Roger and I are pretty whipped tonight, but I wanted to record a couple of things before I go to bed.
We had a meeting with the Schroeders today as she wanted to go over ways we could attract more people to the home storage center. I related our efforts to those of a proselyting mission where most of the people you contact don't want to hear what you have to say. Unfortunately we are working with members who should want to know about home storage, but it falls on deaf ears most often.
She said we are supposed to do open houses for the stake welfare committees, so we are going to figure out some good dates for that, and we want to do a Christmas open house this year (probably in September) for the regular members.
We delivered four of our Walton orders today, so I guess I will end up paying for what we couldn't sell. One of the ladies that ordered is not a member and her husband is a minister for their church. She said she has felt impressed to put food away. So we are trying to friendship her a little to help her know why we (as Mormons) do food storage.
We went to the Duval container warehouse on Myrtle Street and bought 13 2 gallon pails for the gamma lids I had previously purchased. I think they will be the perfect size. They also had ball canning jars which I found interesting. The 1/2 gallon size is $1.50 each in cases of 6. This includes a 2-piece lid. I am going to use them to break down the dehydrated potato products I purchased: hasbrowns, dice, slices. 6 gallon buckets is way too big. Maybe I will put my beans in them too. It takes me a long time to use a #10 can. Of course, I am going to start canning more of my beans and store them that way. I'm not sure what I'm going to use the 2 gallon pails for; I think I'll put wheat and grains in them instead of the #10 cans so they can be recycled.
We went to Wyatt's pack meeting tonight, the blue and gold banquet, their big yearly event. Wyatt had earned several awards for which he was very proud. He's done a great job with a little help from his fantastic den leaders!
The mood was spoiled a little by remarks made by the cubmaster who had all the eagles in attendance come to the stand. Most held leadership roles in their ward, and the cubmaster tried to make the connection that it was no accident that their eagles all held leadership positions. Previous to this, his father, one of the eagles, had made the point that scouting is a tool for parents to use as they try to rear their children righteously. It is too bad they didn't stop there because evidently they forgot about all the great men in the Church who have not earned their eagle. In fact, the majority of members in the church today do not have boy scouts in their countries and so are not afforded this opportunity.
Scouting is a great tool, but that is all that it is. It is not an inspired program in and of itself. The brethren have been inspired to incorporate in the YM's programs of the Church, but I believe the day will come when that will not be the case.
The true success in the Church for effectively building leaders is the missionary program of the Church. I think seminary is helpful in preparing YM for their missions along with other church programs. Ultimately, I think what goes on in the home is the greatest factor.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Gratitude helps us overcome trials...
I have been a little frustrated with my inability to keep this up any better than I have. There have been some great experiences lately, and some not so great, that I would like to have recorded, but I haven't.
I had a really negative experience last weekend that I would normally have written about in a "real" journal, but because of the public nature of this one, I did not. The writing would have been cathartic, and as I write now, I wish I had written about it in my paper journal.
President Kimball always advised against writing really negative experiences because of their public nature, even the written ones. But he does say that it helps those reading the journals to know of the struggles people have as it makes their own not seem so bad.
I think my life is so easy it might be discouraging to those who read it who truly have trials. Not that I am wishing anything upon myself. I think Heavenly Father knows where my threshhold for endurance is, and He knows when He has pushed me close to it.
In thinking about my negative experience all week, I finally realized today how much of a test it truly was, and will continue to be. My metal, my compassion, has not been truly tested. This will aid and abet that part of my growth.
Last Saturday, I attended the temple with Jac and Bonnie. Alicia was not able to go due to the CLAST which was scheduled for that day. While I really missed her, I was glad we went anyway. It seems the more we try to schedule for everyone, the more difficult that becomes.
On that particular day, the temperature was below freezing. When we woke up, we had no water in the house or outside. Once the temperature came down enough for the pipes to thaw, the pump came on, but no water came up. Later we learned that the pump had lost its prime, which I should have remembered from a previous experience. Fortunately, the pump does not break often enough for us to remember how to fix it each time.
I went on to the temple, and Roger stayed home from his assignment at the home storage center to make sure our pipes had not broken when frozen. Once when we returned home after a freeze, this had happened, and the pump had run non-stop until we turned it off. This is not good either. The pump man who came out primed the pump and made us feel better about the service call by telling us the points were shot too. So he took care of that as well, and we are $144.00 wiser. Well, not that $144 can buy much wisdom with inflation and all.
It was pleasant at the temple as it was not as crowded as it is no most Saturdays. Good for us, but bad for those waiting to have their work done. How difficult it would be to have to wait that long! I wish I were more dedicated to doing more on their behalf.
I was a little off my game in terms of engaging conversation with my daughter-in-laws. I never sleep well when it is cold even if I am not. I don't know why. So I was a little tired and glad to get back home even though I enjoyed the girls so much.
Jac gave us an adorable little initial zipper pull from her trip to New York, but I'm not supposed to tell Alicia before Jac can get hers to her. She said she had an awful time finding something METs for Darius as even the New Yorkers hate them! She brought Roger some playing cards which say New York on them, so it will be nice to use these items knowing she was thinking of us there.
Our chickens have been laying almost an egg every day. We are loaded with eggs, and eat them almost every day. It is great! I was wishing today that I had goats too, but I know that they are a lot more work. I try to give them greens every day; we have a lot of weeds in the yard, so that is not hard. Plus I give them sprouts from the kitchen when they are past their prime. I try to start a new batch of sprouts every other day or so.
My in house tomato plants are doing great too. I will need to get them outside soon. I haven't started my pepper plants yet. I want some cucumbers this year too, but I don't have much luck with them. Maybe I need a different variety as Bro. Hurtado's cukes are fantastic. Last year the corn was horrible; I don't think we got more than an ear or two out of several rows. I think the pollenation was off.
I put a math problem in the message for the students for last month, and we have had two guess the right answer. Yay! Several more have guessed, though incorrectly. Now I need to think of a good prize.
The problem was: Suppose a water bottle is 3/4 full, and you drank 80% of the water. What percent is left in the bottle?
Easy, right? I am going to come up with another brainteaser for this month, maybe not math related this time.
