November 29th - Another Saturday!

With the holiday week getting everything so messed up, it was fun to have a second Saturday!  I should have cleaned house, but all I really did was some laundry and family history.  I seem to be getting lazier every week!

Late morning, we headed out to the cemetery to put the Christmas greenery on Jason's grave.  It looks nice, although I think I should have added a red bow. 

When we finished at the cemetery, we went to the Duluth Diner for some lunch.  It is always a great place to go. We made a couple of shopping stops on the way home - Bill needed to get a new sprayer for a job this week.  We had tried Hobby Lobby yesterday and Joanne's today.  No luck.  So we finally gave up and went over near the mall to Michael's.  That is where he usually buys them, but had hoped to avoid mall traffic.  As it turned out, it wasn't bad.  And he was able to get what he needed.

Bill went out and mowed up the leaves on the lawn, so that looks good now.  Meanwhile, I was back doing the family history stuff and finishing the laundry.

And that was pretty much our day!

November 28th - Saturday....No, Friday!... Well, it feels like Saturday!!!

Bill actually took off Friday, so he has a long weekend with no work.  It made it seem more like Saturday than Friday.  Besides relaxing and doing as little as possible, we went out for a late lunch at O'Charleys and then went to Hobby Lobby.  We wanted to get some flowers to take down to Jason's grave tomorrow.  Besides, it is a fun store to wander around and it wasn't too terribly busy, so it was actually enjoyable.  We avoided the mall area like the plague!

I spent a good bit of my at home time working on family history.  I will have to finish up on my friend's family in the next day or two, because I have so many other things lurking that need to be addressed.  Doing the research is a lot of fun, though, so I keep saying, "One more day!"

I am not sure what tomorrow will be like, since we already did our Saturday.  It should be fun having two in one week!

November 27th - Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Thanksgiving Day started off quiet and lazy.  I did do a few loads of laundry and I had to make the sweet potatoes for dinner, but otherwise I mostly worked on the genealogy for my friend.  I found more things and had a lot of fun doing it!

In the afternoon, we headed over to Bill's sister Hazel's house for dinner.  Lisa and family came, as well, so there were nine of us for dinner.  We were all able to sit around the one table and we had a great time.  The food was good, but the best part was telling old stories and laughing together.  We really enjoyed it.  It has been a while since we had that kind of day with Hazel, John, and Joy and it turned out wonderful.  The kids had a fun time, too.  Ashby loved the dog and spent a good bit of time on the floor, petting and hugging her.  She also loved all the different doors in the house.  She said it was a "fun" house.  After dinner, they went outside and played in the backyard.  I was afraid they would be bored with no other children and in a place they were unfamiliar with, but they totally enjoyed their day, too.

A good Thanksgiving Day reminds me of so many things to be thankful for.  Life is hard sometimes - but the blessings far outweigh the struggles. Today, we were reminded of family love and the joy of being together and laughing together! 

November 26th - Visiting Teaching Day

Not Family History Center day - it was closed for the holiday week.  So my companion and I made the round of our three sisters.  We have been unable to connect with them this month - way too many conflicts.  So, I bought some small Christmas cactus plants and she provided homemade greeting cards and we delivered one to each of our sisters.  We were even able to come in and visit for a few minutes with two of them.  It always feels good to do the right thing!

When we finished we went to Fusion Asian for some lunch.  We usually go after we finish at the center and we really like going out to lunch, so it was perfect!

On my way home, I had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things that I need to make the sweet potatoes for tomorrow.  Then I relaxed a little before working some more on my friend's family history.  I made a little progress, although I ended up not having much time. 

November 25th - Art Class Make Up Day

Since we didn't do art class last week, we made it up today.  Our project was tissue art and glue and we made a picture of a cornucopia with fruit.  They turned out really nice.  Next week we will outline the figures in black crayon so they will pop out, but we can't do that with wet tissue paper!

