We have been the recipients of gifts from elves (Historic Site Missionaries) this past week. It is very nice to be thought of and to receive something special. Gift giving doesn’t have to be grandiose but can be something that just lets the recipient know that they are seen and loved. The baby quilt that I showed a photo of last week was admired and appreciated by the new mom and her family. Grandma shared photos of her dear new grandson and he is thriving!

Our family has many Christmas traditions and I think of them at this time of year. In the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, Elder Holland made mention of the 85,000 plus missionaries who are serving away from their families. The holidays can be difficult but my perspective leads me to think about serving others and thinking less of myself and my imaginary boo-boo lip trembling with sadness. We will be having Christmas dinner next week with the other senior missionaries on Christmas Day and look forward to spending time with others in the same situation as ourselves.

Sometimes our Christmas traditions were born out of necessity. One year, Erik was between contracts and I didn’t think it prudent to buy anything large for the kids. That year Extra Foods opened a store in Olds (it’s now No Frills). You know you’re from a small town when you recognize your fellow shoppers in the grocery store. We had a Co-op store and an IGA, so when a new discount store opened, we started seeing “out-of-towners” coming to Olds for grocery shopping. My Spidey senses were on alert, haha! That was in the fall and one day I was shopping and a loss leader was toilet paper, large packs of 24 for only $6.77 each. My brain said, “Everyone needs toilet paper! Buy a package for each of your kids!” I loaded up my cart with enough packs for everyone including my son-in-law. Around our Christmas tree were all these packages of toilet paper. At first when the family started arriving, they were shocked and left wondering. That started a tradition and as the years passed, the kids made mention that they were hoping to receive their package of toilet paper each year. As they were in university, they told me how they brought their own roll of toilet paper to the bathroom for their constitutionals because there was at least one roommate who yarded off so much paper at a time that the rolls were empty whenever they needed to use the bathroom. It turns out that one large package lasts one person for a year! It was an annual event at our house for years until Erik and I started our nomadic life ten years ago.

Some Christmas traditions are not your usual “Merry Ho-Ho” type of thing but they can create lasting memories. Each year as I was shopping for toilet paper, inevitably someone would stop me and ask why I had so many packages of toilet paper. I told them the story and everyone loved it and wanted to do that for their families.

Christmas Eve is big in our family and we all contribute one dish each to our hors d’oeurves table. We dress up and spend the day preparing the feast. That’s when the “Great Candle Race” starts. I was informed of the Great Candle Race by my friend Mary Hatcher. Each person receives a small candle in it’s own holder at their place setting. Each candle is lit at the same time. The race starts and the candle that lasts the longest is the winner and they win the rights to open the first gift. Over the years the rule book is inches thick on the regulations.

1. No breathing on anybody else’s candle.
2. No re-lighting your candle if it goes out.
3. All candles are lit at the same time.
4. No adding wax to your own candle.

You get the idea! There have been years of crocodile tears that prompted daddy to re-light a certain daughter’s candle much to the dismay of everyone else. The annual photo of the winner generally has the losers gathered in the background giving sad faces and thumbs down, while the winner has the biggest grin. One year, Erik’s mom joined us and she couldn’t believe that she won the candle race! It’s a tricky feat to put food on your plate without burning your arm as the evening progresses.

We have learned to not give everyone candles that are too big because they take forever to burn. Birthday candles seem to last enough for our attention spans. One year, Erik decided to get a piece of wood and drill holes down the length of it for the candles. We learned that the holes needed a piece of foil placed in them otherwise a little fire is started when the candle burns low. It think that idea was chosen because we didn’t have enough of the ceramic candle holders for the family with the marriages that had added members to the ranks.

I’ll tell you about more traditions next week. It’s been fun to reminisce about the things we did when our family was near to us.

Cookie baking was a tradition that I loved. I don’t do much anymore but I want to share a recipe that I’m making tomorrow.

https://www.theconsciousplantkitchen.com/cranberry-pistachio-shortbread/

One of the first cookie recipes that I made shortly after getting married was whipped shortbread. I’ll take shortbread in any form and when I saw this recipe I was happy to try it.

Speaking with a fellow temple worker on Saturday reminds me that many people are experiencing strong emotions around the holidays. Her husband died three years ago after a massive stroke. Time doesn’t take away the feelings of love and wishing our loved ones were with us. Love is what binds our hearts together and it can be hard to have joy at special occasions. I often tell people that if you could only see what I see, you would know that your loved ones are so near to you and want you to have joy and live happily. Grief is a strange beast and navigating it brings out feelings that we often wish we could just pack away.

