Let's just finish out the rest of November for being grateful

Day 25: Grateful for pumpkin pies, I love them with whip creme. Mrs. Smith made mine this year. Also for having the day off, and not going out to do the Black Friday shopping, there are real crazy people out there.
Day 26: For Dylan's grandmother and her cooking dinner for us. We drove to Greenfield and had dinner with her and Dylan's mother and stepfather.
Day 27: I am grateful that I was released from my calling today. I have enjoyed being primary president for 21 months and it was time. I have grown to enjoy the scriptures and the many things I have learned from them.
Day 28: I am grateful today for the peacefulness I have felt in my life since I am not working at MCDC anymore.
Day 29: I am grateful for our beautiful Christmas tree. I love looking at it and remembering why we have Christmas.
Day 30: I am grateful for Christmas music. I love the peacefulness of it and for the memories it brings into my mind. I am also grateful that I did this so I can think about all the things I am grateful for. Some were simple but some were deeper and mean so much to me.

Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, Today I am grateful for all I have,my health, a new job,a beautiful daughter and her handsome husband, playing checkers and laughing.We are watching Miracle on 34th Street on tv, one of our favorite Christmas movies. It is the one from 1947. Me at computer blogging, Melissa playing game on computer,Dylan (son-in-law)sleeping now. He works nights.

Enjoying having the front door open on the 25th of November in Iowa. We usually have cold and snow. Listening to the wind chimes. I am here with headphones on listening to Christmas music. I am off tomorrow so I will probably decorate for Christmas.

Day 23 and 24

Day 23: I am grateful for my laptop. If I didn't have it and the internet I would not be able to write about all the things I am grateful for. Of course I could write it down in my journal. But not sure I remember how to do that, I haven't done it for years. LOL
Day 24: I am grateful for the opportunity to cook on Thanksgiving. I am also grateful for food. Amazing how grateful we become for the basic living needs, when we don't have them.

Day 22

Today I am thankful for my calling at church. I am the primary president at church. I am thankful that in the last 21 months I have been able to teach the children in the branch that they are loved by a Father in Heaven. Since January we have been learning about the scriptures and how they are true and messages from him. Not only have they been blessed with this knowledge but I have learned that I too am blessed by him. I love each child I have been able to teach. I have gained a better knowledge of the scriptures. I will miss each child and I will also miss being the primary president.

Day 20 and 21

Day 20, Today I am grateful for the opportunity to hear general authorities of the church speak. Our stake presidency was changed today. So we had 2 men from the seventies speak to us today.

Day 21, Today I am grateful for the new job. I will be in the subs area, for this week. I will be trained in all areas so that I can work more areas when the store is opened for 24 hours. One thing I realized today is that the lady that trained me needs to figure out a system so she is not working on too many things at once. For instance finish setting up the sub area and then go to next area. But I will figure it out. Today was a little busy but slow enough that I didnt feel rushed or overwhelmed.

Day 19 (it is actually being done on the 19th day)

Day 19- I am thankful that even though I get frustrated with shopping, I continued to shop and found the shirts I wanted for only 4 dollars a shirt instead of having to pay 12 dollars a shirt from the men's department. I needed to find blouses with colors in white and black or red that werent to fancy. I found two in white and one in black. The white ones were 4 dollars each and the black one was 1 dollar. SCORE...
I deceided to look for Khaki pants but could only find some for 20 dollars in the women's department. I deceided to check men's department and found some for 12.96 that didnt look that much different than the 20.00 ones in the women's department. So I was able to get two pairs of pants and 3 blouses, and 4 pairs of christmas socks for 43. dollars. But don't get to excited, I still don't like shopping much. Usually during holidays I go in and know what I want to get so I don't have to spend hours looking. Working in a mall is not something I would have enjoyed.

Thankfuls for days 16, 17, 18

Day 16- I am thankful for the answers I have received to my prayers. Losing my job on the 10th was a blow to my budget. I had been praying for help with this problem. I have a great daughter and son-in-law that are able to help out. They realized that I haven't enough left in the savings account to pay some bills that were due. They are paying them. Thanks to them. Why is this such a big deal. They live with me until the spring because they can't afford to move out on their own until they get their income tax refund. They help with what they can.

Day 17- I am thankful for a new job.I left the house to go drop off a few applications, two hours later I came home with 2 jobs. They both are the same pay but, one is 20 miles away and was a seasonal job. The second one is 3 blocks away, and is a permanent job, and I will have benefits, Yes the pay is lower than my last job but just the amount I will save on gas(fuel) and wear and tear on car is the savings. Guess which one I deceided to take..........




Day 18- I am thankful for my two dogs, they keep me laughing, when I come home every day from work they are here to welcome me. They love to lay on my lap whenever I am watching tv or reading. They don't judge or criticize, they just accept me as I am.

