The First of 30 Posts This Month!

I'll be posting every day this month if I live up to my goal!

Finally! Another Post!

I finally posted at homebodyjane.blogspot.com, my private blog.

New Post at Homebody Jane

Nanette suggested I post on this blog when I've posted on my private blog.

She said she's seen other people do that.

Hope it helps!

New Blog

I've decided to start over with a new blog.
For now it's not private.
My mom and grandma always said a change is as good as a rest.
I hope changing to a no sugar diet tomorrow is restful!
Anyway, I'm still designing my blog but it is:

homebodyjane.blogspot.com

Mercies of the Tender Type

I have an amazing visiting teacher who always asks me,

"Did you write that down?"

when I tell her something,

so Jen, this one's for you!

I have been blessed with many tender mercies

and I know I don't always recognize them.

But in the last week I have had three.

I received a card in the mail

from a dear friend and neighbor

who has been across the country

helping her son and grandkids

for about five weeks.

She wrote to me that

I had been on her mind

and went on to tell me

the things she loved and

appreciated about me.

Little did she know that I was

depressed and struggling with doubt

about the things she was so kind about.

Heavenly Father knew though.

I am our ward's music chairman

and am responsible for musical numbers.

The ward choir wasn't able to perform

as they usually do the third Sunday

and I struggled to find a replacement number.

I felt strongly that

"Consider the Lilies of the Field"

should be presented.

I ran out of time to find a soloist

so I began to practice the song

myself as a piano solo, but started to get sick.

In the end there was no special number

and I was really disappointed.

I had previously asked a woman in the ward

to perform the 4th Sunday.

She called on Tuesday to tell me that

she will be playing

"Consider the Lilies of the Field".

Maybe I'll never know why this song

needs to be played.

Maybe it's for me!

Yesterday Nick came to tell me

that a woman and her father

were at our door.

I've never met this woman,

but I recently talked to her on the phone.

Her mom is a neighbor and is dying.

My mom and I were her

visiting teachers for many years.

I didn't go downstairs to talk

because I was a mess;

coughing up a storm
(see previous post)

and letting the adversary

get to me about my self worth.

Nick went back and told them

I was sorry but I was sick

in bed with pneumonia.

She sent back a message

to get better and

"I feel the Spirit in your home."

Immediately my spirits lifted.

She was an angel and a tender mercy.

PneUmonia

(Sung to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
Warning: composed at 5 AM while on many medicines.

Not responsible for possible gagging and other negative

effects brought on by reading this!)

Pneu (new), pneu, pneu-monia,

in my lungs you stink!

Cough, cough, cough, cough,

time to get a drink.

Cough, hack, hack, and cough,

why am I awake?

Especially since my cough medicine

with codeine I did take.

(I warned you!)

My Nick

My little Nickle Pickle

received

the Melchizedek Priesthood

on Sunday

and became

an Elder.

He also received his
Duty to God Award
which is a YM award
that you have to earn
as a Deacon, Teacher & Priest
in order to get the award.

He has met his goals of
Eagle Scout,
Duty to God,
and Elder
in the last few months
and is working
on more big goals.

I am so proud of my
not so little Nick.
His struggles have made him
so compassionate and kind,
non-judgemental and strong.

This is for you Nick:

Future Mozarts

We had all three grandsons at our house for a few days this week and had a lot of fun with them. I found that one great way to keep them entertained, especially Braiden, was to put them in front of the piano.

Notice the matching shirts. One of the things I enjoy doing as a Nana is shopping for matching clothes. Now that we found out that Nanette is expecting another boy, the challenge will be to find matching clothes for 4 boys!

GoaLs

Okay, it's obvious that blogging everyday, or even weekly isn't one of my goals this year.


But, even though it is already February and I haven't written my goals down, I have been working on them.


My plan was to work on my weight just like a lot of people do and I thought I had found a fun way to motivate myself. The boys already have a Wii so I bought Wii Fit which would entice me with the challenge of playing games and unlocking new levels. Well, the day the Wii Fit came in the mail I went grocery shopping for the first time since being in the hospital and as I was carrying in the groceries I had severe chest pains like I was having a heart attack again. Another echocardiogram showed that the fluid was still around my heart; no change. I was told to do nothing that would raise my heart rate. No Wii Fit. My kids assure me it is a lot of fun!


Luckily, I had already decided to exercise my spiritual and mental self also.


Nanette and the boys came to visit while Chris was in Alabama on a business trip and Ethan was excited to tell me about his first week in Sunbeams. I can't believe he's 3 and goes to Sunbeams now! Anyway, he was singing me the first couple of lines to the song "I Know That My Savior Loves Me" that he had learned in singing time. It was so precious in his pure, innocent voice. I decided to try and look it up on the Internet. That led me to my new favorite website: sugardoodle.net . It is an LDS website that has a little bit of everything, no matter what your calling is. The 10 random things under the OTHER tab in January inspired my goals for the year.

1. Keep learning by completing free online classes from BYU. Right now I'm doing a Book of Mormon class. There is no credit for the class, but I've enjoyed the help it has given in studying, not just reading the scriptures. I'm interested in the creative writing, speed reading and gardening classes among others. There's even a bowling one that might help me improve my game in the future!



2. As far as scripture reading, I want to read all of the standard works this year. My favorite way to do this is using myldsscripturetools.com to set up a schedule. I'm ahead of schedule because of all of my down time right now, but I admit that I am listening to the Old Testament and then going back and reading the JST. I downloaded the mp3 files from LDS.org and listen while I crochet.



3. Our relief society presidency gave us the goal to read all of the talks from last General Conference before the next General Conference so I've been working on that.



4. I have always liked to write and I actually a novel half written, but I've put that one aside because I have a new idea. I would like to start and finish an LDS fiction novel this year. There are some great tools on the Internet now to help writers like mindmeister.com that lets you map out your ideas.
   


5. I will wake up everyday and say out loud, "This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." (See Psalm 118:24) Veggie Tales tuned me into this scripture with an uplifting song.

Those are my main goals for this year. Did you notice that I didn't put eating peanut butter cups every day Brooke? That one backfired on me and I have the 10 pounds to show for it!

The Case of the White Mini-Van

When: Christmas Eve afternoon

Where: Lee's Grocery Store

Who: Kent and I

What: Kent and I were in the check out line almost ready to pay, when I remembered some needed items. I asked him to pay and then take the groceries to the van and I would just get back in line because the store was packed. It didn't take me too long and soon I was going out the front doors of the store. Right in front of me was a white mini-van. I assumed it was Kent. I opened the passenger door and tried to climb in but the van kept moving! I thought, "How rude! What is he doing?" I looked up to see a strange man in the driver's seat. He said, "Wrong van!" I mumbled, "Sorry, ours is white too," as I backed away and he inched forward in the line that was in front of the store! Then I realized that I had no idea where Kent was parked because he had dropped me off because there was no where to park. I walked around the parking lot with a red face and a stupid smirk on my face until I finally found Kent and could tell him what happened. I'm sure the guy in the van was laughing his head off or writing to his friends on Facebook about the crazy lady at Lee's! Have you ever noticed how many white mini-vans there are?