When we center our thoughts on Christ and what his life represents it can bring us peace. Whenever I ponder on the majesty of our Lord of Lords, our King, the Great I Am, coming to earth in a tabernacle of clay to dwell among man and then to give us his law and take upon us our sins, our burdens, our grief and rise above all, I am in awe and grateful that I can worship Him.

Wherever you may be on the pathway of life, this season gives us reason to think about our daily practices and where our thoughts lead. May you all find peace and joy in the coming days. As you bring precious gifts to your loved ones and maybe even to those who simply are in need, feel the love of the Savior in your lives as you work in compassion and charity.

There comes a time in our lives where we reflect upon friendships and how they affected us personally. I heard of a young man whose mother believed in the adage that most people you know will be strangers in 5 years. That perspective is meant to encourage people to chase their dreams without worrying excessively about the opinions of their current social circle. The idea is that many casual acquaintances and even some friends will naturally drift out of your life over a five-year span, so their potential negative judgment is not worth sacrificing your goals or happiness in the long run.

I like to instead ponder the thought, “Will this matter in 5 years?” I love meeting people and trying to have a positive impact on them. I love to give encouragement and compliments. When I see someone that looks like they took the time to dress up, I love going up to them and complimenting them on their look. I have terribly thin hair now and when I see a man or woman with a glorious mane, I will tell them how much I love their hair. One of the historic site missionaries has the most beautiful grey curly hair and she has a fantastic cut. It suits her so well and because I was brave enough to tell her how gorgeous she looks, we are fun friends now.

I want to be the type of person that touches other’s lives for good. This week I have had two friends pass away. Both of these ladies had very kind hearts and had lives of love and light. I shed tears for both of them because they are now leaving behind family and friends who will mourn for them and wonder about the what ifs.

I love this hymn because it makes me reflect on my friendships. It’s an interesting social life we have because of social media. I am able to check up on friends and see how they are faring. When I don’t see any posts from them in awhile, I worry and send a quick prayer that they are okay. Some of my children have eschewed social media. I know of people changing to flip phones to remove the distractions of social media and trying to focus more on their lives instead of what the world wants to impose upon them.

When you receive a feeling or inner prompting that you need to call a certain person or reach out to see how someone is doing, do it! Many years ago my first lesson in this was receiving a prompting to take a bouquet of flowers to a lady that I know. I thought to myself, “That seems silly; we’re not close friends but are good acquaintances.” I ignored that prompting three times (I shake my head over that). I was more worried about how I would be perceived bringing flowers for no reason. Well, that dear lady had a massive stroke after my promptings and was in rehabilitation in Calgary for 6 months. Afterwards, the next time that I saw her, I gave her a big hug and told her that I loved her. I never ignored those promptings again despite how awkward it seemed.

Another time, I was driving into Olds to check in on a class being taught at my store. As I approached the first traffic light, I received an impression to go to a lady’s house immediately. This dear lady’s husband had passed away not too long before. I drove to her home and rang the doorbell. She came to the door, saw me and burst into tears. She told me that she had been praying for God to send someone to her. In her loneliness, she was in utter despair. We visited for two hours and while I was there I fixed her kitchen clock. Her husband was the only one who had ever replaced the batteries and it was tricky but I figured it out. It was a little thing but huge for her and of course having someone to keep her company.

You get the picture, don’t ignore those feelings of contacting someone. You are exactly what they need at that moment. We are all God’s angels here on earth to be able to bless the lives of those around us.

We had a delightful evening on Saturday. After our double shift at the temple, we went over to the Stake Center and had a beautiful hour of music by the Erie Chorale, directed by Claire Nabrotsky. These talented ladies sang so beautifully and the last number they were accompanied not only by their pianist but by a young lad playing the cello. What a superb hour to be spent!

Then we headed downtown to the E.B. Grandin building and joined with the Historic Site missionaries as we caroled in front of the building. It was also a night of touring the historic buildings and homes of Palmyra and the Grandin building was on the tour. After an hour of that, we headed home to get warm and eat some supper. I lost my missionary name tag somewhere on my travels that night.

I did finish another quilt for a friend’s new grandson. We work on the Saturday morning shift together and I will be able to gift it later this week.