Day 14, 15,

Day 14 (a day later). I am thankful for my talents, I have a love and talent for scrapbooking. I enjoy this because it gives me an opportuninty to be creative and also my memories in pictures are so much more than a photograph. As I look at the picture, I can remember what was going on, how much fun I was enjoying at that time.
Maybe it will help when I am old and forgetful. LOL

Day 15, I am thankful for the warm and dry weather we are having here in Iowa. Usually by this time we have had lots of snow and cold. Last week we had six inches of heavy wet snow,it has since melted and the grass is still green. This week the temperatures have been in the 50's. Even though I like the snow and the changes in the seasons I also enjoy when the season takes a while to get here.

Day 13

I am thankful for the primary children in our branch they did an awesome job on the Primary Sacrament Program. We practiced on Saturday and had a scripture scavenger hunt, then enjoyed some pizza and lemonade. Today we had the program. My counslers were awesome Tara did the music and Cynthia helped the children do their parts if they needed help but, all of them did their own parts without any help. The primary teachers filled in where needed. We have 25 children in our branch but only 10 to 12 active ones but, I like to have a part for each child. So the last two years we had to have children read extra parts. There was an awesome spirit there today. Lots of compliments.

Time to catch up Day 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Nov. 8 Today I am grateful for the opportunity to not do anything unless I want to. It is my day off, I am cleaning, and relaxing. I went and prepared a scavenger hunt for a primary activity on Saturday.

Nov 9, Today I am thankful that we got 6 inches of heavy, wet snow. Also we have electricy there are some places around us that don't have any electric and from what I have heard they won't get it back for hours and maybe even days.

Nov 10, I am thankful that I will be able to change some things in my life that I have wanted to change but never did because I was comfortable in the situtation even though it was hostile. I lost my job today, I have wanted to quit and find a new job. Now I can because I am not staying at a job where people are constantly critizied for what they do. You can't have a bad attitude but it is okay for them to have one. Well I know that I am good at what I do and that is all that counts.


Nov 11, I am grateful for those who have and are still serving in the military if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have the freedoms we do have.

Nov 12, I am thankful for the great primary children we have in our small branch and for all the work they have put into tomorrow's Primary Sacrament Program.

6 and 7

Day 6, I am grateful for the blessing of being able to practice whatever relegion I choose. I am also grateful for the testimony I have of the church. Even through the times of being inactive I have always had a testimony of Christ.

Day 7, I am grateful this day for a warm place to live. It might be small but it is warm and holds lots of love. In a few weeks it will be cold and snowy and I will enjoy the warmth inside. My apartment is my castle. There are so many that don't have this blessing. Everyday I realize how blessed I am.

Day 5 Memories

I am thankful for all the memories I have of my younger years. For the many things I have learned from those activities even though at the time I didn't realize that I was learning lessons of life. Such as, going to a mother/daughter camp with my daughter and a friend Jan Bundy and her daughter Judith. Something I learned at the time is that we don't have to have lots of money to enjoy spending time with each other.

Day 4

Today I am thankful for my mother. Without her I wouldn't have been born and been able to experience all the wonderful things in my life,growing up being able to play outside from morning til night without worry about getting hurt by crime. Being able to learn in school each day. Being encouraged to continue school so that my life would be easier than hers. For being able to learn from her how to be a mother to my child. Life wasn't always easy but, my mother did all she could to support us on her own. She has been gone for 9 years and I think of her often and realize that she did the best she could for her children. Love you mom and miss you.

3rd Day of Thankfulness

My friends, I appreciate all they have done to make my life more blessed. I love my friend Stacee who even though we didn't have any contact for almost 22 yrs, is still my friend and how she hasn't judged me for being inactive at church. She is one of the most encouraging people I have in my life at this moment. Making going to church a good thing for both her and myself.She gives me lots of cyber hugs because she knows that I am not the touchy feel type person. She encouraged me to become active again just by being an example. She listens via email when life gets quite hectic. She is willing to give her opinion even if it is not asked for.

My friend Tara whom I have only known for about 2 years now. She helps me to understand things I don't understand when it comes to church. For always being willing to help out with primary at church.
Tara even came to the child care center I work at to teach the children how to write chinese and also tell them about china. I have many other people in my life but these two ladies are the ones I try to emulate. Thanks Stacee and Tara.

Day 1 Thankfulness

November 1, I am thankful that we haven't had cold weather yet. It was 72 degrees on the 1st. Which is really great for Iowa. Last year we had snow in October by November the ground was covered with snow. I love snow but I also love that we haven't had to turn on the heat yet.

November 2, Today I am thankful for my daughter and all the blessings she has brought into my life for the last 25 years. I love her. She grew up this year and got married and finally got her driver's liscense (long story).

Believe it or Not..............

After a few months of not blogging,I have finally thought of something to blog about.
Between my job and church responsiblities I have actually been too busy to blog.

People are naming at least one thing they are thankful for each day on facebook. Well I deceided that I would do it on my blog page. Since it is already the second day of November I figured I better get busy. So I will do a daily blog for the month of November.

Just a few things that have happened since my last post has been.
My daughter got married June 25, 2011
We have had a parents night at work (took about a month to prepare for)
We have been doing assestments on children to prepare for conferences in the next few weeks (each one takes about 45 minutes).We have 30 children to prepare for.

