Thirty-Five and So Glad to Be Alive!

Like many others this time of year, my heart is full of gratitude today for numerous blessings!  Yet, I was a little sad earlier in the week when I pondered the upcoming holiday and the fact that I wouldn't be able to be with my family.  We had our plans for Thanksgiving change a few times at the last minute and I wondered if I would able to feel the specialness of the day with so much being new and different this year.  I also was anticipating my birthday the day before Thanksgiving.  That became another reminder for me that a lot of the people I love are not here to celebrate it with me.  In spite of those thoughts, as is usually the case, I was able to find comfort in prayer and I treasure what actually occurred this week.

Monday, we got to have the missionaries over for dinner.  We allowed them to present a message for family home evening.  After some scriptures and a few thoughts, the missionaries invited us all to express what we were thankful for.  I requested that everyone also share why he or she was grateful for that thing.  I shared that I was grateful for my husband and children and filled the missionaries in on the story of Dave's cancer and the fact that he was told not to plan on being able to have any kids.  I truly am so grateful for each one.  I cannot imagine a greater joy than to be the mother of my children.  I am eternally indebted to the Lord for the sacred children that grace my life.

On Tuesday, I got to spend some time with friends in the neighborhood and celebrate another friend's birthday.  It felt good to socialize at a friend's home for brunch and then later on at the park before it got dark.  That is one thing I have had to get used to--it is DARK at 5:00.  We headed to the park around 3:30 and we had to head home by 4:30 or so since we had walked there from a friend's house and it was already dusk.  Nevertheless, the exercise, fresh air and companionship was worth it and made my heart happy.

On Wednesday, my sweetheart made me and the kids waffles for breakfast with my brand new waffle iron!  Dave is so thoughtful!  The kids loved the breakfast and we managed to get them out the door on time.  The kids came home early that day and I spent a little time at the store getting a few items for the feast the next day.  Dave got to come home early as well and, after raking the leaves in the backyard with the boys, he and I got to go out with Alice to my favorite Thai-food restaurant called The Elephant Trail.  It was so delicious and everyone loved seeing Alice, including the neighbors from across the street who arrived just as we were leaving.  It's starting to feel like we really live here now that we are running into people we know when we go out!  I also loved seeing the sweet messages and birthday wishes on Facebook.  It brought real tears to my eyes and I really felt loved.  It was a sweet bonus to the day. 

After a great dinner, Dave and I went shopping with some birthday money I received.  I was able to get a new pair of boots as well as a new sweater.  I only used six dollars of my own funds by the time I combined my coupons with the sales price of the items.  What a treat!  We did some additional shopping for food and household items since we ended up having the privilege of hosting Thanksgiving for our own family and two other families.

One of the women we had come to our home is Columbian and has a bit of an accent.  When she pronounced the word holiday it sounded like holy day.  Coincidentally, that is what I wanted our Thanksgiving Day to be.  It was.  I am so pleased that the day came together the way it did.  We had sixteen people here, ten of which were children.  The kids all seemed to have a wonderful time with each other as they played with light sabers outside and utilized the woods in their play.  It really was a spectacular, sunny day.  

Then there was the food.  So, so, so good!  The men treated the women as Dave prepared the turkey, stuffing, salad and appetizers here at our house and the husband in the other family made the most delicious gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato salad, asparagus spears, berry pie, apple pie, and cheesecake with raspberry sauce.  Our Colombian friend brought a shrimp dip and coconut custard and I made my first pumpkin pie with real whipping cream for the top.  If I had to be without my family, this definitely helped to ease my pain.  I had a sweet, spiritual, memorable holiday that I will always cherish.

Today, we are already decorating for Christmas and we made a family trip to Home Depot and then later met some friends at the park.  Life is marvelous and I give thanks to my Heavenly Father for my abundant blessings!  I hope you all had a beautiful Thanksgiving weekend, too!

Braver

The topic my husband, Jonathan and I were assigned to speak on in church this week was pride.  I am always so grateful for the opportunity to speak since I get to study, learn and really think about what I believe to be true.  I am a better person for having taken the time to prepare and present a message.  The biggest takeaway I had from this experience was that I should never let my pride keep the Lord from doing what he intends to do with me.  I especially liked the following quote I used from C.S. Lewis in my talk:

“When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his bad habits are now corrected), he often feels that it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly.  When troubles come along—illness, money troubles, new kinds of temptation—he is disappointed.  These things, he feels, might have been necessary to rouse him and make him repent in his bad old days; but why now?  Because God is forcing him on, or up, to a higher level:  putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of being before.  It seems to us all unnecessary:  but that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us.”

