1. Being Preparedness Specialist, I get to research and write about one of my favorite things, food. Yup, I've been obsessed with the acquisition, storage, preparation, and consumption of food for a long time. Now I have a captive audience with whom to teach everything I've learned. Anyway...I also get to make movies. Well...they are more like powerpoint presentations, but they are my movies nonetheless. I've done this a lot in the past with my little school so it doesn't take a lot of time once I get the idea ironed out in my head. Here's one I made last week.
2. Challenging two grandchildren, Cole and Gayle, to read the Book of Mormon this year, since they both will be eligible to be baptized on their next birthdays. Along with this challenge I sent them a Book of Mormon with audio CDs. Next year, I'll give them the challenge to read the Bible in 2 years with audio CDs. If they actually follow through, they will be blessed in so many ways. Immersing yourself in the Word of God, you allow the Spirit to testify of God in your heart and mind. Getting close to God and the Spirit, you allow them to refine your character. Also, reading the Bible in the King James Version and the Book of Mormon in its original beautiful language, you allow your intellect to enlarge. They will be able to read any great literature after that.
3. Sent Samantha a fun DVD, Follow Jade! Learn Chinese: Let's Visit Chinese Kindergarten. She is enrolled in a Mandarin Immersion program next year. This might make the transition less traumatic for her. She is smart as a whip. Hopefully, this language program will keep her challenged in school. The family is also hoping to get a piano soon.
4. Project Joy and Search for the Silver Lining are changing my inner climate. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Proverbs 17:22 "I am asking that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we “accentuate the positive.” I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his course. What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears." Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign July, 2011
5. Family in Seattle report the snow and freezing rain are amazing. I remember one Wild Day with my boys. We couldn't get the car open so instead headed down the hill to explore Soos Creek trail. It was like a sparkling fairy garden. Sometimes the most unusual situations spawn the best memories.
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| From inside the car, window rolled down. |
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| Doors frozen shut with thick ice. |
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| Unusual snowfall in Seattle |