Why I don't like Father's Day

Father's Day is a day that I find myself looking at the day negatively. I grew up without a father in my home. My parents divorced when I was very young. I have very few good memories of my father. He was an abusive, alcholic, he would yell, scream, and hit us more than I remember him ever holding,hugging, or loving us. I go to church and listen to everyone tell us how wonderful and great their father's are and it makes me angry. I am glad that they feel their fathers are the greatest, but don't make me feel that I am wrong for my feelings.I don't begrudge those who have fathers in the home I just want people to understand that I have different feelings and that they should respect that.
Go live in the world I lived in and will you still say that. I used to say that my father was the way he was because maybe his father didn't show him any love, but I truly believe it was an excuse for him to use so he didn't have to love us. My parents were divorced when I was six and we didn't see my father again until I was about 9, at that time the only reason we saw him was because, he wanted to introduce us to his new wife,(who ironically didn't like children. She had divorced and gave her children to their father, because she couldn't be bothered.) so therefore I never saw him again. After many years of not hearing from him, I called him because I had been told after my mother passed away that he may not be my father, I wanted to know for sure because of family history reasons. When I asked him his words were well the timing of my mother being pregnant with me was in question because he was in Africa with the air force. But he wasn't sure so he accepted me as his daughter. My mother didn't want us to be aware of the facts so she made everyone in the family promise not to tell my older brother and I the truth. I have 2 younger brothers also. My father after not having contact with me for over 30 years was glad to hear from me and also to find out he had a granddaughter. But did that change anything, not really he still didn't keep in touch. I found out totally by surprise that he passed away in 2007. I was working on family history and I just happen to enter his name in a website search and found it. I also found out that his mother died in 2010.
The second reason I don't like this day is because I have a beautiful daughter who has a father, that doesn't make the effort he could to be a part of her life, so she has grown up not having her father in the home. I have done everything to make this day different for her. When she was younger we didn't attend church on this day, unless I had a calling at that time that required me to attend and we always did something special to make the day special for her. I have always had good home teachers that were examples of what a good father should be for her. Her grandfather Cole has made an effort to be the man in her life. She has had my brothers in her life.
Every year when I have taught children on Father's Day I have always had one or two children that don't have their fathers in the home, I try to teach them that Heavenly Father is the father they can turn to when things are rough. Here in Iowa most of the children I have in primary have a father,or stepfather in the home, It is different to see that for me anyways. In New Mexico it was different.
Even though I never had my father around while growing up, I knew I was loved by my mother and she did what she could to make us feel special. I usually add pictures but I couldn't find any this time.

What a great Mother's Day

May 4th is a rough day for me. It was 9 years ago that my mother passed away, so the 4th is a day where I do alot of reminiscing about my mother and all she did for us. This year was a easier year. I only cried once. The last few weeks I have had some car problems, which doesnt help my mood in May. I sat down and analyzed the budget and moved things around so I could come up with a way to buy a new car, I am tired of putting money into something that had 224,000 miles on it anyway. It seemed like I would just get things caught up and another car repair would happen. Of course the repair wasnt a quick reasonable one, it was expensive. So I finally bit the bullet and found a bank that would fianace a new vechile with a reasonable interest rate. My credit isnt the worst in the world as the bank says my credit score is decent just not enough credit history. I must be the only person I know that doesnt have a credit card. I find that credit cards are too tempting for me. Well today on my youngest brother's birthday I test drove a few cars and came off the lot with a 2009 HHR LT
trying to decide if it is a Mother's Day gift for me or maybe a birthday gift for him. I have deceided it is a Mother's Day gift for me. I was thinking a little while ago, I have never had a new car before at least not one that has very little mileage on it. But it is ironic my mother didn't have a new car until she was in her 50's. She enjoyed her brand new Plymouth Horizon back in 1989 when she passed away in 2002 the car only had 25,000 miles on it. I find it funny how even though I grew up not wanting to be my mother, I have. I bought my car in my 50's I am telling people what I think when they make me mad. Sometimes when I talk I hear my mother's voice. But yet I am still me.

Number Two Post for today

Thought I would answer a jar question for today. I find it ironic that we did our baptism preview today and the question ties into that subject.

What do you remember about your baptism day? Who baptized you? Were any of your relatives there? Describe the feelings you had that special day.

I remember that I was baptized on May 18, 1974 in Albuquerque, New Mexico by Joseph McKay Crayne and confirmed a member by Donald Clyde Halverson. Bishop Ramsey was the bishop in the Albquerque Fourth Ward, It was the Albuquerque New Mexico Stake. I was almost 17 at the time.The church was down near the football stadium for one of the high schools. It was a small building I believe it was called the Spruce Street Chapel. As far as I know that building is no longer used for a church. (I just remembered I gave my first ever talk in that building during a singles ward sacrament meeting.) There was not a font at the Haines Street Chapel at the time so baptisms were done at Spruce Street.
It was a beautiful spring day. At the time I was baptized they did stake baptisms, there was probably about 8 baptisms that day. None of my relatives were there because I became the only member of the LDS church on that day. I had a few friends that I can remember there, Cherie Cronin, Lucinda Pace (I had the discussions at her family's home)and her family. I was actually in the boundaries of the Second Ward but I attended the fourth cause that was where my friends were. I didnt attend the second ward until about a year later. After I was baptized we went to Dairy Queen for a ice cream cone. I can remember my daughter's baptism more. She did have family there, my mother, my aunt and uncle, and lots of friends.

