This Week at Our House #10 Some Sickness Returns

The week was pretty ordinary except that Kate, Rachel, and Joseph began feeling sick again. They weren't sick like they were before, but they felt sick and stayed down and did not eat. I was not surprised because we had a stomach flu like this years ago where some of us kept feeling sick on and off over a month or two.

1. John heard nothing back from jobs. He is working all day to find ways to make money without having to work for someone. He needs something now, though. It is so hard to have no income at all.
2. I got my clothesline and clothespins this week. The laundry is simpler and gets done faster this way, much to my surprise. I can get our usual 3 loads hung out in about 2 hours, and they don't take long to dry, so the laundry is not an all day routine now. I feel blessed that I was able to make this change because the heating unit to the dryer died on Friday. I was still giving the towels one time through in the dryer to soften them, now we will just have hard towels. I would have been in tears if I did not already have a good alternative. I feel silly writing this, though. I grew up helping my mom hang clothes out to dry and never occurred to me that it was a good option.
3. Susan looked at the pictures that Ruth sent and said, "Ruth gets a snowman." Ruth felt just as happy about that, I think. She has always loved snow.
4. Kate can't read when she is sick because it makes her nauseous. Since reading is one of her favorite things, that makes it a lot harder to be sick. When Kate was 6 she told me that she had a primary lesson on talents and she thought her talent was watching tv. Now she almost never watches tv, but loves to read.
5. John has been giving Johnny much more intense lessons on computer programming, hoping that he can use this to support his family in time.
6. Adam is really good with Sam. I love seeing the older kids holding and playing with the babies. It's a nice part of having a large family.
7. Rachel was sick for most of the week, and the rest of the week, she spent in her room building a very large apartment building out of legos. The young women's president in our ward came up to me today with camp paperwork. Rachel will be 12 and moving on to young women's in a few more weeks. She will only have one more Sunday of primary singing and sharing time because we have stake conference and general conference two of those weeks. I still can't grasp this as real. Rachel still seems so young to me.
8. Anya is learning all of the states, their capitols, and where they are on the map. She pronounces the states and their capitols phonetically. It's fun to hear her say them.
9. Joseph was the other sick kid. I could tell that he really didn't feel well because he actually stopped bouncing around for about 24 hours.
10. I am just pleased with how well Joshua is reading now. He is even starting to enjoy it, and he is reading some picture books on his own time.
11. Arwen loves candy and cake and she will only get these treats if she focuses and does her school work without being nagged. She has been very conscientious about doing a good job everyday now. What was taking her an hour or more to get done, she now finishes in 10 minutes. 
12. When Johnny asked me what he could make for lunch, Susan jumped up and said, "Johnny, make marshmellows! Let's have marshmellows!"
13. Sam has been throwing big screaming on the floor temper tantrums over the sillies things. He had one during the Sacrament today when we did not let him eat all the bread on the tray, and another one later today when John would not let Sam chew on John's headphones.

Pictures

In a competition to get a basket first, John and Adam threw the ball and "made" a basket at the same time.

I made cinnamon rolls and Kate made pizza and John took a picture of his good luck.

Rachel's wedding "scene" for lego story play.

Anya's farm "scene" for lego story play.

Sam brought his giraffe into our bed and this is how I found John when Sam and I got out of bed.

Stories from Ruth #26

I love Chelmsford! I love how beautiful it is out here. Also my district is awesome! We see the elders every day because we basically share the area and they are so nice. And one of the elders is from North Salt Lake and went to Woodscross. Haha! There are a few arguments there!

My first three days here was a blizzard. The temperature was negative and everyone was freezing. We talked to people and they said it was too cold to talk, so we tracted and they said it was too cold. It is always too cold for the english people.

My companion is awesome! She is actually the first missionary from Cyprus. She hit here nine months on her mission this week and we celebrated by eating donuts and lots of them!

The members in my new ward are very friendly. There are two wards in Chelmsford and people from both wards already know me. There was also an Elder Robertson from Birmingham who served here. So it confuses them.

"With even your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you, when it will yield the greatest advantage. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow." Richard G Scott

This Week at Our House #9 It's March Already?

We went to Wednesday night youth activities for the first time since we moved. We have to be very careful with how much money we spend on anything, gas included, so I have started to grocery shop on Wednesday nights every other week at the same times as youth activities to let our kids do that and enjoy their friends. Kate has also set that time aside with the sister missionaries to join them. We had stake conference this week too, which was an hour and a half drive away!! That is the furthest we have ever had to go for stake conference.
         

