Backwards 2015: A Year of Loving and Learning with the Littles

December: My favorite pastime hands down for the year = reading to my littles!!!

And this one delighted me for over an hour (nearly 2 hours) by bringing me one book after another, signing (with two hands!) 'please' and saying 'please' until I would pick her up on my lap. Then we would read the book a few times- then she would repeat! LOVED IT!!!

How can you say 'no' to this face?!!!

November: Luke and I encountered an unexpected but much needed blessing when his meds failed to come in the mail. 

Had so much fun playing this 'duet'!

rocking the bears

October: Hard times with Luke's health- but so many blessings too! 

Boo-tiful Littles!

And 1st birthday!

September: The littles started walking!!! But I did not get enough time with them!

August: Summer ended with a great time together!

July: No official vacation because of Luke's health- but lots of joy!!!

And lots of family!

And my Favorite Project:

And look who turned 1!

June: I finally read, 'The Hiding Place' and came away with an even greater sense of gratitude for my Savior!

May: Family pictures- and gratitude for mothers!

April: A very fabulous month!

One of our little girls graduated!!

And another of our little girls returned home from her mission!

March: Luke and I looked back on the joyous celebration of our marriage. And our littles were learning new things every day!

February: Our littles stole our hearts!

January: Had a great time finishing up a chair project:

And started a great year with our littles!!!

I am so blessed to have such wonderful family!

Grateful for My Husband Who is Also a Father & Grandpop!

I am  so very grateful for this man in my life!

I am so grateful for the wonderful father that he is for all of our children!

I am so grateful for this man's family! 

And I am so grateful that we are sealed together for eternity!!!

Grateful for the Grands!

I am so grateful to be a grandmother to two of the most beautiful girls!

 It is so fun to teach them and learn from them!

I think the pics say it all!!!

I am so blessed!

Lost in the Mail = An Unexpected Blessing!

Yes, you read that correctly...

Luke is now taking a very expensive brand name medicine (the generic, which the insurance will pay for, doesn't work...) And the pharmacy with the lowest price on a 30 day supply is downtown. So, we have them mail it.

Last month, Luke ordered said meds more than a week in advance of needing the refill. When it came time for the refill, no meds. On the phone, the pharmacy assured Luke it had been mailed a week previously, but they also said it could take up to ten days. So we decided to wait. As several days passed, still no meds- and Luke's health was getting worse.

Friday evening, still no meds. A phone call to the pharmacy brought worse news. The shipment had mistakenly been sent to a different state! But it was on its way back... :(

So Saturday morning brought a trip downtown for a 10 day supply.

As we came home, I started to do some mental math. The 10 day supply * 3 did NOT equal the same price as the 30 day supply. It was over $100 lower.

As the saga continued for another week without the original shipment arriving, I prepared for yet another trip downtown. However, Luke and I asked the pharmacy if they would be willing to run some cost comparisons for us...

What a blessing! It turns out that a 5 day supply is just over $5!!! And the pharmacy is willing to ship to us every 5 days! For no extra charge!

We will now be saving HUNDREDS of dollars EVERY MONTH just because Luke's pills were lost in the mail!!!

What a great blessing! The Lord does hear and answer prayers! (even in some most unusual ways.)

Drip, Drip, Drip...

Over three years since I met this incredible man!!!

But some of life is hard... Living with someone with a chronic illness is like living with water dripping - all of the time! Life keeps going, with it's challenging times and great times, but the drip, drip, drip is always there. Even on good days, the 'sound' isn't gone.

Drip- always medications to remember, sleep schedules to keep, doing all of the chores all of the time - myself.

Drip- very limited on going anywhere but work, church, or required errands- and so often going alone.

Drip- never knowing if it will be a hard day for him (with me tiptoeing around the house and being oh so careful of what I say or do in an effort to lift just a tiny bit of his burden) or a rare good day (one in which we might actually be able to laugh together for a moment).

And yes, it can get discouraging. I think the worst, though, is watching him wanting so much to do more, help more, be more for me but not being able to (YET)!

So I hang on to promises Luke and I have been given and try to drown out the dripping with words of hope-

Like the talk given by President Uchtdorf in the last General Women's Conference: 'A Summer with Great-Aunt Rose'

He quotes this from Revelations: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." 

So even as the drip, drip, drip continues to sound in my ears, I remember the promises of my Savior and am grateful for Luke in my life!

Summer Projects Part 2... And Fall...

It's been so busy for the past 6 weeks, I have not had time to post the last of my summer projects...

Not too shabby now!

a bit dismal before... and I loved these chairs- but not the covers before...

Now...

LOVE!!!

And canning, canning, and even some freezing!

salsa and jalapeno jelly!

basil in abundance!

tomatoes and apple jelly

I am very blessed to have so many things to keep me busy!

Now, what to do with this fabulous fabric? (and it only cost $4 for all!)