I may not remember what my feelings were at that time anymore, but I know now that being baptized in the church has been a blessing in so many ways, I may have been the only member in the family at that time but now I am one of 3 that I am aware of. Who knows how many it will be when I am older. My daughter is getting married and she has been more willing to attend church activities than she was before, her fiancee has attended 3 activities at church since the branch was started in Feb 2010. We have a new couple missionaries, they came to visit the other day and Dylan (the fiancee) was here and he visited with them. They really liked him, everyone who met him at the pinewood derby the other night enjoyed meeting him and were impressed with him. I just figured it out I have almost been a member for 37 years, amazing how much my life has changed in those years. Until I joined the church, I wonder from church to church, now I feel like if I attend another church that there is something wrong. I do on occasion attend other churches with friends for weddings, and other church related activities.
No pictures for this post. Sorry

It is over........Now I can catch up....

Brownie Pops best presentation.
Pinewood Derby cub scout winners




Eight is Great cookies






Today we had our Baptism Preview in our branch. Since I am Primary President,we just had our "Great To Be Eight" fireside. I wanted it to be a time for the children who are 8 or going to be 8 this year to come and learn a little bit about the Faith in God program, cub scouts, Activity Days and since we don't have a font in our building we had the missionaries show the children how they hold them when they are being baptized. We are a small branch we do have a few children that are older that are not baptized yet and 2 boys who are going to be 8 soon. So this day was for them. The table was decorated with these cookies and a cookie bouquet that was 8-shaped sugar cookies decorated in the Primary colors(I got the idea from a website I use quite frequently called sugardoodle.net)I did one cookie in a white frosting. I am not sure why, we were at the end of decorating and there was some white frosting left and an smaller number 8 so I just used it. Today when we were done with the presentation since there was only the two boys and their parents I let them take home cookies for their family members. One of the boys came up to choose his and he told me that he wanted a blue one because it is the color of the water they are baptized in. Then as I was leaving with a few of the cookies that were left he says to me."Sister Cole I know what the colors stand for of the cookies" I asked him what he thought they meant.Because I hadn't thought about what the colors meant." The white one means you are clean when you come up from the water after being baptized, the red is for Christ's blood, and the yellow is for the sun from Heavnly Father. I was so proud of him, Tucker was adopted from China he is 8 already and his family has been teaching him about the gospel, he has come a long way since December. Sometimes I feel so inadequate as the Primary President,(this is my first time in any leadership role)then it is days like today that make me realize how very lucky I am to not only teach these young spirits but to also learn from them. my life has been so blessed by this calling.
Friday night we had our first ever pinewood derby for our cubs in our branch. It was a great time. We had made it a branch activity and let anyone who wanted to make a pinewood derby car race the classes were cub scouts, young women/young men,and open class. We also had a dessert contest so we had refreshments the four catergories for desserts were, best name,(there were some good ones)my favorite was my attempt at making a blueberry pie,(the pie didn't set up,so it was more like blueberry soup)also the other catergories were, most original,best presentation, and overall favorite, I made brownie pops and yes they won for best presentation (and they were popular with the kids) I have to give credit to the internet for the idea cause I don't usually venture away from the box. (I am not a cooker anymore).

So since we as a Primary Presidency have been planning these two events, I have been very busy,plus at work I am getting ready for our gradutation ceremony, so I apologize to all my blog readers for not keeping up. . Now I will go back to being a carefree person, NOT my daughter is getting married June 25, 2011 so now I need to finish up invitations and start getting busy on that adventure,good thing it will be a smaller wedding.

Time to catch up

After a couple of weeks of being extremely busy with work projects and also being sick, it is now time to catch up on the jar of questions. So in effort to do this I will be answering 2 questions today. I went through the jar and took out the questions that I had answered already and took out the questions that I have no recollection of and questions that I felt were to personal to put out here in blog land. Also questions that were repetitive.I have come up with these two for today.

