2011 Dejunking

Dejunking is something that has been a challenge for me in the past.

This time around it is challenging but at the same time encouraging and the success is a wonderful feeling, of less and enjoyment of more space ;.)

I have learned that you need to bag it, remove it from the home and have someone else drop it off so you will not have the desire to look into the bag and take something out and bring it home again.

So this is what I have done, I have bagged the items have had my husband place the bags into the car and deliver them to the destination for others.

It has worked very well. I have also shared this challenge with a friend of mine that loves to organize, with a capital O. She says that it makes her fingers itch when she hears of others needing to get "Organized".

SO with her enthusiasm I'm going forward with a box a day and seeing lots of items gone ;.)

My goal is to be accomplished with this large task and working on crafts by June with space to spare.

Keep encouraging me on my goal.

;.)

Oh, My Goodness, what happen this last month?

Now tell me where did this past month and a half go???

Well, lots has happened . . .

I will begin from the end and go from there- Christmas morning I was up before either dad or Soren. Yes, these two slept in until 9 a.m. For real!

Where is the "Believe" in this time? Not, believe would be more like it.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Preppy and I had decided that since we were really empty nesters that we were going to do Christmas different this year.

We had started the tradition of going to our children's homes on Christmas morning after they have had their time together and see what Santa had brought them and give them presents also.

Since Soren is living is Pasco, Washington and we have had lots of rain which means lots of snow for him we could not drive there. So we would call him. We would go to Rocklin on Christmas Eve, celebrate with the Cullumbers and stay at a hotel and go back to Cullumbers for Christmas breakfast and excitement.

All was set except for the reservations which was not a problem since Corinneee said we could stay there.

Preppy kept himming and hawing about the idea, then there was the job at work that needed his attention and finally it was we will not be able to go to Rocklin til Christmas morning. I was so shocked that I did not even complain to him. Mostly because I was crying and I did not want to have it my way with tears, since he was needed at work.

So I began my Christmas shopping, if I'm unable to go then I will need to spend! So I began the latest I have ever on the 20th December. It was a very good day and successful too. Majority of the shopping was complete. I need to get Soren's package into the mail and Preppy said he would take care of that task. I felt bad that I had taken so long to get his package into the mail. I should have been sending them daily so he could have a fun Christmas without each of us. I texted Soren to let him know that dad would put the package into the mail and that I hoped he would receive it before Christmas Day. If not dad said we would pay more for it to be done.

So the package was sent to work and into the mail. So I was lead to believe. ;.)

I chatted with Corinneee and did not say a word that we would not becoming to her home until Christmas day due to job and other challenges. She asked and I began to cry, and said that I did not want to make her feel bad. She offered to call dad or e-mail him. Unknown to me many things were in the works.

I kept shopping and wrapping and for the first time in 36 years our Christmas Eve pj's were wrapped three days before Christmas Eve!!! It was sort of eery. By the 23rd I was wrapped! Another first! Well much was needed to be done at home, Preppy had asked me about getting the pink room cleared out for the grandbabies to come and visit. Well, that and other rooms were over whelming to say the least. I would flutter from room to room.

On the 23rd Preppy came home late from work and said he was going to do his Christmas shopping early. That is early the day before Christmas Eve!!! It was after 8 p.m. and I thought he should wait until tomorrow morning, but if he wanted that would be great that would give me more time to flutter some more from room to room.

Int he mean time I was texting with Soren and he and I were to meet at 9:30 p.m. via phone and computer to get my system backed up. I told Preppy that and he was okay with it but mentioned that we needed to keep up with the pink room.

Corinneee had mentioned the last time she was here on the 10 December that a memory pad might help the futon bed. So I had purchased that along with two blankets and said well, I might as well set this up. So while texting Soren I told him about this task and at the same time trying to get the room cleaned ;.)

Well, guess what Preppy was doing, he had gone to the Oakland Airport and picked up Soren and Soren was talking to me at the time he and I were to be working on the computer. I could hear Tink our bird in the background he was HOME!!! I was so excited, then I understood why we were not going to Corinneee for Christmas Eve.

Well, Santa had a bite more to purchase on Christmas Eve, and Soren and Dad were helping Mrs. Briscoe with her main water line that had broken at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. We had to call out the Water company at 1:30 a.m. to turn it off. So they were waiting for someone to come and fix the problem.