Choose your friends wisely and remember that we are not placed on this earth to walk alone. Be a good friend and serve others with kindness and compassion. Sister Sharon Eubanks said, “It’s hard to get the lights on by yourself, we need friends, we need each other.”

Have a beautiful week connecting and shining your light!

We are about to be hit with a “Bomb Cyclone” effect snow storm. The weather lately has been delightful for autumn with temperatures above 0C. The past couple of days, we are seeing negative temperatures. This hurts my brain as it took me 7 months to figure out the quick method to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit. Going into the negative numbers isn’t where my brain wants to go. Our entire mission I look at my watch and it shows the temperature in Celsius which I am comfortable with. But the look of horror on New Yorker’s faces when I exclaim that it’s a balmy +18 degrees…I quickly realize that I need to convert the numbers.

This past week was the first time that both Erik and I felt that we were missing our wood burning fireplace. We have a high efficiency fireplace that can heat the entire house. Watching a fire burning fulfills some primal desire to survive and feels like you can conquer the world.

This past week, Erik finally found the heated steering wheel button and I love it when I’m driving in the winter. We both discovered that we didn’t really bring long sleeved shirts or sweaters. I wore my mukluks to the temple one day and received a lot of comments about them. People were asking if they were a Native American type of footwear. I realized that mukluks aren’t something they are used to seeing. I brought both my short mukluks and my tall ones with me. Now, I’m madly trying to outfit myself for winter. The real winter coat is going to have to come out of storage and be put into use.

The excitement of the week was American Thanksgiving. We were invited to attend Thanksgiving dinner with the Historic Site missionaries. Many of those couples are newer to the mission and we haven’t met them yet. Sister Harris outdid herself with the decorations and the program. Each couple contributed two dishes. I’m not sure who was going to eat all the food because, when I do the math of Erik and I eating, we certainly are not going to eat everything from our dishes. There really was plenty of food left over and it makes us understand how truly blessed we are.

It is a very special feeling to be gathered with other senior missionaries, who also sacrifice so much to go out into the world to serve. Elder and Sister Moser, who sat at our table are from Idaho and I simply adore them. They have seven children and thirty-five grandchildren. I am in awe and also the special love that they have for their family. While we are missing our family, so are all of the couples here. The Moser’s are serving as Facility Management missionaries. They were a little (maybe a lot) concerned about being called to do this type of mission at their age. Elder Moser grew up on a dairy farm and his skills have definitely been put to use. Using a backhoe and tractor to fix a ditch and culvert for instance. There is definitely a missionary mantle that is given when we are set apart.

Our assortment of missionaries included, Historic Site missionaries, Temple missionaries, Facility Management missionaries, Distribution Center missionaries, and Camp Director missionaries. The skills in that room are immense!

I finished all the Christmas Pillowcases for our Branch and as well I was surprised to see the silicone bracelets showed up that I will give out to people. Thus Friday was head down, foot to the peddle and let that sewing machine fly. I managed to get the Christmas poem printed out in both Spanish and English.

On Saturday, the village of Palmyra had their Winter Light Up parade and Santa in the main park which is only a block from our house. Erik and I now work double shifts on Saturdays and we’re tired when we get home. We missed the beginning of the parade but Erik did run out to the street to catch a few sights.

With more people sniffling and sneezing, I start my day with my hot lemon/ginger drink. I juice one lemon and grate a teaspoon of ginger into a mug. Then I add a few shakes of cinnamon as well as a shake of cloves. The boiling water then is added and I let it steep while I read my scriptures. It is delicious and while Erik has come down with the plague again, I am still hearty and hale. He shakes his head and always says, “How come you never get sick?” I was going to head to church on Sunday by myself and as I like to do, I consult with the Lord about my day. His response was, “No, you need to stay home with your companion.” I was disappointed that I couldn’t take the gifts in but it was more important to be obedient and listen to the Lord. What if the man-flu overtook my love!?! I needed to be there for him.

We will see what tomorrow brings as the forecast has worsened and the warning has spread to five states. A true, winter Nor-easter is headed our way. We may be quite quiet at the temple tomorrow morning.

As we stay true and humble ourselves, exercising faith in Jesus Christ, the grace of Christ and His infinite atoning sacrifice make it possible to change. Even though I have questioning and rebelling attributes, I have based my faith in Christ and have learned that His ways are far superior than mine are. I willingly submit myself to obedience to the gospel precepts because I have seen the blessings and joy that come from that choice.