1. What are your food preferences and how did they come about?

When I was younger I was not picky at all about what I ate, but since I am now older I do have some strong likes(chocolate)and dislikes(absolutely hate blueberries).Some of my favorite foods are enchiladas, fajitas,potatoes,breads,lasagna,steak,but I find that I like foods that fill me up. I am not much of a snack er, but I prefer salty over sweet. I am willing to try different foods, but don't tell me what is in it until I have tried it. Because I have found if there is one ingredient in it I don't care for I won't like it. But if I like it and then I find out what is in it, that doesn't bother me and I will more than likely eat it again and maybe even cook it at home. The second part of the question is how did they come about. I am not sure about that, my guess is that I have always had a sensitive stomach and if something makes it hurt than I shy away from that food. Sometimes I try something a friend loves and find that I don't care for it, I have found out that most of the time there is a item in it I had never tried before and found out I didn't like the combination. For instance I went to a friend's favorite place and tried a burrito, it has lime on the rice. I didn't care for it. The next time I went I had them leave the rice off, I enjoyed the burrito. Whenever I travel I stick to mostly plain or bland foods because I don't want to be sick or have a stomach. I have found out recently that I have a lactose intolerance problem. Something that I have probably had all my life. I can have some dairy products but not all. But another quirky thing that I have found out is that when I was younger, I was picky about how things looked,such as Chinese food, I wouldn't eat it when I was young, But now I love Chinese food. When I was younger I like spicy food but now it burns my lips so I don't eat it too spicy.

2. Describe your wedding day.
Talk about going in a totally different direction from food to a wedding day.
My wedding day was an interesting day, I arrived at the church early to get ready. Before getting ready I met my future husband sister Teresa, I hadn't met her before Duane and I dated for 4 years were engaged for an year, I had met his brother and his family but not his sister's, then someone came to me and asked about how to make the punch. I thought this was kind of funny at the time. Here I was suppose to be getting ready to get married and I was dealing with little things. I had done my own hair and since I didn't really wear a lot of make-up I did my own make-up my mother and maid of honor helped me get my dress on, then the photographer took pictures of me and the flower girl. We had done a rehearsal the day before so I was prepared. As the guys were getting their tuxes on, one of the groomsmen had gotten a shirt that was meant for a boy. I worked for this particular tuxedo shop. So I called and a new shirt was rushed over to the church. Even though this was a glitch the wedding started on time, I had a friend from New Mexico as one of my bridesmaids, 3 friends from Utah and one of them had been a roommate she was my maid of honor. My younger brother was one of the groomsmen,we had a friend's little girl be our flower girl, I still have contact with all of these friends and families. My cousin David from Illinois came with my Aunt Linda and Uncle Larry from New Mexico. My best friend Annette from high school had come even though I wasn't expecting her. Of course my mother came. I remember as I watched the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk down the aisle before me how nervous I was but yet how calm I was. My Uncle Larry walked me down the aisle, as we were walking down the aisle he kept reassuring me that I wasn't going to fall. I was worried because my dress was long. One thing that still stands out in my mind is when the minister asked if I took this man to be my husband, I hesitated.(We are divorced now maybe I should have hesitated longer). Our reception was held downstairs at the church so after picture taking we went downstairs to the reception. We only had cake nuts and mints with punch served. It was a low keyed wedding and reception. I was glad. Some of the other people involved in the wedding ceremony and reception were, Jean (she was an young women advisor in New Mexico) who at that time was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, she sang at the wedding. My laurel advisor when I was younger in New Mexico played the piano at our reception. My Aunt Linda made the mints for the reception. My friend from high school so graciously helped serve cake and punch to our guests, my first Sunday School teacher and her family drove from Idaho Falls to attend our wedding. I met lots of Duane relatives and friends that day. Do I remember any of them, not really, but I am glad that they helped us celebrate our wedding. I have some beautiful pictures from a beautiful day. The weather was sunny and warm. We had originally planned for a outdoor wedding, but in Utah it is common for the weather to still be snowy in the early May days. So we decided not to take the chance and got married in the Presbyterian church.

Birth Order......Does it mean anything?

Question: How do you like being the oldest, youngest, or middle child?
Before I answered this question, I went and did a little research on what experts says about birth order.

Birth order is defined as a person's rank by the sequence of birth among his or her siblings. Birth order is commonly believed to have a profound and lasting effect on psychological development. Although this assertion has been repeatedly challenged by researchers, birth order continues to have a strong presence in pop psychology and popular culture.

Before I tell you my birth order, I took a few quizzes that I could find, they asked simple questions, after responding to 3 different quizzes and being told that I am most likely a first born, I have to laugh because, I am not a first born. I am a xxxxxx child, and on top of that an only girl. But I guess if you look at the birth order of me as a cousin or grandchild then yes I am a first born granddaughter and neice. I am the oldest girl in the family. How do I feel about it, well as I told my friend the other day when this question came up. I enjoyed being the only girl because I got alot of attention because of it. I was a daddy's girl. In case you haven't figured it out yet.,,, I AM AN MIDDLE CHILD> I don't like being a middle child in the sense of I have two brothers and when I was younger if my older brother got good grades I was expected to do the same. My younger brother has some learning disablities so he didnt have to get good grades he just had to do the best he could. Even though I was the middle child, It was expected of me to still be the responsible one. I was the first one to get a job as a teenager. While my brothers were not encouraged to do so. If I wanted spending money I had to earn it. I hated that my brothers didn't get along so I always had to sit between them so they would leave each other alone. Never got to sit by a window in the car.... Now that I am a mother of an ONLY child, I kind of wished that I was one of them. She pretty much has had an easy life and all the attention from her grandmother, and uncles and my aunts and uncles. Of course that is just from my side of the family, on her father's side she is the youngest grandchild and cousin. So she still gets the attention. Now I wonder what affect it has on a marriage when a middle child (me) marries and youngest child (him). If any ?????????????? Something to think about.My ex-husband is an youngest child in a family with 3 children also.
Picture of my family
pictures of me and my brothers, in my designated spot between them.