I returned home and to my surprise again I walked into our home and there was Corinneee, Mallory and Zachary sitting on the floor with Papa, Soren and even Wesley!!! So much for surprising Wesley with his gift of new rotors for his car. I dropped them on the floor! They had come to us to spend the day baking Gingersnap cookies, making Christmas plates for Santa, playing and just being there! What a surprise for sure two in two days, it does the heart good.

So Christmas Eve was with Soren, dad and I with our new pj's, fun for each of us.

Christmas morning I was up before either dad or Soren. Yes, these two slept in until 9 a.m.

For real!

We drove to Scott, Shaleah and Savannah's home to see what Santa had brought them. It was cloudy and dark like rain was coming. We had scones for breakfast and little hot links bacon and lots of scones! It began to pour and we set off for home inviting them for dinner with Sondras family at 4:30 p.m.

We had Sondra and her family and Shaleah and her family for Christmas dinner. We opened presents with the Willyerd family. Checked out our plates that we left for Santa to fill and were happy with the results of lots, and lots of candy, nuts, apple, orange, and just lots, plus a new ornament or two for the tree in 2010.

Ham, funeral potatoes, green beans, pasta salad, milk, water and too full for ice cream, expect for Savannah she made room for Chocolate double fudge.

So we had all of the family not at the same time but mostly ;.)

I love our children and I love our grandbabies. Most of all I love Preppy, he is so loving and kind and willing to make me happy.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a happy day.

xoxo

Change in Our Ward Family Today

Today has brought much change in many lives of our Brookvale Ward.

Our son in law is now our Bishop of our Ward. So our oldest daughter is the Bishops wife.

You read of the young being called to these callings, but when it is in your family it is really young ;.)

Being called to be the Bishop is a amazing calling, that Heavenly Father knows you are capable to take on this challenge in your life and the life of those you are over in your stewardship. As wife of the Bishop you can make his job amazing or even more challenging for him.

When my husband was called to be the Bishop ten years ago in June 2000. I could not believe this was really happening. Now people in the past would tease me and call me Bishop. Only in joking. When I walked into the room to be interviewed we really thought that he would be called as a counselor to the new Bishop. Not be called as the new Bishop. I remember turning around since I was first to walk into the room, and said, "You don't want to go in there, it is not what we thought." President Taylor was calling me back into the room and my husband was embarrassed by the way I was acting.

A little side note, when I am overly nervous, I am louder in voice and very much more out spoken.

When I walked into President Taylors office I expected to just see him there, instead there were two other men in this room. One I had met at our oldest daughters wedding reception just one year prier, and had heard stories of him wearing a gun and putting it on the table when he made callings. Since he is an Oakland Police Officer. The other man was our son in laws father. I also knew they were not in the Fremont Stake, they were in the Hayward Stake so a double whammy was happening in our lives. Our stake was going to be changed from Fremont to Hayward and my husband was going to be called the Bishop of the Brookvale Ward.

So in two weeks our three wards in the Fremont Stake changed. The Creekside Ward was dissolved, half of them went to the Centerville Ward and stayed in the Fremont Stake. The other half went to the Brookvale Ward. The Coyote Hills Ward was also changed part of them went to the Brookvale Ward and part of the Union City Ward came into the Coyote Hills Ward. The next week my husband became the Bishop for the Brookvale Ward on Fathers day. Shaleah and Scott were going to be married in the next two weeks. What more could we see in a short time?

When it was time for my husband to be release as the Brookvale Ward Bishop, I felt strongly that the next Bishop's wife needed a manual. This is something that when you are called into a Presidency of the church you are given manuals to learn of what your calling entails. So I made a manual for the next Bishop wife. I had wished that I had been given a manual. So this manual has my testimony and my feelings of these events in our lives. I passed this on to Sister Lathrop. She has passed it on to Sister Taylor and I hope that Sister Taylor will pass this on to Sister Willyerd.

Bishop Willyerd and Sister Willyerd are going to see wonderful blessing given to each of them and to each of their children. Heavenly Father is the only one with full knowledge of the plan for each of us. Yes we may say there is this person and there is that person who can do this calling. It is what, and who Heavenly Father wants into that calling. When we finally accept that fact that he knows and knows we will do well if we will call on him, the calling runs a little better in his hands.

Life here is learning, listening, asking, praying, helping, serving, studying, reading, and thanking Heavenly Father for the love, trust and knowing we can accomplish all things with his help.

The Blessing of Thorns

THE BLESSING OF THORNS

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease.

During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose annual holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered aloud. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?”

"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her.

"I....I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra. "For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys ’gratitude’ this Thanksgiving?”

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. " Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you." Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi, Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped...there were no flowers. "Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.

Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers!?! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." she said as she gently tapped her chest.

"Uhh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uhh... she just left with no flowers!" "Right... I cut off the flowers. That's the Special... I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that?" exclaimed Sandra. "Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery." "That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk," and for the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel”

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra. "I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for good things in life and never thought to ask Him why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God." Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man. " My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement...twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator. "Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?”

"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks to Him for what that problem taught us. " As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, ”I highly recommend the Special!”

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh." "Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns." Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out. "I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in minute." "Thank you. What do I owe you?" asked Sandra. "Nothing." said the clerk. "Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you'd like to read it first.”

It read: "Dear God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to you along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of your rainbow look much more brilliant."

I went to the flower lady at the store and asked for roses with thorns on them. She was very surprised. Then she found a dozen and asked why, I explained to her a little about the the above story. She was very surprised. I did not have the heart to tell her that I was going to cut the flowers off.

I took these flowers home and placed them into a vase with fresh water and sugar over night. The next day I took them to work and unwrapped these beautiful yellow roses with red tips. They looked beautiful, just barely opening. I then put them into fresh water and let them fall nicely in the vase. Took out my scissors and began to cut the heads off these roses. It was very strange to do, but then I put a yellow and orange satin ribbon around the glass vase and attached the three page story in page covers. Took the thorns over to a friend of my at her classroom and gave them to her. She came over a few minutes later and gave me a big hug and wanted to see the roses I had cut off. They were her favorite color ;.)

Those same thorns have been passed to another dear friend of both of ours who lost her dad in a sad hit and run three weeks ago.

We both hope that these thorns will help her to know that she is being cared for not only on this side but on the other side as well.

”I highly recommend the Special!”

Toy Story 3

Tonight I learned about the "Red Box" It is a machine that you can swipe you rdebit card and pay $1.00 each day to borrow a DVD from the "Red Box". I am learning how the video stores have lost their place in the world, when you can stand in line and wait for one of the two red boxes to offer you a movie for the night.

Are choice "Toy Story 3" and "How To Train Your Dragon" I have heard of both, the first with much tears and the second from Mallory that she had seen this cute movie four times.

Well How to Train Your Dragon is from a book in our library at school, which I must admit I have not read yet. Now I think I would like to on our next long trip. Of course to date there are three books total, in this series. ;.) My review would be it was good in the beginning, not so good in the middle and it ended very well in the end.

Now for the "Toy Story 3" when I first heard of the 3rd one, I could not see how it would be that interesting. The reviews on blogs made me cry and I knew that I could not see it in the theaters. So tonight in our own home, we saw "Toy Story 3" and it was 3 of us watching the movie. Soren is home for a couple of weeks and he had suggested both movies.

All the reviews are true! It pulls at your heart strings which opens the flood gates to your tear ducts. One thing that Soren knew for sure would happen ;.) Children feel bad when they are small to see their moms cry, for some reason when they are older they live for the moments where their moms cry over feeling things. ;.)

It does pull at your heart when you are reminded that your children grow up and they no longer need the things that you loved watching them play with. So many memory flood back to your heart and mind when your children were little. Oh, how you would love to have those days back and you would hug them more and smooch them more and just want them to be little for oh so much longer.

So yes the tears flowed and the memories came along with the tears.

Thank you for memories Soren, Sondra, Shaleah and Stefanie. xoxoxoxo

30 days of Truth

Okay, I am going to climb up a tree and go out on a limb. . .
for real, and take this 30 day truth challenge. ;.)

30 days of truth:

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself.

Day 2: Something you love about yourself.

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.

Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life.

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.

Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Day 8: Someone who made your life miserable, or treated you like poopy.

Day 9: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.

Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.

Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough days.

Day 14: A hero that has let you down.

Day 15: Something or someone you couldn’t live without.

Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.

Day 17: A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.

Day 18: Your views on marriage.

Day 19: What do you think of religion?

Day 20: Your views on drugs and alcohol.

Day 21: Your best friend is in a car accident and you two haven't talked in sometime. What do you do?

Day 22: Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.

Day 23: Something you wish you had done in your life.

Day 24: Make a play list to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs.

Day 25: The reason you believe you’re still alive today.

Day 26: Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?

Day 27: What’s the best thing going for you right now?

Day 28: What if you were pregnant, what would you do?

Day 29: Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.

Day 30: A letter to yourself.

Happy Birthday to my Mom

I have stolen this post from Corinneee, she has shared so many sweet and memorable thoughts that I wanted to have this post on my blog. She will love this because it is just her and I that read this blog. ;.)