Last Friday, Roger and I cleaned out our food storage shed. We had boxes and boxes and boxes of books in there which was taking up space needed for food storage. I couldn't believe we had dumped so much school stuff in there.
Most of the books we dontated to the Palatka public library for the annual book sale. Some we thought were appropriate for the grandkids were given to Bonnie, and maybe one stack was kept for reference purposes, or were books we know we would use. (For example, I found
the Articles of Faith and Jesus the Christ books given to me by a sister from Canada that I used to visit teach. They are older editions.) There were also a couple of boxes of old church manuals.
I don't know what we will do with them.
We bought 2 shelves at Home Depot to put in the shed where it is now shelveless. We are going to be reorganizing our food storage and making it more shopper friendly, us being the shoppers! We want to keep a week's supply in the house, and then shop from our staples list each week in the shed to replenish what we have used that week. It will also help us be more realistic about how much we need. We have a lot more than we will ever eat at this point in time, but it is hard to know how much we will need to share at a critical time. I guess we will continue to try to follow the spirit in knowing how much we need.
We served at the home storage center today; it was our branch's canning today, and we had 5 people make up orders, but only Graciela went with us. So 7 families participated. Graciela always buys the bulk cartons and bags, plus today she bought a can of vanilla pudding mix. She was trying to figure out if she should buy the rice in the can instead, so I showed her how the math worked out on it, and she bought the box. I asked her how long the food she bought today would last, and she said about 3 months. Maybe some day, I will get them to but 4 times as much so that they have a year's supply. I hope if they ever need it, the crisis will come at the
beginning of the 3 months and not at the end. I bought more oxypacks as I am going to buy the 2 gallon pails on Tuesday. I got my gamma lids last weekend.
I have had a wonderful experience teaching my seminary class. I cannot believe the wonderful spirit that is there. It is the same as when I taught institute, so I guess it is related to the willingness of the class participants. It was rare when I was teaching Palatka early morning for that spirit to be present, maybe once a week or so.
This has been unusual because I have never taught members so recently converted and with so little experience with Church terminology and doctrine. They don't have too much Biblical
background either. Even without me saying, one of the students observed that they were kind of like Joseph Smith: they were learning about the Church from the beginning, just like he had too. I shared with them the "Journey with Joseph" concept we did in institute, and they liked that. One of the points we brought up is that one of the things that helped Joseph be prepared for the part he was to play in the restoration of the gospel was the excellent foundation he had in the Bible from his family's daily scripture study. They realized they were at a disadvantage because they had not been brought up that way. How much we take for granted our blessings!
They have a hard time with the vocabulary, both in the manual and the scriptures. Since their families only speak Spanish, and they aren't very good students at regular school, they are in many ways illiterate. I promised them that if they would study their scriptures every day that the Spirit would help them gain knowledge in all things, not just the scriptures. I know that this is true.
We are learning a Spanish hymn in our Spanish choir practice that is not found in the English hymn book, #190, Bello Hogar. They are doing a great job learning it. We are also singing the hymns of the restoration isolated in the Gospel Principles manual. They are all very anxious to learn. One of the sisters noticed that she could follow my lips to know when to sing what. They have a hard time figuring out when to make a word have 2 notes as they do not know how to read notes. We are trying to teach music theory as well. It is a lot to take in.
Well, as I have written all these great things, I have been able to push the heartache away from the bad experience I had at church last week. I realize my life is very rich and that the challenges are needed so that I can realize how very blessed I am.
I had a really negative experience last weekend that I would normally have written about in a "real" journal, but because of the public nature of this one, I did not. The writing would have been cathartic, and as I write now, I wish I had written about it in my paper journal.
President Kimball always advised against writing really negative experiences because of their public nature, even the written ones. But he does say that it helps those reading the journals to know of the struggles people have as it makes their own not seem so bad.
I think my life is so easy it might be discouraging to those who read it who truly have trials. Not that I am wishing anything upon myself. I think Heavenly Father knows where my threshhold for endurance is, and He knows when He has pushed me close to it.
In thinking about my negative experience all week, I finally realized today how much of a test it truly was, and will continue to be. My metal, my compassion, has not been truly tested. This will aid and abet that part of my growth.
Last Saturday, I attended the temple with Jac and Bonnie. Alicia was not able to go due to the CLAST which was scheduled for that day. While I really missed her, I was glad we went anyway. It seems the more we try to schedule for everyone, the more difficult that becomes.
On that particular day, the temperature was below freezing. When we woke up, we had no water in the house or outside. Once the temperature came down enough for the pipes to thaw, the pump came on, but no water came up. Later we learned that the pump had lost its prime, which I should have remembered from a previous experience. Fortunately, the pump does not break often enough for us to remember how to fix it each time.
I went on to the temple, and Roger stayed home from his assignment at the home storage center to make sure our pipes had not broken when frozen. Once when we returned home after a freeze, this had happened, and the pump had run non-stop until we turned it off. This is not good either. The pump man who came out primed the pump and made us feel better about the service call by telling us the points were shot too. So he took care of that as well, and we are $144.00 wiser. Well, not that $144 can buy much wisdom with inflation and all.
It was pleasant at the temple as it was not as crowded as it is no most Saturdays. Good for us, but bad for those waiting to have their work done. How difficult it would be to have to wait that long! I wish I were more dedicated to doing more on their behalf.
I was a little off my game in terms of engaging conversation with my daughter-in-laws. I never sleep well when it is cold even if I am not. I don't know why. So I was a little tired and glad to get back home even though I enjoyed the girls so much.
Jac gave us an adorable little initial zipper pull from her trip to New York, but I'm not supposed to tell Alicia before Jac can get hers to her. She said she had an awful time finding something METs for Darius as even the New Yorkers hate them! She brought Roger some playing cards which say New York on them, so it will be nice to use these items knowing she was thinking of us there.
Our chickens have been laying almost an egg every day. We are loaded with eggs, and eat them almost every day. It is great! I was wishing today that I had goats too, but I know that they are a lot more work. I try to give them greens every day; we have a lot of weeds in the yard, so that is not hard. Plus I give them sprouts from the kitchen when they are past their prime. I try to start a new batch of sprouts every other day or so.
