Priesthood Power

I have grown up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my entire life, I have had priesthood blessings on countless occasions and seen the power of the priesthood working over and over again, and I still stand in awe at the miracles that are wrought through the name of Jesus Christ by his servants on the earth each time I see another miracle happen.

My adopted grandparents, Andrew and Diana, are Catholic-Italian-New Yorkers, and my former neighbors. They have a rich history of faith, family, and love for America. In 2003, I believe, Andrew's daughter Marie (across the country in New York) was on her death bed literally dying when I felt the urgency to offer to call my adopted grandparents and the elders from our Church to coordinate a priesthood blessing for Marie. Andrew and Diana were open to that, and the elders went to the hospital and administered a blessing for the sick, using holy consecrated oil. That same night, or within 24 hours, Marie was moved to the top of the transplant list, when there had been no hope for her before, and she got a liver transplant. She is still living to this day. It was undoubtedly a miracle that was wrought because of the faith of those involved and because of the will of the Lord. After hearing the accounts of how dire the situation was from the Ferrante's, there is no doubt in my mind that Marie would have died had it not been for the priesthood blessing she was given, and the power of the faith involved that day.

On Friday of last week, Andrew was hospitalized. He couldn't breathe and the paramedics couldn't get his heart to stablize. He had a surgery to get 2 stints and a balloon in his heart. Saturday morning the proceedure failed and they had to do it again. The doctors told his family that he had only hours to live, even with the machine pumping his heart for him. Diana called my father in tears, telling him that she was losing Andrew. We all basically went to the hospital to say our good-byes to Andrew and to give our love to Diana and their family at the hospital--Dante, Linda, Amanda, and Maria. Diana asked us to pray for him, so we did. Yesterday, on Sunday I called and asked her how she was doing, and we talked about what was happening. As we talked, she brought up what happened with Marie, and I felt impressed to ask her if when she asked us to pray for him, if she meant that she hoped my father would have given Andrew a priesthood blessing, and she confirmed that was what she was hoping would have happened when we visited the day before. I promptly called my father, and an hour and a half later my dad and Mitchell annointed, and sealed a blessing for the healing of the sick for Andrew. It was a sweet moment in time. We all gathered around the bed in that hospital room and bowed our heads in prayer as a blessing was bestowed upon Andrew. Andrew was told some special things in the blessing--things like that he would be blessed with health, that he was a good father and a good man, that the Lord knows him by name and is very aware of what he's going through right now. We all had tears and hugged afterward. Later that evening, Diana received a priesthood blessing as well. I can still feel the power of the blessings that were bestowed upon them. It was such a peaceful feeling.

This afternoon (Monday), I called Diana. Andrew's heart is pumping on its own without the machine. He is being moved out of ICU, and gets to go to another room on a different floor as he works on recovery. The staff didn't say it's probable that he'll get to go home, but it could be possible. Diana told me this, and I was filled with so much joy.

Our God is a God of miracles. The Lord is mindful of everything we go through. If we trust in Him and show our faith in Him we get to see miracles in our lives that wouldn't have happened if we didn't show that we trust in the Lord. I do not know how long Andrew will get to live, but I do know that the Lord has answered our prayers, and that he gets some more time here, and that it's a gift from God. I believe in the power of the priesthood. I know the priesthood is the power of God on the earth today, and I am grateful to know men in my life who bear it worthily and are able to give priesthood blessings on a moments notice to those who need it. I feel like I have such a wonderful gift, and I am so grateful that Andrew and Diana allowed us to share this gift with them when they asked for a priesthood blessing. We love them so much. They have changed our lives for good. I would do anything for them. I love my adopted grandparents as if they were my blood-grandparents. I am so fortunate to have them in my life, and to get to hear that Andrew will be around a little while longer. He could still use prayers to help him in his recovery, but we are so overjoyed that we get to hear he is in a stage of recovery.

I get a little sick to my stomach when I think, "What if I didn't follow the prompting to ask Diana if she meant she wanted a priesthood blessing," and I get sick to my stomach when I think what would have happened to Marie if I didn't listen to the Spirit and the urgency of it. I really do believe that there are situations in our lives that are time sensitive and the outcome depends on our willingness and ability to follow the promptings of the Spirit. I never want to be in a situation again that would cause me to have regret because I didn't listen.

