THINK

before you speak -

T H I N K

                                           T - is it true?

                                           H - is it helpful?

                                            I - is it inspiring?

                                           N - is it necessary?

                                           K - is it kind?

Double Post (thoughts)

Saturday At the Maroney's

Saturday was Morgan's day to sew.  She wants a red skirt.  She was working hard on her project when her favorite helpers came through the door.  She is almost done, just needs a zipper.  Sadly when you live in RURAL Arizona you cannot always run to the store and purchase what you need.  Thankfully a trip to the big city is coming soon.

 While Grant and Cami were helping Aunt Morgan.  Mark and Kara were relaxing in the living room.

Where there is a will there is a way!

Randy has been busy trying to complete this Blazer Project.  Finally it was all  together and running.  Last thing to do was put the hood back on.  Monday I offered to help.  "NO" he said "I need someone tall and strong to lift it into position."  This morning I looked out and saw him placing the hood onto the truck by himself.  Next time I looked out he had it propped up with a 2x4 and was bolting it on.  

Congratulations Randy!  Another project complete.

 

FYI - this was a project for someone else, not our truck.

Gratitude Challenge

This months Home Teaching message is on Gratitude.  In the youth section there is a Gratitude Challenge.  The challenge lists ten categories and suggests writing ten things in each category. Sunday afternoon I sat down and  started writing my list of 100 things that I am grateful for. 

Ten living people I am grateful for:
1-Randy (and his family)
2-Mother (and Bob)
3-Shelby (and Drs. Reilly, Lee, Cohen, Logan, Yorgan, Rider and their surgical teams and staff)
4-Mark (Rachel, Grant, Cami, Kara)
5-Alison ( Jean the PA, Dr. Kim Manwaring & surgical team)
6-Bethany
7-Morgan
8-Mary Abrahams
9-My Siblings (Randi, Kathy,Heidi,Eric, Andy)
10-Rosemary Isbell

Ten people who have died that I am grateful for:
1-Dad
2-Dean
3-Grandmother Callie Haggard
4-Grandpa W.P. Haggard
5-Grandma Ruth Haggard
6-Grandpa Hans Thude
7-Grandma Erna Thude
8-Grandma Fern Maroney
9-Marjean Paxman
10-Aunt Beth, Aunt Bessie

Ten Physical Abilities
1-Sight - to read and learn
2-Smells
3- Legs to run, walk and cycle
4- Hands - touch, work, craft, sew, etc.
5-SLEEP (I love being able to sleep)
6-arms to hug and hold
7-ears to hear music, voices, etc.
8-Balance & strength
9-Think
10- Chewing

Ten Material Possessions
1-Home
2-Bed and soft warm sheets
3-Warm shower
4-truck to drive
5-piano
6-washing machine
7-indoor plumbing
8-books
9-furniture
10-garden

Ten things about nature
1-Sunrise
2-Beautiful Sunsets
3-Trees
4-Flowers for Cami and Grant to pick
5-Warmth of the sun
6-Changing seasons
7-smell of citrus blossoms
8-Night skies
9-birds morning songs
10-lizards

Ten things about today (Sunday, December 4, 2011)
1-Meeting House
2-Primary
3-Music
4-That my children attend church
5-Peanut brittle
6-Fasting
7-Randy's church service
8-byu.tv & Christmas Devotional
9-Ensign and the Gratitude Challenge
10-Coat and warm clothes

Ten Places on earth
1-Temples
2-grocery stores
3-Childhood home
4-Campgrounds
5-Huachuca Mountains
6-library
7-bike paths
8-hospitals
9-schools
10-anywhere Randy is :)

Ten modern-day inventions
1-Phones
2-texting
3-Kindle & e-books
4-electricity
5-medical diagnostic equipment
6-Stove and oven
7-refrigerator
8-freezer
9-printer/copier
10-Stereo

Ten foods
1-homemade bread
2-oranges (citrus)
3-potatoes
4-food storage
5-flaxseed & bran cereal
6-homemade applesauce
7-warm soups
8-garden fresh veggies
9-eggs (they don't upset Morgans tummy)
10-tree ripened fruit

Ten things about the gospel
1-Jesus Christ - His life, example, atonement
2-A loving Heavenly Father who knows me
3-The gift of the Holy Ghost
4-my Bishop
5-Priesthood
6-Sealing Ordinances
7-Prophets
8-Scriptures
9-Repentance
10-Revelation

I am so very blessed.  Life is Good!!!!!