The Most Wonderful Thing

Here is the question from Jar
What is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to you?
Well I would have to say, the most wonderful thing is that I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in May 1974. I had always been one of those children that got on a church bus every Sunday that came to my home and picked me up. Even though I attended church my family didnt once in awhile my brothers and cousin would go but I always went. I just wanted some peace in my young childhood years. I felt safe at church. When we moved to Albquerque NM I was a 13 yr old girl who wasn't happy. I went to church but even then that wasn't making me happy anymore. The church I was going to kept saying they were the only Bible believing church on earth. I knew that other churches believed in the bible. I remember being taught bible stories from all of them. The summer after we moved to New Mexico, I went back to Illinois to spend the summer with my Aunt Sharon and her family. I spent the summer there and attended church. I don't remember which one, all I remember is that a church bus came by and picked me and my cousins up. We went to church while my Aunt and Uncle slept in. Some things happened that summer that changed my life. When I rode the Greyhound bus back to New Mexico I met a girl my age who was reading a teen magazine we started talking. She was talking about the Osmond Brothers, I hadn't heard about them but knew alot about the Jackson Five family, she mentioned that the Osmonds were LDS (of course she used the word MORMON). I didnt think much about that until later. I was in high school. The word MORMON kept coming into my mind so, I went to the library and looked up the word. I wanted to know what a Mormon was. All I found out was the Joseph Smith story. I was confused. I spoke to a friend in my english class and he told me that he was taking the mormon discussions, I was curious so that evening I went over while the missionaries were teaching them. What is ironic about this is... I to this day do not know if him or his family ever joined. They moved to Chicago before they finished the discussions. I finshed taking the discussions at another friend's house. I was baptized. I have been a member since, not always active. I lived in Utah in 1980 for about 4 years the first time met lots of members and enjoyed living there. I met my ex-husband there he is not a member. We got married in May 1984. We divorced in 1987. My daughter was baptized when she was 8, she isnt active anymore.
I feel like if I hadn't joined the LDS church when I did I would not be here today. I have had lots of blessings because of my membership in this church. I finally felt like there is a reason to live. Because of the church there have been many other wonderful things in my life. My daughter being one of the most important thing. My knowledge of knowing that someday I will see my mother again. No matter how much crap happens in my life, I Know that my Heavenly Father lives and loves me.

1 year older and 1 year wiser

There is a new thing that I was enlighten about. On your birthday you are suppose to name some things that you want to accomplish before your next birthday. The catch is it is suppose to be in the amount of your age (for instance if you are 25 it should be 25) Well I am well over 25 and I am not sure I can come up with as many as I have to. But hey I will try. LOL Now to come up with 53 things I want to do. I might to even have to make some up.It is suppose to be fun right. I also don't want it to cost me alot of $$$$

1. Visit Utah again
2. Scrapbook at least once a week
3. Go for a walk everyday. (waiting on snow and cold to go away)
4. Read a book a month of my choice. (so that would be twelve books)
5. Pay in full one bill (yes this is something I want to do)
6. Answer one question a week from Family History Jar
7. Work on Family History
8. Attend Temple once a month (closest one in Omaha)
9. Send missionaries a referral to teach gospel to.
10. Go camping at least 3 times this summer.
11. Spend more time outdoors
12. Go to see 3 movies (only went to 2 last year. Had to go to Utah for that)
13. Get a pedicure
14. Buy a new dress
15. Go on a date. (he has to be member of church)
16. Plan a trip to Disneyland and save to go in 2012
17. Cook a meal once a week that is healthy, fruits, veggies
18. Try a new receipe.
19. Take a photography class through community classes
20. Learn about another culture
21. Get in touch with an old friend from younger years
22. Bear testimony in Church at least once
23. Do a random act of kindness every Month.
24. Lose 10 lbs and keep it off
25. Get to know 1 family better at church
26. Organize my bedroom
27. De-clutter apartment
28. Start working on Christmas presents for friends, and daughter
29. Plan a 25th Birthday Party for my daughter
30. Plan a tropical get away for my 55th birthday. (now I am stretching it)
31. Take more pictures of myself and like them.
32. Have people over for dinner
33. Plan a budget
34. Laugh more
35. Refinish Picnic Table
36. Learn to read music
37. Listen to uplifting music
38. Read the Ensign every month
39. Do VT every month
40. Only 13 more things to come up with (lol)
41. Wake up a half hour earlier everyday so I have time to read scriptures.
42. Smile more
43. Prepare Primary Lessons earlier
44. Write in Journal more
45. Read patrichal blessing often
46. Study Scriptures more (Guess What Stacee)
47. Eat Less Chocolate
48. Continue to drink less coke
49. Think more of others
50. Be happier
51. Visit every child in primary personally
52. Go grocery shopping more (I hate this so much I avoid it)
53. Never do this again. (LOL)