When they finished the project, the girls rushed to the Barbie box and were totally immersed in playing when Lisa and Brooks got back.  They had been to the Dollar Store to get things for the Joy school activities next week.  They will be celebrating Brooks' birthday and studying about dinosaurs.  He couldn't wait to show me all the dinosaurs they bought!

I spent the rest of my afternoon working on family history.  I had another friend, who now lives in Utah, ask for some help.  She saw on FaceBook that I had helped someone else the day before, so wondered if I could look at her problem, too.  Hers is a lot more complicated, but I love trying to find the answers.  I found some things, but not enough to really get through the brick wall, so I will try some more tomorrow.  I have not exhausted my possibilities yet!

November 24th - It's Monday - What Else Can One Say?

At least it was not raining today!  Otherwise, it was just a Monday.  That meant the usual straightening up after the weekend, changing the sheets, running out to the store, picking up a prescription, resting in the big chair watching a little TV, etc.  I was actually pretty busy, but it is all such ordinary, boring stuff!

Well, that is except for the family history.  I was contacted by a friend who used to live in my ward who was having a struggle with her family history.  She sent me her user name and helper number so I could go in and see if I could help her.  Turned out that within a few minutes, I had found her problem and was able to report back to her.  We were both very excited!  I think she will be able to go back a couple more generations now.

I also worked a little on both of my presentations for the Family History Fair.  I think I am beginning to get a handle on both.

November 23rd - Love My Sundays!

Today was another wonderful Sunday.  We spent the morning working on lessons, studying, etc.  I also put together everything for dinner.  Since I made a meatloaf, it took a little while, but everything was ready to put in the oven the minute I walked in the door.

My lesson went well.  We talked about submitting the names to the temple and covered a lot of good, basic information. 

The kids had just arrived at the house when we got home, so I quickly got things in the oven.  The meat loaf took longer than I had expected, though, so we ate a little later than usual.  It wasn't that big a deal, but I will try to remember to do meatloaf in even smaller pans next time.

We rented the movie Home Alone and the kids, especially Ashby, got a kick out of it.  She is just about the right age to enjoy all the shenanigans of the robbers and how little Kevin is able to outwit them.  We also had a fire going, as it was such a cool and rainy day.  It was very nice.  Lisa and the kids even roasted some marshmallows once the coals had gotten nice and red.

Our home teachers came by while the kids were still here and we had a nice visit, although a little shorter than usual!  We had little ones running through now and then trying to get attention.  It was really very funny.

It has been a great Sunday - I do love a day like this, even with all that rain!

November 22nd - Fun Day with the Grandkids!

Ashby and Brooks both slept all night and didn't wake up until after 7:00 this morning.  Can't ask for better than that!  Ashby ended up staying in our bed, so I had a snuggler all night.  So sweet!  Brooks is funny - he doesn't just get out of bed in the morning.  He hollers until someone comes to get him.  He does that at home, too.  Anyway, once they were both up, they were anxious to play some more.

Eventually they decided they were hungry and chose to have French toast for breakfast.  We all enjoyed that.  Then it was get dressed and ready for the day.  They were really anxious for Grandpa to take them to the pet store.  They had wanted to go another time a few weeks ago, but Ashby didn't have her shoes.  She pointed out to Grandpa that she had shoes this time, so they needed to go to the pet store.

So, the three of them took off and had a great time at the pet store.  Just as they were about to leave, the dogs and kitties arrived, so they got to pet them, too.  Ashby informed me that there were two kitties who really loved her - they even licked her. 

Back home, they were very involved in their play.  When it came time for lunch, they wanted pizza, so Bill ran out to pick one up.  When you are at Grandma and Grandpa's house, you get whatever you want, you know!

We were just finishing the pizza when Lisa arrived to pick them up.  They were no ready to leave, so she stayed a while and we had a nice chat.  But, after a while, they were ready to go so they could see Daddy.

We had a wonderful spend-the-night with them.  They were both so good. 

