Friday Favorites

When this week began, I was anticipating doing a pretty mundane, uneventful Friday Fave Five post recounting the simple joys of a relaxing first official week of summer vacation.  I even took a few pictures and planned what I would put on my "favorites list" in an essentially uneventful week. On Wednesday, the week changed from uneventful and boring to newsworthy and stressful.  I will start with mundane and work up to stressful.

1. A new free book 

I received my first book to review as an official "blogger reviewer" for Bethany House publishers. I have enjoyed many uplifting and interesting Bethany House books in the past, so I am pretty excited to join in their reviewer program.  I have never been able to resist the offer of a "free book" and I still can't.  Stay turned for my review of this new book in a couple of weeks.

2.  A lot of garbage 

I am continuing my goal to "lighten up" this summer beginning with purging and organizing my closet.  I went through some papers I had been holding onto for way too long, filed the important stuff and recycled the rest. Lest you think I am a total hoarder, I will disclose that there were other items in my recycle bin underneath the papers from my closet, so I didn't completely fill the bin with unneeded paperwork. It feels good to "lighten the load" a bit and I plan to continue looking at all of my possessions with a more critical eye - keeping only what I truly need, what has a specific purpose in my life or what makes me truly happy. The rest can go.

3.  Summer work

I spent a considerable amount of time this week meeting with other teachers and planning lessons and curriculum for next school year. I also spent some time working on my own at home. It feels good to get a jump on next year and get paid some extra "summer money" to do this necessary "teacher work."

4.  Another grandchild
Wednesday morning,  I received this short email from one of my children, "We have news for you. We're pregnant!"  The ultrasound picture above was attached. Grandchild #8 is on the way - due in early January!  Now that's news that is anything but boring and mundane.

5. Safety for Elder Jones
No picture for this one (only borrowed clip art), and this excerpt from the Josh's weekly email which came on Thursday this week:

"...a lot of crazy things have happened this week. First off we got our house broken into...we opened the door and everything was all ransacked. Stuff just scattered all over the floor everywhere and the bars over the window in the back of the house were busted open. We didn´t call the police because there´s not a whole lot police can do once the burglar is already gone. They did take a few things but...not a whole lot from me. I feel very blessed though because that day I happened to have both my debit cards and all my money with me when it happened. The only things he took that were mine were my tennis shoes, my sandals, a pocket knife I had (which isn´t a very good thing because now there´s a drug addict somewhere running around with a knife) and mom, I think they also took that pair of gloves you sent me in my birthday box. Other than that, he took our microwave, a portable DVD player we had, and some of my companion´s things including his camera. He didn´t take my camera. So now we´re living in the other missionaries' house whose area was terminated. It´s a little different because we don´t have hot water or electricity so it´s kind of like camping, but better safe than sorry."

Fortunately, both Josh and his missionary companion were safe, and Josh didn't even sound that upset about his experience.  I will admit that reading about it shook me up a bit, but I think that something like this can (unfortunately) be expected "south of the border" and I trust God to watch over and protect my son.

I will end with this scripture, which I dedicate to my son in Mexico:

Thanks once again to Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for hosting this opportunity to look back at the past week's good and bad, boring and exciting and to find the best in all of it!

Memorial Day and More

I want to add my heart-felt thanks so all who serve and continue to serve this great country - The United States of America.    I have ancestors who and fought for this land going back to the American Revolution and the Civil War.  My a father and father-in-law both served in World War II. 

My oldest daughter, is a wife, mother of three and officer in the United States Navy. That's her third from the right in the photo above.

Here she is a few years back on the deck an aircraft carrier she was assigned to.  

I am truly proud of and grateful to my daughter, father, father-in-law, ancestors and all the millions of courageous men and women who have served to keep this land free and to insure our lives, liberty and pursuit of happiness.  Thank you to all!

Here are some other things going on around here:

Last week was the final week of the school year.  One young man wrote me this letter, which really touched my heart.  I summed up the school year this way in an "end of the school year" post I put on my Face Book timeline:

"The 2014-2015 school year, my 13th year of teaching, is now history. Most of the time, I truly love my high-energy, demanding job because I have the opportunity to try and help kids at a critical point in their lives. I get to try and make a difference for teenagers and help them build a foundation for their adult lives. This year, I had the opportunity to have some of the greatest and most memorable classroom experiences of my career - not because I am a "great teacher" but because I had some truly awesome students who were receptive, open to learning and just plain fun and interesting to work with. My students touch my heart as much as I touch theirs and I am sure that I learn more from them than they could ever learn from me. I also have the great opportunity to teach at the BEST high school in the state of Arizona (and one of the best in the nation) with amazing, helpful colleagues, who are great friends.  Now, I get to enjoy a few weeks of down time, then go back and do it again. Six more years until retirement, but who's counting?"