Trust in the Lord. Follow the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord/Holy Ghost. Believe in the Power of the Priesthood. It is REAL.

Not to BRAG...BUT...

MY BORDEN BOYS NEED SOME RECOGNITION!

• FIRST of all: MITCHELL GRADUATED from ASU! What a stud muffin! It was a long an arduous road, and after 5 1/2 years of being married and in school, we are both relieved that it is OVER, and I'm so proud of him for sticking with it and NOT giving up, because believe me, we wanted to.
• Next, Emmett has officially said his first word (DRUM ROLL, PLEASE) It's MAMA!!!! (And the crowd CHEERS!) Nothing warms my heart more!
• FINALLY, a few months before his 3rd birthday, my two-year old Tyson is READING!!!!! WHOO HOO! I'm not exaggerating or lying. It's been at least a month since he's been sounding out and blending c-v-c words. He's known all of his letter sounds and the difference between capital and lower case for over a year now, and finally he's applied the practice of blending. Some days he has been known to lose interest in reading on his own after only 2 or 3 pages of a little BOB book, but the point is that he is learning how! AWESOME JOB, TYSON! He commonly reads sentences like: "Dot has a hat", but he has amazed me by also reading sentences like "Peg gets in a green jet." Should I use this opporunity as a plug for my preschool classes? Yes--send me your kid--I'll teach them how to read, and tell ALL YOUR FRIENDS! : )

I love you Borden Boys, way to be!!!!

Wanda P. Tenney, Flying Home

As I was typing this post about my Grandma, we got a call from my Aunt Diana, and my parents went over to be with Grandma in her final moments. She passed away peacefully, Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 just a little before 12:30 in the morning.

Wanda P. Tenney is my grandmother. She's such a beautiful person inside and out. I can't even describe the way I feel about her, except for saying that she's celestial. If ever there was a heaven on earth, it was because Grandma made it so, and taught us that love conquers ALL.

She just turned 96 in March, and has been steadily declining in health. It is her time to go. She gets to die the way everyone wishes they would die--peacefully, soundly, and at a ripe old age. Actually, Grandma has been "waitin' to die" for several years now, but generally speaking, her upcoming death is something that is unlike any other death I've experienced of a loved one. We know she's going, and we know how she's going to go, and there's nothing awful about it--it's just another step onto the next adventure. She's so ready to meet up with Grandpa, her parents, her siblings, her daughter and every other loved one waiting for her for a grand reunion on the other side.

This picture was taken last Thursday, the 28th of April. It was the last time I saw Grandma smile at me. I went over to her house to fix her hair--we've had a theory that maybe Grandpa would come and get her and they'd fly off towards the moon together. I thought that sounded romantic, and the full moon was coming up, and Grandma's health was declining. I went over to her house a few times last week and curled her hair JUST IN CASE that was the night she would have her date with Grandpa; I wanted her to be ready. In reality, though, doing her hair is more beneficial for me than it is to her. I sure love being around her. She was so cute, because one day she was hardly responding, and the next day, she was perky & smiling. This same day I had a special experience in her room. Aunt Diana had to leave and I ended up being the only one in the house with Grandma. She fell asleep and I got to hold her hand and say a prayer thanking the Lord for the best Grandma I could ask for, and to express my love for her and for all of the angels who tend her side, and to express my desire to live a life that emulates her example. It was a tender moment in time and I'm lucky I got to share those moments with her as I got to bask in the wonderful Spirit that filled her room. We all believe that her room has been filled with angels on the other side. Without a doubt I believe in angels. I personally felt the presence of my Grandfather a couple times, and my Aunt Amanda, and my Great Grandparents. My father had thoughts about my Grandma's brother, Alma, who died when he was 5. We can't see the angels, but we believe full heartedly that they were there, and that they love Grandma as much as we do.
Grandma used to call me Debbie-Jo-Jo. She was the only one in the world who could call me that--I am Debra Jo to everyone else, but Grandma can call me Debbie-Jo all she wants. I miss that, already.

This picture is of grandma with her curled hair. : ) Let me tell you: a curling iron is SO MUCH EASIER than rollers! I couldn't handle the rollers, so my dad gave me $20 and I ran to the store to buy her a curling iron. It's a basic cheap one, but it did the trick!...and it's pink. : ) I went again today to curl Grandma's hair and she was snoring through it the whole time. I know time is close. She didn't even stir when we talked to her, today.

