Exciting News!!!

I thought I would tell all of you, that we are going to have a new great-granddaughter in April. Crystal found out today that it was a GIRL Judy is over the moon and I and Poppi were happy. Jess wanted a girl really bad, so everyone got their wish. Also I will tell all of you that grandpa's eye surgery was postponed today, because of the SNOW! It came in the middle of the morning around two or three, and it was really cold. They had a big pile up on the I-5 at Goshen and stopped both lanes of traffic, so we couldn't get in, nor could the doctor, so they cancelled all of the surgeries today:-( Dad was really upset, now we have to dilate that eye for another week and do all of the pre opp all over. It is a pain for him, and me also, and who knows when they will be able to do it on the schedule. Dad has the hip surgery on the 7th of December and Tuesdays are the day for eye surgery. I will keep you posted. Hope you all have a safe trip down and that your Thanksgiving is delicious and Happy. We should be able to go to Vancouver tomorrow, it will be cold, tonight is supposed to be a low of 17, brr! but no snow, the road will probably be slick in places but they will keep it well sanded so it should be safe. Love to you all and God Bless

My Busy Life and Recent Struggles

I have been going to post for awhile, but haven't had the time. Life is too busy and things are too much of a struggle. I need to focus on more of the what I have and my blessings. But lately it seems as if I can't control any of my time. I got to go to TOFW and it was wonderful! But I came home and then everything started to happen, and the faster I run the slower I get. I loved our conference broadcast we had and I have loved church recently. I haven't been able to go to my quilting group for a long time, why you may ask, and I will tell you, listen and learn HA! My husband Ed has been dragging me from one appointment to another and a lot of them are on Tue, (my quilting day) which I resent but this isn't his fault as the doctors seem to schedule all surgeries on Tue. He can't go alone, as he can't really remember a lot of things they tell him and if he does he doesn't always get it right. What is he doing you ask? He had cataract surgery on last Tue, and a pre opp for that, plus two appointments to get ready for the surgery. He can't drive because his eye is dilated. Now we have to get ready to have hip replacement surgery on December seventh, and he has had to give his blood to get ready for that, not once but twice, as they need two units in case he needs it during the surgery. Today we went back to the eye doctor and on the 23rd of November he is having the right eye done. So we start all over again, and another week of eye drops four times a day, and watching him like a hawk so he doesn't bend down or lift anything, which is a chore for Ed Cook and a big job for me. We have another pre-opp appointment for the hip not to mention the one we had today, plus the eye doctor, so do you get the PICTURE? I am going CRAZY!!! I am not complaining mind you just explaining why I haven't posted lately. I love him dearly, but he just wants to get this all done asap and it is hard on us. When he goes to give blood, he needs a meal that contains a lot of beef and potatoes, etc, and the last time I almost forgot, so next week I think we will go out to Sizzlers so he can get a steak and a baked potato, sounds like a great idea to me. Hence I forgot to send Amy a b-day card and I didn't get Halloween cards off to the great ones, oh well maybe next year. I hope for Christmas. We are going to Judy's for Thanksgiving, which will seem strange without Ed Jr, but it is what it is. I forgot to mention that sometime around mid September Abe moved into the trailer, and he had surgery on his ankle, and I had him to take care of for a few days, but he is on crutches for two more weeks and gets around well, and is in and out now. Judy came down for a visit with us and stayed for three days right after he was operated on. He has a pretty good job now and is busy with that and a girlfriend also which keeps him busy. He has a good friend that drives him around, so we don't have that chore thank goodness. You can't drive with a cast or a boot on your foot or leg. Besides it is his right leg. I love you all and pray you have a wonderful reunion on Thanksgiving. I appreciate all of your posts and so enjoy all of the pictures. God bless and keep you Hugs and Kisses to all

I thought I would announce to all of you that Crystal and Jess are going to be parents, sometime in April next year. Which means that Judy and Ed will be grandparents and grandpa and I get to be even greater grandparents. Nicole is over the moon and I don't know how Abe feels yet. I thought this was great news indeed. Love to you all