My in house tomato plants are doing great too. I will need to get them outside soon. I haven't started my pepper plants yet. I want some cucumbers this year too, but I don't have much luck with them. Maybe I need a different variety as Bro. Hurtado's cukes are fantastic. Last year the corn was horrible; I don't think we got more than an ear or two out of several rows. I think the pollenation was off.
I put a math problem in the message for the students for last month, and we have had two guess the right answer. Yay! Several more have guessed, though incorrectly. Now I need to think of a good prize.
The problem was: Suppose a water bottle is 3/4 full, and you drank 80% of the water. What percent is left in the bottle?
Easy, right? I am going to come up with another brainteaser for this month, maybe not math related this time.
Last Friday, Roger and I cleaned out our food storage shed. We had boxes and boxes and boxes of books in there which was taking up space needed for food storage. I couldn't believe we had dumped so much school stuff in there.
Most of the books we dontated to the Palatka public library for the annual book sale. Some we thought were appropriate for the grandkids were given to Bonnie, and maybe one stack was kept for reference purposes, or were books we know we would use. (For example, I found
the Articles of Faith and Jesus the Christ books given to me by a sister from Canada that I used to visit teach. They are older editions.) There were also a couple of boxes of old church manuals.
I don't know what we will do with them.
We bought 2 shelves at Home Depot to put in the shed where it is now shelveless. We are going to be reorganizing our food storage and making it more shopper friendly, us being the shoppers! We want to keep a week's supply in the house, and then shop from our staples list each week in the shed to replenish what we have used that week. It will also help us be more realistic about how much we need. We have a lot more than we will ever eat at this point in time, but it is hard to know how much we will need to share at a critical time. I guess we will continue to try to follow the spirit in knowing how much we need.
We served at the home storage center today; it was our branch's canning today, and we had 5 people make up orders, but only Graciela went with us. So 7 families participated. Graciela always buys the bulk cartons and bags, plus today she bought a can of vanilla pudding mix. She was trying to figure out if she should buy the rice in the can instead, so I showed her how the math worked out on it, and she bought the box. I asked her how long the food she bought today would last, and she said about 3 months. Maybe some day, I will get them to but 4 times as much so that they have a year's supply. I hope if they ever need it, the crisis will come at the
beginning of the 3 months and not at the end. I bought more oxypacks as I am going to buy the 2 gallon pails on Tuesday. I got my gamma lids last weekend.
I have had a wonderful experience teaching my seminary class. I cannot believe the wonderful spirit that is there. It is the same as when I taught institute, so I guess it is related to the willingness of the class participants. It was rare when I was teaching Palatka early morning for that spirit to be present, maybe once a week or so.
This has been unusual because I have never taught members so recently converted and with so little experience with Church terminology and doctrine. They don't have too much Biblical
background either. Even without me saying, one of the students observed that they were kind of like Joseph Smith: they were learning about the Church from the beginning, just like he had too. I shared with them the "Journey with Joseph" concept we did in institute, and they liked that. One of the points we brought up is that one of the things that helped Joseph be prepared for the part he was to play in the restoration of the gospel was the excellent foundation he had in the Bible from his family's daily scripture study. They realized they were at a disadvantage because they had not been brought up that way. How much we take for granted our blessings!
They have a hard time with the vocabulary, both in the manual and the scriptures. Since their families only speak Spanish, and they aren't very good students at regular school, they are in many ways illiterate. I promised them that if they would study their scriptures every day that the Spirit would help them gain knowledge in all things, not just the scriptures. I know that this is true.
We are learning a Spanish hymn in our Spanish choir practice that is not found in the English hymn book, #190, Bello Hogar. They are doing a great job learning it. We are also singing the hymns of the restoration isolated in the Gospel Principles manual. They are all very anxious to learn. One of the sisters noticed that she could follow my lips to know when to sing what. They have a hard time figuring out when to make a word have 2 notes as they do not know how to read notes. We are trying to teach music theory as well. It is a lot to take in.
Well, as I have written all these great things, I have been able to push the heartache away from the bad experience I had at church last week. I realize my life is very rich and that the challenges are needed so that I can realize how very blessed I am.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Why, we use numbers every day...
I just wrote this tremendous dissertation, and when I went to the published page, there was nothing there. What a bummer! I guess I need to write it off line, and then copy, paste. This has happened twice now.
We went to the HSC on Saturday with a group from Savannah and a sister from Middleburg. The latter usually comes with daughters and daughter-in-laws as she really worries as I do that her children will have what they need should hard times come upon them. It is funny how we worry more about that when our children are grown. I guess we understand vulnerability more as we grow older.
Jac has gone to NYC with her mother and sisters. There is more than 11 feet of snow in upstate New York. I don't know how much where she is. We're hoping she gets home safely. Orion wanted us to stay in Jax on Saturday to watch a movie or something, but we are too whipped by the weekend to do much of anything. I felt bad as I know he doesn't like to be alone.
We had purchased 224 pounds of rye and 125 pounds of whole oats from Walton during the last order and needed to put it in storage containers.
I have been thinking of changing the way we do our food storage as I hate the waste that is generated by using the metal cans. I am thinking of going to 2 gallon pails. I can use a lid called a gamma lid on them which can be done and undone at will and seals completely when it is closed. The metal cans cost about 77 cents each, and when they are emptied, they are trash. The pails can be used over and over again.
Of course, if one stores their food and never uses it, the metal cans are a better option as long as they don't rust. But if one is using it as a working pantry, then the recycled $3 pails are a better choice. They come in 1 to 6 gallon sizes, but we have to consider how heavy they are when full and how long it will take to empty them.
The only source for gamma lids makes them about $6 each, but you can get in and out of the pails without compromising the storage ability of the lid. Again, they can be used over and over again, so each use depreciates the cost.
