One Designing Woman: Good Ole Days

Thursday, June 19, 2014

A Simple Woman's Daybook~June 19, 2014

Our lives pass swiftly by! I want to do something to remember

the everyday moments and my thoughts about them.

That is what this Daybook is all about.

Focusing on the little things that become my life.

One entry at a time.

Just for today~Thursday, June 19, 2014

Outside my window...the sun has just come up and the birds are singing like crazy right now. It is a lovely time of day. I love getting up early when it feels like the rest of the world is still asleep. It is just like a magical time when I know I won't get interrupted and I can do whatever I want. Woohoo! It is my most productive time of the day really. By 3:30 I'll need a little nap but for now the world is my oyster...whatever that means. Don't you just love idioms like that? Where that expression comes from I have no idea. Anyway, the air is very still this morning. It is going to be a warm summer day I'm betting. June has been mild. Only one really hot day so far. So July and August will no doubt be scorchers.

I am thankful for....personal revelation.
We all experience learning through the Holy Ghost. You know those times when the Lord just speaks to our minds about things that are within the realm of our stewardship in a given situation or when things we have been pondering and praying about suddenly make sense and we understand what we should do? Or the times we think about the redemption of the Savior and suddenly that feeling washes over us and we know his gospel is true. Sometimes it is a voice of warning that comes out of the blue protecting us from danger. It is those times when suddenly our faith takes a big leap and we just know something is right and good to the point that all questioning is over. The Holy Ghost simply testifies of the truth and we know. It is that step beyond just hoping or believing.

From the learning room...Never give up. We all have those times in life where we just want to give up on something. I have learned that when I hit that wall with something I am trying to learn that I am almost there. If I just push through something or get some help from someone I can always conquer the problem. Case in point: the new scanner that has been sitting on my desk for 6 months waiting for me to tackle learning the process of scanning old photos and documents for genealogy and family history in the Canon software program. I tried to figure it out with the 180 page propeller head electronic manual.

I am not sure what it is about those but they rarely answer my questions in a way that I can proceed and actually accomplish what they are supposedly teaching me. There seems to always be one or two components to the procedure that do not compute for me. That hole in the knowledge of how to do it..leaves me frustrated and irritated and ready to throw in the towel. At that precise moment I know I am almost there. I seek human assistance and inevitably the problem is solved and I can move forward. The light will come if we just don't give up.

I am reading...some of my old blog posts and thinking about compiling a book of my favorites. Projects...never ending projects...it is what life is made of isn't it? These kinds of things are good as they move us forward in accomplishing our dreams and goals in a constructive way. It is so much better than thinking, I really should do that but then just keep putting it off. Taking that first step is crucial to succeeding.

From the kitchen...have been being a little more creative in the menus lately and it feels good. Tonight we are going to a special staff appreciation dinner so no cooking tonight or tomorrow night or Monday night. I could get use to that. Jim is getting much better and we are resuming our more active life after many months of his pain and suffering with his hip, the surgery and recovery.

Some spiritual thoughts I have been having...I have been pondering just how perfect God's plan is for his children, each and every one. It is quite remarkable even with all the ups and downs, he is very near. Always ready to help and lift us just like our earthly parents. And we never have to worry about him leaving us...he never changes. That brings such stability and comfort.

I am hearing...Some moldy oldies from the 40s. So fun, I love that music because it is the music my parents loved. It was played in our home all the time so is quite nostalgic for me.

One of my pleasures...Car trips with Jim. We really enjoy that and seeing the countryside and backroads of the US and having uninterrupted time to chat and read, etc. I read he drives when I drive we listen to music. It is fun.

We will be going to Utah a couple of times in the next several weeks. That road is well traveled by us and not very interesting, but we do it often to see our kids. We missed being able to go to Washington so trying to reinstate that one at some point. Maybe in the fall.

Pet Peeves...stupid people that try and often succeed in sabotaging websites. What kind of idiots are these people? Even as I write this a bunch of criminals are attacking Ancestry.com. Trying to hack in and disrupt things. To what end? There actually is no end to the evil that exists in this world. Heaven help us. This is more than a pet peeve or an annoyance, I hate this kind of stuff.

I am quoting...pinterest, love this one!

If I could change one thing it would be...to slow time down a little. More leisure time for everyone to regroup, refresh and restart their engines. Too many of us seem to run on empty all the time. It is hard work to reinvent how we do things as a culture.

An enjoyable movie/ TV show we have watched lately...Babette's Feast. It is a foreign film so subtitles, but a wonderful, even poignant movie. Consider it if you don't mind reading your movies! A friend had recommended it to us for so long and finally one day brought us her copy to watch. We did and loved it, and ordered our own copy that very day. It is not a thriller, a definite sleeper by American computer generated action film standards, but very worthwhile and a story that stays with you.

I am curious about...people. What makes them tick, what they love and why, and how they manage their lives through their basic beliefs and morals and standards of conduct. Why they do the things they do, both good and bad.

Plans for the rest of the week...a little shopping this morning and then going to the work dinner tonight, doing some Family History research in between, tomorrow going to Room With a Past with friends, date night, weekend no set plans yet, Monday having dinner with my brother and his wife for their birthdays, some time this week writing a special blog post for and about my cousin William that I have been planning since December of last year.

One of my favorite things...the dearest of family and friends that color our days and give us cause to get up each day. The ones that are always there when we need them, always helpful and loving. The ones we wouldn't want to live without.

One thing that made me so happy this past week..The special events surrounding Father's Day and our anniversary, having dinner with Lee and Dave at Scott's and doing something special for our cousin's family who has been there for us with our family history in Italy for years. It was a wonderful and meaningful weekend.

The most surprising thing this past week...how very much I enjoyed working with some relatives of my dear friend, Carol. They came from Reno for help with their genealogy. We spent nearly 4.5 hours together and I talked non-stop to the point of being hoarse. They got on the computer and did the hands on that is so essential to learning it. The time passed quickly and they went away feeling they can now start working on their own. That was time well spent. The take away for me was that a sustained period of time is way more valuable than an hour here and there. It is helping me formulate better ways to teach and help people.

A photo I am sharing this week...The photos I found of my brother Steve and me as little kids and then one of Steve and our younger brother, Gary together. I am so loving that box of old photos I have been going through and scanning. Yep, scanning! I finally figured it out with the help of my friends!