Canadian Geese & Jumping Deer 1.26.18

As I was headed home from town yesterday, I noticed numerous deer around homes along the highway.  Ok............not going home.  I turned around and headed for the mine hill bridge to see what, or if there was anything I could capture with my camera.
Along the bank of the river was a group of Canadian Geese.  They were being very odd.  I watched them for quite some time and they never moved a muscle.  For as long as I sat and watched, and with the exception of one in the back, the others along the bank did not even move their heads.  N.A.D.A.

It was time to move on so I took some back roads hoping to see some deer.  BINGO......they never seem to disappoint.....they are everywhere.

 

Flowing Water Beneath the Ice

I went for a ride today and came upon this......a thick layer of breaking/melting ice with a dark flow of water running beneath. I know pictures just don't do some things a bit of justice, but there are pictures you take whether the camera picks up the aweness of the moment, or not!

Mr. Owl

Frequently, Mr. Owl who-whos (or is it hoo-hoos) at night and also during the day.  I don't know if he is warning me or just trying to say "Hello", or asking who, who are you?.....but when I go outdoors, he hoo-hoo-hoos at me all the time.  Shouldn't he be sleeping during the day?
I always hear him, but have never been able to see him until Sunday as I was driving down the driveway.  When I was passing the pines I looked up and there he was, sitting very still, way up high.  He never moved a muscle and just sat there so I got out my camera and clicked away.  At least now I know WHO is talking to me.

January 2018 Visiting Teaching Handout

Thought I'd better get this blog post done before the end of the month.  This year has some big changes in the church as far as lessons and visiting teaching are concerned.  I think the changes are going to be great and will help us to stay in better contact with one another and seeing to the needs of others in charity and service. 
HERE and HERE is just a sample of the new curriculum that will be taking place.
HERE is how visiting teaching will work.  Rather than provide a specific message, each month we are given a different principle to help us minister more effectively to the sisters we visit.  HERE is the visiting teaching principle for January.  I like at the very end of the page where it states: How do we stop worrying about "what counts" for visiting teaching and instead focus on what each sister needs from her visiting teachers?  It is that statement that I based my handout on.

Christmas 2017

I've really been slacking on my blog.  I really need to get with the program and start posting more.  The problem I'm having is that I started posting on Instagram, where most posts are of one photo and then a one sentence description describing the photo.....and with my blog, I usually post more photos with a lengthier description. 
I guess since Christmas has long passed, I'd better get to posting.  Christmas just seemed to come and go with little acknowledgement of the holiday.  Well, I did play Christmas music in our home, but that was about it.  My husband and I both were sick and the roads were slick so our daughter who lives in Provo, Utah, decided to stay home.  Because of our illness, we missed church on Sunday which meant that we missed the spiritual aspect of Christmas and we didn't open any presents on Christmas day.  The most exciting part of Christmas was sitting around and watching television.  But, we did have our lights up on the house and our Christmas tree, which I turned on sometimes during the days and every evening.  I love sitting and looking at the lights and just thinking.  Below are pictures of my little modge podge tree, which looks basically the same every year, but I truly love my little tree.

 

And here are a few of my ornaments that I painted way back in 1988.  We're talking 29 years ago.  And yet, I still hang them lovingly on my tree.

I also designed little snowman covers in Microsoft Word.  I printed them out on photo paper, used a paper punch to cut a hole in the center then placed them over a tea light that I painted with orange fingernail polish to look like a carrot nose..  I made many of these a few years back and I just love them.

Each year, I try to get a new ornament to hang on the tree.  This year, it was this darling snowman that I purchased at the Arco, Idaho, Festival of the Trees.

I also made some popcorn ornaments.  They were a trial and error ornament.  You actually put popcorn inside of a glass ornament and pop it in the microwave.  I think I used approximately 1 teaspoon of popcorn per ornament.  All the instructions I found on the internet said to put your glass ornament with popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag and microwave it.  I tried it without the brown bag and just set it in the microwave and it seemed to work just fine.  That way I could keep a close eye on it to see when the popcorn had popped and didn't burn.  There are some kernels that don't pop but when it cools, you just tip it upside down and shake them out.

And below my tree this year, I place a vintage looking Santa that I found at a rummage sale and a mini poinsettia that I purchases at the Village Square Supermarket in Challis, Idaho.

I'm actually glad I got with the program and posted about my Christmas tree and decorations because it made me realize that Christmas really wasn't that bad.

And oh, I had forgotten that earlier in the month I had gone to the Idaho Falls Temple and took some pictures of the Nativity in front of the temple and also the statue of Christ in the visiting center.

 

 

Ok, lets go back and let me eat my words that I wrote in the beginning of this post.  I was in the moment of how, I thought, our Christmas was not the best but in all actually, it was a great Christmas.  It just took writing this blog to search and open my eyes to S.E.E!  To see and feel Christmas in a new light and to truly feel and know how much I am blessed!