Christmas Season continues

I love this time of year.  Christmas is a season, not just a day.  Yesterday (Sunday) was wonderful.  We drove through snow flurries on the way to Church.  Fast and Testimony meeting was centered on Christ and very uplifting.  In the afternoon I went with Randy to visit a home teaching couple.  He goes every Sunday.  The man is living in a nursing home now.  When we returned home Randy made peanut brittle.  I worked on my Gratitude Challenge from this months Ensign.  Randy, Shelby and I watched the First Presidency Devotional together while we cut out trees for Shelby's classroom project.  In the evening I made Snowball cookies.  YUM!  This morning I got up and downloaded The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke on my kindle.  I just finished cooking red cabbage to freeze and serve later this month.  Christmas music playing in the background (Barbara Streisand's Merry Christmas)

  Life is so good!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

This truly is a wonderful time of year.  We started the season by getting the piano  tuned.  I love listening to music.  Morgan has been most accomadating.  Our ward choir is singing several hymns for Christmas.  Morgan is one of the choir pianist.  I enjoy her practice time.  Although when I took this picture she was playing "Thankful"  a tune from Josh Grobans NOEL cd.

 Randy purchased our Christmas tree  last Saturday.  This week I decorated it.  Life is very different without small children in the home.  All the other adults in the house have been very busy this week.  I decorated the tree by myself while watching The Christmas Box movie.  One of many Christmas movies that I intend to watch this season.

 Our Christmas decorations include a small collection of Nativities displayed on the piano.  This year a found a Precious Moments figurine to add to our collection. 

Bethany

Bethany visited us for Thanksgiving.  We always enjoy her company and were grateful that she made  Banana-coconut cream pie for us to savor! 

 I FINALLY finished her red dress.  November 2010 she purchased the fabric and pattern for a Red Satin dress.  I had not made a dress for her before.  Sleeves needed to be add, bodice and hem lengthened.  Plus, the dress is fully lined.  I had never lined a dress before.  I finished the dress Saturday evening.  Bethany is a grateful woman, and pleased with the way it turned out.  I learned alot. 

We Gather Together!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful time!  We shared the weekend with family and friends. Baking started on Wednesday.  Baking and cooking continued through the night and into the next day.  I baked  apple and pecan pies on Wednesday.  Very early Thursday morning I put a turkey in the oven for the Salvation Army's Thanksgiving diner.  Randy delivered the cooked turkey to the VFW hall around 8am and enjoyed a short visit with a friend.  Then the real cooking began.  Randy smoked our turkey on the grill.  I made potato rolls and Bethany made a Banana-Coconut Cream Pie.  It was the best and first to be eaten.  YUM! 

Mark and his family joined us for food and fun along with Morgan's friend Spencer.  I believe that Grant had the best time of all.  He played cars with Papa, cooked with Morgan, had Nerf gun wars and outside activities with EVERYONE! 

Grant and Cami even enjoyed a sleepover that night complete with Papa's special Star Wars pancakes for breakfast on Friday morning. (See Bethany's Facebook post for a pancake picture)    It was a great family day.  Alison was not able to be with us.  She spent the day with her Aunt Connie.  We missed her and look forword to Christmas time and all of us being together!!!

So many pics!

I have a bad habit of taking pictures and not writing blogs.  Yesterday we had company for breakfast.  When Grant finished eating we noticed that he had cereal stuck to his forehead.  This is the consequence of raising your bowl to your lips to get the last bit of milk out of the bowl.  :)

 Cami enjoying an apple from Papa's tree when she visited for General Conference.

 Shelby and Kara enjoying some quality time together a couple of weeks ago.

I have been hesitant to accept the color of Kara's hair. I have been waiting for it to fall out and come in blond. When she was here yesterday I had to admit that the new hair coming in is probably red. She is just a cute as her brother and sister. I also must admit that I have the cutest grandchildren although I know a few people might have differing opinions.

Honesty

My Primary lesson yesterday was about honesty.  The lesson suggested that I share a personal experience about the consequences of honesty or dishonesty.

When I was a child ( and old enough to know better) I was playing with a pocketknife.  I wanted to learn how to throw the knife so that the blade would stick into the ground.  While practicing in the yard outside my house instead of the knife blade going into the ground it went into the side of my leg.  I removed the knife from my leg and headed into the house to tell my parents.  Fearing the consequences of playing with a knife I lied to my mother and told her that my leg just started bleeding and that I didn't know how it happened.  I was an adult before I confessed to my mother what really happened that day.

The memory and guilt from telling the lie was my constant companion.  When I was finally able to tell the truth the guilt was gone and the burden lifted.  My memory of this incident disappeared.  I had not thought of this incident in years.  I am so grateful for the law of repentance and the peace it brings.

