8*5*(8-2+1)

email to my Granddaugher, Acadia, serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - 

What a wild wonderful week!

Monday was mostly shopping for Thanksgiving and attendant activities. That was wild enough.

Tuesday morning was Relief Society Presidency Meeting. We are in charge of the Ward Christmas Dinner. Just dinner and music. They keep announcing it as a party, but to Miriam and I party sounds a little more active and festive. I hope that the kids are not disappointed. 

Then dinner at Ruth’s with your family. Hawaiian Haystacks. And lots of talking. Almost everyone at once.  It was loud.  All of my children and almost all my grandchildren. Everyone except you and Molly. I so seldom see Molly. Does Benjamin and Bethany’s baby count? He was in utero. We even got to meet the ever famous Kali (Roser's dearly beloved Maine Coon Cat)

Wedneday morning David and Teresa, the Hinds, and we Patch people met at Country Club Plaza Mall for a scavenger hunt. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Peter only intermittently because he just woke up in a bad mood. Lol. Since there were few of us, we all stayed together and worked pretty much cooperatively. Sam had pictures of things to look for, the rest of them worked from written clues. We played about an hour before dispersing to our various preparations.

Take a picture by the capitol. 

 

 

 

 

Find a Fairytale Town element.

I prepaid for each child to choose a balloon.

The hunt planning crew.

Clue: Make a bird sing.  (When you enter the shop, this bird sings. So fun!)

David and Teresa were going to spend Thanksgiving with her sisters’ family but the kids started getting sick, so we got DT for Thanksgiving! Typical Thanksgivng Day dinner close to our regular dinner time. We were so full we didn’t eat any pie. Pumpkin pie for breakfast Friday!

Benjamin and Bethany went to the hospital Thanksgiving morning about 10 to have labor induced. We were on alert all day. And all night. And into the next day. Jacob Bruce was born on Friday at 1:39pm 9lbs 11 oz, 22 inches Big boy! We have only seen a picture, but he looks a bit like Ben did.  They are settling in, learning to feed, and avoiding germs.

Naomi got sick, so we cancelled plans to play games with Hinds for Forced Family Fun Friday. (Frankly, I think that delightful, but short lived tradition is dying. I am going to try to encourage more Family Day togetherness January 25) Tried to do some cyber shopping. Small stack of birthdays right after Thanksgiving! Benjamin Dec 1, Bethany Dec 2, and Molly Dec 4. (Bethany’s brother is Dec 3, but I don’t gift him.) Miriam convinced me to wait until we looked at Target. Joseph and I went to Office Depot where he got a Chromebook that was on a good sale. And we bought a new printer. There was a $50 trade in on any printer, so I went home to get our old one. We bought the printer. Andrew, Miriam, and I went to Target. None of us found what we were looking for. I ended up on Amazon ordering a book to be delivered to Molly, and gift cards for B&B.

Joseph worked on setting up the printer. Which said an ink cartridge was leaking. He checked and didn’t see anything, but the printer insisted. So, we went back to the store. (That made 3 trips to that store for me in one day.) At first, they were baffled, but when they took the printer out of the box and looked at the back, there was ink everywhere. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any more in stock. Offered us a discount on a different printer, but I declined. A new one will be shipped here tomorrow. Hoping it works out! In the meantime, instead of a printer that hates me but sometimes works for the others, we currently have no printer. Of course, I get last minute requests to do some kind of sign up sheet almost every week for Relief Society. This week it was for temple cleaning. I got one up on-line and it will be in the notebooks next week. (I hope!) The assignment is Dec 14-20, so we have a week.

Saturday was Andrew’s last day as Building Cleaning Supervisor until July. Joseph went to help and they had a good crew. Andrew felt like they went out well. I think the Spanish ward will do December and June. The other ward in our building will do January through May. It’s a big job. Andrew is glad of the break.

I got a surprise text! My friends, Kent and Melanie Larson, who moved to Utah years ago, were in town. Their oldest son married my Bishop’s daughter and their daughter married one of my former Bishop’s son. They had Thanksgiving with the Bishop. On Friday, which was the best weather day of the holiday week, they went to the ocean so Melanie could put her feet in the ocean. Saturday they visited friends. Joseph and I spent an hour or so with them. They are friends that when you get together it seems like there was no gap in time or distance. 

Sunday evening we managed some Downton Abbey time with David and Teresa. 

Now it’s back to the regular life. Clean, cook, pay bills. EXCEPT I must get ready for Christmas! I got a few things together to send with your folks, but now I need to get on everybody else. So far I have not been adequately inspired by “what to give a missionary” and all my years as a missionary mom still leave me without great ideas. Any modest suggestions?

I am charge of gathering / making Nativities for each table for the Ward Christmas Dinner on the 14^th. With Teresa’s help, I am making cute craft stick Nativities. I am also in charge of background music. Working with Tom to get a playlist and with David to set it up for sound through the building’s speakers. 

I have been neglecting my ministering sisters. Gotta spend some time on that this week for sure. I have a couple I should contact multiple times a week. 

Over booking, over booking. The 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th is the Live Nativity on our temple hill. But the 13^th is set up and decorate for the Ward Dinner. The 14^th is the Ward Christmas Dinner. And the 15^th is a Sing-along Messiah at Bethany Presbyterian Church at 4 and Valley Choral Society Messiah concert at our building at 7pm. I think we will miss the live Nativity this year. Teresa, David, Andrew and I went to the Sing-along last year and determined to make it a tradition. We should be able to easily make the Valley Choral Society Concert. 

My bruise from the last visit is almost healed.  Time to book another platelets donation. 

So glad I am retired and have lots of free time. LOL

Thank you for bringing joy to our world through the gospel of Jesus Christ.