I have been thinking a lot about how Bonnie says they use half a #10 can every time they have pasta. They can buy a 20 pound box for 56 cents a pound. Each can holds about 3 1/2 pounds, so they are using about 2 pounds each time she prepares pasta (compared to our use of 4 oz at a time). Even a 20 pound box would only last them 10 uses at that rate. A six gallon pail would hold the 20 pounds, I think and last them 10 dinners. That's probably a 2 month supply, so she'd need 6 6-gallon pails (120 pounds of macaroni) for a year. (and lot's of powdered cheese!!!) It would be a lot cheaper to purchase the 6 pails and lids, and each year buy 6 more boxes of macaroni to fill them up. Once the initial pail purchase is made, there is no more storage container expense. I don't know if you'd need to oxypack them or not if they were only going to be stored for one year. I guess that wouldn't hurt.
When my kids were home, I used these big pails I found at the warehouse club for our flour, wheat, sugar, oatmeal, and cornmeal. It was a little tricky to find room for them, but after a while they become fixtures. They were too heavy to move around when they were full. I think they were the kids' seats for a while before we changed the kitchen around. If they were sitting when I was cooking, they just had to get up while I scooped. These were not air tight pails, but they did the job. It was a very efficient system. I don't recall any of the food getting buggy or anything. I still buy flour and sugar in 25 pound bags and store them in those containers that fit under the bed.
I guess it is silly that my mind is always playing these numbers games, but if more people did it, there wouldn't be as much waste in the world. I always told my kids growing up when they got a job that paid a certain wage per hour, they should truly work that hard. People make it sound like $5.00 / hr. isn't that much, but you can still fill a gas tank with 4 - 8 of them, and drive a heck of a long way. $5.00 will buy 20 pounds or more of grain which will feed a hungry person about 3 weeks. Sometimes we get too tied up in our luxury items and forget that the basics are not as expensive. We can have anything we want if we want the right things.
And so there you have it, we DO use numbers every day. Or they are being used on us...
We went to the HSC on Saturday with a group from Savannah and a sister from Middleburg. The latter usually comes with daughters and daughter-in-laws as she really worries as I do that her children will have what they need should hard times come upon them. It is funny how we worry more about that when our children are grown. I guess we understand vulnerability more as we grow older.
Jac has gone to NYC with her mother and sisters. There is more than 11 feet of snow in upstate New York. I don't know how much where she is. We're hoping she gets home safely. Orion wanted us to stay in Jax on Saturday to watch a movie or something, but we are too whipped by the weekend to do much of anything. I felt bad as I know he doesn't like to be alone.
We had purchased 224 pounds of rye and 125 pounds of whole oats from Walton during the last order and needed to put it in storage containers.
I have been thinking of changing the way we do our food storage as I hate the waste that is generated by using the metal cans. I am thinking of going to 2 gallon pails. I can use a lid called a gamma lid on them which can be done and undone at will and seals completely when it is closed. The metal cans cost about 77 cents each, and when they are emptied, they are trash. The pails can be used over and over again.
Of course, if one stores their food and never uses it, the metal cans are a better option as long as they don't rust. But if one is using it as a working pantry, then the recycled $3 pails are a better choice. They come in 1 to 6 gallon sizes, but we have to consider how heavy they are when full and how long it will take to empty them.
The only source for gamma lids makes them about $6 each, but you can get in and out of the pails without compromising the storage ability of the lid. Again, they can be used over and over again, so each use depreciates the cost.
I have been thinking a lot about how Bonnie says they use half a #10 can every time they have pasta. They can buy a 20 pound box for 56 cents a pound. Each can holds about 3 1/2 pounds, so they are using about 2 pounds each time she prepares pasta (compared to our use of 4 oz at a time). Even a 20 pound box would only last them 10 uses at that rate. A six gallon pail would hold the 20 pounds, I think and last them 10 dinners. That's probably a 2 month supply, so she'd need 6 6-gallon pails (120 pounds of macaroni) for a year. (and lot's of powdered cheese!!!) It would be a lot cheaper to purchase the 6 pails and lids, and each year buy 6 more boxes of macaroni to fill them up. Once the initial pail purchase is made, there is no more storage container expense. I don't know if you'd need to oxypack them or not if they were only going to be stored for one year. I guess that wouldn't hurt.
When my kids were home, I used these big pails I found at the warehouse club for our flour, wheat, sugar, oatmeal, and cornmeal. It was a little tricky to find room for them, but after a while they become fixtures. They were too heavy to move around when they were full. I think they were the kids' seats for a while before we changed the kitchen around. If they were sitting when I was cooking, they just had to get up while I scooped. These were not air tight pails, but they did the job. It was a very efficient system. I don't recall any of the food getting buggy or anything. I still buy flour and sugar in 25 pound bags and store them in those containers that fit under the bed.
I guess it is silly that my mind is always playing these numbers games, but if more people did it, there wouldn't be as much waste in the world. I always told my kids growing up when they got a job that paid a certain wage per hour, they should truly work that hard. People make it sound like $5.00 / hr. isn't that much, but you can still fill a gas tank with 4 - 8 of them, and drive a heck of a long way. $5.00 will buy 20 pounds or more of grain which will feed a hungry person about 3 weeks. Sometimes we get too tied up in our luxury items and forget that the basics are not as expensive. We can have anything we want if we want the right things.
And so there you have it, we DO use numbers every day. Or they are being used on us...
Friday, February 9, 2007
Life IS the obstruction
When I think about why I don't get more writing, I can think of a lot of things that keep happening that get in the way. While I am trying to live life, it keeps getting in the way. Perhaps I'm not seeing the whole picture here. In fact, life is the obstruction to my fantasy of what life should be like.
Take for example, my efforts to pull together an order for the NE Florida area. I wasn't going to push a fall order, but folks kept asking for stuff, so I decided a small one might be ok. Our goal was to have a spring Jacksonville order, and the fall one would be a small one we'd pick up again in Gainesville. Turns out, we had 3 pallet loads, so Walton wanted to deliver it in Jacksonville.
I should have gone with my first intuition. Obstruction number 1: some people wanted to pay with paypal, and when I collected their money, I lost the percent that paypal takes out. Gotta remember that next time.
Obstruction number 2: one sister who paid with paypal had never done it before, so I had to set up the account for her. She wanted it taken out of her bank account, so we had to go through the 2 deposits to her bank thing that is such a pain in the butt. Finally, about a dozen e-mails later, it got done. (And my kids think all I do is church and work.)