Our family room is a mess right now because we are in the middle of purging and organizing.

Charly is going through all of his teaching files downstairs.  He had to bring everything home from school this summer, because the school where he taught last year lost a grant that funded several teaching positions.  Charly will likely be working at a different school at the end of summer, so he is taking the opportunity to reorganize and get rid of things he may not need. I'm working on the Master Bedroom walk-in closet.  I have found that there are too many things I have saved for too long, so out they go!

I'm reading this book, this week, which is inspiring me to "love what [I] have, have what [I] need, and be happier with less."  

The author encourages us to "examine our lives and circumstances and to make the changes necessary to focus on the things that really matter."  So far, its a pretty interesting and thought provoking book, and its got me cleaning out my closet ;-) .

Although he usually emails us every Monday, there will be no newsy email from this missionary today...

 ...because he is at the temple.  

Temple worship for us Mormons is very important and special. 

Attendance at the temple is something we do voluntarily as often as we want to and it is in addition to our Sunday worship services.  I am thankful that Josh is serving in a area that has a temple close by so he can attend often.

I will end this post with a great quote from a great and beloved president of the United States:

Another week

The end of another week - time to look back at some of my favorite parts of it.

Josh's SD card, in-tact and complete with pictures, make it home from Mexico!  I was so excited to find it in the mail box Monday.  I have been worried about it since Josh told me he had send it home, because I had heard that some SD cards are stolen in Mexico and never make it back to the states.  I had also heard that sometimes x-rays used to screen mail at the post office can erase pictures so I was praying very hard for this SD card to make it home with Josh's pictures still on it.  I want him to have pictures and memories of this special time in his life.

Here are some of the pictures that were on the SD card. They are a few months old, but it was so good to get them and see Josh's smiling face!

Here is Josh A.K. A. - Elder Jones pointing to his mission location on the big map at the Missionary Training Center in Provo. This was taken back in October.

Elder Jones and his companion, Elder Groll, with a man they taught and baptized in Mexico a few months ago.

 Elder Jones at the temple in Mexico.

Josh and some of the other missionaries he worked with in Mexico a few month back. The two in the middle have since finished their two year missions and gone home. Josh didn't seem that tall to me before he left, but he is the tallest one in almost every picture from Mexico.  

Charly found another new "mug cake" recipe that was super good.  See the recipe on a You Tube video here.

We had a cloudy day and a rainy afternoon today.  This was the view the French doors on our patio about 3:30 this afternoon.

 This is the rainy view in front of the house.

Look at that rain come down in the backyard.  I love rain and I especially love how it cools the temps here in the desert. 

Four days of school left for this year!  I can't believe how quickly this school year has gone.  Next week, we have two regular class days and then two days of finals (which are half-days) and the the school year is over.  Teachers have to report on Friday for an end-of-the-year breakfast and check-out and then SUMMER VACATION!  Although I will be putting in some time writing curriculum this summer, I am looking forward to having a couple of months off without the daily classroom grind.

Looking ahead:

I have lots of my Saturday "to-do" list -  go to Costco, write to Joshua, do laundry, iron clothes for next week and finish the book I am reading, prepare a lesson for tomorrow, skype with missionaries at the MTC (I am teaching volunteer - new missionaries practice teaching me via skype).  With all that going on I do NOT have time for the drama of face book, so I'm staying away.  I will confess that when Josh left on his mission, I joined a face book group for mother's of missionaries.  I also admit that because of my excitement about Josh's mission and my concern about his welfare, I have ended up spending way to much valuable time on this group's face book page, reading what other parents posted about their children serving missions.  Some of what I read was interesting, some inspiring, some troubling and some just plain silly. While I have learned a few valuable things by being in the group, I have also learned that face book drama and yes, even nastiness, extends even to groups of parents whose children are serving God as missionaries, so I am going on hiatus from this group.  It wastes too much of my time, and often leaves me feeling bad instead of good.    I've got too many other good and positive things to do with my time. :-)

Finally, this wonderful scripture which bears remembering every day of every week. Sometimes, even during the best of weeks, the problems of life and the conditions of the world can overwhelm us with worry and fear, but by giving our problems over to God, we can be firm, faith-filled and fearless!