Taken the Friday, the 22nd, as we were getting ready for the sibling dinner for Grandma, where all of her children gathered and shared loving memories as a good-bye tribute.

Tyson & Kolby playing (my cousin, Liana's youngest son)

I want Tyson to always remember that he was a helpful little guy and did something for his Great-Grandma Tenney as he helped in the yard that day.

He also discovered a new way to store toys that day--so resourceful!

Spending time with Grandma has led me to ponder on her life, and pull out these wonderful pictures. This is her father & mother, Joseph and Amanda (Andelin) Peterson. I think Amanda is beautiful.

Grandma at about 18 months

A rare photo of Wanda with her mother, Amanda (on the left), before she died.

Wanda with her doll shortly after her mother died (she loved dolls and has left at least one with all of her grandchildren). This one makes me cry to think that after 90 years, she will get to see her mother's face again, soon. How difficult it must be for a child to lose their mother, and yet, Grandma never talks about how hard things are as much as she talks about HOW to get through them. Faith, hope, love, eternal perspective...TRUST in the Lord, and in all things say "thy will be done."

Wanda at about 6 years old. I LOVE this picture. She was so playful, and I see so many of her children in her face.

Wanda with her new Christmas doll. At Christmas in 2002, Grandma spent Christmas with our family, and she gave Erin, Jodi, and I porcelin dolls that looked like ourselves. Such precious & prized possesions to have those dolls from her.

On the right is Grandma's step mother, who also happens to be related to my mother. Cool, huh!

My Great Grandma Lydia, whom I never met, but whom my father adores.

Grandma is so beautiful. I love this picture (and the ones posted later). I believe this is what my grandmother will look like when I get to see her face again. She will have a glorified, celestial, resurrected body, free of ailments and wrinkles, and she will look like a queen.

I love that Grandma loved to take pictures. One of her many nicknames was Grandma Kodak because she was always sporting a camera. I love that she loved life and living and always wanted to remember the people she met and the places she went. We have a great history recorded, thanks to her pictures.

Wanda graduated from NAU. This is her college graduation photo. Sometimes I have wondered if my own college education was worth it...ie, worth the student loans I'm still paying back, but looking at this picture I am decided--it was worth it, because I want to be like Grandma in every possible way I can be like her, so it WAS worth it. Did you know she played clarinet, too? I have never thought it was a coincidence that she AND grandpa played clarinet. I never knew why I was inclined to play that instrument until I found out that my grandparents did, too. I think maybe in heaven, before I came to earth, I was watching & already wanted to be like them. You never know. : )

This is my 2nd favorite picture of Grandpa--apparently it was taken on his mission to Samoa. My 1st favorite is one that is popular in the family, but I couldn't find it in my archives. It's the one of him hanging his head out the window of his car and smiling like he was picking up Grandma for a date or something. I think he's one of the most handsome men in the world. I also think that my cousin, Clay, looks almost exactly like some of my Grandpa's pictures sometimes.

Wanda & Lewis Tenney Sr. on their honeymoon--SLC capitol building

Wanda & Lewis on a picnic

I don't know when this was taken, but I think she looks gorgeous.

I found this picture of Grandma & Grandpa and all their kids. I love it. Actually, Bill & Warren are missing from it, and so is Amanda, but I think they all look great.

This is a picture of Grandma when she retired from teaching. I LOVE that I'm a teacher, too. I told you I really wanted to be like her! One of the stories she told me when I was talking to her on the phone during my first year of teaching, was about a time when she was teaching elementary school and there was a pandemic, or epidemic--some sort of illness going around, and EVERYONE had to wear masks over their mouths and noses. Well, apparently, there was a little girl who was new and had never seen her teacher, Wanda, without her mask off. When the health inspector, or nurse came in to inform my Grandma that it was over & they could remove their masks, Grandma removed it and that new little girl exlaimed: "Miss Peterson! You look so much better with your mask on!" I still get a good laugh out of that story--sometimes kids are brutally honest, and it's just so funny.

This is my dad. Wasn't he a cute baby? He was named after my Great Grandpa Peterson (Wanda's Dad), and my grandma always called him, "Sunny Boy". I named my son, Emmett Joseph, and gave him his middle name after my Dad.