Thank you Corinneee for the surprise on my birthday, it is true to have had a video camera would have been exciting to post ;.)

Friday, October 29, 2010

Happy Birthday to my Mom

I'm not big on birthday posts. I don't know if I've really done one for anyone other than Wesley.

Today is my mom's birthday.

She is 58 years old.

She doesn't care that I just typed that. She doesn't mind people knowing how old she is - she's not embarrassed by it. I like that about her. She doesn't even remember how old she is half the time anyways. I like that about her too.

I am usually at her house on her birthday - bearing some kind of Halloween type present (since it's only a few days away) and singing her some kind of lame jingle that I made up.

This is her birthday cake almost every year - since her birthday is so close to Halloween.

Sad isn't it?

I hate living far away from my mom - 2 hours IS far away people. It feels like 10 hours when you have a little boy that HATES being in the car and screams most of the way. Also, Mallory is totally into "Annie" right now and she sings "The sun will come out tomorrow" at the top of her lungs in the car all the time. It makes me want to jab sharp objects into my ear drums. I'm serious. She is NOT the next American Idol.

Back to my mom.

I was looking for pictures of her on my computer today.

All the ones I could find have her with her flipped out hair and braces.

I want to share some stuff about my mom .. stuff that you may or may not already know about her.

It's not in any particular order .. and I'm not going to number them.

My mom's name is Susan Petersen. She hates when people call her Sue or Susie. She also hates being called Susan. She prefers if people call her Mrs. Petersen, Sister Petersen (for those at church) or Haddie.

I call my mom Sue.

I've been calling her that for a while now. She calls me Corinne (my middle name) and I call her Sue. That's what we do.

My mom loves Valentines Day. She LOVES hearts. She loves .. love. Is that possible? Growing up she would always put candy under our pillows, make heart pancakes, pink milk .. you get the idea.

As a matter of fact, she usually goes all out for ALL holidays. She loves holidays. She's very childlike that way.

She loves giving gifts - loves surprising you with something that she knows you want. She never expects anything in return.

My mom is a very hard worker.

Here she is helping demo the house that Shaleah and Scott bought years ago.

She's the first to roll up her sleeves and get to work when it's needed. She doesn't have to be told what to do. She just does it.

She loves these.

She always buys me my own package. They are always double stuf. I love her for that.

My mom and dad met when my mom was 12 and dad was 14. They've known eachother a long time.

They are still SO in love. She always wants to take kissing pictures when we do family pictures. My dad isn't huge on public displays of affection. My mom makes him kiss her anyways. I love that.

Don't you LOVE all of those?

My mom hates when people lie to her.

She loves DARK chocolate.

She doesn't drink soda. Not because it's bad for you, she just hates carbonation.

She drinks more water in a day than our whole family combined. It's ridiculous how much water she drinks.

She LOVES Disneyland and anything related to Disney.

She LOVES cats. She loves all animals, but she really loves cats the most.

She's a terrible driver. (She'll admit it)

She lived in Hawaii when she was younger. I could see her retiring there, as long as the entire family moved there with her.

She loves Christmas music and will often play it through out the year. She will also decorate for Christmas as early as dad will let her. One year it was right after Halloween.

She is a take charge kind of woman. She's intimidating too .. so you do what she says.

She's always right.

She always reads my mind. She also gives great advice.

She loves her grandkids. She loves being a grandma.

When she was raising us, she thought that we would stay young and live with her forever. She never imagined us growing up and moving out. She says she "didn't plan for that." She hates that everyone has moved out.

She loved summer vacation and hated when we had to go back to school.

She hates being alone.

She's afraid of the dark.

She can not speak ANY other language. She just can't. She tries to learn, but it just doesn't stick.

Her fridge is ALWAYS full of food. Her freezer is ALWAYS stocked with ice cream. (the good kinds)

She owns more skirts than anyone I know.

She won't throw anything away.

She's very in tune with the spirit. She's very knowledgable when it comes to the gospel and scriptures. She taught seminary for 10 years.

She loves getting up early and can live on little sleep.

She's a librarian at an elementary school. She loves reading stories to the kids. I think she likes collecting books even more than reading them.

She was at the birth of both my kids. She acts like a kid at Christmas during labor and delivery. She can't wait to meet these new spirits as they come into the world.

She loves her family. They always come first.

She will drop everything for you when you are in need.

I was 38 weeks pregnant with Zach in this picture. Don't judge.

She is my best friend. I love you mom. Happy, Happy Birthday Sue!