New Blinds!

 We purchased metal mini blinds when we moved into our home in 1985- 36 years ago.  That's pretty good.  They lasted through children and grandchildren and lots of opening and shutting through the years.  But the turning mechanism in the big front window finally broke and the part we needed is no longer manufactured.  We decided to replace them with new blinds.  I love our new 2 1/2"  blinds !

We put new ones in the four windows in the living room and in the front bedroom.  What a great home improvement!

Not Again! And Again!

 Our sprinkler system sprang a leak.  Ken discovered a wet place in the front lawn.  So he dug down and found the leak.  He called several companies to repair it, but all were too busy to come soon(one said they couldn't come for three weeks!)  So he went to the hardware store, bought the stuff and did it himself. 

But a few weeks later, he found it was wet again and dug down to find it was leaking again-but in a different place.  So he repaired it again.  Hopefully, this will do the trick.  We aren't looking forward to the water bill!

Commonwealth

 

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am amazed at Patchett’s ability to write so proficiently in so many different settings. Her research is thorough. But the strength of her books is the characterization. She creates memorable characters. That’s what I remember about her books.
This one tells the story of the profound effect one decision can make on many lives. One drunken kiss sets off a chain reaction that changes and destroys lives, the ripple effect lasting for years. There is such a powerful lesson there. I felt that the protagonist in this story was weak, allowing herself to be used and causing pain to herself and others.
I liked this book, but my favorite Patchett novel is The Dutch House. It is similar in theme to this one and has a similar feel. I also liked Bel Canto.


View all my reviews

Relative Race Season 7

 We have loved every season of Relative Race on BYUtv, but this one may be the best one yet.  It has such a great and moving ending.  We can't wait for Season 8!

Brielle Comes To Visit

Our oldest granddaughter, Brielle, came for a two-week summer visit.  She flew here from Denver and stayed a couple of weeks, then she rode with us to the family reunion in South Jordan.  We had  a wonderful time with a wonderful young lady.

Listening to "Unshaken" to study our scriptures.

Dinner at Chipotle

Brielle and I enjoyed watching a tournament on Chopped.

We enjoyed playing games.

Dinner at Hash House a Go Go

Making dessert

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Brielle loves to write and worked on her novel while she was here.

This is the plot outline for her novel.

We made okonomiyaki- a favorite Japanese dish- while she was here.

We also watched season 7 of Relative Race- or most of it.  Brielle had watched it before, but never gave away who would win.

We enjoyed watching Emma and Sense and Sensibility while she was here.  

It was a fun couple of weeks.  We sure love our Brielle!!!

Emma

 This is a movie that has been remade many times.  Brielle and I watched this latest version and really enjoyed it.

My Last Ever Game of Monopoly!

 I wanted to document my last ever game of Monopoly.  I had not played it for years, and have decided I will never play it again.  It is a horrible game.  It is designed to make you lose.  You are constantly frustrated and sad.  Nope, I won't play it again.  (Can you tell I lost?)

Our Little Sister

 Ken and I loved this movie set and filmed in  Japan.  It was all in Japanese, with English subtitles.  It was so fun to understand so much without the subtitles and to see our beloved Japan again.  In fact, some of it was set in the prefecture- Yamagata- in which we served.  The story is sweet and tender.  We loved it beginning to end!  We watched it on Netflix DVD.

The Terminal

 I love this movie!  I just love the character Tom Hanks plays.  My favorite scene is when the airport officer explains to him that all he has to do is say he is scared to go back to his country and he can leave the airport.  He won't say it.  He's not scared, so he won't say he is.   Integrity.  If you haven't seen this one, make it a priority.  It's a good one!   It is on Netflix right now.

Which Wolf Am I Feeding?

   I have been asked by our Relief Society presidency to prepare an article for each month's Relief Society newsletter on spiritual preparedness.   I thought I might just as well publish those articles here as well.  This is July's article.

Which Wolf Am I Feeding?

There is a story told of an old Cherokee teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil: he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good: he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person too.”

 

 The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

                                                            Elder Shayne M Bowen from New Era, Sept 2012

Preparing ourselves spiritually means striving to always feed the good wolf.  Each night, when saying our prayers, we can ask, “Overall, which wolf won today? Which wolf am I feeding?”