Some thoughts...

I am reviewing and preparing for my class tonight and thought I would share a few things...

We are in Matt, studying about the miracles that Christ performed...

Here is a quote that I really liked from David Ridges...

“Every time you read of a physical healing of the sick, performed by the Savior, you can consider it symbolic of His ability to heal us spiritually, through His Atonement. Thus, every healing will remind you of the Master’s power to heal you spiritually, through your repentance and His forgiving you. In this case of the healing of a leper, leprosy could be symbolic of very serious sin which can gradually destroy us spiritually."

If you would like to see what leprosy looks like go Here. (Thank you Pam)

Another thought from Bruce R. McConkie...

There is so much missionary work to be done that it will not all be finished before the second Coming – McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 1, P. 332

And lastly... Matt. 10:41

"He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward."

IF we will but accept and sustain Church leaders, we will receive a prophet's reward, exaltation!

This reminds me of a scripture mastery, D&C 1:38.... "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."

With conference coming up this weekend, I pray that we will be humble and teachable and prepare to "receive a prophet's reward"!

Remind ya of a Primary song... "Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, don't go astray. Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, he knows the way!"

BTW, I love this picture that my brother just sent me... Isn't he cute??!!!

Journaling ~My Utah Trip~

Well, I am finally home. I REALLY enjoyed my trip to Utah. It was so nice to get to just sit back and visit with my parents! We did do several Dr. appointments. My dad said this was the MOST uncomfortable chair EVER.

Like I already posted, I made peach jam and then mom and I started going through old family pictures and sorted them by the year. We have a lot more to go, but at least we got it started. I went over to my SIL, Jennifer's house. LOOK at her cold storage!

Boy, do I wish I had a place like this for my food storage!!!!

Then Jen and I (okay, okay, MOSTLY Jen) made me some skirts. They will be great for slipping into for teaching Institute!

The girls played the piano...

Jumped on the trampoline... Diana turning a flip for my brother's girls...

Brittany braiding the Whitney's hair...

Played a little B-ball...

Ate at Cafe Rio!!! (my brother's wife)

And BYU Creamery... (this is my dad's sister & brother from Texas with us!)

We also had a couple of family BBQ's...

Hubby & Brother...

My cousin's daughter... she is a Freshman at SUU

Cousins...

Dad, mom, aunt Sue (mom's sister)

Cousins.... Karen & Kevin... brother and me....

Oh, the joys of being a mom to ALL boys! Doesn't it look like they are jumping me??? They claim that is a "group hug"... what do you think??!!!

And, now... your reward for making it through all these pics...

The best brownie recipe ever! (A sweet lady in my mother's ward brought these over one afternoon and I HAD to get the recipe!!! And, now, I am sharing it with YOU!)

Hershey's Best Brownies

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

2 t. vanilla

4 eggs

3/4 c. Hershey's Cocoa

1 c. flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Heat over to 350°

Grease 13x9 pan

Melt butter, stir in sugar & vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition.

Add cocoa, beat until well blended.

Add flour, baking powder and salt.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 30 min. or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

ENJOY!

PS Can I just say that sometimes I HATE the way it posts things!!! Okay... just had to vent!

Joke time...

My friend Jan was saying she needed a laugh... Robin posted the funniest joke and I had to share... I think we ALL need a good laugh... hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!! (Thanks, Robin!)



Once upon a time there were three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, and they all lived together. One night the 96 year old ran a bath. She put one foot in and paused. "Was I getting in the tub or out?" she yelled.



The 94 year old hollered back, "I don't know. I'll come and see." She started up the stairs and stopped. She shouted, "Was I going up or coming down?"



The 92 year old sitting at the kitchen table having tea, listening to her sister’s shook her head and said, "I sure hope I never get that forgetful," and knocked on wood for good measure. Then she yelled, "I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door."

Daddy's fruit trees

Yesterday dad wanted to go to church. He said he would probably just go to Sacrament meeting but then he said he really wanted to go to Priesthood too so.... he got all ready (dang, how I wish I would have taken a pic, he looked so cute) and we went. After Sac. mtg. I said do you want me to run you home so you can rest a bit and then I can come back and get you for Priesthood? He said, "No, I am staying". Alrighty then! When we got home he said, "I have to get my priorities straight" and he got a few bags and went out back and picked some peaches from his tree to take to some of his friends! Here are a few of the fruit trees he has out back...

An apple tree...

A pear tree...

And his yummy Peach tree! This is my favorite, I love peaches!!!

Look at how big and juicy they are!!!

They are GO tasty, we have been eating peaches every day... AND fresh tomato sandwiches!!! YUM!!!

So, I think I am going to try making some peach freezer jam.... have any of you ever made any? Did it turn out good? What recipe did you use?
What is your favorite fruit???

BYU vs. UCLA

We are now ranked 11th in the nation!!! GO BYU!!!