Once they all left, we were both pretty tired!  It was a little too windy for Bill to be able to blow the leaves, so he was "forced" to watch football.  I worked on my Family History Fair presentations.  Yes, plural.  They just added a second one, so I will have two to prepare.  The second one will be on using timelines and similar charts to help with research.

November 21st - Spend the Night!

After a rather normal day, Lisa brought the kids over late in the afternoon.  David is out of town on a camping/fishing trip with some friends and Lisa has to present a class at the stake leadership training in the morning, so she needed a place to put the kids.  We decided to have them just spend the night.

What a fun evening with them here!  They wanted mac-and-cheese for dinner, as well as plenty of other snacks.  They played with the Barbies and with the trucks and dinosaurs.  Oh, and of course, Brooks played with the train.  They had a ball playing hide-and-seek with Grandpa.  Then they watched some classic Disney cartoons on Grandpa's tablet.  The three of them were laughing like crazy - and I was laughing at them. 

We finally got ready for bed.  The plan was for the two of them to sleep in the guest bed together.  Brooks has graduated from the crib.  They could hardly wait to get into bed together, but then they just giggled like crazy.  After a few minutes, they got up, ate more snack, and then tried again.  This time Brooks went into bed alone and was asleep almost as soon as had walked out of the room.  Ashby snuggled in bed with me and was asleep be the time I got to the second verse in my scripture reading.  I think Ashby will just sleep in our bed all night with us. 

I then got up, did the things that needed to be done before bed, had a snack, and then climbed back in with my book.  And with Ashby cuddling up close, too.  Best thing ever!

November 20th - No Art Class, But I Still Got Ashby!!

The kids have been fighting a virus over the last week or so.  Ashby got it last and they thought she was better, but during the night she had more coughing and light fever.  So, Lisa called her friend and said it probably wouldn't be a good idea to be exposed during art class.  Ashby still wanted to come to Grandma's house, so Lisa dropped her off and then went out to run some errands.  She came back after Brooks finished Joy School.  Abby was so disappointed to miss another art class, that we just rescheduled it for Monday.  So Ashby just played - mostly with the new Barbie knock-offs that I bought earlier in the week.  She did rest a little and watched some My Little Pony episodes on TV.  Needless to say, it was fun having her here. By the time Lisa and Brooks got back, Ashby was just cuddling in my lap and wanting her back rubbed.  I hope she is better by tomorrow, but she is clearly not herself today. 

When they left, I had some of the usual things to do around the house.  I had three loads of laundry that I had started first thing and needed to finish.  I worked on my May presentation a little, trying to get the format figured out.  Then I will have to teach myself Power Point. 

I got so tired in the late afternoon that I actually went in and took a nap - first one all week, but I guess it finally caught up to me.  It was a very nice nap, I must say!  It even gave me enough energy to actually cook some dinner.

November 19th - A Day of Adventures!

Being Wednesday, this was Family History Center Day.  Being the 3rd Wednesday, it was also Genealogy Study Group.  I picked my friend up and we got to the church about 9:30, so we could start setting things up. 

The meeting went well.  The last part, we divided into two groups to work on computer related things.  Half the group came into the FHC to learn about the Premium Websites.  There were more than 8 people (the number of computers we have), but they shared as we went over the list of sites.  Then they had some time to work on their own.  There were lots of questions and some excited people who found things.  It was definitely not a quiet day for Phyllis and I!

When we finished up at the church, we headed out for lunch at Firehouse Subs.  I love their hot subs!  As we were driving out of the parking lot, a car backed right into the side of my car.  Fortunately, I was driving very slowly or it could have been worse.  As it is there are marks on the passenger side back door where the back of the SUV hit it.  We ended up wasting about 45 minutes while we waited for the police officer to come and prepare the report.  She was at fault, but it is still an irritation.  Hopefully, her insurance will come through quickly.

By the time I got home, it was mid-afternoon.  I had a few things to get done at home and then I was just plain tired!  I relaxed and watched a show and then I was back on the computer.  The rest of the day was pretty ordinary. 