After I sent the order off, one person wanted to change her order slightly. Melissa in South Carolina who coordinates all this wanted to let her since it was her first order and she is a non-member. It was no problem for me because I had not sent the check yet. So I sent Melissa the revised order. Big mistake. When I got my shipment on Tuesday, Melissa had forgotten to take off the original order, so I got the original one AND the revised one. Now I have to try to sell off $1200 worth of food storage which is all over my house presently.
Another sister who order $1100 worth didn't get my e-mail, so she was not there to pick up her order. I could not take it home as I had all this other order, so we had to hide it at the Bishop's Storehouse. Now this is a big no-no, and we are fixin to get hollared at real hard for that.
I don't know how I keep getting in these messes. Now Dorian would say, this isn't my problem, it is Melissa's. While he is correct, it would be very hard for her to solve the problem from all the way up in South Carolina. I guess if I can't sell all this stuff, I will have to figure out a way to get it to her. She says there is a co-op in St. Augustine who would want to buy it, but she didn't give the info on how to contact them.
As if I didn't have enough other things going on. We started our homestudy seminary class last night and got things straightened out for Pedro and Luis to do their school work. They are concerned that I am not charging them, but I tried to explain that we are doing this as part of our mission because we know money is a struggle for their families. Roger told them that if they graduate from high school and serve missions, that will be compensation enough.
I taught a knitting class last night as well to the Mexican ladies. All the sisters were invited, but it is only the Mexican sisters who come. They were a quick study with all of them getting it. Of course, they had the occasional dropped stitch, and one sister added stitches every so often, but I told them how badly can you mess up a dishcloth. It will be ugly anyway after it has scrubbed a few loads of dishes. It is a good piece to practice on.
One of the sisters had her 12 year old son (Rodrigo) with her who wanted to learn. He did a pretty good job as did the 8 year old daughter (Crystal) of another sister. I don't think Rodrigo's dad was too excited by it. I was surprised that the children want to learn, but I'm sure they will bore of it soon. J'hlem came up after the class and said she wanted to learn too. Maria really wants to make socks, but I told her they are a little harder, and she needs to learn the basics with dishcloths. I did all the casting on for them, and they are only knitting at this point (no purling), but we can do the other stuff next time we meet.
There were several men at the other part of our meeting. 2 tenors and 3 bass. Pretty good, huh? They were all singing different notes, but by the end, they were harmonizing. Sister Reyes kept calling me in to sing with them when she was trying to play the melody; everytime she played the melody with their parts, they'd revert to the melody. We finally told them that was the girls' parts, and they didn't want to sound like girls, did they? (Hispanic men, for all their humility, are nothing if not macho!) So they shaped up after that!!!!
When I was sitting with the sisters knitting, I was thinking how relaxed I was. There is only one other place I am that comfortable: when I am with all our children at our family gatherings. I would think being with a group of people with whom I can only partially communicate would be stressful, but it is not. There is a great sense of comradery.
We have had new enrollments almost every day to futher complicate the events of this week. It is crazy.
Today we are getting ready for a date night at Palatka 1st ward. They are having a Valentine's Dinner first, and then we are to do our presentation. I made bread, tuna salad, and mini cheesecakes in the muffin pans. I used the crunchy wheat cereal recipe to make the crumb crust. I still have dilly beans to serve with it. I don't know how hungry they will be since they are serving dinner first, but Sister Hudgins said she thinks they'll eat again. Hope so. We're supposed to do the newlywed game since it is Valentine's Day. Bishop Owen in the Atlantic made an appointment for them in March, and another sister is working on one for April. I don't know where she lives.
I decided if I am going to do this blog thing right, I will need a digital camera. Just have to find the time to go shopping.
Take for example, my efforts to pull together an order for the NE Florida area. I wasn't going to push a fall order, but folks kept asking for stuff, so I decided a small one might be ok. Our goal was to have a spring Jacksonville order, and the fall one would be a small one we'd pick up again in Gainesville. Turns out, we had 3 pallet loads, so Walton wanted to deliver it in Jacksonville.
I should have gone with my first intuition. Obstruction number 1: some people wanted to pay with paypal, and when I collected their money, I lost the percent that paypal takes out. Gotta remember that next time.
Obstruction number 2: one sister who paid with paypal had never done it before, so I had to set up the account for her. She wanted it taken out of her bank account, so we had to go through the 2 deposits to her bank thing that is such a pain in the butt. Finally, about a dozen e-mails later, it got done. (And my kids think all I do is church and work.)
After I sent the order off, one person wanted to change her order slightly. Melissa in South Carolina who coordinates all this wanted to let her since it was her first order and she is a non-member. It was no problem for me because I had not sent the check yet. So I sent Melissa the revised order. Big mistake. When I got my shipment on Tuesday, Melissa had forgotten to take off the original order, so I got the original one AND the revised one. Now I have to try to sell off $1200 worth of food storage which is all over my house presently.
Another sister who order $1100 worth didn't get my e-mail, so she was not there to pick up her order. I could not take it home as I had all this other order, so we had to hide it at the Bishop's Storehouse. Now this is a big no-no, and we are fixin to get hollared at real hard for that.
I don't know how I keep getting in these messes. Now Dorian would say, this isn't my problem, it is Melissa's. While he is correct, it would be very hard for her to solve the problem from all the way up in South Carolina. I guess if I can't sell all this stuff, I will have to figure out a way to get it to her. She says there is a co-op in St. Augustine who would want to buy it, but she didn't give the info on how to contact them.
As if I didn't have enough other things going on. We started our homestudy seminary class last night and got things straightened out for Pedro and Luis to do their school work. They are concerned that I am not charging them, but I tried to explain that we are doing this as part of our mission because we know money is a struggle for their families. Roger told them that if they graduate from high school and serve missions, that will be compensation enough.
I taught a knitting class last night as well to the Mexican ladies. All the sisters were invited, but it is only the Mexican sisters who come. They were a quick study with all of them getting it. Of course, they had the occasional dropped stitch, and one sister added stitches every so often, but I told them how badly can you mess up a dishcloth. It will be ugly anyway after it has scrubbed a few loads of dishes. It is a good piece to practice on.