My Uncle Ambrose & My Dad (foster brothers)

Grandpa & Grandma at my parents' wedding

I have been longing to find a picture of me as a kid with Grandma in it, too. I don't know when or where this was taken, but I was just a baby. There's Uncle Lewis & Aunt Mary, Me & my Dad, Grandpa & Grandma

My dad dancing with Grandma at a reunion

Family Reunion about 1998 or so

They're so cute!

This picture is so fitting. This is how I remember my Grandma & Grandpa. He was always wearing that bolo tie thing. : ) This is also the picture I would look at when I'd fix her hair to help her get ready for her "date" with Grandpa.

Wanda P. Tenney, Debra Jo Tenney, Carlene McCleve Parham
When I participated in the Gilbert Junior Miss Pageant, I was lucky enough to get to have both grandmas come and support me. I have the best family!

At Grandma's 90th Birthday Party, I was invited to play the 5th Nocturne for Grandma. It was a special honor to play it for her. I was told it brought her to tears as she remembered sitting at her sister, Leora's feet, listening to that song. I remember Grandpa and Grandma coming to our house on Redfield Rd. and they would bring me music to play. I learned Claire de Lune and Heart Tones for Grandpa, and I learned Witches Flight, El Travatore, and 5th Nocturne for Grandma. Grandpa always told me that I played better than the famous Liberache. He's so cute. I have had special experiences playing those songs and meditating at later times after Grandpa's passing.

Grandma at her 90th birthday--she was a young 90. She inspires me to be healthy and take care of myself so that I can be a young and vibrant 90 years old someday, too.

My family with Grandma at her 90th birthday party

Wanda P. Tenney, you are a beautiful woman inside and out. I love that you are my grandma and I want to live my life like you have lived yours. I want to be close to the Lord always, I want to love, forgive, and cherish all the loved ones in my life. I want to remember the past and the way it builds my future. I want to live so that someday I can be where I know you are. Thank you for leaving me with a legacy of faith unmatched by any other I know. You and your faith in the Lord saved our family--we would not be so close and so strong without the way you helped bind us together with love and with the gospel. I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and I want with all my heart to trust in the Lord and follow him so that I can have a forever family. Last Thursday I told you I loved you, and I will always remember the way you said, "And. I. Love. You." I will also remember the wayI got to curl your hair for the last full day of your life. I hope you felt as pretty as you could when you died, and I hope you felt ready for your date with Grandpa. I know he loves you and am sure he had something wonderful and special planned for your return home to Heaven. I hope you got to fly home with him, hand in hand, and I hope that meeting everyone in Heaven, and being around our Savior is something that is more glorious than you ever could imagine. We will miss you. We love you, Grandma!

Sometimes You Just Need to Blow Stuff Up

Let me start off this post by telling you some of the ways my life has already improved since yesterday. : )

1. Within half a day of my post...less than 12 hours, I had 3 separate friends contact me and ask if I'd like to use their extra flat iron. I am simply amazed at how thoughtful and wonderful my friends are...not to mention the fact that you all cared enough to even read up to that point in my ridiculously long rampage of a blog. Thanks to thoughtful friends, my hair was presentable at Church today. I love you!
2. My entire family went and did baptisms for the dead last night at the temple. It was awesome. Taylor was the only one who couldn't make it, and it was such a rejuivenating experience to be there with all of them. We ended up being at the temple twice as long as we had planned because apparently the baptistry is hopping on Saturday evenings. Despite the 4 hour trip to the temple, my baby-sitter refused to let me pay her. Bless her soul! I really don't think she fully understands what that meant to me that she would do service because I was doing service. I hope someday a sweet little bee-hive will return the favor to her when she has kids, so she can experience what it really means. Also, at Church today, both of my boys slept through all of Sacrament Meeting, so Mitch & I could enjoy all of the talks--AMAZING!
3. Mitch took me on a date yesterday morning & we went to blow stuff up! THERAPUTIC!

I believe that the .22 is my favorite. It's like a glorified BB gun. Small bullets, fun to shoot, little kick. I'm so glad Mitch bought "me" that for Christmas the first year we were married.

The girls...Sarah, Amber, Deej...............You know what I loved most about Amber, yesterday? The green streaks in her hair. She's the type of person you would never expect to have crazy colors in their hair, and it was awesome.