November 18th - Tuesday Shopping

After I had done all the usual stuff around the house, I went out to do a little shopping at Tuesday Morning - seems appropriate!  I went looking for some more tissue paper (better colors) and some small easels for the art show.  I successfully found both, plus a few other things, as well.  It is such a fun store to be in!  I ended up buying some knock-off Barbies to put in the Barbie box here.  I also got a magic kit to give to Ashby for Christmas.  She has been interested in learning tricks lately.  There were several other things, as well.  Fun way to spend an hour or so.

This evening, I met the sister missionaries at the home of a couple who have been investigating the church.  They are a young married couple and have attended several times.  They were interested in getting some help with family history, so that was why I was asked to come.  We had a fun evening, getting them logged in to FamilySearch and teaching them how to add and link people.  His grandfather was a member, so much of his family history is done.  They got so excited when we linked in and they saw it all.  I love doing things like this!

November 17th - Monday, Monday, Monday - What Else Can I Say?

Mondays are always a catch-up day - after the weekend, starting the week, etc.  Today was just the usual Monday.  And it was raining, so that just added to that dreary feeling.  I did the usual routine stuff, getting the house in order, etc.  I worked on my next lesson for the family history class and am now prepared with that.  Plus, several other odds and ends.

We were supposed to go to Empty Nesters this evening, so I made a plate of deviled eggs to take.  It turned out Bill's job was bigger than expected, so he didn't get home until 8:00.  Needless to say, I now have a lot of deviled eggs to eat!

I also ran out in the afternoon to Staples.  I had my bonus coupons, worth a total of $40, that expire in December, so I picked up mostly art stuff for our art class.  It was kind of fun to spend $55 and only have to pay $15! 

So my dreary Monday actually turned out to be a rather fruitful day!  Who knew!!

November 16th - Taught Two Classes Today!

Another great Sunday.  We had our usual quiet Sunday morning, finishing up lessons and relaxing.  I had to work on two lessons, as I substituted in Relief Society, as well as teaching the family history class.  Both went well.  The RS lesson was on prayer and it was easy to get the sisters to do most of the talking.  I tried to focus on slightly different things that normal and it went well.  I think there was a nice spirit there.

Ashby has caught the virus that Brooks had and she is much sicker than he was.  As a result, they didn't come over for dinner.  I had already thawed a salmon, so we went ahead and cooked it - with 3/4 of it left over!  As it turned out, Brooks was climbing the walls after being house-bound for several days, so Lisa and Brooks came over for a while.  It gave Ashby a chance to rest without him bothering her.  It also gave her Daddy's undivided attention.  Brooks wanted to play with Grandpa, so they played with the train set most of the time.  We also made some rice krispie treats, which are his favorite! 

We missed having them all here for dinner, but it was nice to have Lisa and Brooks for a little while anyway.  We sent home some of the left over salmon with her.  At least I won't be throwing so much away.  It is always a day-brightener to have Brooks around - he is such a hoot and keeps us laughing!

November 15th - Saturday is Chore Day and a Little More!

There was a Relief Society Super Saturday today, but I chose not to go.  I am no longer into crafts that much.  They did have a humanitarian project going also, but I guess I was just lazy!  Of course, I didn't just lay around at home, so maybe I wasn't really lazy.

Among other things:  3 loads of laundry, clean the refrigerator, plan Sunday dinner, attend tithing settlement, work on my family history lesson, work on the Relief Society lesson that I have to sub for, cleaned out my emails, answered some family history emails that were a bit overdue, etc..........  I never get a nap!

Bill was home today, too.  I like it when he actually takes a day off from work.  We went over to tithing settlement together and then ran a chore on the way home.  He also took off to do a few other chores, including picking up some things at the grocery store that I didn't get yesterday.  (I buy what he need - he buys the "good stuff.")  He also picked up some wood, so we can have a fire.  This morning was the coldest we have had so far, 27 degrees. 