No, I didn't share this with my Primary class yesterday.  It was our CSMP yesterday and our meeting ran long.  We are having behavior struggles in Primary and I started my lesson with a story and discussion on Reverence which only left me 15 minutes for the honesty lesson.

Backyard Play

Morgan and I stopped by Marks home after a visiting teaching appointment tonight.  We were able to bring Grant and Cami to our house for a couple of hours.  We dined alfresco on frig leftovers.  The food was quick, easy and tasty.  The company was priceless.  We played frisbee, ran and chased, rode tricycles, shoveled sand, watered plants and went up and down the slide,  When the sun set Grant cleared the lawn of all toys and laid in the grass.  I got out towels and blankets.  Aunt Shelby brought out glow sticks.  It's always fun when Grant and Cami come.

WHAT was I thinking?

The Bisbee1000 is about 3 weeks away.  Not much prep time left.  So what did I do?  Last monday I got the crazy idea to grab a time and start trying to jog.  After a  warm up walk I jogged for 30 seconds, walked for 2 minutes, jogged another 30 seconds, etc.  I did this for 2 miles.  Tuesday I only had time for 1 mile, but increased my jog time to 35 seconds. Wednesday I biked to my practice stairs.  I did 10 sets of stairs, jogged 2/3 of the way around the building (it's a small building), 10 more sets of stairs, jogged 2/3 of the way around the building, did 10 mores sets of stairs and biked home. Thursday I was jogging 45 seconds and walking 90 seconds.  I'm not sure what I was thinking.  I walk much faster than I run.  Today, Randy decided that he should start jogging too.  It will be interesting to see what shape I'm in on October 15th.

The past two Saturdays I have participated in a Preservation and Encapsulation class.  The curator of our local museum taught the class.  I learned about the proper way to preserve old photos and documents. 

Alison has missed reading my blog and suggested if nothing else to blog about what I cook for dinner.  Exercising doesn't leave much time to cook.  Tonight it was leftovers.  Last weeks menu included tamale pie, lasagna, chicken rice soup, foil dinners, spaghetti, tamales with rice, beans and salad, Shelbys crockpot Ham & potatoes.  I think she was hoping that she was missing out on something.  Truth is Alison is a much more interesting cook!

Kara' dress

Bisbee Date :)

Children reinvent your world for you - Susan Sarandon

Nine years ago next month Morgan came home from school extremely excited.  Her P.E. teacher had given her an entry form for the Bisbee 1000 and suggested that she participate.  Morgan LOVED running.  Morgan was only nine and there was NO WAY this mother was going to let her little girl run by herself through the streets of Bisbee.  Much to my dismay Dad, brother and sisters, ALL had other things to do that day. Not wanting to disappoint Morgan I said that I would "run" with her.  (We all know that I do not run)  I had two, maybe three weeks to get in shape.  The third Saturday in October came quickly.  Morgan and I went to Bisbee.  Hundreds of people participate in the Bisbee1000.  I was not even able to run the distance to the first set of stairs before I told Morgan to continue on without me.  I would try to catch up later.  I never did, but she was waiting patiently for me at the finish.  It was a grueling experience.  I was in pain for days afterwards.  Morgan run, skipped and visited along the route.  She came in second in her division.  After the pain diminished and several months passed I decided to try the stair climb ONCE more.  This time I would prepare months in advance.  The next year Randy and Alison also joined us.  Randy and I  have enjoyed participating in the Bisbee 1000 many times since then.

This year Kathy and maybe Ron are also joining in the FUN!

Saturday Randy and I had a Bisbee date to help get us prepared. Below is a little of what we experienced. The Bisbee1000 consists of a 5K run/walk through old Bisbee which includes 9 sets of stairs.

 This is the 5th set of stairs.  151 steps up.  Not to bad, except that they immediately follow the 4th set of stairs which include 78 steps.  Once I finish this one the rest is a cinch!  Plenty of walking time in between stairs.

 But remember - this is Old Bisbee.  The roads we travel on are up, down and rutted!

It is said that those who look for beauty find it. 

Bisbee is an eclectic town.  Lots of beauty if you take time to look.

 This home is on Tombstone Canyon between Stairs 6 and 7.

 I loved the Ivy growing along these steps.  It probably will be trimmed away before the race.

 Randy was best looking thing I saw!

 I always want to go shopping and buy flowers after I visit Bisbee.

 Unique fencing materials.

 The set of stairs in this photo are not part of the course.  They are the IceMan stairs.  155 steps.  The IceMan is a separate competition.  Participants carry a 10 pound block of ice using Ice Tongs up these set of stairs.  I have always wanted to climb these stairs.  Saturday we did.  It was tough enough getting my legs to make the climb.  Probably won't enter that competition.