One of the sisters had her 12 year old son (Rodrigo) with her who wanted to learn. He did a pretty good job as did the 8 year old daughter (Crystal) of another sister. I don't think Rodrigo's dad was too excited by it. I was surprised that the children want to learn, but I'm sure they will bore of it soon. J'hlem came up after the class and said she wanted to learn too. Maria really wants to make socks, but I told her they are a little harder, and she needs to learn the basics with dishcloths. I did all the casting on for them, and they are only knitting at this point (no purling), but we can do the other stuff next time we meet.
There were several men at the other part of our meeting. 2 tenors and 3 bass. Pretty good, huh? They were all singing different notes, but by the end, they were harmonizing. Sister Reyes kept calling me in to sing with them when she was trying to play the melody; everytime she played the melody with their parts, they'd revert to the melody. We finally told them that was the girls' parts, and they didn't want to sound like girls, did they? (Hispanic men, for all their humility, are nothing if not macho!) So they shaped up after that!!!!
When I was sitting with the sisters knitting, I was thinking how relaxed I was. There is only one other place I am that comfortable: when I am with all our children at our family gatherings. I would think being with a group of people with whom I can only partially communicate would be stressful, but it is not. There is a great sense of comradery.
We have had new enrollments almost every day to futher complicate the events of this week. It is crazy.
Today we are getting ready for a date night at Palatka 1st ward. They are having a Valentine's Dinner first, and then we are to do our presentation. I made bread, tuna salad, and mini cheesecakes in the muffin pans. I used the crunchy wheat cereal recipe to make the crumb crust. I still have dilly beans to serve with it. I don't know how hungry they will be since they are serving dinner first, but Sister Hudgins said she thinks they'll eat again. Hope so. We're supposed to do the newlywed game since it is Valentine's Day. Bishop Owen in the Atlantic made an appointment for them in March, and another sister is working on one for April. I don't know where she lives.
I decided if I am going to do this blog thing right, I will need a digital camera. Just have to find the time to go shopping.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Fast Sunday Outcome
That last date of 4 Feb. is misleading, as it was actually done in the wee hours after being up all day Saturday. Yesterday was a busy day with church and all. Being fast Sunday, Roger and I fasted to know if I should start teaching seminary again next year (as in early morning, you don't have a life anymore, seminary). We had very positive feelings, so I talked to President Allen about it in the hallway, and he jumped at the opportunity. I wasn't sure if he was happy about releasing me as RSP or putting me into seminary, but he was happy none-the-less. Perhaps he already has someone in mind for president.
I talked to one of the boys who was enrolled with us, but had to leave because he didn't have the money to pay tuition. I told him I would re-enroll him and give him his lessons at no charge if he would do the seminary program. He was ecstatic about both. He said he loves to study the scriptures. I will need to get hold of Bro. Lowry to get materials. We will finish out this year with homestudy and start with early morning next year.
I was surprised at how easily everything fell into place, but I shouldn't be. Everything we have done with the school has come about through the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost. I know it is what Heavenly Father wants us to do with our life, and I know it is a blessing to many of His children. As long as we keep this at the upper most part of our minds, I think we will be doing what we are supposed to do.
I taught the lesson in RS on testimony. First we talked about the challenge to memorize the articles of faith we were given at the beginning of the year. A few members have been working on it. Then I asked why we should do this. I tried to develop the concept that as we kept saying the words "Creemos" or "We believe", it would challenge us to find out if we really do, hence helping us to develop a testimony. I know I cannot keep saying those words without thinking about my beliefs.
I had a very spiritual experience while bearing my testimony at the end of my lesson. I wish that would happen every time so that I could know that what I am saying is confirmed by the Holy Ghost, but it does not. I am very grateful when it does.
At sacrament meeting, several primary children bore their testimony as well as a couple of young women and Rodrigo, the only YM. He talked about how much he liked being a deacon. It was very sweet.
After church, I changed up the visiting teaching yet again to resolve some issues, and I will be going with Victoria Albarran, at least for a couple of months. I have 2 routes plus a bunch of mailing. Fanny is investigating, and it looks as though she will be baptized; that will be a big help.
It is hard to believe that soon I won't have to worry about that...
When I got home I had to put the beans on for nachos at Orion and Jac's house. They don't take that long in the pressure cooker. I had forgotten to soak them, and they were completely done after an hour. That helps people eat more nutritious foods if they know they can cook them faster.
We had a good FHE lesson at their home. Orion used the example from the new testament of the apostles who were called to leave their nets and follow the Savior to help us leave our own necessary nets behind. We are all to often willing to settle for our comfort zones. I guess that's how I feel about early morning seminary.
During the super bowl game, we drove over to see their new house. The inspection is today, and they will know then if they will be buying it. They are hoping to close at the end of the month. What an exciting thing for them! It is a very cute house.
I can hardly believe that all of our children will have their own home. I never would have anticipated such a thing. Roger and I did not have our own home until we moved here in 1985. We had been married 13 years! I am so proud of them. They all have nice homes, nicer than ours, so I suppose we have done our job (you know, that bit about the next generation being better than the one before it, not worse). They are all great men who have married wonderful women. I could not ask for more. I am truly a blessed mother in Zion.
I talked to one of the boys who was enrolled with us, but had to leave because he didn't have the money to pay tuition. I told him I would re-enroll him and give him his lessons at no charge if he would do the seminary program. He was ecstatic about both. He said he loves to study the scriptures. I will need to get hold of Bro. Lowry to get materials. We will finish out this year with homestudy and start with early morning next year.
I was surprised at how easily everything fell into place, but I shouldn't be. Everything we have done with the school has come about through the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost. I know it is what Heavenly Father wants us to do with our life, and I know it is a blessing to many of His children. As long as we keep this at the upper most part of our minds, I think we will be doing what we are supposed to do.
I taught the lesson in RS on testimony. First we talked about the challenge to memorize the articles of faith we were given at the beginning of the year. A few members have been working on it. Then I asked why we should do this. I tried to develop the concept that as we kept saying the words "Creemos" or "We believe", it would challenge us to find out if we really do, hence helping us to develop a testimony. I know I cannot keep saying those words without thinking about my beliefs.
