When you are working on your lesson and you need a good handout idea what do you do? You call a friend, which I did and of course she had a darling collection of prints one which fit my lesson on “Compassion” perfectly. So, I bought forty small mats and shrunk down the picture and tied twine around the top. I am so happy that my friend has the know how and the creative geniousness to keep an array of awesome art for times just like these. Way to rock it Deb. Once again. Always and forever.
We had a Relief Society activity tonight and I brought churros. Churros?? I saw it on Pinterest and just had to try them. They turned out great but I forgot to take a picture so I will share my Pinterest picture because we all know mine looked identical (snicker, snicker). I served them with a Caramel Delight Icecream. Micah did all the shaking and I did the baking. Oh Pinterest – you know how to get us.
Meaning: If you earn your stripes, you do something to prove that you have the skills or ability for a particular job or rank. For example: He earned his stripes in the department of foreign affairs before becoming one of our ambassadors.
I earned my stripes today. I have the skill and ability to drive a four-door Mini Cooper with pride, I wave to my fellow Englishmen on the road and my car will wear them with pride. Next rank will be my black mirrors. They come on Friday.
I am so proud of my girls. They are not my daughters but they are two young sisters in our ward that on their own initiated some compassionate service for a woman going through chemotherapy treatments. They purchased all the fruit and veggies and we gathered to assemble fruit smoothies that she can freeze and use as needed. When we show compassion to others we actually “heal” within ourselves. Well done girls.
Today brings my total to seven deliveries of peonies. It feels good to brighten these elderly women with my fragrant freshly cut bouquet of peonies that I clutch so lovingly as their door opens. I preface my speech with “I am not a gardener by any means.” and then move into “my bushes overfloweth so please enjoy.” And they do. . .
I have a plan and it involves a lot of work. I want to paint my kitchen cabinets but because there is a varnish on them and I don’t want to sand them I will have to do a double paint coat on them. First, I will do a bottom coat of Annie Sloan paint, then I will put a semi-gloss coat of the same color of “Restful White” that I used on the walls. I sat on my stool today and tried to talk myself out of doing it, at least not doing them over the next few weeks. I just couldn’t. I want them done. I want an all-white kitchen. Go.
Mike got home and we pondered the fact we hadn’t seen David, Micah and Hinckley in a while so we invited them to dinner at Tailgators. During our quiet conversation at dinner we talked to Hinckley about sports, hockey and the jersey on the wall. Granddaddy asked Hinckley what type of jersey it was and he looked and said “it is Jesus.” I will never look at those outstretched jersey sleeves the same again. Kids say the darndest things.
I am so grateful for all that I have. My family is my world. In one day I am reminded of how special they are to me. I love them all. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”
I took Tank to the vet today. He has been sick this past week but one step into the vet and he thought he was walking through the gates of Disneyland. He was happy and obedient and loved every single moment. The vet and I talked for quite awhile about the old boy and his quality of life. Tank is twelve which is right in the middle of the age labs usually live (eleven to thirteen). These are things I learned about Tank: he probably has Cushing’s disease, he needs to be on steroids for his bad paw, his growth is a skin tag but he will have to put under general anesthesia to get it removed, his constant panting probably isn’t a good thing, his hips can be helped by some meds, his hearing is going as well as his eyesight. Old dog.
I am beginning to think Tank has sleep apnea. The big baby couldn’t sleep alone downstairs so I let him sleep in my room since Mike is gone. He snored, he scraped at the carpet, he paced, he panted and then finally I couldn’t sleep any longer so I made him depart. The following morning I found my craft room in this condition – the big baby had obviously snored, scraped, paced, panted and scraped in there too.
Tara Truly 