makes me so happy to know he has someone. What a blessing she is in his life and mine.

Sledding

 What a cute smile!

 Austin the Sled Puller

Austin pulled Gracie all around the farm on the sled. She loved it. She fell off once but just got up and climbed back on. Austin is so patient with her. Everytime it snows he takes her sledding.

Grateful Statement: I am so grateful for Austin and how sweet he is. I am blessed to have him as my grandson.

Visiting Teaching

Today I went visiting teaching and took Christmas Goodies to our ladies. I couldn't visit Jessica as she cancelled this morning but I will run a treat over to her sometime this week.
I did go to the bank in the snow and to King's and then it was home for the rest of the day. It's been cold and snowy all day.
Gracie is still sick so she just hung out with me today.
Grateful Statement: I am so grateful for Visiting Teaching. I love the sisters I teach and my partner Karen Wilmont. It is such an inspired program so we can take care of each other. What a blessing in my life.

Gracie in her Snow Suit

 Cute Little Gracie

Gracie's Cute Hat

Gracie is ready to go play in the snow and go sledding. Austin loves to pull her behind the 4 wheeler on a sled. She had to come and show me what Nana had bought her. Janna takes pretty good care of her.

Grateful Statement: I am so blessed to have this little girl in my life. She keeps me young and makes me happy. I am truly blessed to help raise this little one.

Canning Quinoa

Canning Quinoa

Today I bought Quinoa from Winco and canned it using my Food Saver and quart jars. How slick is that. Now it won't get rancid or go bad, It was fun. I love to find fun thing to do. It always seems to involve cooking or canning. I am trying to learn how to use different grains that are really healthy.
Grateful Statement: I am so grateful for my love of learning new things. I think it is a gift from Heavenly Father. I am blessed to be able to do these things.

Kathy Has Arrived

 Melting Solid Honey

 Canning Melted Honey

 Microwaving Honey

Finished Canned Honey 

 Making Applesauce

 3 Big Boxes of Apples

 Kathy's Using Squeezo

 Lots of Canned Applesauce

 Gracie Loves Yogurt

 Grinding Kamut and Spelt

 Finished Flour

 Kathy Grinding

 On To White Wheat

Yummy Bread

Kathy and I had so much fun canning and grinding and baking. I think melting that bucket of Honey was the hardest thing we did. But we kept at it until it was done. We always work hard and have tons of fun when we get together. Our favorite place for lunch is the Gang Plank for fish and chips. 

I found Kamut grain at The Preparedness Store and the Spelt I ordered from a farm just passed Rexburg. So now we can make the bread Chef Brad showed us how to make. He is definitely right about how good these grains taste. And they are really good for us.

I had a wonderful time with my BFF doing what we love. Working together and discovering new things.

Grateful Statement: I am so grateful for the friendship the wonderful lady and I have. I am so grateful she came to visit teach me in Acton. I am so blessed to have her in my life.

Gracie and My New Spirilizer

 Gracie and her mess.

My New Spirilizer

Today Gracie was sick so she didn't go to Lolo's. She made a big mess playing with her toys but I was okay with it because it meant she was feeling better.

Tommy went to Speech Therapy today. He is getting better all the time.

Tonight Tommy brought me my Spirilizer that came and I took two cucumbers that I had in the fridge and I spirilized them. They were good. I put some dressing on them and ate about half of this. Then it went into the Chicken scraps. I will get good use of this when I have time to make some soup.

Grateful Statement: I am so grateful for my little Gracie today. She is so loving and cute. She brings such joy into my life. I am blessed.

Tommy's Stroke

 Tommy In the ICU

 Tired of the Bed

Tommy came into the kitchen while I was getting Gracie ready for the day. He was just standing by the table and motioning with his hand. He couldn't make any sense when he tried to talk. I told Janna he was having a stroke so she called 911. They didn't answer. What??? they called back about 5 minutes later and transferred her to Bonneville county emergency services which is Not our district. She got fed up with the whole thing and called dispatch in Rigby and they sent out the volunteer fire paramedics. While they were accessing him the ambulance arrived. They took him to the ER in Idaho Falls.

Janna and the kids and I followed behind. But we lost them pretty fast. When we got to the hospital they asked about a million questions and then gave him the medication that stops the progress of a stroke and sent him to ICU. He was in ICU for 3 days and spent one day on the 2nd floor and then he was released. 

