Messages from Mom ~ November 2014

(Monday) November 17, 2014

Hi Family,

Last Mon. evening for Jen's birthday, we went to their house for cake and ice cream and games.

Tues. we went to the movies and saw Interstellar. We enjoyed it. Heads Up: It is longer than most movies.

Wed. night we picked up Merrill and Lorrie for Ensign Club. Joen was going with other friends. The program was by a dentist/periodontist in Ensign Club (recently retired). He is a member of Rotary Club

International which partners with the church in helping in 3rd world countries. One country where they are setting up clinics to train dentists only has 1 dentist for 186,000 people--and those dentists pretty much only pull teeth. He said how necessary it is that we help countries in a sustainable way that the people can keep up on their own and that just "throwing money" at the problem really doesn't help. So

they are training dentists and assistants. His wife said he is working just as much as when he was a working dentist---just no paycheck coming in! It sure makes us feel grateful to live in America!

Downtown Thursday to our mission.

Thurs. a bridal shower at Metcalfs on Shenandoah. It you keep an "idea file"---she used a picnic theme. She went to Utah County and bought "Jdawgs" and cut them in half. Decorated with squirrels, leaves, gummy worms, cinnamon bears, etc. Also served little plastic cups of pasta salad, leaf-shaped sugar cookies, smores cookies, bottles of water in a tub of ice. The most fun: a little portable heater, with long wooden skewers, marshmallows, graham crackers, hershey bars or Reeses--for roasting your own marshmallows and making s'mores!

Fri. night Rick came from St. George for an interpreting workshop and slept over. Sat. morning Rick and LaMar went to the Jordan River temple. I went to another bridal shower. I have a 3rd one next Thurs.--3 in 8 days!

Yesterday after church, my VT's came and brought me a Thanksgiving present. They had already brought me a birthday present this month. I really like my two visiting teachers--and not just for the presents!!

Then we went to Chris and Kim's for Sunday dinner with them and Seth and Aaron, and Camden and Cayson. Cayson had thrown up in the night and Aaron had cleaned it all up without even waking his mother! Way to go Aaron!!

We worked with them a couple hours on family history, which we have done the last 3 visits. Kim is really enjoying it and she and LaMar are slowly getting her line straightened out.

Then we went to Shane and Alicia's to celebrate Calder's 3rd birthday this coming Wed. (along with Grayson's the same day) and Adria's Nov. birthday. Chris & Kim and Camden and Cayson came also, along with Alicia's family. It was nice that Camden and Cayson could play with cousins.

Our power was off for a couple hours in the neighborhood during the night the other night. I just happened to wake up and find it off. I'm glad it came back on in time to warm up the house before we got up. Our weather has been down to 11 deg. the past two nights, so we are thankful for working heat! We woke up to snow on the ground Sat. morning.

Tonight we are going to Jen and Gray's for pizza and games. We received a nice thank you email from Krystal last Mon. Have a great week everyone!

love, Mom/Grandma/Margie

(Saturday) November 22, 2014

Check Dropbox under 2014 for the photos that are there and you can add your favorites.  I had grabbed a few off Facebook from those families that I was afraid wouldn't add anything.  I am having Dad download the photos from our camera right now and I will try today to get them put in Dropbox 2014 and labeled.

We hope Rick had a good birthday yesterday!  We celebrated his birthday by going out to dinner at Brio with Shane and Alicia--their first time there.  Then they came to our house and Shane hung my new big family picture, plus moved two others.  Thanks Shane!

I went to my diabetes doctor yesterday.  My A1c was 5.9.  He's pleased with that, but I still want to get it lower.  When some of you get checkups and lab work, ask for them to do an A1c test.  They are not expensive.  Tell them you have a lot of relatives with diabetes and want to prevent it.  The A1c test tells your average blood glucose over the past 2-3 months.  That is much more helpful to be aware of than just the one fasting glucose reading, which they do.  My doctor is so great to give me all the samples he can of my expensive shots and my high blood pressure pills.  He has saved us many thousands of dollars over the years that I have been going to him.  I have been diabetic for about 10 years now, going to him for about 6 years.  I would much rather all of you take steps to prevent it than having you live with it for the rest of your lives.

Then we went to several grocery stores, so Dad was not able to get out in the yard all day.  He had his phone shift too.  So hopefully he can get out today before the temperature drops.  It is very windy now, but fairly warm.  Still more yard winterizing to do.  We bought a bunch more Christmas light sets, so hope he can get to them too.  Our two main bushes on either side of the front porch is where I like lots of lights, but they are getting so tall, they are hard for him to do.

We will probably go to the Interfaith Thanksgiving meeting tomorrow at 5 and take Joen, unless we decide otherwise.  They are quite interesting, with all different faiths doing prayers, talks, and music.  Christians and Jews. 

love,  Mom

(Friday) November 28, 2014

We had a delightful time at Scott and Amy's.  Dinner was delicious!  We all enjoyed visiting with family.  The cousins had lots of fun together.  Chris and Kim brought lots of bottles of Martinelli's sparkling cider--a Taylor tradition.

Some of us went for a walk after dinner to try to make room for pie!   Shane & Alicia made 4 different kinds of pie, plus a gluten-free chocolate cake, and some gingersnaps.  We were too stuffed to do them justice, but will enjoy some leftovers today!  Amy and clan had made homemade rolls and homemade cranberry sauce, plus all the other yummy foods!  We appreciate their hosting the event--it is always a big undertaking!  Jen and Gray and D & D can write about their enjoyable day.

Shane & Alicia and kids headed off to Midway for an overnighter.  That is their new Thanksgiving tradition.  This is their 3rd year.