Mountains

Sometimes life gives you some lemons and you can make lemonade, however every once in awhile it gives you a mountain that seems impossible to get over or around, so we have to count on God to help us, or carry us over. I am at that point at this time, and it is because of something I have no control at all. I have prayed for peace and serenity to accept the things I cannot change, but it is hard to accept things you cannot understand. I have loved and accepted all of my children and grandchildren and the great new little ones. I consider myself to be a broadminded person, with a lot of compassion for people and loved ones, but when someone you love and have loved so much takes a road that is a road or a path you do not understand or find hard to accept, it becomes an impossible task. I have read what the church has said about the situation and I still am in the most difficult place in life, that I don't know what path I am to follow. I do know that my job as a parent is to love with a Christ like love and support of the person involved, however I find myself wondering about my ability to do this and make no judgement and without reservations love the sinner and hate the sin. I think this may come like the song that says I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord, I'll do what you want me to do, but please help me to do what I find so hard . I think by far this has been the hardest year that I have had to live through, and I truly believe we are living in the last days, when men's and womens hearts will fail them. I know that Satan is running rampant over this world at this time. I feel that my heart is truly failing me. I believe this is the time of life when we have to be on guard and do what the Prophet says and read our scriptures, keep all of our covenants and pray so we can stay close to the Lord so that Satan has no power over us, if we aren't constantly on guard with the Lord at our side we will be caught up in the world, and go the way that Satan wants so he can cast us upon the wind and scatter us and we can be lost in just a few moments. My heart hurts for all of the terrible things that have come to pass and cast another family upon the wind to be tossed to and fro, so carelessly upon the earth to where they wonder what their real moral compass is and what path to take, when things have been so mixed up for them these past few years. May we all remember that we are their family, and love and be there for them if they need us. I love and appreciate you all and may our Heavenly Father be always at your side.

Interesting About a Bear

We went home teaching the other evening, and they told us an interesting story. Their front door was all scratched up and the living room window was broken, cracked. They said that they had been in Redmond the first week in May and when they returned they found the damage. Now they live in the cul-de-sec off Bradford road, just a ways from us. They said that there were paw prints on every window in the front of the house including the broken one. They asked the neighbors, and no one had seen anything, but the next door neighbor said a bear had tried to get in their house and the dog had barked at it and scared it. So they say it was a bear, early in the spring there was some talk of a bear seen around, but no one saw him again, and we thought he had gone up the mountains behind the neighborhood. But he must have returned and tried to get into the Petermans house. I suppose he is gone again now, things are settling and no one has seen or heard about him for awhile. They had a lot of bears in Florence last year around this time so I guess they wake up from their hibernating and are hungry so they try to get into garbage cans and any place else they can find food. I think there is only one, and it may be a cub, it seems like the older ones would be afraid to try to come in the houses or garages. O well so much for the excitement of the neighborhood. Catch you all later.

Weather And My Garden

I am hating the cold and the rain. It just doesn't go away, and I am quite sick of it all. It is so hard to get the garden to grow when the nights are so cold! It is supposed to get better, maybe a degree or two warmer next week but the nights are still in the thirties, I heard that this is the coldest May on record. I have some things growing, Pretty lettuce, herbs, chives, and tiny little beans peaking up. If the sun would just shine for a couple of days the beans would be 2 or 3 inches high. A lady gave me three beautiful Roma tomatoes plants the other day at the pool. I am so excited to put them in the ground. Then I plan to plant some pepper plants. Maybe I will try again to grow a yellow squash plant. I am going to grow some onions and garlic. I have a few flowers growing, I want a lot more, just have to get some at the nursery. I am so looking forward to not having to wear a sweater outside, and for sun to shine for days at a time. Enough whining!!!! We stopped at Jake's new house the other day, as he had some plumbing problems and wanted grandpa to help him out, and we were going to Fairy's 80th B-Day party, and so we stopped on the way. Miles is so sweet, and he and Ruby have grown so much since I saw them last. Miles didn't want me to leave, he kept saying he needed me to stay. So cute and so sweet. I am angry, I had posted a lot more and the computer lost it and now it is late and I can't even rem amber what I said. Sometimes I don't know what to think about computers, such a wonderful tool and then they act up and you'd like to hit them with a baseball bat! Oh well I think I was talking about Jake's new house and all of the work he has done and the work he is doing and going to do. I don't envy anyone doing remodeling and that is what he is doing. It will be beautiful when he is done. but it is a lot of time and WORK and MORE WORK. He is like grandpa so talented though and able to do it. Abe and his roommate are planting a big garden out by the pump house, and I am hoping to have a lot of things to freeze and can from there. They are planning to can, I'll have to see it to believe it. I am thinking of not working at the beauty shop so I can do water colors and more quilting, and other things I want to do around here. I want to can more peaches this year, we ate the last jar tonight, and I really will miss having them until they come in this summer. They are delicious and so are the apples only 3 more jars of them left sigh. Well guys the gospel is still true. I loved our Sacrament meeting today, and we had the most wonderful music. Hope yours was as wonderful. Love to all God Bless