Our 2 oldest sons and their cute wifes came down from Rexburg to meet us this past weekend. On Saturday we went to the BYU game!!! Devin went with Jeff down to Lindsay's wedding in St. George so he missed the game... but Diana stayed with us! Here are a couple of pics from the game...

Yes, I do believe that is called the nose bleed.... LOL

Here are a couple of pics with Grandpa (in his new "love seat" of course)!

Holding Hands!!! Mom & Dad...

You can go HERE to read about the sweet story of the LOVE SEAT...

Just Sayin'....

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience, is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire and will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven."

Sorry, I can't remember where I got this. I almost didn't post it due to that... Pam, do you know??? Have a great day... we are all in this together!!!

Utah here I come...

Well, we got some info back on dad yesterday. I will attach the letter that my sweet brother sent out to close family so that you, our dear friends, can read it and know.... (AND, this is my journal of sorts...)

Brad and I are going to Utah today. We got tickets to the BYU/UCLA game a while back so we were going anyway. Our older kids are coming down from Rexburg too! Brad will leave and come back home on Sunday and I will stay.... not sure how long yet...

Thank you everyone for your sweet notes and prayers!!!
I love you,

Hello All,
We went to our appointment this afternoon with the oncologist. Dad was feeling pretty good and had more energy today than he has had since this ordeal began and he was looking better, not quite as yellow.

The report came back from the biopsy as positive as the carcinoma we had been talking about and his blood work showed it also as a positive, it was a blood work called a tumor marker which typically reads from 0-35, his was 440, which was off the charts showing a positive for this carcinoma.

The oncologist said that she still felt that from the tumors location that surgery was still not an option, however the oncologist had spoke to the surgeon that Dad has seen and he was consulting with another surgeon on the probability of surgery and they would contact us tomorrow if they felt that it was a possibility. The oncologist said even if it is a possibility, keep in mind that this is a very difficult surgery, difficult for the surgeon, and difficult for the patient. It would be very hard on Dad, and may not have a positive outcome.

Next the oncologist said that the tumor might respond to chemotherapy and radiation, the reaction would be a shrinking of the tumor to give Dad some relief and and possibly some longevity. It would comprise of daily radiation treatment, Monday - Friday, and chemotherapy every Monday. It would be heavy dosage of radiation, with light chemotherapy. It is a type of chemotherapy that is a dose that enhances the radiation. The radiation being the key to shrinking the tumor. She said the radiation could be difficult and make Dad pretty sick, and would be very hard on his liver, which is already struggling from the backed up bile. I asked how long of a period doing these therapy's and she said possibly up to seven weeks and they would reevaluate and see how the tumor was reacting.

The oncologist did order a PET scan for next Tuesday which is a total body scan, just to verify that there is no other traces any where else, so they know that they need to focus on this target area. Also the CT scan from last Thursday of his chest, showed that there was no spreading of this in his chest, so that is good thing!

Dad told the oncologist that he would like to get a second opinion, she supported him on that. There is another doctor have I been in contact with at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer center. I will call tomorrow to set this appointment up.

I think Dad is processing all this and trying to decide what he wants to do, I told him we would support him in any direction, that this is not the news we wanted but we will do all we can and all he wants to do.

He asked the oncologist what the prognosis is if he does the chemotherapy and radiation, she said the aggregate for patients with this carcinoma with this treatment is 18 months, he asked what if I don't do anything, she said maybe 3 months, but keep in mind all patients are different and everyone reacts differently.

We came home and he had a relaxing afternoon, Dad ate well, Mom cooked him a hamburger and he watched Fox news for awhile, and was getting ready to head to bed when I came home around 9:00.

Thank you all for your love support and prayers!

Love you all,
-D

This earth is not our home...

I am sitting here working on my Institute lesson for tomorrow night and ran across this great quote... Enjoy!

In the April 2004 general conference address, Elder Bruce C. Hafen declared,

This earth is not our home.

We are away at school,

trying to master the lessons of

“the great plan of happiness”

so we can return home

and know what it means to be there.

Little traditions & a recipe

Every Sunday night as far back as I can remember... we make cookies! I think this might have started the very 1st Sunday we were married! I didn't know how to cook... in fact, our 1st day home after the honeymoon... Brad got up and asked if I would just fry him up an egg or 2 and he would jump in the shower. Well... YIKES! HOW ON EARTH DO YOU FRY AN EGG??!!! So, not to make a long distant phone call, I quickly called his sister and asked her. She laughed and laughed... I thought I could never get her to quit laughing before Brad was out of the shower and found out I didn't know how to FRY AN EGG!!!!! She finally told me and I quickly fried up my new hubby a couple of egg and made him some toast. The young women thought this was so funny that they put that in my camp name one year.... Grneggznhair.... standing for GREEN (my favorite color at the time) eggz (for well, the story I just told you) 'n hair (coz my freaking BIG hair. Anyway, I might not have known how to COOK, but boy could I bake! LOL.... Anyway, that is a tradition of ours... cookies every Sunday night. BUT, there ARE those Sunday's that I just crave something besides cookies. And, since I AM the once baking... I GET TO CHOOSE. AND, tonight was one of those nights.... so, they got peach cobbler. This is a YUMMMY EASY recipe that I got from my mom years and years ago and I thought I would share it with you. So, here it is....