Randy and I took a break from the stairs and window shopped.

We also had lunch a Cafe Cornucopia.

Randy enjoyed a Peach Lemonade, Turkey sandwich and Tortilla soup.  I had the same sandwich with Asparagus soup.

I loved strolling, running, climbing and visiting  through the streets of Bisbee. 

Time with Randy is definitely my favorite way to spend the day!

More Pics

Bethany said that she preferred blogs with pictures SO here is my week in review. 

July 30th Morgan went with Mark and his family to Apple Annie's.  She brought back peaches. 

I made a pie.

 Our jalapeno plants are doing well.  This was our second batch of jalapeno poppers.  We also took a bag of peppers to Bethany.  I love poppers, just wish they weren't so HOT! 

 A view of our garden.

 I started back to work July 25.  The hardest part of school starting early is that we are still enjoying the monsoon rains.  The down side of the rains (which I LOVE) is that it is too muddy for the daycare children to play outside.  It hasn't rained as much this past week.  The children enjoy helping Randy in the garden.

 Bethany brought her car down for repairs August 1st.  Hopefully the problem has been corrected.  While she was here Rachel stopped by with the nieces and nephew.  My daughters LOVE being aunts.  During the visit we attempted to trace Kara's hand.  She was not very cooperative. 

 I am starting my exercise routine in preparation for the Bisbee 1000 in October.  Once or twice a week I have been stepping on the flower garden wall.  Randy and I went to Bisbee this past Saturday and strolled the course.  I was not in as good of shape as is needed.  My legs are still a bit sore today.  I will post pictures of our Bisbee adventure later this week.

Shelby's students returned to school today.  Last Friday I mended seat sacks for her. 

I will  post more of our adventures and daily routine later this week.  But for now I must close.  Garden produce is calling my name. 

No Pecans

Who would have thought that two grandchildren could eat pecans as fast as Papa and Grandma could shell them?  Well, actually I knew!  We slightly decreased the number of pecans in the pantry, but still don't have any for holiday baking.  (That's okay with me!  I can always go to Costco.) 

I chose not to shell pecans tonight.  Instead I peeled and sliced peaches.  They didn't take too long.  THEN, I stemmed Grapes.  That did take too long.  About three hours.  Morgan had a couple of friends over after Institute and they provided a Rock Band serenade while I worked in the kitchen.

I doesn't look like much, but trust me it was time consuming. 

Tomorrow is jelly night.

MOMS LOG?

I'm feeling a little Trekkie this afternoon and thought of starting out with "Mom's log - Maroney date 7312011.  Morgan read in the paper today that J.J. Abrams is doing another Star Trek film with Chris Pine to be released Summer 2012.  Star Trek with Chris Pine is a Morgan favorite!  Star Trek in general is a Randy favorite.  Although I must admit that Mom's log- Maroney date 7312011 isn't near as cool sounding as CAPTAINS LOG STAR DATE,  etc.

Okay I'm also in a bit of a strange mood, but I thought that my girls away from home would be excited about the news.   

This week I had the crazy idea to send Alison some Hugs from Home.  She wrote about it on her blog.  Grant, Cami, Randy and I each made lovingly stretched out arms and mailed them to Alison.  I took a picture of Randy writing his personal note as proof that he did his own writing.  I was shocked at his perfect penmanship!  Kind of put mine to shame. 

Our fruit harvest this year is "slim pickin's"!  We love homemade jams, so this year I have been purchasing fruit as it goes on sale at the grocery store.  I have made Cherry, Plum. and Vanilla- cardamom Plum.  The vanilla-cardamom Plum was a new recipe that I wanted to try.  Probably will not make it again.  It tastes okay, but the spices hide the wonderful flavor of plum.  I will probably use most of it in thumbprint cookies and danish pastries.  I also have also made grape jelly and frozen grapes.  Our grapevines are doing well.  Tomatoes are starting to ripen.  I canned six pints this week and will can again tomorrow evening. 

 Tomatoes and Plum Jams

THE CHALLENGE

Randy has a car project in the carport that he is doing on the side.  I was quizzing him about it yesterday.  I asked how much longer it would take to finish the  project.  Would it be done by Thanksgiving?  It would be nice to set the Ping-Pong table up for the holidays.  To my surprise he said, "Oh, it won't take that long, probably only another couple months/"  Hurray!  was my thought.