Boys will be boys...Mitch printed off a charging rhino for a target. It was hilarious!

No, we didn't shoot at this cactus. I just took a picture of it, because when we drove past, it moved me. I don't know what it is about this cactus, but I love it. The world is a glorious place...even the desert has it's own beauty. Glad I live here.

Other good improvements in my life since yesterday:

• No more need for pain pills. My tooth is doing better
• After a week and a half, Mitch got my car running again, yesterday afternoon
• Things with our truck are going to work out
• I have other thoughtful friends who have made my life better via email, coversation, text

Just a Note: I didn't mean to make anyone who has had to use welfare before feel badly about themselves by sharing my thoughts on it. I think our government system has a flawed welfare program--way too easy to get in, and people are allowed to stay in it for way too long. I believe the Church's welfare program is a better system that helps people take care of each other and get to a place where they can take care of their own. I don't think anyone who has had to have assistance should feel poorly about themselves if they use it as a temporary tool to get back on their feet. I have just been astounded in certain coversations lately and just wish more people in my generation would take more pride in building their own American Dream instead of believing it's the government's job to provide for them.

"The Bane of My Existence"...a.k.a...."To Keep Me Humble"...*sigh*

Just be warned now--if you get queasy, or easily offended, just stop reading now. I don't usually blog about such personal things or about my strong opinions (usually save it for a journal), but typing is faster and I've got to get this off of my mind.

Sometimes I wonder how the Apostle Paul dealt with the thorn in his side. Did he ever get crabby about it? Did he just take it like a man, and people didn't know any different? Did he ever grow weary and tired of the ailment? One thing I know for sure, seeing that he was an actual apostle...I bet that over time I have not dealt with the thorn in my side as well as he probably did with his. And then there's the other part of it. What was the thorn in his side? I really would like to know.

This past week on Sunday, I asked my father and husband for a priesthood blessing. A priesthood blessing is just one of the many ways that helps me to have better clarity of mind when I'm facing big decisions or difficult challenges in my life. Praying, fasting, church & temple attendance, and priesthood blessings are all ways that help me deal with my "thorns" better, and are ways that I can receive insight or personal revelation for my specific situation. In this particular blessing I was told that I have great faith and have been blessed with many things (blessings like family and support to get through my challenges), and then I was told that I was "'blessed' with trials to keep me humble." Even now I just sigh as I try to wrap my head around how I can face my challenges in a way so that I can do better...I know there are many ways that I can do better, it's just humbling in itself to be told you need to be humble...not that I thought I was sufficiently humble, I simply wasn't looking at my situation in that light to begin with. I've been looking at tooth #19 as the bane of my existence for many, many, many YEARS.

My friends, I've had 4 different dentists, and 1 periodontist work on this tooth. Let me give you a short history. See the gold one? A long time ago it had fillings in it that kept coming out and jamming into my gums. The dentist even re-filled it more than once for free because of all the trouble it caused. Then it caused more pain and required a root canal. A little time passed and it had RECURRING DECAY, so the crown had to be re-done. After the crown had been re-done, there was a litte lip underneath the edge of the crown that caused bacteria to grow there and see the bump next to my tooth below? That happened to be an infection that flared up WHILE I WAS IN HAWAII, due to the bacteria pocket that was underneath that lip in the crown. It was painful and irritating, and I really wish that I had taken more pain medication, because I think I made Lindsay feel badly that day and didn't mean to, because I was not in a fantastic mood through the pain.
Fast forward a couple years later to this past January & February, the dentist is working on my tooth again, re-doing the root canal once again in an effort to try to save the tooth. Apparently there was a piece of a file that was dislodged in my tooth way back when that is also contributing to the weakness of the tooth, so our plan to stick a post in it and then crown it again wasn't going to work. Unfortunately this wasn't determined that the tooth couldn't be saved until AFTER I had the crown lengthening proceedure (where they cut part of your gum away to expose more of the natural tooth) and stiches in my mouth for 2 weeks. I had been content to actually leave this tooth this way until I could save up enough money for an implanted tooth when guess what?! 2 days before vacation a TERRIBLE infection flared up again and so ...

