Walking in a Riverwoods Wonderland

On Friday night November 23, we went down to Riverwoods to see the lights and see Santa.  Kyle didn't actually have to face Santa so he didn't really know who had him.  Cayden actually got within arms length of him this time.  It was a little chilly but not terribly so.  We went to the slider place and ordered a few to share and of course had to hit Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  We also went into Blickenstaff's, a toy store and looked around there.  Riverwoods has lost alot of shops but it was still fun to go down there.  The line to see Santa was really short too so that made it nice.  

Turkey Day

We had Thanksgiving at Grandma Penny's house again this year.  Cody had come down on Monday November 12 and was able to stay until we all drove up together on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  He wanted to come home on Saturday, November 10 but the a huge storm blew in and Utah County was almost to a stand still.  We didn't want him driving down and having any problems because of the weather so he waited until Monday.  Grandpa Penny  had neck surgery on Monday November 19, just 3 days before Thanksgiving.  Grandma usually tries to do most of the work for the big meal but she couldn't do too much this year and even if she wanted to we would not have let her.  We made snacks during the day like a cheeseball and dips so we wouldn't starve before the big meal.  Dinner was at 2 like usual.  Don handled the turkey and everyone else pitched in to help with everything else.  After our delicious meal we watched Christmas Vacation.  Since Grandma was out of commission we did alot of the cooking for the family.  For some reason, it must be the high altitude, every time we-Don or I, made something in the oven it would boil over.  One night we made enchiladas I think and they boiled over so bad and the smoke was just filling the house.  Don opened the oven door right as the fan we had put in the kitchen turned my way and blew all the smokey carbon monoxide right at me.  I thought I was going to die!  I coughed and coughed and choked so bad that I had to run outside to breath.  I was feeding Kyle at the time and yankied him out of the high chair and ran him outside with me but his back was to the smoke and so it didn't affect him as badly as it did me.  Connor was pretty freaked out and thought I was going die.  I did have a really hard time for about 10 minutes but finally I was able to breathe normally.  I do not think I want to die in a fire.  That was not fun.  We had a good turkey day and then spent the weekend trying to get Cody all ready for his departure.  We did some shopping, lots of list checking, some eating out and just being together.  

The First Farewell

On Sunday, November 18, Cody spoke in Sacrament meeting in our ward in Logandale.  He looked fancy i his new suit, tie and shoes!  He would not let me read his talk beforehand-which he always used to do-because he said it was a surprise.  It was a marvelous talk and he got so many many compliments that day and then for many weeks after that when people would come up to me at church and tell me what a great job he did.  There were a few people who commented on the fact that they have never heard the word superfluous used over the pulpit!  After Sacrament meeting we had a luncheon at our house for all the family and friends who came down to support Cody.  We had soups and spinach salad and Grandma Penny brought brownies and cookies from BYU.  It was a nice day!  One of my best friends, Amy Marshall, and her family came down from Panguitch.  The family from Utah had to be on their way pretty quickly after lunch because every one had work and school and Grandma Penny had neck surgery scheduled.  At 4 Cody had invited a few friends to come visit him so he spent the next few hours with them eating more brownies and cookies.  A few of his leaders and teachers came by as well like Brother and Sister Mulcock,  Sister Mulcock was his seminary teacher from 9th grade.  Brother and Sister Barlow came by as well.  Brother Barlow was our Bishop while Cody was in Young Men's.  It was a nice day to spend with family and friends.

The Last of the Hohos

The terrible horrible no good very bad news came out today that there would be no more Hostess products. Grandma Penny and granddaddy were down for Cody's farewell and they made a run to Lin's to see that was available.  This was the last of the HoHo's. It's a sad day for our country.

Kyle Brandt is 14 Months Old

My Little Worker Bees

This week Caleb had the great opportunity to do service twice.  He needed the service hours for his next rank in scouts and this week there was alot to do.  Tuesday the kids all had the day off from school so Don and Caleb went to help pick pomegranates at Brother Artus' home.  Not only did they pick them but they squeezed the juice out of them with the Bishop's turbo-juicer!  Caleb was covered in pomegranate juice.  The shirt didn't survive, the shorts did with the help of Spray and Wash, repeatedly.  On Saturday morning there was another service project picking pomegranates at Sister Waite's house so Don and all the boys-except Kyle of course-got up early and went over to help there.  It was not as messy of a job this time.  The Bishop had been helping so many people pick their pomegranates that his tress were still full so after helping at the Waite's house they went to the Bishop's house.  Caleb got his service hours in, we were able to help several people in our ward and we got a gallon of pomegranate juice out of the deal.  

Connor spent his week helping lots of people too.  He helped move furniture for Sister Whipple so her carpets could be cleaned and then he helped move it back for her.  He helped with the pomegranate picking Saturday morning and then worked his fanny off in our front yard getting it ready for the big weekend next week.  

We Voted!

Don and I took advantage of the early voting that was available here on October 29,  We had planned on doing but when grandma called and said that they were giving away free ice cream scoops for those that voted early it was an even better idea.  We went down to the community center in Overton and walked right in to vote.  After we were done we were given an I voted sticker for each of us-even the kids.  That was our ticket for the free ice cream.  There were quite a few people at Inside Scoop taking advantage of the freebie!  That was very nice of them!  Connor and Caleb didn't feel the need to be patriotic that day and go with us so they missed out.  So now that we voted and the election is over I feel the need to write a few words about it.  I have never in my life been so saddened and sick over the results of an election.  I have never felt like what is at stake has such a huge impact on my and my children.  I have never cried tears over an election other than maybe the one I lost in 5th grade running for 6th grade class president.  I felt sick all night long after the numbers came in and just could not believe the idiocy of this country and lies and the entitlement attitude that is so rampant and led to the results of this election.  I feel that there are so many that are flat out deceived.  I was doing my normal reading in my scriptures that night and I just happened to be in the first few chapters of Mormon.  Oh that was quite a coincidence. This verse in particular was very interesting.

15 And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open rebellion against their God, and heaped up as dung upon the face of the land. And thus three hundred and forty and four years had passed away.

That was pretty distressing to me as was the rest of the entire book of Mormon.  I think that last few chapters of the book of Mormon are about the saddest in the whole Book of Mormon when all of those hundreds of thousands of people are killed and Mormon is left alone.

Anyway back to my lamenting the election.  Don and I talked about it at length and I read him those some of those chapters in the book of Mormon. The next morning I woke up and had really hoped that something had happened over night to change the state of affairs.  It was not to be.  I spent the morning really sad and worried about the safety and future of my family.  During the morning when I was doing my regular housework I had the words of the song "Be Still My A Soul" run through my mind over and over.  I felt so much better after that and I knew that Heavenly Father was in charge and that He will take care of us.  I talked to many of my friends through texting throughout the night and they all we're feeling the same way.  I'm so glad that the election is over!  I don't know if I could have handled much more of those political ads and the phone calls and seeing all the signs plastered all over the place!  A few days later I got an email from Dottie that made me feel much better about things.  It actually just reinforced a thought that I had had about the fact the even if Mitt Romeny would have won he would not have been able to turn this economy around or save this nation and that it could backfire on the church in the respect that he is member of the church and he would be blamed for the continued failures.  

I spent the rest of that week bottling beans like nobody's business.  Not that it wasn't important before but food storage, water, fuel and guns are at the top of my wish list.  God bless America and may He have mercy on us.