May we each look inward to see where we can change to bring ourselves closer to Christ. The month of December can be all about service. Find a “Giving Machine” close to you and see what service you can give to another person.

Stay blessed and well, my friends; sending love to you all!

I had an eye opening experience this week. I have been thinking about my ancestry from Eastern Europe, namely, Belarus. I wondered how they lived their lives. I want to know all the details: clothing, food, housing, transportation, and families. I decided to go look at a map and see where everything is located. To my surprise, it started with looking up traditional dress and food from Belarus. They were heavily influenced by Latvia and Lithuania which border Belarus to the northwest and north as well as Russia to it’s eastern side.

Then once I saw how Latvia and Belarus are neighbors, it hit me that both Erik’s ancestors and mine came from the same region of the world, sharing a lot of the same lifestyles. Isn’t it amazing how from those ancestors, Erik and I met on the North American continent? We came from completely different family situations but managed to meet and marry. I have had a personal revelation that Erik and I were foreordained to be together for eternity. When you think about the ways in which this has been brought to pass, it feels like a miracle.

There are more and more traits that I recognize in myself that I wondered in the past why I like specific foods and where did that come from. Some are definitely from my mother’s family and Scotland but there are others that I wondered about. I am appreciating how more is being made clear.

Do you look at yourself and wonder why you think a certain way or do things in a certain way? Our genetics are powerful and can help you understand who you are. It can be fun to do some research and feel the connection to the past. A fellow temple worker asked me if I was from Eastern Europe because of something that I was sharing. I looked surprised and responded, “Yes!” She told me that her son served his mission in Latvia and that he came across a lot of people who had gifts like I have.

The weather this past week has been above freezing during the day and while the leaves are definitely falling, lawns are still green. The village of Palmyra has a truck with a giant vacuum hose that goes along the roadside sucking up all the leaf piles that villagers have raked. The leaves then go through a mulcher and then get shot into the back of the truck. It’s a slow process but gets the leaves cleaned up.

I started sewing my Christmas pillowcases and the second one nearly made me give up. Directional fabric that I couldn’t seem to get right but after walking away and doing something different, I went back and all worked out fine. I wanted to finish sewing the rest of them today but cleaning the house and groceries came before the sewing.

We set up the Christmas tree that the previous missionaries purchased. On our trip to Walmart, I procured some ornaments and beaded garland. It’s a skinny tree but 7 feet tall.

While going through the self checkout (which I am inherently opposed to because they don’t pay me enough to check out my own purchases!), Erik was scanning and I was watching. I usually pay the bill while he is bagging. The total came to $931. 74. I thought, “What on earth did we buy!?!” I started scrolling through the screen and found the problem. When Erik scanned out radishes, we heard a double beep but he kept moving along. I thought I saw the word Donuts on the screen and wondered, “What did we buy that would have the name of Donuts?” Here’s where it gets interesting…the receipt doesn’t show it now, but the donuts rang up at $814.53! I pushed the button to get assistance and the lady came and reversed the charge. We still don’t know how or what occurred but note to all to carefully check your bills!

I’ve changed my mind on the vegetable dish we are bringing to Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of the Vegetable Tart, I’m making a vegetable gratin with the veggies all in thin slices and standing up. No need to worry about preparing a crust for a baking dish that we don’t have. Baking dishes are very limited here in this apartment. Erik made another batch of Breakfast Cookies.

Erik did find me frozen sliced okra which I like to put in my smoothies. It helps thicken and give lots of fiber to the smoothie. I have used arugula in the meantime while hunting down okra.

Here’s a photo of the almond flour that Erik has made while making us almond milk.

Our friends who are from New York are at the Missionary Training Center as they prepare to go to Slovenia for their mission. They are called to the Adriatic North Mission. Sister Wilson is originally from Slovenia and she’s a perfect missionary to go there. Ivana and Bob are such a wonderful couple and they will be like angels to the people of Slovenia.

I found family members by doing the DNA tests and I’m glad that I did because I found family and a better understanding of who I am. Have a great week, stay safe through your snowstorms!

Much love to you all!

As the world speeds up, it seems that it is getting harder to stay grounded on current affairs. We are surrounded by AI and it’s multi-use purposes driven by “who-knows?” This week in Relief Society we focused on Elder Gary E. Stevenson’s talk from October General Conference. It was ringing with the same tones that President Nelson gave us in one of his talks. It was titled, “Blessed are the Peacemakers.”

