Traces of Time - November 30 to December 6, 2015

Traces of Time . . .

This week 

~ November 30, 2015 
to 
December 6, 2015  

in IDAHO ~

November 30, 2015 - Monday ~ ~ 

Walt took some photos of the beautiful snow scenes in our front and back yards.

We mainly tried to keep warm today with a high of 20 degrees.  

Back yard...

Back yard looking toward the trampoline...

Then our amazing neighbor, Steve Ormond, who does so many things to help us came and ran his snowblower to clear our driveway.

We did run some errands to try to get a part for a kitchen drawer that broke.  

They didn't have the part at Ronco Lumber Yard, at Ace, or Franklin Building Center. [When Dad went in to Ace again he did find the part for $2.99.]
Ace did have the full sliding bar for $7.00, so we'll have to get that instead of a 50 cent part that broke.
 This shows the bracket in the very back that the bar hooks to. The small bottom part of the bracket has broken off.

We also went to Kings and Walmart to get some snow spray for our Christmas tree in the living room.  In comparing prices, we discovered that the 18 oz size in Kings was the best buy at 16 1/2 cents per ounce.  (It beat out Walmart's price which was 16 2/3 cents per ounce. So they were very close.)

I had appointment #3 with the Diabetes Educator at the Mini-Cassia Regional Medical Center.  This time it was Tiffany.  She said Abby was sick today.
She was excited to see Walt because she reminded him that he had delivered her.  She grew up in Oakley.

We sprayed the Christmas tree twice today, and will probably spray it one more time tomorrow.  Let it dry overnight, then do a final spray on Wednesday, then be able to start decorating it on Thursday when it's completely dry.

For FHE we wanted to watch the DVD of "A Christmas Carol" but neither of us could remember how to get the menu up to change the HMTL for the DVD mode.

I was happy to get 5 loads of wash done and caught up from our being gone six days.  

December 1, 2015 - Tuesday

 We again had some errands to run--like paying our property tax that is due December 20th for the first half of 2015.
Walt also had to stop in the hospital to see about a letter from Medicare that said they are denying the hospital bill for June 10 and 11 when Walt had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital because he was delirious at 3:00 in the morning. He was admitted to the hospital for a day and a half with acute urinary tract infection.

The gal said that they will just need to correct how it was entered, then she said she thinks they will cover it.

Then while Walt got a haircut from Bob Beaver (he said he's decided to just keep working since he doesn't want to just sit around his house), I went to Kings to get some more cans of snow spray.  

Some of the Christmas candies were on sale for one more day, so I got some chocolate covered Macadamia nuts, some peanut brittle, and some mint flavored Hershey's Kisses.

After Walt's haircut we checked in two library books that I learned a day late were due on Monday...so I had a 25 cent fine on each one.

From there we drove out to Edith's for the best burger and fries in Burley.  It's across the street from the golf course and is only open on Tues-Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Then I got the Serendipity Book Club invitation typed and sent out for our Christmas Gathering this Saturday.

December 2, 2015 - Wednesday

We are changing our temple session time so that we don't have to drive home in the dark during these winter months.  We left at 9:45 a.m. to do an 11:00 session.  The roads were mostly clear, but it was only about 25 degrees.  

Then we usually have lunch with Dale and Connie, but Connie didn't come because she wasn't feeling well, and I had a stomach ache all through the session, so we took a rain check to go to lunch together next Wednesday.

When we got home at 2:15, we had a bowl of veggie soup 'n crackers, then slept for two hours.  I'm feeling better tonight.

Tonight I did another spraying of snow on the Christmas tree in the living room.  It's starting to look very white and ready to put on the blue lights and blue decorations.

Tonight our hometeacher, Eric Pierce, and Cody Garrard, in the YM Presidency, and a teacher, Tyler Gerratt came to fix that kitchen drawer.

  Walt can't bend down far enough to attach the new part at the very back.  Tyler got the old broken part out.

The new part didn't fit quite right, but Cody got it to work.  He appears to be able to fix anything! We were impressed.

 Tyler changed two burned out lights high up in the family room, and also got some burned out blue lights changed in our Christmas lights out front and replaced several white ones for new blue ones.
Eric helped with the drawer inside, then also went outside to help Tyler with the lights. One was shattered, so they turned the lights off so they wouldn't get electrocuted when they used the pliers to get it out of the socket.
Crazy teens now that wear shorts no matter if it's zero degrees!

Then they all three helped carry in some of the heavy Christmas decoration big plastic containers from the storage room--by Walt's work shop on the north side of the house.  So we're set to finish decorating.

We are very thankful for a great hometeacher, and for the Young Men leaders and teen-age young men helping us.
Cody said I'd already gotten one photo of him, but he was a good sport to let me take some more.

I used to wonder why my grandparents stopped putting up a tree and decorations when they were in their late 80's and 90's. Now I understand that we're not able to carry heavy boxes anymore.
(Grampa 'n Grama Huffaker each lived to age 91. They we both born in 1891 and passed away in 1982.) 
We still miss them.  
Simpson David "Dave" Huffaker and 
Ella Louise Morris Huffaker - hard workers, faithful to the end.

December 3, 2015 - Thursday

We are feeding the two sister missionaries tonight.  Planning on having Saucy Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, a hot veggie--either corn or green beans, tossed salad, a chopped apple salad mixed with chocolate whipped cream (which Walt's Mom used to make and which he reminded me we haven't had for a long time).  