It made me think of the move we just made here to Connecticut.  I was quite happy where I was in Utah, and I know that was where I was supposed to be for a long time.  It didn't seem essential in my view that we leave.  I literally thought that if I had enough faith while my husband was searching for a new job, that we would get to stay.  I think that is still true if that had been the will of the Lord; however, he had something better in mind.  As the Lord says in the scriptures, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).

I have had to be very much braver and more patient and more loving than I have ever dreamed of being before, but it has been so, so good for me.  I am already, after only three months here, a better person.  I am so grateful to the Lord for putting me in a place where I had no choice but to be more humble and teachable because it has caused me to connect more earnestly with the powers of heaven on a whole new level.  I know God lives and I am happy to admit that I was proud and immature to think that I could reach new heights without going through additional challenges.  I am so glad that we are often given, not what we want in life, but rather what is best for us.  The Lord is merciful and great.  I also like to keep in mind that indeed we have no idea just how "tremendous" he will make us if we let him.  I intend to be more submissive and trust more greatly in the Lord as time goes on.

Speaking of tremendous things, my awesome husband went and got us a couch on Tuesday.  It was free on Craigslist.  It is quite heavy and I was impressed with the strength my husband and two sons exhibited in getting it down the cellar stairs.  They literally prayed that they would have the strength needed to accomplish the task and that prayer was answered.  It has a big stain of some kind on one of the arms, but for the basement and for the price, it can't be beat.  I bought some new pillows to go with it today and I have to admit that it is mighty comfy.  I actually think that overall the leather has held up quite well and the best part of having this particular couch is that the two ends recline!  I may actually watch an entire movie again one day!  (The wooden bench we had down there before just wasn't enticing enough to coax me into sitting on it for an entire two hours.)  

Life is good.

Winter Wonderland

What a difference a few weeks can make!  This is what my house looked like around noon today:

(Note the snowman to the right of the house!)

About four inches of snow fell last night.  It was so lovely and serene.  There is nothing like freshly fallen snow.  It was starting to come down quite heavily around the time the kids came home from school yesterday and Thomas suggested that we have soup and bread for dinner.  I ended up throwing together some taco soup and making bread sticks.  It felt good to be inside eating warm food when it was cold and snowy outdoors.  It was a perfect evening other than the fact that Dave was gone on a business trip to Chicago.  He comes home again tomorrow for which I am grateful.  I am also quite grateful that he usually is here to take Jonathan to seminary each morning.  I am going to have to take him for the first time, it just now occurred to me, in six hours!  Yikes!  I think I had better go to bed straight away!

But first, I just have to write that I just had the best day today.  Much of it was routine, but it felt so good (for the most part).  First, the kids had a late start to school thanks to the snow.  That gave me time to shovel the driveway and porch this morning.  The snow wasn't icy so I was able to get the job done fairly quickly.  Thomas had also helped me by shoveling a bit the night before which he was certain had to have been a big reason why I was able to get the shoveling done so quickly.  Next, I still had time to take a shower before sending the kids off--a nice change.  When I was finished, I discovered that Haley and Emma had decided to go out and play in the snow.  Supposedly they had received permission to do so from me, but for some reason, I don't remember giving it!  I was distressed that Emma's pants were then all wet and she would need to change again before she left.  I expressed frustration and may have yelled a little--something I regret.  I am just so grateful to know that I can say that I'm sorry and repent.  The kids, I think, have forgiven me.  

After that, I finished up the girls' hair and drove them all (except Jonathan) to the bus stop so they didn't have to wait in the cold.  Not long after being back at home, I got a phone call from one of my new good friends here.  She said she was going grocery shopping and wanted to show me how she gets killer deals on a lot of her stuff.  I had already showered, so I was able to quickly get Alice ready and meet her there.  Here is a list of what I got today for $38.07:  A loaf of yummy whole wheat bread, a package of flour tortillas, two packages of frozen butternut squash, two packages of boneless pork ribs, two packages of baby carrots, two pomegranates, a bunch of bananas, pears, a package of apples, a pineapple, a honeydew melon, a cantaloupe, a pound of strawberries, five lemons, a bottle of salad dressing, a package of tomatoes and two packages of romaine lettuce hearts.  I was thrilled!  The best part is I didn't have to use any coupons and now can use and/or freeze all of this great stuff!  So, so happy!

I went home and put away the groceries and started the ribs right away in the crock pot.  After lunch, I headed to the library to return the DVD and books that I should have taken back the night before.  I met my same friend there and she gave me some extra ice cube trays and a popsicle tray she happened to have.  Now I can freeze some of the produce I have in small portions to use as baby food for Alice.   As I left, I mentioned to the librarian that I would need to pay a fine on the DVD since it was late.  She saw that I had Alice with me and told me that she wouldn't have wanted to take a baby out in a storm so she was going to waive the fee.  I am not sure why, but that just totally made my day!  Another dollar saved!

