Home Teaching...

Normally, I am not one to complain when people care about me.  However, I had to whine and complain today.  Yesterday, we got an early morning phone call from Brother Bryson.  He and his wife are our home teachers from church.  They are an older couple that like to get out during the daylight hours to visit.  Being a working woman, I would prefer to have them visit one evening during the week so that my weekends are free for housework, errands, etc.  But, we set our appointment time for 4:00 and they came over for a nice visit; leaving around 5:30.  I have to admit, I asked Ron if there were any brethren that didn't do their home teaching, and asked why he couldn't assign them to us.  He just gave me that look and counseled me by saying,  "now don't be like that... the Brysons like coming to see us." So, I quit complaining (eventually) and enjoyed their visit.

However, today I had to complain again.  Ron had an appointment to do his home teaching at 2:00 this afternoon.  He got home around 3:30 and said, "Brother Carter called and wants to know if he can come home teaching today at 4:00."  I just looked at Ron and said, "Are you kidding me?!?!? We were just visited yesterday by the Brysons!" Ron got that confused look on his face that he sometimes gets when he has too many pots on his stove.  Finally, the light went on and he said, "Your right! Brother Carter and Brother Armstrong haven't been our home teachers for months! I'll call him and remind him of that."  What can I say; MEN!!!

Family changes...

For the past few months, Ron has been "retired" again.  He had been working for a company that had a government contract to teach a software program to the soldiers. And, as often happens to contractors, they were underbid when it was time for a new contract.  Ron enjoyed a short hiatus from work, but tomorrow he goes back.  The company that won the new contract offered him a position doing the same thing, so he took it.  While short-lived; I loved having him around so much.

One of the highlights of my week is family dinner.  Ron and I get together with my parents, our children, and the grandkids each Wednesday evening to share a meal and enjoy one another's company.  Sadly, this past week will be the last one that we will share with Ryan for quite a while. He has been waiting for a year now for the petroleum industry to recover in this disastrous economy and begin hiring again. Ryan finally got a position with Quality Logging in Midland, Texas and left on Thursday. While I know this past year has been hard for him, I have loved having him around for a change.  Luckily, Midland is only about a 6 hour drive. Hopefully, we will see him often.

My grandson, Seth, turned 9 today.  It amazes me that he has remained such a sweet, gentle, and loving little boy.  I know that he isn't always perfect, but he sure is close.  It amazes me that simple things bring him such pleasure.  When Becca asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, he just wanted to go out to dinner at his favorite restaurant with the family.  Here are a few pictures I took while we were there.

Seth has never been a big fan of sweets, but he sure loves beans in any form so Mexican food is always a hit with him.  Scott had his National Guard Drill weekend, but his assignment is in Gatesville so he was able to join us for dinner.  

Aunt B gave Sophie her first taste of lemon, and I think she actually liked it. Sophie is growing so fast! She is crawling all over the place, babbling like crazy, and has the cutest little teeth!While Sophie was enjoying the lemon, Maggie chomped down some chips and queso.  Her impish smile always delights me.  She didn't quite understand why Seth didn't have a birthday cake.  What Seth lacks in the sweet tooth area, she more than makes up for it!

As the family continues to grow and changes occur, I am truly thankful for these precious moments of togetherness.

Moving to Temple, again...

About two years ago, Ron and I bought a home in Temple, Texas.  We had to do a lot of painting, stripping of wallpaper, and replacing of floors.  It still has a few things that we need to take care of, but in time we will get it all done.

Now, we are working on a different house.  Leslie and G found a great fixer-upper here in Temple.

The house was being remodeled by an older couple that ended up getting a divorce.  It was sold as-is to avoid foreclosure.  It didn't have any flooring in the family room, entry way, or formal living room.  But, the guys managed to put down laminate flooring in the living room and hope to get the family room done next.
The kitchen was basically an empty shell. However, by law a house can't be sold without a stove or sink so the sellers put those things in.  Leslie has painted the walls, but left the walls white where they hope to some day put cabinets.
They still have a lot of work ahead of them, but I think they will have a wonderful home n which to raise their little family.
The best part is that it is in a wonderful, well established neighborhood only two blocks away from our house.