I haven't decided on the dessert yet--probably something Christmas'y.  Maybe I'll check out Diane Wall's recipe for the Peppermint Dessert made with crushed candy canes and whipped cream...and maybe marshmellows are in it.  Can't remember.

When I asked Dad on Wednesday what we should have for dessert he said "drug cake," adding that everyone likes that.  (Texas chocolate sheet cake.)

Janie and Shawn's family calls it "drug cake" because it's so delicious, it's addicting!

Here's the Peppermint Dessert recipe, just in case you'd like to try it:

 Peppermint Refrigerator Dessert from Diane Wall during  our Temple Missions to the San Salvador El Salvador Temple 2011-2014

Ingredients  -  Serves 8-10

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or vanilla wafer crumbs)
1 pint heavy cream, whipped (2 cups) with 1/4 cup sugar added when whipping.
1 cup finely crushed peppermint candy
   (10-12 reg candy canes; it took about 30 of the small candy canes 2 1/2 inches long.)
   (They crush in a blender very well I discovered after trying for 20 min to crush
      several of them with the rolling pin. But they crush fastest in a gallon baggie, broken up with a hammer, then crushed with the hammer.  Took 12 of regular size ....need to check inches... to make almost a cup.  )
2 cups mini-marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped nuts - optional
Few drops of red food coloring

Directions
Put most of the graham cracker crumbs on 
bottom of an 8x12 (or 9x13) pan
    Save a few of the crumbs to sprinkle on top
While whipping cream add sugar, then
    whip cream until stiff
Fold in the food coloring
Fold in the crushed candy canes, marshmallows,
   and nuts.
Spoon this mixture into pan, sprinkle with
   remaining crumbs.
Refrigerate 8-12 hours. (Important. I just made 4 hours ahead on Dec. 3 for missionary sisters coming to dinner and the crushed candy canes were still quite crunchy. The next morning they were softer and had blended in more flavor.)
  A light, airy, yummy dessert.

December 4, 2015 - Friday

Kathleen Hedberg will be here from 10:00-Noon helping us with family history.

We went to Tom Gruwell's viewing, and talked with Doug Burton, and then Jeanann Gruwell.

After we picked up my three prescriptions at Smith's Pharmacy, then did some grocery shopping.

I walked twenty minutes when we got home.  We watched a little of an old 1950's Western movie with Robert Stack and Virginia Mayo, and Ruth Roman.


December 5, 2015 - Saturday

Our Serendipity Book Club Christmas Gathering is this morning at the Marriott Fairfield Inn with Linda Petersen hosting breakfast and giving the program.

Christmas in the Trenches was the book Linda read.

It's about the Christmas Eve in World War I when the soldiers in the trenches declared a truce to sing Christmas carols together, then had a soccer game in "no-man's land."

Then played a section of the 2009 Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Program that had the history of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Tom Gruwell's funeral was at the Rasmussen Funeral Home.
There were only 24 people in the congregation besides the family.  I did a count of the rows full of family which came to 100.  That was from Tom's three marriages, Arlene, Elaine Moon, and Eleene Burton.

We got to talk with Glen Burton, then he stopped by the house and talked with us for a couple of hours.

Glen told us he divorced in 2006, then moved from California to Utah.  He has five children.  His oldest daughter is on a mission in Nebraska.  This daughter with him is a senior at Hillcrest, and Eric is an 8th grader.

His daughter took a picture of us with Glen.
He has started a company in Utah of high-end painting of cabinets and inside work.  It was so good to talk with him.

I did a little Christmas shopping at King's Variety Store this early evening.

December 6,, 2015 - Sunday

I put a roast on so it would be all cooked when we got home at 2:00 from our three-hour block.
It was cooked all right!

There were 12 testimonies shared during Fast and Testimony Meeting this morning. One was 15 minutes long, or there would have been more.   Testimonies of Heavenly Father's love for us, Jesus Christ being our Savior, the Joseph Smith being the Prophet of the Restoration, The Book of Mormon being true, and Thomas S. Monson being our living Prophet today were shared by Eric Pierce, Kathleen Hedberg, Sherry Ormond, the Graham daughter, Karen Taylor, Ruth Melling, LaRae Crane, Georgia Hedberg, Bonnie Fronk, Scott Bloxham, Eileen Petersen, and President Tracy King.

There was a strong spirit in this meeting.

The Sunday School Lesson #44 "God Is Love" was from 1, 2, and 3 John in the New Testament, was to help us learn how Heavenly /father and His Son show their love for  us and how we should show our love for them.

Heavenly Father loves us, gave us His Son to atone for us, and shares His Spirit with us.  Jesus Christ sacrificed His Life for us and is our Advocate with the Father. We show our love for Them by being obedient and showing love for one another.

In Relief Society, Emily Hill, second counselor, taught about "The Perfect Gift." 
She based it from the scripture in Isaiah "...for unto us a Son is born..."
Remembering the gifts of the Savior:
The Gifts He Gives
Peace - love - Atonement, teachings, guidance, Gospel, Healing grace, strength, patience, Priesthood, Forgiveness.

She quoted with D&C 88:33 "...what doth it profit a man if

President Faust said "Gifts given of the self ... gift given acepted?

President Eyrings testimony: "bless you , give
"HE" was the perfect gift."

Sister Hill closed with her strong testimony of the Savior, the comfort He brings, and the happiness we have from Him.