November 14th - On the Go Today

I started my morning at home, doing laundry, changing sheets, and the other usual things.  I was in the process of emptying the dishwasher when I got a call from one of the sisters in the ward.  She had talked to me at church about getting some help with her family history and I had told her to call when she wanted me to come.  Well, it turned out that today was a good day for her.

So I went on over to her house about noon and we spent the next three hours working on her family history.  She is trying to learn FamilySearch family tree and I think we covered enough there so she can do it on her own now.  She is from Chile, so her research is different than what I am used to doing.  She actually had some good stuff already, but had one line that she needed help with.  We got that added and also found several new documents.  She was very excited! 

On my way home, I stopped at the grocery store and did some shopping.  We were out of the basics like milk, bread, yogurt, and some other things.  I spent about $100 - these days that isn't that many bags of groceries!  Anyway, I got them carried in and put away.

I had just gotten the laundry out of the dryer and the wet load into it when Bill got home.  I hadn't realized I had spent my whole day already!  I worked some on the lesson I have to sub for in Relief Society on Sunday, had a grilled cheese and tomato soup, and relaxed a little before curling up with my book.

It has been a busy day, but a great one.  It is always fun to help people with family history!

November 13th - Art Class

Lisa dropped Ashby and Brooks off.  Abby was sick and couldn't come today.  Brooks has been sick, so she kept him out of joy school today.  She had some errands to run, so the kids stayed here for a few hours.  We had a very fun time!

We did Ashby's art class.  Brooks played with his train and then drew some pictures while Ashby worked on her project.  We did paper weaving today.  She made a Navajo "blanket" and it turned out really cute.  Weaving is one of the skills that first graders are supposed to learn and I am trying to make sure we cover all the criteria.

Ashby chose the sun from the Indian symbols to draw on the center of her blanket.  She is so cute in the picture, as she lost the second front tooth and now is toothless!

When Lisa got back, we had a chance to sit and talk a while.  We have been so busy lately that it had been a while since we just talked, so we both enjoyed it.  The kids were both so good and didn't want to leave yet.  That is always best - leave just before they begin to get bored!  After all, we want them to come back!!

I spent the rest of the afternoon, what was left of it, working on some family history stuff.  I got the pedigree chart and family group sheet ready for the person who had inquired and got it sent to her.  I have some more presentations coming up over the next few months, too, so I did a little work on that.

Bill picked up a pizza on his way home tonight, so that was our dinner.  I had hardly eaten all day, so it was really good! 

November 12th - It's Wednesday, so it must be...... Yup!

I enjoyed my morning at the Family History Center, although there were no patrons again.  I always take something to work on, though, so I keep very busy.  Plus, Phyllis and I love to talk, so that takes a bit of time, as well.  LOL!

This afternoon, I mostly worked on some family history.  I discovered that I had received a message on Ancestry a while back and I had not responded, so I spent the rest of my time checking out the person she asked about, trying to make sure everything was in order.  I will have to finish it up tomorrow, though, as there are several generations involved.  It is always fun to just focus on my family history, though.  That is one thing about this calling - I spend so much time doing other family things that my own research has suffered.

Bill went home teaching this evening, so I relaxed and watched a little TV.  Something from Amazon Prime again.  Then I headed to bed to read.

Great day!

November 11th - Veterans Day!

Veterans Day was such a big deal when I was a kid.  I am glad that it seems to be getting more recognition the last few years.  I am certainly grateful for all who have served, including my husband, my uncle, my grandfather, my brother, and many others in the family. 

Today was another stay-at-home day for me, but I did keep busy.  I had one of the women from church come over to get a little help with family history.  Our youth went to the temple this evening and her daughter was going for the first time.  She had gotten permission to take the names of her husband's two grandmothers, but needed to get the cards prepared.  We managed to get it done for her and she was able to go to the temple with her daughter to see her get baptized for two of her great-grandmothers.  Very nice.

I also spent a good bit of my time working on some of the presentations I have coming up.  The biggest one is not until May, but it will be at a Family History Fair and people will expect me to know what I am talking about, plus I will need to have a good power point to go with it.  It is on Finding Your Female Ancestors.  I am still in the research stage, although I have a lot of good information now that I need to study in depth. 