I had a very spiritual experience while bearing my testimony at the end of my lesson. I wish that would happen every time so that I could know that what I am saying is confirmed by the Holy Ghost, but it does not. I am very grateful when it does.
At sacrament meeting, several primary children bore their testimony as well as a couple of young women and Rodrigo, the only YM. He talked about how much he liked being a deacon. It was very sweet.
After church, I changed up the visiting teaching yet again to resolve some issues, and I will be going with Victoria Albarran, at least for a couple of months. I have 2 routes plus a bunch of mailing. Fanny is investigating, and it looks as though she will be baptized; that will be a big help.
It is hard to believe that soon I won't have to worry about that...
When I got home I had to put the beans on for nachos at Orion and Jac's house. They don't take that long in the pressure cooker. I had forgotten to soak them, and they were completely done after an hour. That helps people eat more nutritious foods if they know they can cook them faster.
We had a good FHE lesson at their home. Orion used the example from the new testament of the apostles who were called to leave their nets and follow the Savior to help us leave our own necessary nets behind. We are all to often willing to settle for our comfort zones. I guess that's how I feel about early morning seminary.
During the super bowl game, we drove over to see their new house. The inspection is today, and they will know then if they will be buying it. They are hoping to close at the end of the month. What an exciting thing for them! It is a very cute house.
I can hardly believe that all of our children will have their own home. I never would have anticipated such a thing. Roger and I did not have our own home until we moved here in 1985. We had been married 13 years! I am so proud of them. They all have nice homes, nicer than ours, so I suppose we have done our job (you know, that bit about the next generation being better than the one before it, not worse). They are all great men who have married wonderful women. I could not ask for more. I am truly a blessed mother in Zion.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Now, this is a boring day to write about!
Well, I think the ones who were reading this have gotten bored with it, and it is just as well. My intent is to record what is going on in my life, not attract a crowd. It is fun getting the feedback. It is also interesting that something I think of as boring might be interesting to someone else. or not.... i do live a boring life.
I was thinking about that at John's wedding reception tonight. That is an incredibly talented family (in the entertainment field). When I am around people like that, I realize what a small microcosm of a life I have.
I'm really tired tonight, but I am trying to record something every day. Maybe I should try to do this BEFORE I check my mail...
There are 20 people confirmed dead from the tornadoes. There have been so many disasters of late, I think people are getting conditioned to them. This one has not gotten nearly the press the tornadoes of 1998 did. Of course the 145,000 left homeless from Indonesia floods makes our little incident pale in comparison. This truly is a day for the prophecies that were made: signs of the times. Plus I heard there has been an outbreak of the bird flu in England. A quarantine is not IF but WHEN.
We worked at the HSC this morning. We had a nice group from Kingsland, Georgia. We had to make up 2 monthly kits, and they were pouches which I have never done, so you can learn something new everyday.
I put together 2 cases of Pinto beans for John and his new wife who were married / sealed today. We also through in a can of dry onions. Then we went to the Penzey spice store where you can make up a box of herbs/spices in a decorative way. It was less than $20 for what looked to me like a nice gift. I had also purchases a bean smasher from BBB. He was a good friend to Orion when he was trying to figure out where he wanted to live. I guess some people think food storage is a dumb gift, but I always imagine how they will feel about it if they ever have to use it. Not often you get to save someone's life. How's that for dramatic?
We talked to the bishop of the Atlantic ward today about doing a date night there. I guess I should make up a flyer about it, so people will know what we are trying to do. Bishop Owen asked us to make up a flyer for him to pass out in his ward as well.
I got a knitting needle and yarn charm at Hobby Lobby today to put on one of my yarn markers. Too cute. I almost finished my first Kroy sock today.
I purchased most of the supplies at Costco for our RS Valentine's party. We are making Lasagna. Graciella is going to do all the decorating and table settings, thank goodness.
I found a DVD with Mister Ed's greatest hits. That should be fun! One of my more enjoyable childhood favorites.
It was nice to see Jac and Orion and some of their friends at John's reception tonight. We are blessed to have some wonderful young adults in our stakes here. I marvel at their strength. Jac was in a really good mood and had a new dress. Could there be a connection there? They had been at the temple yesterday and today, so I'm sure that's it!
I bought another carton of pineapple at Costco. The previous ones I dried earlier this week are soooooooooooo good. I've got these on drying now. I like dried pineapple with almonds.
There was a bag of fruit and nuts with the following combination: pistachios, dried cranberries, dried cherries, almonds, white chocolate chips. I think I'll make some of that up for the FHE tomorrow.
Uh oh, I have to teach in RS tomorrow, and I don't have my lesson yet. Better get on it. I'm using the Visiting Teaching topic for February: testimony.
I was thinking about that at John's wedding reception tonight. That is an incredibly talented family (in the entertainment field). When I am around people like that, I realize what a small microcosm of a life I have.
I'm really tired tonight, but I am trying to record something every day. Maybe I should try to do this BEFORE I check my mail...
There are 20 people confirmed dead from the tornadoes. There have been so many disasters of late, I think people are getting conditioned to them. This one has not gotten nearly the press the tornadoes of 1998 did. Of course the 145,000 left homeless from Indonesia floods makes our little incident pale in comparison. This truly is a day for the prophecies that were made: signs of the times. Plus I heard there has been an outbreak of the bird flu in England. A quarantine is not IF but WHEN.
We worked at the HSC this morning. We had a nice group from Kingsland, Georgia. We had to make up 2 monthly kits, and they were pouches which I have never done, so you can learn something new everyday.
I put together 2 cases of Pinto beans for John and his new wife who were married / sealed today. We also through in a can of dry onions. Then we went to the Penzey spice store where you can make up a box of herbs/spices in a decorative way. It was less than $20 for what looked to me like a nice gift. I had also purchases a bean smasher from BBB. He was a good friend to Orion when he was trying to figure out where he wanted to live. I guess some people think food storage is a dumb gift, but I always imagine how they will feel about it if they ever have to use it. Not often you get to save someone's life. How's that for dramatic?
We talked to the bishop of the Atlantic ward today about doing a date night there. I guess I should make up a flyer about it, so people will know what we are trying to do. Bishop Owen asked us to make up a flyer for him to pass out in his ward as well.