Imagine with me you are a young teenager in Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee, during the ministry of Jesus Christ. Word spreads of a rabbi—a teacher—whose message draws multitudes. Neighbors plan to travel to a mount overlooking the sea to hear Him.

You join others walking the dusty roads of Galilee. Upon your arrival, the large crowd gathered to hear this Jesus surprises you. Some quietly whisper, “Messiah.”

You listen. His words touch your heart. On the long walk home, you choose quiet over conversation.

You ponder wondrous things—things that transcend even the law of Moses. He spoke of turning the other cheek and loving your enemies. He promised, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

In your reality, as you feel the weight of difficult days—uncertainty and fear—peace feels distant.

Your pace quickens; you arrive home breathless. Your family gathers; your father asks, “Tell us what you heard and feel.”

You share that He invited you to let your light shine before others, to seek righteousness even when persecuted. Your voice catches as you repeat, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

You ask, “Can I truly become a peacemaker when the world is in commotion, when my heart is filled with fear, and when peace seems so far away?”

Your father glances at your mother and answers gently, “Yes. We begin in the most basic place—in our hearts. Then in our homes and families. As we practice there, peacemaking can spread to our streets and villages.”

Fast forward 2,000 years. No need to imagine—this is our reality. Although the pressures felt by today’s rising generation differ from those of the young person in Galilee—polarization, secularization, retaliation, road rage, outrage, and social media pile-ons—both generations face cultures of conflict and tension.

In Relief Society we discussed the three ways in which we can become peacemakers; in our hearts, our homes and our communities. I loved that Elder Stevenson offers a one week Peacemaker Plan.

In summary, I offer an invitation. Peacemaking demands action—what might that be, for each of us, starting tomorrow? Would you consider a one-week, three-step peacemaker plan?

1. A contention-free home zone: When contention starts, pause and reboot with kind words and deeds.
2. Digital bridge building: Before posting, replying, or commenting online, ask, Will this build a bridge? If not, stop. Do not send. Instead, share goodness. Publish peace in the place of hate.
3. Repair and reunite: Each family member could seek out a strained relationship in order to apologize, minister, repair, and reunite.

This is such a great reminder and plan on how to have more peace in our lives. We live in contentious times and everything seems to be polarized. I need to ask myself when I am feeling anxious about situations in the world and our country that seem out of control, “Can you do anything about it?” Some things are simply too big for my heart and soul and I need to realise that being anxious, fearful and angry do not come from God. Those are Satan’s tools and I need to press forward with my faith.

This week, I received tender mercies that make me acutely aware that God knows me and what I need. Sister Whitehead and I often complimented each other on our outfits, our hair and our talents. It seems that we both love receiving words of affirmation. I wondered how I was to cope with having her gone home to Utah. On Tuesday morning, one of my fellow temple workers, Patti Clark, came into the locker room and very sincerely, complimented me on my dress and it’s color. I felt tears come to my eyes as I felt the love of the Lord in showing me that others can fill my love bucket too.

Sister Stevens had given me what I call a “Joy Jar” full of quotes that I could open up and read to bring me joy. I was saving it for some special day but then I read her instructions and it was to used any day, not just for a special occaison. Today I finally opened the first one. Maybe I was saving them because it was hard to open it and not cry about my friend being at home.

Another temple worker has a daughter who was expecting her first baby. The baby was also the first grandchild for Jen and Keith Baker. I have a quilt top made for their baby, ready to be quilted. Her daughter experienced extreme sickness throughout her entire pregnancy. A couple of weeks ago, while in the celestial room, I decided to pray for her daughter. One technique that I have learned is about imagining a brillant white light surrounding a person or targeting the body part that has pain or injury. This white light represents the pure love of God. When it is done with a pure heart full of charity, miracles happen. I mentioned to Jen that I was praying for her daughter and hoped that the last week of her pregnancy would be better. Jen reported back to me that the day that I had prayed for her daughter, she was able to actually eat a meal and keep it down, also she was well enough to leave the house and go for a drive in the car. I am so grateful that God hears my prayers and answers them.

We are shifting gears into winter now. Today we received our first snowfall. Erik went for his walk in the snow this morning. I bought some merino wool gloves and they are delightful! I don’t mind cold as long as I am dressed appropriately. With my protocol I am doing, my metabolism is ramping up and I am no longer cold. I have warmth in my hands and feet, which is so strange to me after years of freezing. We were under a winter storm watch. I think that Palmyra is in an area that gets less snow than areas to the west or east. Because of the lake effect snow, some areas can get quite the deluge.