Bill went with the youth to the temple this evening, so I relaxed, had some popcorn, and watched the rest of Bleak House.  Now I will have to find another program to watch. 

November 10th - Recovery!

We had such a great weekend with Connie and Jack, but I was sure tired today!  I did all the laundry that I had ignored on Saturday, so that kept me pretty busy - 5 loads.  I had some computer things that needed to be worked on.  Plus, all the usual stuff.

By early afternoon, I was spent.  So today I took a rather long nap and enjoyed every second of it!  When I lie down to nap, I usually read for a bit and then fall asleep; today I didn't even bother to read!

In other words, I didn't do anything worth writing about today, although I did everything done that I had planned to do.  I guess that makes for a successful day!

November 9th - Sunday with Connie and Jack

This was our last day having Connie and Jack visiting with us.  We all slept in and when we were finally all up and showered, Bill fixed us eggs and grits for brunch.  We never stop talking so it is not hard to fill a morning!

They went to church with us, which was fun.  I loved introducing them to my church friends - most of my closest friends have heard about my college roommates and they enjoyed meeting one of them! 

I had my family history class, but the number attending was down today, but we still spent the time answering questions and doing some things in FamilySearch.  They are getting to know better how to do things.

From church, we went straight to the hotel so they could get checked in and relax a little before they start the week of the welding convention.  Jack thought there was a reception Sunday evening; Connie disagreed.  Either way, they made it to the hotel and were able to do whatever it turned out they needed to do!  It was such a fun weekend with them.

When we got back home, I had time to get a quick bite and then had to take off again for a stake family history meeting.  Our meeting part only takes about half an hour, then I led the training on FamilySearch.  We have several new consultants who are not familiar with it, plus we had a couple of people from the community who came, as well.  It went pretty well, I think.  They "voted" to have me continue the discussion at our next meeting in January.

November 8th - Such a Fun Day!

We all slept in this morning.  Once everyone was up and showered and had eaten something for breakfast, we drove up to Helen.  Jack had never really seen anything in Georgia.  Connie was with the roomies when we were in Helen a few years ago.  We got up there in time to have lunch at our favorite spot.  We ate outside, although it was a little cool.  You just can't beat sitting on the patio next to the river, though, and I was not cold at all. 

We then walked the street for a while.  The day was so beautiful that it was just fun.  The place was pretty busy, with quite a lot of cars, but it was not so crowded that it took away the fun.  Jack bought himself a new Swiss Army knife.  We bought some candy at the candy store (no surprise there!)  We enjoyed walking through several of the shops, just window shopping.  The guys really had fun in the wooden toy store.  The last store we went to was the one with the miniature music boxes.  Connie wanted to get several for Christmas gifts for granddaughters.  She had gotten several when we were here last time, so this was for some of the others.

Our last stop was at the funnel cake store.  Bill and Jack had ice cream, from the same store, while Connie and I pigged out on the funnel cakes.  Then we went back to the car and started the nightmare of getting out of Helen with all the traffic.  We managed to find some side streets that helped, but we still had to get back in the line of traffic to get across the bridge. 

From there, we headed over to Tallulah Gorge, which is on about a half hour drive.  We were getting late into the afternoon, but still had a couple hours of light, so we had time to walk down the path a little and enjoy the spectacular view.  Bill and Jack even decided to climb down the 620 steps to the suspension bridge.  Actually, it turns out that it is 620 to go down and back up.  Even so, they could feel the legs burning by the time they got back up to the top!

It was dark by the time we got home, so we just ordered in some Chinese and had a wonderful dinner at home.  It was cool enough that we started a fire and enjoyed that, too. 

What a great day!

November 7th - What a Busy Day!

I hit the ground running this morning, as I had my day pretty packed.  Besides trying to do the last minute straightening around the house, I had to fix a dinner for a family for tonight.  I ended up heating up a ham, boiling some good potatoes and steaming some sliced carrots. 