1. Well, John did not get the job he interviewed for. But it was only a 2 month position, so hopefully he will get something else that will last longer.
2. I have potatoes coming up in my garden, and I have been hanging out all of our laundry to bring down our electric bill. I really do love being outside here.
3. Ruth has been transferred. She has had to face some pretty angry people both members and non-members and is relieved to be moved to a more country area. I look forward to hearing from her tomorrow.
4. Kate got to go out with the sister missionaries this week. They taught a member of the Navy who has decided to be baptized!
5. John has been making Johnny do a lot more computer programming. Johnny wants to learn it, but not necessarily on John's schedule. Johnny likes to get up early and get his work done then. John tends to get started at 5pm. 
6. Adam quotes from movies all the time. His Uncle Jeremy did this. I wonder if it is genetic.
7. Rachel is so hard to get up in the mornings. She whines and complains and says it is not fair that she should have to wake up, and she is not even a teenager yet.
8. Anya has been drawing a lot of pictures and is planning a book she wants to write. 
9. I give the kids a treat for each chapter book they read. I grocery shop every two weeks, so they get a treat for every book they read in those two weeks. Joseph had neglected to read anything, but when he found out I was going to the store in 2 days, he read two books.
10. Joshua's reading is coming along very well. He is reading books on his own now, and when he reads with me he isn't so slow and he can sound out words without help. I think in another year, he will be a good reader.
11. Arwen loves and adores Rachel and is always asking to play with her. I love how the little kids admire their older siblings.
12. Susan has decided her name is Lila-- which happens to be my older sister's name-- though Susan has only met her once. When you ask Susan what her name is, she says, "Wiwa".  This really bothers Joshua, who insists his name is Josh-u-a and apparently feels like everyone should be called by their name. So Josh runs after Susan and says, "Your name is Susan," or your name is "Suzy". Then Susan cries and says, "No, my name is Wiwa."
13. Sam put a bunch of duplo blocks together and then very happily and proudly brought them to John to show what he had done. John was quite impressed too, because Sam is only 15 months and we don't think any of the kids could put those blocks together so young. Sam has been saying Anya's name and calling her and Anya just loves that!

Pictures

A Poem to Ruth

A Poem for Ruth 

My elegant girl 

flew far from here

A priceless pearl 

She went to share 

Many a person 

she tried to teach

Though everyone

said “don’t you preach” 

To England gone

Press on, press on 

Words of hate

She ever endured

Yet with strength great

And Spirit inured 

Boldly she spoke

Christ’s words of love

truth ever to evoke

from the heavens above 

To England gone

Press on, press on

Stories from Ruth # 25

 

This week was the very last week of the transfer! And I am moving to Chlemsford! This week I met the second Mexican I have ever seen in England, taught primary, and play football in Hatfield. On Wednesday we had a crazy busy day running to appointments which was good! We gave Simeon a Book of Mormon, had a lunch appointment and lesson with Sister Sim, and attended Ward counsel which we walked to. We had one lesson cancel which we were going to take a bus for, however the bus never showed up and then we get a call from our appointment asking if we could cancel that day and we agreed, because we both felt like there was somewhere else we needed to be. So we went finding and we found a young brazilian family and our mexican friend. On Thrusday we had exchange and I got lucky because we played football again with a recent convert and an investigator. 

I did not fall once! I only kept tripping people on accident!

This week's spiritual thought is:
Mosiah 4: 6 "I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his   

matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—
7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.
8 And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you."

This Week at Our House #8 Spring Comes to Briarhovel

Spring came this week. The weather was warm. I planted potatoes outside. We met the neighbors who homeschool and have 5 kids. Numerous trees on our property blossomed. I love the peace we feel from the nature around us.   

1. John had his first job interview in 6 months of searching. Hopefully this will work out.
2. When I was not teaching school or cooking, I was outside working or reading. I got to meet our neighbor and ask her about gardening. She has been growing a big garden here for 19 years. Adam and Anya helped me to plant some potatoes directly outside. I had two potato plants ready to be planted outside and as of today, I have five. I fermented tomato seeds, and they will be ready to plant in another week. I pray over my garden. I want it to be productive. I will get chickens as soon as we can afford it because I need their poop for fertilizer.
3. Ruth said that her area is very sad. There are a great many people who are distressed and suffering. They have a great need for the gospel, but they do not know it.
4. Kate has reached 18.5 and has talked to the Bishop. He is beginning the paperwork for her mission and gave her the first half of her temple recommend. Kate is beyond excited!
5. Johnny woke up extra early on Friday morning to clean the bathrooms for me. He is a dear.
6. We are trying and trying to get Adam to pay attention to what he is doing and do them well. I think he wants to, but has spent most of his life getting the bare minimum done and is now finding it hard to do a serious study of things. I know that if he continues to put in a serious effort and is honest about what he understands and doesn't understand things will become a lot easier for him.
7. Rachel has memorized the first vision scriptures perfectly word for word. I am very proud of her. It was 772 words and the language is older. 
8. Anya helped me plant the potatoes because she liked doing it. Having help, made the process go a lot faster. I am glad that she did. Anya is having trouble memorizing. I think it will get easier for her as she does it more and learns to concentrate and not let her mind wander.
9. Joseph finished his memorizing, though he still changes the words up. I think he has done very well for an 8 year old.
10. I subbed in primary today and got to see Joshua. The sharing time teacher asked if anyone knew about the ten commandments and Josh said, "I know one is do not commit adultery. Another is thou shalt not lie, and thou shalt not kill. Killing is evil." I thought he was really cute. When we were home and I told the story, Rachel told me that Joseph gave the same answer.
11. On the day the trees blossomed, Arwen came to me and said, "Mom, did you know that this world is becoming a flower world?"
12. I taught Susan's sunbeam class. I was pleased that she did a good job answering questions. Though, if she did not know an answer, she would automatically say, "Jesus Christ."
13. Sam did not eat again until Wednesday. I was relieved when he started eating again. He also became happy again that same day. I had missed my happy little guy. I am glad that he is finally feeling better.

Pictures