 



Then I walked into the pantry and saw my project.  Pecans that have been sitting on the floor WAITING to be shelled.   I thought to myself, could I get them shelled by the time Randy finishes the Blazer?  I LOVE a personal challenge!  Plus, it would be great to have the nuts for holiday baking!!!!  So, can I get the nuts shelled by the time Randy finishes the Blazer?    I'll keep you posted.  Help from others will be accepted :)

Matthew 25:40

My Primary lesson last week was The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.  I love teaching Primary!  I learn so much from these lessons.  I was first called to teach in Primary when I was 13.  Back then Primary was on a weekday afternoon.  My first calling was as an assistant teacher, however the teacher I was assisting quit attending part way through the year (at least this is my memory) and I became the regular teacher by default.  The only lesson that I remember teaching was "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)  I remember memorizing the scripture, although I didn't remember that it was part of a parable called the sheep and the goats.  I remember that we made little blue construction paper baskets with colored paper flowers glued to it.  This was to remind us to do something kind for someone.

In the parable the sheep reach out in kindness and service to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison.  The Savior calls them "the righteous" and tells them "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me".  The goats do not reach out in kindness and service to others and are cursed.  I realized when studying these scripture passages (Matthew 25:31-46) that the Savior called the sheep righteous.  He did not however give a label or name to the goats, he merely said that they were cursed.  I appreciated his example of not name calling.  Perhaps I am misunderstanding what is being said, but it was a lesson that I needed to be reminded of.  So don't bother correcting me. :) 

As I ponder this parable to things come to memory that I would like to share.  First is an old email circulated story titled Dart Test.

"A young lady named Sally, relates an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, Dr. Smith.  She says that Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons.

One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day.  On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts.  Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.

Sally's friend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend.  Another friend drew a picture of his little brother.  Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face.  Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts.  Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart.  Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats.

As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target.  Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus;  holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced.

Dr Smith said only these words..."In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me."

No other words were necessary;  the tear filled eyes of the students focused only on the picture of Christ."

I have always questioned the truth of email/internet stories, but I often think of the lesson this on teaches.

The other thing that comes to my mind is a conference talk from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, May 2007 titled The Tongue of Angels.  This talk was given during a time when I was struggling with the words that were coming out of my mouth.  I have read and pondered this talk many times since it was given.  I am still working at controlling my tongue.  Elder Holland cautions us about the words we say to others and also the words and thoughts we say about ourselves.  I highly recommend this article.  His comments serve as a reminder of the impact my words have on others.  He concludes his remarks by saying, "May we all rejoice in the thought that when we say edifying, encouraging things unto the least of these, our brethren and sister and little ones, we say it unto God."

How grateful I am for my calling and the opportunity it gives my to learn and improve.

The week in review

It's surprising how quickly a week passes.  Summer vacation is almost over.  I started back to work this week.  I will miss the leisurely pace of summer.  Last week Randy picked all the fruit off of our plum tree.  We did not get a very big harvest and the birds were taking more than their fair share.  I decided to cut the bird bites off and make a Plum Kuchen recipe that I found on myrecipes. com.  It was delicious. 

(I tried to post the link but was not successful :(  

 

 Cami and Grant came to visit one morning last week and enjoyed the fruits of Papa's labors.  They love snacking in the garden.

 The garden is starting to produce on a daily basis.  I love the taste of home grown fruits and veggies.  The flavors are like I remember eating as a child.  One morning last week a served hash browns (store bought potatoes), sauted swiss chard, canteloupe, sliced tomatoes, pesto and toasted homemade french bread for brunch.  I was a delicious feast! 

(We eat brunch most days since Randy started the night shift.)  

 Randy had to go to an Endodontist for a root canel on one of his molars.  I was surprised when he returned with a long stem Rose.  The dentist office gave roses to their Monday morning patients.

 I thought it a bit strange.

 We got an early morning call from Mark on Friday.  Rachel was in labor.  I went to their home and stayed with Grant and Cami until they awoke, then brought them to our house for the day.

 Grant enjoys eating Papa's pancakes when he visits.

 Water games in the backyard after breakfast.

Morgan and Kara.

 Kara Beth Maroney arrived at 8:50ish on Friday July 22, 2011. 

Papa and Kara.

To Aunt Alison

I am SO BLUE  without you!

Cami working on an art project to send to Aunt Alison.

 She wiggles ALOT!

Sleepover

Last night we were blessed to have Grant and Cami spend the night.  They love their Aunt Shelby and enjoy snuggle and story time. 

 Grant requested Grandpa pancakes for breakfast this morning before he went to sleep last night.  His first words this morning were "Is it time for pancakes?" 

 Grant is our Number 1 Sous Chef!!  He loves working in the kitchen.  (In the garden, on a car, etc....)

Pancakes on the porch.