On Thursday, we drove into Rochester for an endocrinologist appointment. Okay, true confessions… I struggle with appointments not being on time. This drove my blood pressure up, and I kept telling myself, “Calm down, everything will work out!” I first saw an endocrinology fellow for an hour before seeing the “real” endocrinologist. Things went as expected; I didn’t have my questions answered, and they just want to push drugs. I told them that I will pray about it and see what God wants me to do. They both said, “Okay.” Neither seemed put off that I said that. My sister Tracy tells me that I have a “ness” of Don’t Mess With Me! I left with a feeling of, “That was a colossal waste of time!”

The next morning, my scripture reading opened with Mormon 8: 26 And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak from the dead.

Last year the Lord promised me that my healing would be wonderful and miraculous. I loved the reminder in that scripture. Again, it let me know that His promises are sure and He is aware of me.

Bread baking had to happen last week. I made a gluten free loaf for Erik and a grain free loaf for myself. Because of humidity, the loaves were baked but had a high moisture content. I let the loaves cool and then slice them, bag them and freeze them. It seems that moist bread likes to stick to itself and it was better to just put the loaves in the fridge rather than try and pry apart frozen slices that didn’t want to leave their friends behind.

It’s going to be time to start some little sewing projects for our Spanish Branch for Christmas. I’ve got some ideas, so we’ll see how time marches on. There is a Christmas store in the town of Lyons that I would dearly love to visit. Our Branch President called me today for some ideas to share love to members in our Branch. I gave him a couple and he thought they were good. We will discuss with the other leaders on Sunday.

We have a “Visa Waiter” in our Branch who is waiting on his visa to go to Peru on his mission. He will get a good start on his Spanish with our two Elders who serve in our Branch.

I was able to see Sister Jill Cosman from my home Ward of Lacombe. She came to the temple with a new member to do baptisms. Sister Cosman gives the best hugs! She shared news from home and I know that she will be blessed because of her mission that she is serving.

I saw a lady at the temple with a dress that had a red poppy print. I mentioned how appropriate that dress is for this time of the year. Everyone in the waiting room seemed confused and that’s where I found out that Americans do not wear the poppy as a symbol of remembrance for Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day in USA). When I explained it’s significance to me, they all wished that they had that in the USA. I forgot to bring our poppies from Canada. From being raised in the military, it is important to me. Here is the link to help you with the wearing of poppies.

https://www.legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy/how-to-wear-a-poppy

Have a lovely week; stay safe and know that God is fully aware of you and your needs. Sometimes He uses earthly angels to do His bidding, sometimes it’s angels from the other side of the veil. You are special to Him and His love knows no bounds.

This past week was full of projects that needed to be completed. I was madly pushing myself to finish quilts to gift to the departing missionary couples. Three couples are finishing their six month temple missions. I wanted to make something special for them to remember Palmyra. After all was said and done, I made three table runners with a floral fabric that depicts seasons and I called them, The Flowers of Palmyra”.

As well, I needed to finish a baby quilt to gift to my friend, Wanda, who is soon to be receiving her first grandson. Her daughter is due in 5 weeks and we’re praying that all goes well. Our local quilt shop in Palymra has a quilting service, so I had them quilt the baby quilt and what I call, “Penny’s Big Girl Quilt”.

I quilted the table runners myself and thought that I would mark the grid that I wanted for quilting. Well, that took way too long for my liking so I sat for a couple of minutes and a thought came to me. I have painter’s tape in my art supplies and decided to try marking the lines with it. That went so well, that I carried on with that method. I had premade the binding for all the projects but realized that I needed fabric to make the quilt labels. Then I was running out of white thread and Jenn (shop owner) graciously lent me a spool of white thread so that I could finish quilting the runners. She has been so delightful to work with!

It took me awhile to think about the coming week where our friends return to their homes because I was so busy with the task at hand. I was suddenly hit with sadness realizing that my friends won’t be at the temple working alongside us any more. There will be a slight adjustment in the scheduling for our shifts and we will be working with Rick and Tonya Gurr as well as Glen and Bev Parker.

The temple president’s house has a large room in the basement that they offered to us temple missionaries to have our last get-together in. Charlie made the chili con carne, I made a 7-Layer salad and the Stevens’ brought dessert. There was also cornbread and rolls provided by Parkers and Mexican layered dip made by Kinnersleys. Gurr’s looked after the drinks. We had a great time and after the temple president and his wife finished their meeting, they came down to join us.