I got a knitting needle and yarn charm at Hobby Lobby today to put on one of my yarn markers. Too cute. I almost finished my first Kroy sock today.
I purchased most of the supplies at Costco for our RS Valentine's party. We are making Lasagna. Graciella is going to do all the decorating and table settings, thank goodness.
I found a DVD with Mister Ed's greatest hits. That should be fun! One of my more enjoyable childhood favorites.
It was nice to see Jac and Orion and some of their friends at John's reception tonight. We are blessed to have some wonderful young adults in our stakes here. I marvel at their strength. Jac was in a really good mood and had a new dress. Could there be a connection there? They had been at the temple yesterday and today, so I'm sure that's it!
I bought another carton of pineapple at Costco. The previous ones I dried earlier this week are soooooooooooo good. I've got these on drying now. I like dried pineapple with almonds.
There was a bag of fruit and nuts with the following combination: pistachios, dried cranberries, dried cherries, almonds, white chocolate chips. I think I'll make some of that up for the FHE tomorrow.
Uh oh, I have to teach in RS tomorrow, and I don't have my lesson yet. Better get on it. I'm using the Visiting Teaching topic for February: testimony.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Tornadoes Rip Through Central Florida
Having a hard time getting in the habit of journaling every day. This week my schedule has been very irratic, but that is not all that unusual. I used to be good at it, so I guess I need to re-develop the habit.
For posterity's sake, it be wise to mention that yesterday a bad storm front came through Florida causing many tornadoes. Many lost their homes, and there are 14 dead as of now. One of the touch down points was to the southwest of us about 100 miles away. It is frightening to think how one could recover after that experience. I guess it makes us tougher, and we find out how well prepared we are. People think they know what is coming...I don't think we have a clue. When it hits us, we'll say, "Oh, that's what I was told to get prepared for...".
We served at the HSC last night. Austin and Andrea Strickland came up to put up their year's supply of basic foods (grains, beans, milk, and sugar). It was a fun thing to do. I was surprised when I checked her out that it cost less than $600. I would have thought it was more, but then again, I have never purchased everything I need all at once.
Since this was a stressful week for me, I was glad I had my knitting. I joined a dishcloth KAL (knitalong) which makes 2 cloths a month. Since one is done in an evening, it is an easy go of it, totally brainless, and as stress relieving as solitaire except you get something out of it. I stayed up late 2 nights knitting because I could not gear down.
Today I got a package of knitting yarn I had ordered online to make a SCRAWL - a scarf, shrug, or shawl, depending on how it is worn. I bought enough yarn to make matching socks. It will be my new "I'm going to bed now" project. I was going to make a lace shawl, but all of the patterns scare me.
Roger is driving kids to a 5-stake dance tonight. He went buy shoes today, and went to a real shoe store in downtown Palatka where they measure your feet. The guy told him the reason his feet hurt all the time is because his feet are a size 15! Holy cow... So he bought a pair of 15's and says they feel great. I told him they looked geeky, but he doesn't care because of all the pain he has been in.
My tomato seedlings are up and running!
I was trying to decide which peppers to grow this year. The freeze this week finally wiped out my plants from last year. I grew all of them from seed, and they have really produced like crazy. For some reason peppers grow better here than anything else. I wonder why that is.
I decided to do some dehydrating this week. I had some fresh pineapple I had bought. We can never eat the whole thing, so I decided to dehydrate what was left. Didn't want to run the thing just for that, so I opened a #10 can of sliced peaches, drained them, and put them in there too. The pineapple is still drying as they were big spears, but the peach slices are done and mighty tasty. There are some more peppers in the garden that have survived, so I might stick them in there Monday.
I have been thinking more and more about teaching seminary next year. I think that is what I am supposed to do. We are going to fast and pray about it this Sunday.
For posterity's sake, it be wise to mention that yesterday a bad storm front came through Florida causing many tornadoes. Many lost their homes, and there are 14 dead as of now. One of the touch down points was to the southwest of us about 100 miles away. It is frightening to think how one could recover after that experience. I guess it makes us tougher, and we find out how well prepared we are. People think they know what is coming...I don't think we have a clue. When it hits us, we'll say, "Oh, that's what I was told to get prepared for...".
We served at the HSC last night. Austin and Andrea Strickland came up to put up their year's supply of basic foods (grains, beans, milk, and sugar). It was a fun thing to do. I was surprised when I checked her out that it cost less than $600. I would have thought it was more, but then again, I have never purchased everything I need all at once.
Since this was a stressful week for me, I was glad I had my knitting. I joined a dishcloth KAL (knitalong) which makes 2 cloths a month. Since one is done in an evening, it is an easy go of it, totally brainless, and as stress relieving as solitaire except you get something out of it. I stayed up late 2 nights knitting because I could not gear down.
Today I got a package of knitting yarn I had ordered online to make a SCRAWL - a scarf, shrug, or shawl, depending on how it is worn. I bought enough yarn to make matching socks. It will be my new "I'm going to bed now" project. I was going to make a lace shawl, but all of the patterns scare me.
Roger is driving kids to a 5-stake dance tonight. He went buy shoes today, and went to a real shoe store in downtown Palatka where they measure your feet. The guy told him the reason his feet hurt all the time is because his feet are a size 15! Holy cow... So he bought a pair of 15's and says they feel great. I told him they looked geeky, but he doesn't care because of all the pain he has been in.
My tomato seedlings are up and running!
I was trying to decide which peppers to grow this year. The freeze this week finally wiped out my plants from last year. I grew all of them from seed, and they have really produced like crazy. For some reason peppers grow better here than anything else. I wonder why that is.
I decided to do some dehydrating this week. I had some fresh pineapple I had bought. We can never eat the whole thing, so I decided to dehydrate what was left. Didn't want to run the thing just for that, so I opened a #10 can of sliced peaches, drained them, and put them in there too. The pineapple is still drying as they were big spears, but the peach slices are done and mighty tasty. There are some more peppers in the garden that have survived, so I might stick them in there Monday.
I have been thinking more and more about teaching seminary next year. I think that is what I am supposed to do. We are going to fast and pray about it this Sunday.
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