It got extracted. Oh...wait...I forgot to tell you that because the infection was so bad, it took almost AN HOUR before I could get sufficiently numb, and when I was told that I may be send away with an anti-biotic fora week if I wasn't all the way numb, I just said a prayer and didn't complain ( I had a friend in the LOBBY with my kids waiting--I wasn't about to waste an hour of her time and not leave with the tooth extracted ), and so as he was extracting, I still felt some of the pain, but kept quiet. I then proceeded to have a sore spot in my mouth, lots of blood loss, and anxiety as I had to wait for more than a week before I could get into the periodontist.

This picture was taken yesterday in fact. Thursday afternoon, I had a bone grafting proceedure, and an implant (a.k.a. METAL SCREW DRILLED INTO MY JAW BONE) surgery. $1,800 on a payment plan later, and part of me was so grateful it was done, even though I have to wait 3 MONTHS before it is healed properly and ready for a crown...THEN the anesthetic wore off BEFORE my ride came to pick me up. I was such a sad little girl.

If you look closely you can see where the screw is kind of.

That night I slept for 12 hours straight.

• Even now, I wonder why trials come in so many ways at a time. It's like you can never have just one problem in your life to deal with, it's like there always have to be 3 or more problems to deal with at the same time. Some of the other problems I have been facing this week:
• Car troubles--HOMEBOUND ALL WEEK LONG, not to mention we can't afford Mitch's truck anymore, so we're trying to work that out, too.
• Screaming-loud tinnitus--I've dealt with tinnitus since I was a little kid and it's really not that big of a deal, except I realized the other day that the movie that was playing had volume set at 56 and my tinnitus was equally as loud if not louder in my ear--I seriously have no idea of what I should do to change it,
• I'm over-weight from childbearing. It's okay--the kids are worth it, but would you believe that after losing 50 pounds of pregnancy weight that I still have 30 more to go to be where I want to be? It's just an on-going struggle.
• We were trying to get prenant with another baby so that we can pay for it with the COBRA insurance I have right now, but it didn't work out, and I don't know when we'll be able to afford to pay maternity insurance out of pocket when my plan is over because premiums have gone sky-high.
• I have a staff infection? What? Found it out from the dermatologist when she was checking out the pre-cancerous patch of skin a couple weeks ago. Taking anti-biotics
• My flat iron broke...not a big deal, right? Except I can't buy a new one just yet.
• My grandma is dying. It's actually a needed journey--she's so old and frail and ready to lay her mortal to rest, but it's been hard to visit her this week and see her degenerating so much. It's really hard to have to help feed her and know she's so helpless. I'll have a post for her soon....
• Work is snail-slow right now. Mitch has had only 1/2 time work and we can't live like that. It's almost been a year of this. I probably picked the worst possible time EVER to quit my job and stay home with my kids. We went from 2 good and steady incomes to 1/2 of one. I don't even know how we've made it this far, and I honestly don't know how we're going to keep making it, and by making it, I mean scraping by. I am scared a little, but it's okay. I think I'll be doing whatever I can to find an evening job when Mitch graduates school next month. If you have any ideas, please let me know. This situation brings me to the opinionated part of what's on my mind....beware.

What on earth is wrong with my generation? Has anyone ever seen the movie Cinderella Man? It's about a boxer in the Great Depression. He and his family were at the lowest of lows--freezing cold, no electricity, pretty much no food, couldn't take care of themselves. He went on welfare, and guess what? It was killing him. After he worked and fought to get to a place where he could provide for himself, he went back to the welfare line and PAID BACK EVERYTHING that he had been given when he was assisted.

My husband and I firmly believe that self-reliance = self-respect, responsibility, and dignity.

Sometimes when I complain about money, I just want people to complain with me. What I don't want to hear is, "You should go on WIC; it's so easy." I think that's the absolutely wrong mentality. I get so sad when I hear about people abusing the system. I can't believe my ears when I hear about families on WIC who are making monthly payments for luxury items, when I hear about families on WIC who also happen to have thousands of dollars in savings but sign up simply because they're still within the range to qualify, and then I get irriated when I know of able-bodied individuals who choose not to get a job and choose to live on WIC/welfare. I can't stand it, my friends!!!!

Let me tell you a story:

Lady in my ward, ex-husband wouldn't pay for child-support, she had 3 kids, gets audited, and the auditor was astounded that she wasn't on welfare. Her response to him: "Why would I go on welfare when I can take care of myself?" She told me that it was tough, but you can coupon and you make do without some things, but it's okay. She's my hero--I'm going to be like her.