The funny thing that happened was when Dan accidently spilled a drink (we’re on carpet), Eileen jumped up and got a tote that had rags and carpet cleaner in it. She came prepared!! Eileen has a cute saying about, “When I was domestic…”, well, her domestic side definitely rose to the surface.

We took photos, cleaned up, put the tables and chairs away, and were off for the night. I learned that Glen Parker is quite knowledgeable about genealogy. He did some amazing things while they were on their mission in Denmark. Neither him or Bev speak Danish but they found great information to fill in the blanks and correct a lot of the work.

On Saturday, there was a Halloween Trick or Treat event in the afternoon going down Main Street of Palmyra, and the businesses were handing out candy. It made it tricky for parking when I went to pick up Penny’s quilt. The kids seem to be having fun though; it was about 10 C. Another thing that I found funny was that it was warmer in Alberta than here in New York.

Apple harvest has finished and we are getting to try varieties of apples that are amazing. We have been recommended to look for different varieties. There is one I tried that was spicy and sweet, wow, it was delicious. It may have been a “SnapDragon”. Erik went to help the Wilson’s with some power washing as they are preparing to leave for their mission in eastern Europe. They still have apple trees on their acreage as well as ten acres that they lease out (full of apple trees). Erik brought home a bag of apples for us and they have been delightful.

In our little Branch we have a couple who were married on Saturday. The Branch put on a wonderful celebration for them as well as gorgeous photos on the beach at Lake Ontario. Then on Sunday, we had Compartir and the cultural hall was decorated for them as a reception. The thing I have learned about Latinos is that they love to decorate for any party or occasion. The decorations are always great and festive. I had signed up to bring a dessert and I made those squares that I posted last week. They turned out well according to the members of the Branch. It was great to give them away to missionaries as well. More contraband is gone from my household, haha!

Sunday evening, the temple missionaries were invited to attend a devotional with the Historic Site missionaries and a member of the Presiding Bishopric, Elder Budge. His wife is orginally from Ithaca, NY and she was excited to come along on this trip. We met in the newly renovated Hill Cumorah Visitor’s Centre in the theatre room. The last eight sister missionaries will be leaving to their new assignments this week and there were tears shed during their last song. Wanda turned to me and said, “Oh, oh, they’re done!” They are all going to different areas in the USA for the remainder of their missions.

Elder Budge explained the role of the Presiding Bishopric and what they oversee. The Presiding Bishopric is a council of three men who work under the direction of the First Presidency. They manage such matters as humanitarian aid, welfare programs, tithing and fast offerings, physical facilities, and the organization of membership records, among others. They also travel frequently to minister to Church members around the world. He talked about meeting with the First Presidency weekly and trying to resolve their issues with the temporal things that the church is experiencing. The First Presidency says, “If you have an issue, come with some solutions so that we can discuss them.” Oh, to be a fly on the wall! He did open the floor up to questions and my hand shot right up. I wanted to know where the two new missions are going to be in Canada. He couldn’t remember because there was 55 new missions announced. Well, I learned that the Halifax Mission is getting resurrected as well as a new mission in Toronto.

One of my favorite couples, the Cruz’s have received a job promotion with the Facilities Managment for the church. They just moved here 9 months ago and are now heading to Florida. They are orginally from Brazil and are what I call, “True and Faithful Servants”, full of honor and a desire to serve the Lord. We will really miss them!

So there you have it, many of us are finishing up assignments and moving on. We’re finishing up projects so that we can move along. I have my next baby quilt to start because the baby is due in a week. It’s progress and makes me think about what’s next for us. We still look at real estate listings trying to find something but then we also look at the next mission opportunities available.

I can attest to this because most times I am amazed at how I accomplish things. Knowing that the Lord helps me as well as sending others to help keeps me humble and full of gratitude. These days, I feel like we need all the help we can get and because He is most powerful, I willingly take His hand.

Choose your goals and be a finisher! Your faith will grow not by chance but by choice.

Enjoy your week, stay well and use your heavenly angels to help you along. Te amo!

I was saying this to someone this week because each of us are the same but different. Everyone has a story that is unique to them. We come from different circumstances and yet have experienced similar hurts and traumas. You can’t necessarily look at someone and guess their life story. We dress up, we dress down, we wear costumes to depict our lives and how we wish to be seen. If you could see my sweater that I have on right now, you could see that I’ve had a day 🙂 I’m not planning on going out in public with this sweater; it is headed to the laundry this evening. It tells my story of what I did today.