I can't even put into words the way I felt. It was so confusing because they found a problem with his heart, his dieabetes and they had put him on blood thinners. I couldn't figure out what diet he should be on. 

He was finally able to know the names of all of us. He just called me wife the first couple of days. Gracie was the cute one. We were so glad when his speech came back. He will have to have speech therapy.

Dean came up from Provo to be with his dad and spent the night. I was so glad when he came home. He had a heart monitor on that he had to wear for a month. And he will have to have an angiogram to look inside his heart. 

Grateful Statement: I am so grateful that Tommy came through without serious complications like my sweet mom. It brought back so many memories of my mom's stroke in St. George. God is so good to me and my family.

Fairy Costume

 She Loves Her Costume

 Ready for Halloween

Cute Little Wings

Janna found a Fairy Costume for Gracie for Halloween. She loves it. Janna took her Trick or Treating and she had so much fun. I was in the Hospital with Tommy so I couldn't go with her. I am so glad she has Nana to take her to the fun stuff.
Grateful Statement: I am so grateful for Janna and how much she loves little Gracie. I am blessed to be raising this little girl with Janna.

Should We Worry

 Oh Gracie May

 She Likes This Too Much

I Had To Put a Shirt On Her

Gracie found this top in some old clothes of Bailee's and just loved it. She wore it all day long. She is still wearing her paw print Janna had painted on her face at a football game of Bailey's. Hopefully one day it will come off. What a funny little girl she is.

Grateful Statement: I am so blessed to have this little munchkin to make me laugh. I am so grateful for her sweet Spirit that brings such joy into my life.

Gracie's Surgery

  The Stuffed Animal They Gave Her

 Playing the Ipad

 So Cute

 Trying to Wake Up

 Loves Her Aunt Nana

Home On The Couch

Janna, AJ and I took Gracie to Rexburg to have a lump removed from her neck. It was pretty standard surgery and ended up being a cyst. The ENT Dr. said it may grow back but it's no big deal. I am just glad it was nothing and that surgery went well. This little trooper never cried. When we got home Papa made hot dogs and Gracie wanted one so she ate the whole thing sitting on the couch watching cartoons.

Grateful Statement: I am so grateful this little girl is so good. She does what she is told and is so good. She is a blessing in my life and I think Heavenly Father knew I needed this little one to take care of. I am blessed!

Sacrament Program and Bailee's Birthday Dinner

 Chalk Board Fun

Red Robin Restaurant

What a day. I went to church and helped the Sunbeams go up to the microphone to do their parts. They were so cute. I also was asked to offer the closing prayer. Then I taught the lesson after we ran around outside for a little while. They were so tired of sitting they had to run around.

Then I came home and we went into Idaho Falls to Red Robin to meet Ron and his girlfriend Sara for dinner. It was good to celebrate Bailee's 18th birthday with everyone. How in the world can she be 18 already. It was fun and I know the Lord will forgive me for breaking the Sabbath to attend. If only all the world felt about the Sabbath the way I do. 

We came home and Gracie was really tired so I think we are going to bed.

Grateful Statement: I am so grateful for all my many blessings. I am grateful to be a Primary Teacher for the little Sunbeams. I am blessed.

Bookkeeping

 

 Gracie Before Going to Lolos

 New Coat

Janna Bought Her a New Coat

I spent most of the day working on Janna and my bank accounts. I reconciled everything and set up bill pay accounts. I am so glad that job is over with. Now to check it every morning and keep it up to date.
Gracie was really into playing with her babies and spent some time before leaving for Lolo's reading stories to her dollies. I love to watch her play. Such and imagination. She is so independent and just takes care of herself. And I love all the little friends she has to play with.
I cooked a ham from our piggy and it was the best ham I have had in a long time. I put garlic mashed potatoes in the crock pot and open a can of corn. Dinner was done. Janna had to work really late so Harley and Gracie took her a plate of food. They went to Cal Ranch where Harley works and picked out this cute jacket for Gracie.
Grateful Statement: I am so glad that I learned how to be a bookkeeper many years ago. It's good to know how to keep everything straight. I am blessed with a desire to always be learning something new.