When I got the meal packed up, I had to run by to pick up a couple of frozen meals from the RS president.  Then I had to go by and pick up the sister missionaries, who wanted to go with me.  The sister we were going to visit is deaf and they both sign a little.  She broke both bones in her leg about a month ago and is confined to bed for seven weeks!  Because she is deaf, she attends our ward (the designated deaf ward) even though she actually lives outside of the ward boundaries.  That was why the missionaries couldn't just drive down to see her themselves - they cannot drive out of their district.  Anyway, we had a very nice visit with her.

After dropping the missionaries back at their apartment, I came home and did a few more odds and ends.  Bill had a quick estimate this morning, so he was already home when I made it back and had been doing some extra cleaning - like the vacuuming, which I rarely do.  He also had time to do some yard work.

Then we headed off to the airport to pick up my college roommate and her husband, who are in town for a welding convention.  Timing worked out so we were able to just pull up to baggage claim and pick them up.  It is so fun to see them.  We stopped at Red Lobster on the way home to have a nice dinner.  They had not eaten since early morning and were starving - as were we, actually.

We stayed up for a while talking and catching up.  It is so fun to have them here.  They will stay the weekend and then on Sunday we will take them to their hotel.  We are looking forward to a great weekend!

November 6th - Art Class Day

I got started this morning by stripping the sheets on both beds and getting them in the washing machine.  I also had several other loads of laundry to tackle through the day.  We have friends coming to visit for the weekend and I am trying to get things at least reasonably clean.  I even picked up all the toys in the guest room so it isn't quite such a mess.

The girls arrived for their art class.  I got a text from Lisa shortly before they arrived saying that they were not being rude, but the girls insisted that they didn't need any adults walking them to the door - they were big enough to do it by themselves.  They grow up too fast!!!

Our project today was "Fall Reflections."  We folded art paper in half and painted on the top half only.  Then we would fold it over and let the paint make a print on the bottom half.  We ended up with pictures that look like trees that are reflected in a lake.  It was a lot of fun and they turned out really nice.  The technique was an introduction to printing - this was mono-printing, since we printed one color or area at a time.

They stayed and had lunch here and around 2:00, Lisa came and picked up them.  Brooks was sleeping in the car, so they didn't come in.  Then I did a few more things with the laundry and the house.  Plus, I have to take a dinner tomorrow and I got that figured out. 

November 5th - Wednesday Again? Man, the Weeks Are Rolling By Fast!

Yes, it is Wednesday again, so that meant spending the morning at the Family History Center.  We didn't have any patrons, again, but one of the people will be working the afternoon shift starting today did come early so I worked with her.  She had come in a couple of weeks ago with the sister missionaries.  She had some questions, so we worked together trying to make sure she was comfortable with everything.  Her partner for the afternoon shift came in shortly before we were to leave. 

I spent the afternoon doing various odds and ends at home.  We have guests coming this weekend, so I had some things to get done - like getting all the toys put away since the toy room and the guest room are the same room!

November 4th - Day to Vote!

About the only thing of consequence that I accomplished today was to go out and vote.  It wasn't that busy at the polls either.  After filling out the paper work and getting my voting card, there were four people in front of me waiting to go into the voting booth.  Didn't take long at all.  That is great for me, but kind of sad that more people don't vote.  I would like to think that most of them voted early, but I doubt it.  Any way, I was a good citizen and now I have the right to complain!

I spent a good bit of time working on family history again today.  I keep finding families on FamilySearch that are a mess.  It takes a while to get them cleaned up sometimes, because I want to document everything before I make changes.  I keep adding the names to my list to be fixed - just another thing in my to-do pile!

November 3rd - Manic Monfay - ot Just Headache Monday which Makes It Seem Manic?

I think this was our coldest morning yet and there was frost on the ground and on the car windows.  The thermometer said it was 34, but it was probably a little colder than that before the sun came up.  I guess winter will come again!