Back at home, I started slicing and cutting up fruit and eating pomegranate seeds.  Yum, yum, yum!  I added barbecue sauce to the ribs and cut up some potatoes, tossed them, along with some frozen butternut squash, in a little olive oil, put them on a foil-lined cookie sheet and seasoned it all with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, parsley and basil.  I left the potatoes to roast in the oven while I went to get Sarah Jane from a play date.  She had had a ball and will definitely be playing with her little friend again soon.  So nice to meet such wonderful people with great kids here in my own neighborhood!  

At home we ate our dinner of ribs, fruit salad and roasted potatoes and butternut squash just in time to leave to get Emma and Haley some much needed haircuts.  I don't think that I ever have had a better hair cutting experience!  Our new stylist is so cute and friendly and made me feel so good, and the girls look so cute, that I will definitely be going back.  As a bonus, because I had a coupon, I got both haircuts for $15.00 plus a tip.  So perfectly awesome!

Upon arriving home, I had the girls grab the mail for me.  Hooray!  We received notice that insurance will be helping us to make the repairs needed in the kitchen and living room ceilings!  Such a sweet happy day!  

Now to get some sleep. . .

What a Week!

My goodness, this for sure goes down as one of the more exciting weeks of my life!  I came through it all with a sense of gratitude, though, for the additional miracles and blessings I was given the last few days.

To recount the week's events, I'll start out where I left off last Thursday.  That evening, we had the great pleasure of welcoming my in-laws, Douglas and Kathy Pulley, to our home.  My mother-in-law had helped us move in when we first arrived, but this was "Grandpa's" first time seeing our new house.  It was so fun for me to have someone come in person and see the progress we've made! (Hint!  Hint!)

The adults and baby Alice went out to dinner that evening with part of the discussion centered around the storm that was about to hit the East Coast.  Maybe you heard about Hurricane Sandy? (Just kidding!)  We rely on electricity and a water pump for our water supply.  So, Dave's parents and Dave felt quite keenly that getting a generator would be more than a good idea.  We put getting a generator on the agenda for the next day's plans and overall enjoyed a nice evening out for a change.  On the way home, we picked up cupcakes for Thomas to give to his class to celebrate his birthday.  The kids were in bed already by the time we got home.  Jonathan has turned out to be a good babysitter.

The next day we sang to Thomas in the morning and he blew out the candles on his chocolate chip pancake squares.  I can't believe he is twelve already!  We sent the kids out the door and Dave went to work painting Thomas and Jonathan's room as part of Thomas' birthday present. 

Boys' Room Before

Boys' Room After

Doug and Kathy came over after Dave finished the painting and I finished working on the rest of the house.  My in-laws had heard on the news that day that there were several stores that had already sold out of generators.  Right when they arrived, we determined that we had better start making phone calls to figure out where we could possibly locate one.  Dave later counted--he phoned twenty places that morning.  All were sold out.  One store, however, was expecting a shipment.  By giving them a credit card number and name, we were able to reserve one for our family.  The store just happened to be next to Costco, which was also on the itinerary.  Kathy and I went to Costco directly while the men picked up the generator.  It ended up being the last one.  Blessings from heaven!  We stocked up on quite a few items and noticed that the stores seemed to be quite a bit busier than usual.

At home, Dave and Doug worked on setting up the generator.  We thought that we would be able to run an extension cord from the well pump to the generator, but that turned out not to be the case since the pump doesn't have a plug to plug into an extension cord!  The water pump is powered directly to the electrical panel.  We were baffled about how to proceed.  It ended up that an electrician we called didn't have time to come see us, but was more than happy to walk my husband through some possible solutions.  We now have a generator that is hooked up to our main circuit breaker.  Another blessing, since we now can selectively turn on and off certain breakers when we are using our generator.  That turned out far better for us that we hoped.  Aren't handy husbands the best?!?

Dave and Doug went to get gas for the generator and the first station they went to was completely out of unleaded gasoline.  I guess that a lot of other people had the same idea!  The gas station across the street had some, though.  Dave also tried to get another gas storage container and those were completely sold out everywhere as well.  That is one thing we will buy the next time they are in stock.  I think people were especially on edge about the storm here because last year, on this very weekend, a huge snow storm rolled through Connecticut and ended up bringing down a large number of trees throughout the area.  The power lines were affected and our neighborhood was left in the dark for eleven long days.  We have heard many horror stories about the event and having another storm on it's way, at the same time of year, sent many into a panic. 