Joining once again with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday Fave Five.

Mother's Day

There are four reasons I love being a mother (even with all of its challenges and heart aches):

#1

#2

#3

#4

I was also blessed with not one but two good mothers...

 The one who raised, nurtured and cared for me as a child...

...and the one who gave me life, gave me away, and then returned into my life when I was an adult.

Both of my mothers have blessed my life and I am grateful for them and all the love and care they have given me throughout the years.

Today has been a very nice Mother's Day.  I attended an early church service so that I could be home, anxiously awaiting the skype call from Joshua in Mexico.  I so appreciate the pictures, cards and sweet notes of love from my husband, children and grandchildren.

From oldest daughter and family

 From second oldest and family

 From my oldest grandson

A lovely card and note from my hubby

Everything was awesome and made my day extra special!

The long awaited skype call with our missionary took place in the late afternoon and was about 40 minutes late, but it was well worth the wait.

Of course we were very excited to get to spend 45 minutes skyping with Elder Jones (Josh) this afternoon.  He looked great and he is happy and doing well.  The highlight of our conversation was when he gave our family prayer in Spanish, then ended our conversation with "never forget how much I love you."  We surely are proud of this guy!

Later, we got to skype with our grand kids in Utah. The blurry child is the youngest grandson who was literally bouncing up and down throughout the entire skype call.  He is such a bundle of energy!

It was fun to talk to some of our grand kids and hear what is going on in their young lives. They played the piano for us and told us about all their activities.

After talking to the grand kids, hubby and I took a walk in the cool of the evening.  It was a nice way to end a wonderful Mother's Day. 

Looking back, looking ahead - faves of the week

This past week seemed to whiz by.  There has been so much going on and so many things to accomplish as the school year draws to a close, but it is always good to look back at the past week and the good things I have been blessed with.

We had cooler, cloudy days, with a bit of rain thrown in the mix, which is just fine with me.  

The evenings were lovely with golden sunsets like this one.

The pool is clear and blue, although the water is still too cold to make swimming enjoyable.

This little bird was sitting on our wall one evening, and seemed to be posing for me, so I took his picture.

The cooler temps these past few days have meant that we could cool the house with open doors and fans and that means saving $$ on air conditioning, and I always love the fresh air!

I received and signed my teaching contract for next school year.  I will be at the same school, and even got just a bit of a raise.

It was "free food" night on Wednesday, at Joe's Real Barbecue - a dining icon here in Gilbert, Arizona.  Every May, this great little restaurant, owned by a local entrepreneur, opens its doors to everyone in the community and gives all comers a free meal which consists of a barbecue chicken or pork sandwich, cole slaw, baked beans and a drink.  It is an immensely popular event and the lines are usually long, although they do move quickly.  The food is delicious and the atmosphere is fun and happy. The owner of the restaurant, now well advanced in years, stands on the sidewalk out side, greets those who line up for his give away and thanks them for their support.  Charly and I went and really enjoyed our "free Joe's."  

It was teacher appreciation week last week, so in addition to free barbecue from Joe's, we got coupons for free and half-price pizza and Organ Stop and Papa Murphy's both excellent pizza places.

I am loving this book this week.  I recently read Janette Oke's first book, Love comes Softly and wondered what took me so many years to discover it!  Now I am on to the sequel and am enjoying it as well.  

Coming up this week - Mother's Day, of course.  I already received this in the mail from the family of my oldest daughter.  Love it!

Mother's Day is one of the two days (the other day is Christmas) each year, when we got to talk to Josh in Mexico on skype.  Here is a picture of our Christmas skype call. He emailed last week and told us we will get to skype with him about 5 p.m. his time on Sunday, so we are anxiously looking forward to that!

My oldest daughter, shown here with her sweet family, will celebrate her birthday on Monday.  She was my first and best Mother's Day gift thirty-something years ago.

My oldest grandson also has a birthday this coming week, on Tuesday.  This good looking guy will be nine.  He is a great kid and we sure enjoy spending time with him and his family whenever we can.

No birthdays in this group, but I love this cute picture of my second oldest daughter with her two cute girls.  Even when they bring worries and challenges, what great blessings children and grandchildren are!

Finally, I will leave with this thought for all of the great women (many of whom are blogging friends) who have helped, loved and inspired me.  Have a truly wonderful Mother's Day - whether you are a mother or not.  You are awesome!!

Joining once again with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave 5.  Have a great week!