Okay seriously I didn't realize how hard it is to think of 53 things that I want to do. I know some turned out to be goals I had already started in Janruary but I need to work on them more. I read my blog often to see where I am on my goals, so now I can see what I want to accomplish in the next year. I think we as people don't feel we deserve to do the things we like. Most of us spend more time doing for other's than ourselves, It is okay if we are happy too. If I accomplish at least 25 of these I will be happier and smiling more and laughing. So maybe it was good that I had to think about what I wanted this year. Love all my family and friends, but most of all I love my Father in Heaven and the many blessings he has given me. I have had some challenges this past couple of weeks but thanks to a few friends and their continous love for me I know that I am loved and it will soon pass. Love you Stacee and Tara.

Question from outside of jar, today

THINKING OF SPRING..............DID THE GROUNDHOG SEE HIS SHADOW? OR NOT ? and what does that even mean?


Sitting here at the computer today, WHY ? because we had a blizzard here in the area, I was unable to drive the 37 miles to work due to blowing snow, the plows were pulled off highways yesterday and had not been able to keep up with the blowing snow drifts. It seems that as soon as they plowed the wind just blew the snow right back. I drive 2 lane highways for 14 miles and then am able to get unto a freeway, which is a ice skating rink today. With all the blowing snow in the dark I was unable to safely stay on roads,So needless to say after a valiant try, I came back home.

The other day I was reading a blog. The question on their was are you an introvert or and extrovert? Now I am not a dumb person and I know the meanings of these words, but just to be sure I went to dictionary.com (recommended to me by a friend, because sometimes big words intimdate me.) and looked up both of these words.

in·tro·vert   /n., adj. ˈɪntrəˌvɜrt; v. ˌɪntrəˈvɜrt/ Show Spelled
[n., adj. in-truh-vurt; v. in-truh-vurt] Show IPA

–noun
1. a shy person.
2. Psychology . a person characterized by concern primarily with his or her own thoughts and feelings ( opposed to extrovert).
3. Zoology . a part that is or can be introverted.
–adjective
4. Psychology . marked by introversion.
–verb (used with object)
5. to turn inward: to introvert one's anger.
6. Psychology . to direct (the mind, one's interest, etc.) partly to things within the self.
7. Anatomy, Zoology . to turn (a hollow, cylindrical structure) in on itself; invaginate.

ex·tro·vert   /ˈɛkstrəˌvɜrt, -stroʊ-/ Show Spelled
[ek-struh-vurt, -stroh-] Show IPA

–noun
1. an outgoing, gregarious person.
2. Psychology . a person characterized by extroversion; a person concerned primarily with the physical and social environment ( opposed to introvert).
–adjective
3. Also, ex·tro·vert·ed. Psychology . marked by extroversion.
–verb (used with object)
4. Psychology . to direct (the mind, one's interest, etc.) outward or to things outside the self.

I can not explain the thoughts as well as the person on the blog so I thought I would copy and paste.

She was reading from a book, It’s called “The Introvert Advantage,” by Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D. I thought it might be interesting to learn more and see how many of you are introverts and how many are extroverts.

The most surprising fact I learned in the book was the statistic that 75% of the people in the world are extroverts. The author states that because ¾ of all people are extroverts, the introverts tend to feel there is something wrong with them and may desire to be extroverts because extroverts seem to be valued more in our society.
“Introversion is at its root a type of temperament. It is not the same as shyness or having a withdrawn personality, and it is not pathological. It is also not something you can change. But you can learn to work with it, not against it.

The strongest distinguishing characteristic of introverts is their energy source: Introverts draw energy from their internal world of ideas, emotions, and impressions. They are energy conservers. They can be easily over stimulated by the external world, experiencing the uncomfortable feeling of ‘too much.’ This can feel like antsyness or torpor. In either case, they need to limit their social experiences so they don’t get drained. However, introverts need to balance their alone time with outside time, or they can lose other perspectives and connections. Introverted people who balance their energy have perseverance and the ability to think independently, focus deeply and work creatively.


What are the most obvious characteristics of extroverts? They are energized by the external world—by activities, people, places, and things. They are energy spenders. Long periods of hanging out, internal contemplation, or being alone or with just one other person under stimulate them. However, extroverts need to balance their time doing with intervals of just being, or they can lose themselves in a whirlwind of anxious activities. Extroverts offer much to our society—they express themselves easily, they concentrate on results and they enjoy crowds and action.” (“The Introvert Advantage,” by Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D. page, 19-20.)