Peach Cobbler

melt one stick of butter in your casserole dish

1 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

2 t. baking powder

dash of salt

Mix this together in a bowl and pour it over the butter. Do not stir.

Then open up a lg. can of sliced peaches and with a fork set the peaches around on the batter. Then pour the peach juice around over the top. (again, do not mix)

Bake at °350 for about 30 min (until golden brown)

ENJOY!

Do you have any fun family traditions to share??!!!

Randomness...

Look at what Bradly Boy bought me!!!!!!
Do you have a bike? Do you like to ride?
















Labor Day...
We had a BBQ with friends... Dallin was trying to teach Chad how to do a flip off the edge of the pool... here is Dal (backwards)...














Chad trying a front flip, he tried and tried...














Blake flew out to Seattle today to get his car, and then he is driving over to Rexburg, back to school. Blake, it was nice to have you home for a short period of time! Enjoy Rexburg... that is a joke, I KNOW YOU WILL!!! I already miss you.... Love you!














Derek & Brittany are in Rexburg all settled into their apartment... I wish I had pictures of Britt driving her "new" truck all across Montana FILLED to the brim and then some with all of their stuff. Oh, wait. Their stuff, Devin & Diana's stuff AND Blake's stuff... LOL (Britt, I hope you took pics!)



















Devin & Diana get back from their cruise today. They were scheduled to go to the Bahama's but due to the storms the cruise line called them and rerouted them. Devin wasn't too thrilled to say the least but I am sure they had a great time! I can't wait to see pictures (They were celebrating their 1 year anniversary!) And, NO, I have NEVER been on a cruise!!! What is wrong with that picture??!!! LOL

Okay, speaking of randomness... Tammy has this dang funny post you need to go read!!! (Just click on her name) Which ward would YOU belong to? °Ü°

AND, Tai Pan Trading has opened in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!!!! Can you say EX CITED? Oh yeah.! I want to go get a few fall accessories! Have you ever shopped here before?

AND, I would like to do a nice big family portrait with my whole family (there are 17 of us - parents, my family, & my brother's family). So, my question is... WHAT WOULD YOU WEAR? I have thought... jeans & white shirts??? OR jeans & black shirts??? OR khaki instead of jeans? OR fall colors??? (reds & golds, etc) WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST??!!!! What do you like best?

Thoughts

I hope my sweet brother doesn't hate me for sharing this, but I think there are many of us (if not ALL of us) who can use this in our daily lives. This came from an email he sent me this morning. This is Elder Maxwell, therefore you might have to read it twice... I know I did.

"I share with you again a simple little insight that may help you at certain junctures in your lives. It is that you must not mistake passing local cloud cover for general darkness. They are very different things, and for us to distinguish local cloud cover, which will soon be blown away, for general darkness is a terrible thing, especially with the restored gospel, which is so full metaphorically of light. We must not be mistaken about this.

I have likewise learned that illness can be a tutoring and sanctifying experience as well as a debilitating thing. There await each of us clusters of circumstances and experiences, and if we see "things as they really are," to use Jacob's felicitous phrase (Jacob 4:13), we'll be able to understand that illnesses may be debilitating but are also very tutoring, and we will be open to what they can convey to us. Such is spiritually very, very important. "

- Neal A. Maxwell of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints devotional address delivered at BYU on 12 January 1999.

My brother.... "We can all learn from this illness that Dad is dealing with; and be tutored and sanctified in our our discipleship! This gives me strength! Jacob 4:13 is one of my favorites! Elder Maxwell quotes it so often, it has such deep meaning.....

Just my thoughts"

Thank you Bro... thank you.

I love you!

Super quick, Super short update on daddy...

Yesterday they went in and saw the surgeon. The external drain is doing it's job. It is healing nicely (although he is still having some pain and he is very weak and tired). Then they went and talked to the oncologist. She wants him to go back in and have a CT scan on his chest today to see if the cancer has spread.... we are all praying for good news! 11:00 am Utah time... Daddy, you are in our prayers! We ALL love you!

AND

Miracles DO happen.... last night we got word... my brother in law, Bryce, went in for his 3rd round of chemo and a scan... there was NO cancer! Yep, you heard me right, NO CANCER!!! Even the Dr. was dancing a jig!!! We are so happy.... we are SO blessed!