I already told you about Cinderella Man. Self-reliance = Self-respect.

There is one family I happen to know of who is on WIC, and I think that they're doing it the right way. They have cut out ALL EXTRA expenses. I'm talking no Internet, no cell phones, making their own bread, no new clothes for several years, and guess what? They don't even Red Box for movies--they rent from the Library. When I heard about that, I thought, "More power to them, that's exactly what the welfare program is for, for people in situations like that." I also know that WIC is something they DO NOT love being on, and they are NOT the kind of people who are going to advertise it or tell others to apply because it's "so easy". These people are going to get back on their feet as soon as they can and take care of themselves.

Things are tight right now for us. I am positive I could apply for welfare, especially with the new ridiculous regulations that our government is allowing. 99 weeks of unemployment allowed? I really do believe there are wicked people in government who are TRYING TO CRIPPLE US! THEY KNOW THAT IF WE PLAY INTO THEIR GAME WE WILL ALL BE IMPOVERISHED with no way to get out. They don't want to help us be self-reliant, they want us to DEPEND ON THEM. And because of the way my generation looks at the welfare system and abuses it, it means that it's just going to be that much harder for people like me to ever break up and out of the hard-working middle class.

If I ever have to go to that place where I have to sign up for welfare, you'd better believe that I will exhaust all of my possible resources first, and then I will do whatever possible so that I can get out of that spot where I have to receive assistence. SO PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME HOW EASY IT IS TO GO ON W.I.C., BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!!!!

Quote of the Day

It was a long morning. Tyson is having his "terrible 2" moments. He knows all the right answers of what he should do and then does the opposite when I leave the room sometimes...like hit Emmett's forehead, or rub his hands & toys across the T.V. He was clearly caught doing these things because he ended up in time out for it, but he was so sure I wasn't going to see his belligerence. (Although parenthood didn't deliver an instruction manual with each baby, it did give me an instantaneous pair of eyes for the back of my head.)

At any rate, I think his consequences finally went through. When he was in the corner for probably the 3rd time in a row, shaking his head with wide eyes, eyebrows up, head tilted to the side and looking downward, his little voice proclaimed: "Time out is not a good place to live." I had to smile at that one--he would know. I just think it's so funny that 3 minutes really does seem like an eternity to a kid, and that he really felt like he was "living" in time out for the morning. Haha. Fortunately, the day improved for the both of us as he quit living in the time out corner.

To = For and Chiropracter Visit

I love Tyson's face in this picture, so I thought I'd post it. Easter was awesome.

Lately, Tyson has been saying the word "to" in place of the word "for". Here are some of my favorite things he's said without skipping a beat. It sounds funny, but he thinks he's saying it right...good thing we have a Tyson translator:

Easter Morning: Daddy can you open this to me?! (As heard in the vidoe below where Tyson is trying to crack open the Easter eggs by banging them on the couch)

Prayer on food: Thank you to Mommy, Thank you to Daddy, Thank you to macaroni, Thank you to beans.... (he's also done this in other prayers and said the name of everyone present in the room, like Thank you to Grandma, Thank you to Grandpa, ...Taylor, ...Heber, etc.)

My FAVORITE--after he gets in trouble for something: "Mommy will you To-Give me?!"

So I'm not a believer in cure-alls, but I heard that taking your baby to the chiropracter if they have cholic might help them. Emmett is not a bad baby in the slightest, but he screams after he has regular baby formula, and he spits up like crazy all the time when I use the formula for sensitive babies. At any rate, I called the chiropracter & he said he'd only charge me $10 if my baby needed adjusting. I thought, "Well, heck! For only $10, I'll try it!" Before the doc adjusted him, he checked his feet of course, and they were off by almost an ENTIRE INCH! I couldn't believe it. For such a small baby, an inch is proportionately more drastic than for an adult, and I was happy I took him in. The question you're all wondering is if it helped. The answer is that I don't really think so, but at least he's in alignment now. Maybe it has, but I haven't experimented with all of the diff. types of formula again, yet, like the regular formula--I haven't been shopping. With the sensitive formula, of course he still spits up, but it's not always in as large quantities as it had been.