The author of the book is an introvert married to an extravert, so she covers relationships, parenting, socializing, the workplace, many coping strategies, ideas on how to manage your energy and tips for thriving in an extrovert world. The book helped me accept and appreciate myself more and offered many ideas and techniques on how to make the most of my life being an Introvert so I can celebrate my introvert advantage.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? (Thanks Kathy)

So guess what I am an introvert. I like being that most of the time.Does that mean I don't want to be an extrovert sometimes, Not at all, I would love to just be able to enjoy a social event without being nervous or seem standoffish (is that even a word?) or a joker (because that is how I handle being nervous). I was visiting a friend a few months ago. I went to her quilting group with her, there were maybe 8 other women I didnt know, doing something they enjoy that I have never had the desire to do ( I enjoy looking at quilts but to make one, NEVER) after we left and were eating lunch my friend thanked me for going. (I enjoyed it Stacee.) She then said I know you were out of your comfort zone. How right she was. But you know what it didnt hurt me. I survived because I was with a friend and it was good to see the things she enjoys and her talents.

Some days I sit back and reflect on the things that have happened during my life and the lessons I have learned from them. I have been wondering lately about the the things I have learned since I have been called to Primary President in our small branch. I feel sometimes I was called to this position to help me more than I am helping the children. Amazing how much I have to learn. Of course there are times when I feel like I know more than I thought. (As my friend would say, I had a Ah HA moment). Well I don't want anyone to not have the opportunity to enjoy our lovely scenic weather with me. So here is a picture of what it looks like today. Now that the wind has stopped blowing......

this is how the cars looked this morning when I left for work. I had a two foot snowdrift on the driver's side of my car. It sure was cold cleaning it off.

Movies Movies Movies

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MOVIES? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE AND WHY?

I bet I don't even have to answer this one for my friends... Everyone knows my favorite movie is WIZARD OF OZ. It was the first movie I ever remember seeing and just falling in love with it, enough that I have managed to watch it every year when it came on TV. Now that cable and satellite show it so often I haven't made a point to watch it every time it is on TV. We own 3 copies of it 1 on vhs and 2 copies on dvd. I do however watch it at least once a year sometimes more.
I have many wizard of oz knick knacks. I even own Dept 56 wizard of oz scenes. My favorite characters are the Scarecrow and Tinman. I never really liked the lion. He seemed too wimpy for me.
Another one of my favorite movies is SOUND OF MUSIC. I love the music.
The one movie I enjoy is The King and I. But not for the reason most people think. One year it was on TV and my daughter and I watched it. It was the first time I had ever seen the whole movie, I had always only seen parts of the movie. Melissa watched the movie intently when the king died at the end Melissa told me that she was mad at me. I asked her why and in her little 3 yr old words said "You made me like a sad movie" I laughed at that because one thing you have to know about my daughter is that she will watch tv 24 hrs 7 days a week if she didnt have to work or sleep. I like many different types of movies. I like to go to a theatre to watch movies for the popcorn, I am not sure what it is about movie popcorn...YUMMY

Almost the end of January ....time for a new post

Well I have procrastinated enough. It is time to start keeping caught up on the blog.
So question of week is??????? WHAT DO YOU DREAM ABOUT BECOMING IN THE FUTURE?
Well this might have been a good question for me when I was younger? I had always wanted to work with children, I feel like this is because as a child I had to grow up fast. So what do I do now? I work everyday with beautiful children as a pre-k teacher. I love my job most of the time. Well let's rephrase that I love the children it is the adults that I like most of the time. I have the privilege of teaching the 4 & 5 year olds, getting them ready to attend kindergarten.
But I have worked with children from the age of 6 weeks to 12 year olds. So I guess the question can be "What do I dream about becoming now that I have accomplished my original plan?" Well I guess now I would like to be a grandmother, but I am willing to wait until my daughter is ready to have a child and be able to support a child. So if I can't be a grandma for awhile I would like to just be happier with what I have now.

Welcome to the New Year 2011

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. We did here at the old homefront in Iowa.

We spend our days trying to deceide what we want to accomplish in the new year. I am no different than anyone else in that respect. Everyone wishes each other a happy New year. Having a happy new year depends on us as human being.
I just would like 2011 to be smoother one.
I dont usually make New Year resolutions mainly because I don't do them. Yes I have resolve to lose weight, exercise more, well................ I did lose some weight but gained it all back I am sure, I tried exercising more but.... I have thought alot about what would make me happy and I have come to the conclusion that not making resolutions and setting myself up for failure would be one thing.

We received lots of homemade goodies from friends and families of the children I teach during the week. Needless to say I am SUGARED OUT, since I don't usually eat alot of sweets. This has caused me not to feel well these last few days or so. I know that I can give up sugar (or at least most of it). So this goal will be easier for me to achieve. I am going to cut back on sugar intake.
One other thing that I have deceided to try for this year is to believe in myself and my talents more. (stop second guessing if what I am doing is good enough for others) Just be happy...


I have deceided that I want to read the scriptures on a regular basis and to study them and know the stories that are in them.
I got to go to the temple in Provo and do the temple work for my mother. I would like to attend the temple more. Try to balance my activities with what I have to do with what I want to do. For instance I have to work but that is not all I have to do. I need to do primary things but not all the time. Do more of what I like to do, scrapbooking, reading, listening to music, watch some movies I have but havent watched yet,spend time with my friends (yes I do have some of them).
I will resume answering personal history questions on the next post.