This morning started with last night because a friend who I know from the the temple, suggested that I make my own almond milk in my blender. I was disheartened by all the additives in commercial almond milk. I bought a nut milk bag for straining and put a small amount of almonds to soak in filtered water in a glass jar. We don’t have a glass bowl here in this apartment (off to Marshall’s I’ll go). Erik shakes his head but I tell him, “Hey, it’s cheaper than buying a nut milk machine!” Almonds need to soak 8-10 hours or overnight.

I drained the almonds this morning and gave them a rinse a couple of times. Into the Vitamix they went along with more filtered water, salt and a wee splash of vanilla. If you want it sweetened you could add a couple of dates. I don’t like sweetened, so plain it is. I blended the mixture for 1 minute and then used my strainer bag over a bowl. After squeezing the pulp fairly dry, I poured the milk into a jar and put it in the fridge. I spread out the almond pulp on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 3 hours at 175 F. I actually forgot about it and it went a little longer. After letting it cool, I put it back into the blender and more finely ground the pulp. Now I have almond flour! No waste and fresh delicious products are ready to use. Part of my protocol is to not consume dairy. My only thing I wish I had was cheeses, particularly, French cheeses. I do eat sheep cheeses and enjoy those. I was not a milk drinker so I do not miss that. My dehydrators are at home and those can be used to dry out the almond pulp as well. Remnants of almond flour dusted my sweater.

I was fortunate to be able to sew today and if you know, you know. There is a saying, “You can tell a quilter by the threads she wears.” I am adorned with colorful threads as well. Then supper was created and I am so tired that a forkful ended up hitting my sweater before landing on the floor. So, I have salsa bits and refried beans on me as well. What a hot mess! Does it define who I am? Not usually, but I need to be more concerned with how the Lord views me.

An interesting thing has occured. Two days this past week, I was so tired that I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I sat back and had little naps on those afternoons. Very curiously, my blood sugar dropped into normal range on both those days. I will continue the experiement. Rest is vital for healing and I’m hoping this is part of my healing journey.

We had an interesting family come to the temple which follows the adage about not judging a book by it’s cover. Grandpa became very wealthy from a company he developed and the lovely thing was that if you don’t know them, you would never know their story. The grandchildren were polite and treated us with respect. It was a joy to serve them.

Sometimes we wear masks to protect ourselves, sometimes to fit in with our peer group. What message are we trying to portray? Sometimes we don’t realize that we are trying to portray a persona that isn’t in best form for us in the long run. What best serves your needs in the eternities?

Both Erik and I like to be active and try to stay healthy. He bought a 30 pound weighted vest for rucksacking. He noticed that his heart rate wasn’t getting up as high as he wanted with the 20 pound vest. I am still bouncing but noticed that I can spring up into sitting and standing positions easily because of developing my core muscles.

We are getting to the time when the six month missionaries will be heading home. It will be different without them as they return to their normal lives. Erik was plotting out a route for us in April when our mission is finished. There are a lot of temples on that route and it would be really nice to see them.

It was great to be back with our Spanish Branch on Sunday. It had been a month since we had been together with them. I have been doing some more French lessons lately and have switched to another app for Spanish. I was worried that I would be too rusty without speaking Spanish for the past month. All is well, my middle-aged brain still remembered Spanish, haha! We will be having Compartir next Sunday after meetings. I signed up to bring dessert (postre). It gives me an opportunity to remove contraband from my pantry and feed it to others.

https://cookiesandcups.com/caramel-stuffed-krispie-treats/

Life-Changing Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes

Now, these cupcakes are legal for me and I can’t wait to give them a try. I made some pumpkin cupcakes this past week that turned out like little pumpkin pies. Oh, they were delicious! My dear husband has a contraband cupboard above the stove that has food with gluten in it and sugar. This week he fell victim to a little pumpkin pie (mass produced) and brought it home to his stash. He said that it was better than he expected and I’m glad he enjoyed it.

Despite what you wear or how you wish you looked, these ten ways to succeed in life are a good list to have as a guide or to check ourselves. The Lord reminds me every so often about number 7. I try to live joyfully, but there are days when injustice makes me want to go crazy. Having a cheerful countenance and not complaining does help my heart. I do know that it is my weakness and I need to guard against complaining in my conversations.

Have a fantastic week! We love you and wish you many blessings and happy days.