Later that night we went out to dinner to celebrate Thomas' birthday and came home and had Costco cake for dessert.  This is when we revealed that for his present, Thomas would be getting a new iPhone for his birthday!  I don't think he could be more thrilled.


On Saturday, we went to see Thomas play soccer and witness his two goals in the game (the only two for the team that day).  He loves soccer and one of the other parents said, "Thank goodness he joined the team!"  They lost, but Thomas had a lot of fun.

Next, we went back to the Pickin' Patch with Grandma and Grandpa.  Though it wasn't as beautiful as last week, it was still quite picturesque.  I savored being outdoors and being with my family.  We took several photos while there. 

Then it was back home to clean up a bit and get ready for the Trunk-or-Treat at the church.  Dave, Doug, Jonathan and Thomas went off to the mall to look around and get new phones for the family.  We are going to be paying $40.00 less per month while getting three new phones (all free!), plus a $230.00 credit for turning in my old iPhone 4S.  I love it when birthday presents save you money!

I took my two princesses, witch and butterfly fairy to the Trunk-or-Treat on my own since the men weren't quite back yet, Kathy having decided to wait for them at our house.  We made it in time to get a lot of candy and pass some out as well.  Next it was dinnertime inside the church.  I really enjoyed my meal and was glad that we brought a salad since there weren't many people who brought any side dishes. 

Sunday was a delight for me.  It was sweet to see Thomas sustained as the newest deacon in the ward.  He looked so handsome in his new suit and took to his new responsibilities quite well.  I am so proud of him!

The rest of the day went well, other than having the toilet overflow.  It was then that the fact that I was under some stress due to the storm became apparent to me.  I reacted more negatively than I normally would.  I usually do not do laundry on Sundays, but I did on this day, as we were anticipating not having power with the impending hurricane headed our way. 

Doug and Kathy made arrangements to leave Connecticut sooner than originally planned and were now going to be leaving their hotel at 3:30 AM Monday morning.  Though they wouldn't be getting much sleep that night, they still had time to read some scriptures with us before they left.  We read, per Grandpa's suggestion, in 3 Nephi 8:5:  ". . .there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land."  We all talked about how it is our Savior who will see us through the storms of life.

Our guests said their goodbyes and we anxiously await their next scheduled visit.  We went to bed that night knowing that school had already been cancelled for Monday and waited for the STORM.

The morning wasn't too bad.  Thinking that the power could go off at any time, I decided to get going on a hearty breakfast while I could still use the stove and oven.  We had some delicious pumpkin pie baked oatmeal that I made up along with some sausage.  Delicious, if I do say so myself.  I then got started on cooking some fresh ground beef we had recently purchased.  I ended up freezing most of it, but used a good portion to put together a stew, again while I still had power.  As things wound down toward the evening, we still had power, so we made a fire in the fireplace downstairs and had a dance party.  It was so fun and a good way to use some pent up energy since we didn't dare go outside.  That night we had all of the kids except Alice sleep in the basement, just in case, and Dave, the baby and I stayed in the guest bedroom on the main floor.  I asked Dave to leave the blinds open during the night so I could see what was happening outside.  

All day, we had had wind.  Off and on, there was some rain.  A few times, our lights flickered on and off, but remained on.  The next day, all seemed clear.  

We had survived and we had power!  

I wondered if this storm maybe wasn't as big of a deal as it had been predicted to be, but then I quickly had a thought enter my mind.  It was, "No.  You have been blessed."  Later on, I read about and saw the great degree of destruction Hurricane Sandy inflicted upon so many here in the North East.  My heart aches for them and I am all the more thankful for the good outcome we had here.  I didn't know at first that many of the residents in my own city were left without power here as well.  School was cancelled for Tuesday and then Wednesday as crews worked to restore power to the city.  Unfortunately, Dave still had to go to work.  We made the most of our time off by carving pumpkins and stripping wall paper in the hallway upstairs (the kids especially loved that one!).  Even with a generator, I know things would have been difficult.  Again, I am still praying for those who suffered and are still suffering more greatly than we.  I know prayers work, because throughout that experience, I could literally feel the power of the prayers uttered in our behalf by our friends and family.  Thank you!

 The best part of all of this is that the kids still got to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.  That was a special treat for the rest of the residents here because Halloween was cancelled last year.  We sure had a good time.  Even Alice enjoyed herself!

It has taken me longer to post today than usual, but there was a lot going on the last few days that I wanted to remember!  Thanks for reading and I hope each of you is safe and happy and had a wonderful Halloween, too!