Sluffing

I know it's time for a new post. But I'm going to read a book instead. However, I am planning to do a post about each one of my children, so stay tuned...

Tag! I'm It!!

I may have been tagged before but this is the first time I've decided to accept the tag. I wonder how many of you (my family) will already know these things about me:

4 jobs I've had:

1. Sales clerk at J. C. Penney in Roosevelt 2. Receptionist/sales clerk at a mobile home sales lot 3. Multi-tasker at Student Relations at Weber State College (mailed packets to potential students, typed, etc.) 4. Cleaned house for a rich lady in Omaha, Nebraska (had lots of belt trouble with her Kerby Vacuum Cleaner!)

4 movies I've watched more than once:

1. An Affair to Remember 2. Bridge Over River Kwai 3. Pride and Prejudice (the long one) 4. The Sound of Music

4 TV shows I watch:

1. BYU Devotionals 2. Mormon Tabernacle Choir Broadcast 3. The Closer 4. Law and Order

4 people who email me regularly (actual letters, not just forwards):

1. Linda Anderson 2. Katy Rush 3. Diane Allen 4. Ethel Oswald

4 favorite foods:

1. cashews 2. cherry tomatoes 3. pecan pie 4. quesadillas

4 places I want to visit:

1. All the LDS temples in the world 2. Wales 3. Clifton Park, New York (Alan's new home!)
4. Some beautiful white-sand, isolated beach

4 things I'm looking forward to in the next year:

1. Going to Clifton Park, NY to see Alan, Jessica, and their girls for Thanksgiving 2. Going to
O'Fallon, Missouri, to spend Christmas with David and Amy and their boys and then taking Amy and boys with us to DeRidder, Louisiana, to attend the open house the Badgers are having for Cindy and Eric 3. Getting new carpet for my living room 4. Getting released as a Cub Scout Den Leader (if God wills it so)

4 things I like about my husband

1. He is a good father 2. He is smart 3. He is a hard worker 4. He provides well for our family

Now I guess I'm supposed to tag four people, and if you've already been tagged let me know:
Katy Rush, Elizabeth Lemon, Nathaniel Lemon, and Laura Washburn

My turn, my turn!!!!

Well, you probably have wondered what I thought when I read your blogs, Amy and Cindy. (I always knew Cindy wanted to be Amy.) Am I shocked about who was kissing whom and who throws what away? No. Because your blogs made me start thinking about the things that I never told my mother. And I can't think of anything that she didn't know that I would want to share with ANYONE ELSE! EVER!!!! But I thought that maybe there were some things I could confess to my kids...

1. I posted an entry on the Lemon Family Reunion site Saturday night and said I was tired and I was going to bed as soon as I finished my post. Well, I didn't go to bed. I suddenly decided I wanted to read your blogs. So I did, but I didn't dare comment on any because I had already said I was going to bed. So I let all of you think that I hadn't yet seen your blogs. Even though I did. And I went to bed that night pondering just how I would respond to Amy and Cindy especially and making a mental note to call Emily and congratulate her on her lost tooth!

2. Sometimes I watch a BYU devotional instead of read my scriptures. That's when I'm too tired to pick up the books.

3. Sometimes the cats get on the table and lick some food and I don't want it to be wasted so I still give it to your dad and don't tell him it has cat germs.

4. I like to wear sexy clothes but not in public.

5. I used to hide treats in my closet so I wouldn't have to share them with my kids. (Look where that got me--I had to join Weight Watchers!)

6. I haven't scrubbed my bathroom sink and counter for two weeks. (Just wiped it a few times.)

7. Sometimes I actually consider cheating on my points for Weight Watchers. Because I'm hungry and want to eat more. I could eat zero point foods then but sometimes I just want to sink my teeth into something really, really bad for me!

8. I tore some pages from some journals because I didn't want my kids ever to read what I had written.

9. I have had piano students I did not like. Not one bit.

10. When I was teaching at Ben Franklin Academy I lost it one time and left the classroom to have a good cry.

11. I have the desire to have a home as clean and organized as Amy's but I just never get there all the way. But I'm working on it. I need someone else to come in and throw things away for me. I spend too much time reading everything to determine its value, and also I have to decide what I think I should send to my kids so they can have a moment or two of reflection on the past before they throw the items away. Or recycle them. Whatever.

Wow, it's good to get all that off my chest! I bet you can't believe how wicked your mother is!

My "To Do" List

A few years ago our home teacher, Don Davis, suggested making a conference "to do" list so we'd be able to identify the things we felt we should be doing as discussed in General Conference addresses. I make my list after the November Ensign arrives when I can read the talks and underline specific items I want to work on. Sometimes I don't necessarily have to do anything differently but just keep doing what I've already been doing.

One thing the prophet, President Monson, said this time was that we should show gratitude for everything. Of course, I've always known that, and I've tried to be a thankful person, but the first thing on my "to do" list this time is to pay more attention to everything around me and let Heavenly Father know I am aware and grateful for all His blessings.

First on my list tonight is family, and most specifically, I am grateful for my grandchildren who make me smile so much! The things Amy and Jessica shared in their blogs this week about Michael and Emily made me laugh, and I talked to Michael, Emily, Isabella, and Corbin this evening and it wouldn't have mattered if I had a broken leg or a flat tire; hearing those youthful voices tell me what they're up to would have made me forget any pain or frustration.

I could go on and on about the grandchildren, but I'll put all that in my journal instead. Right now I'm going to do some reading and go to bed. Being so happy today has made me tired tonight.

If any of you want to help me make a "to do" list, share your impressions of conference with me!

I'm not as young as I used to be...

I nearly forgot I had a blog. Somebody mentioned the word a day or two ago and something stirred inside me and suddenly I remembered! I've been busy, but that's not unusual for me-- that IS me, always trying to get something done. And it's getting harder and harder for me to do what has been so natural for me all my life. As I continue to add years and miles to this body of mine I keep getting reminded that I must pay better attention to what it is telling me. And lately it has been telling me to slow down, don't walk so hard, watch what I put into it, etc. My advice to all you young women: Don't wait until you are older to do the things you should do to keep in shape.

By the way, I did reach my goal and now I am at the maintenance phase in Weight Watchers. Five more weeks of not gaining more than two pounds above my goal and I can be a Lifetime Member which means that I don't have to pay unless I gain too much. And I only have to weigh once-a-month when I'm Lifetime. But the success of the program, which is why it works for me, depends on that "Return and Report."

So this blog really didn't have much content, but at least it's an effort to keep me blogging.