Perhaps it was the weather, but I woke up with a horrible headache and couldn't seem to get rid of it.  I did my usual routine stuff, but I didn't feel like doing anything more than what I had to do.  I worked on family history - back to the family I have been working on a little at a time for a few weeks - but it is hard to concentrate to hard when the head hurts!

Bill didn't have a job today, so we had a french toast breakfast (as opposed to my usual yogurt).  I finally had some popcorn in the evening, but I didn't have lunch at all.  I was just too stuffed! 

I did finally take a nap in the early afternoon, hoping to feel better afterwards.  The headache never completely went away, but it was much better after some sleep.  Maybe the problem is just the time change - everyone I know is blaming everything on the time change, so I might as well join the bandwagon!!

We kept hearing this buzzing sound every so often and couldn't figure out what it was.  We finally got it focused on the dining room area, but couldn't figure it out.  This evening, I was watching a little TV and the buzzing started again.  I was close enough to find it this time - it was David's cell phone sitting on the piano.  Ashby had been using it yesterday.  Good thing he has a different phone for work!

November 2nd - Start of a New Week

So the countdown to the holidays officially begins!  At least today was a wonderful day.  They will get more and more hectic as the next few weeks roll along.

The time changed this morning, so we woke up earlier than usual - well, not really, but the clock said we did.  Our morning was the usual - working on lessons, getting dinner put together, etc.

My class went well today.  They have a lot of questions and we spent some time answering those.  The lesson was good and my story emphasized the point, so it all worked out.  We even had enough time to get onto FamilySearch and do a little more editing.

When we got home, I got the rest of dinner going.  There was a pot roast in the oven with potatoes, carrots, green peppers, onion, mushrooms and garlic.  I also had other fresh vegetables that would be going bad, so I steamed a basket of broccoli, brussels sprouts, and green beans.  I also had a loaf of frozen bread dough.  All I had to do to finish dinner was steam the veggies and bake the bread.

Lisa and Brooks didn't come, since Brooks was napping.  We had a good time with David, Venett, and Ashby, though.  I think she enjoyed being the only one to get all the attention and she really did entertain us.  She played waitress to take orders for our desserts.  She even got a towel to hang over her arm, so she was totally in character!  Then she played Primary and set up a tray table and microphone and gave us some talks.  Very cute.  She and her daddy played Heart & Soul on the piano for us - several times.  She also had us put on some Broadway music and she did her ballroom dancing with her daddy.  She had all the attention!!

I always say that I love Sundays, and today proved just why!

November 1st - BYU Football in Tennessee!

When BYU is that close, people think they should make the trip to see the game.  Bill was one of those people.  He went up with a couple of other families from the ward.  I was invited (as a courtesy only), but I declined.  I would rather stay home and clean house and do laundry than to go to a football game.  I am not sure why that is.  I used to love sports, but I can't tolerate them anymore.  Guess I am getting old!

So, I stayed home and did laundry and cleaned the house.  Of course, I was also lazy and watched a movie in the afternoon.  During the evening, I started another PBS British series.  In between, I spent some time on family history and getting my lesson finished up for tomorrow.  I even went through that darn pile on my desk and accomplished a few of those things.  Unfortunately, the pile is now bigger than it was before!  I think it has a life of its own.

Bill got back home around 11:45, which wasn't so bad since the time changes tonight.  Even so, I was already in bed and had been reading a new book.  I finished Mao's Last Dancer last night - loved it!  I started She Left Me the Gun tonight.  I think I am going to like it, too.  It is for an online genealogy book group.

October 31st - Happy Halloween!

I went out today to get a haircut (she didn't do a very good job) and to pick up some groceries and candy for Halloween.  The rest of my day was rather a quiet one at home - doing the usual.  I was tired this afternoon, though, so I watched a show on Prime, some PBS British thing, that I actually thought was pretty good.

This evening was not that busy, either.  We had maybe four groups ring the bell - a total of 15 or 20 trick or treaters.  Of course, that means we have a ton of candy left over!  Not sure that is a good thing, but.......