everyone's keeping busy and Happy Mardi Gras!

We'll start with Eric. What is he doing to keep himself busy these days? Lots of things.

Besides taking 2 classes at the community college, he has been spending some time on the computer at emusictheory.com taking some music theory lessons.

He has also been practicing some Japanese. While on his mission, one of the senior missionaries held a Japanese class once a month and Eric attended that. He is trying to keep up with that.

Unbeknownst to us, he took some water color paint and has started painting. I LOVE the picture below. It is only 8 1/2 x 11 and I don't even think he used watercolor paper for it, but I think it came out great. He must have gotten some of my mom's talent. I'm planning on framing it and hanging it on the wall.

He also reads a lot and watches netflix and he is still working on cleaning his room. Glen and Eric built a bookshelf to help him organize, but he still has a little ways to go before he has to start sharing the room in 2 1/2 months when Ryan comes home.

So, what is Alex up to these days? Besides the normal (reading a lot--Brandon Sanderson books these days--and playing with cousins), he has been working hard on a few of his merit badges. For the Collections merit badge, he organized the game closet:

One of my students at school is also a member of our ward. He and his family used to live in Louisiana and he asked me this week if I knew where they could get a King Cake. I told him I had never seen one here. Today I baked one for him and his family and one for us. Alex said he had never had one before. I know it's been a while since I made one, but Alex is 14. Has it really been that long?

I had to color my own yellow and purple sugar, so the colors are really off because they were too pale. I did not have the typical little pink plastic baby to put inside. Hannah had some plastic babies to donate--only they were white and looked like aliens wearing diapers. It would have to do. I deliver the cake to my student and he was grinning from ear to ear, so I guess my sad imitation was good enough.

Alex cut the first piece of ours, and wouldn't you know it, he got the baby. So now he has to bring a King Cake to our next Mardi Gras party...

the better looking of the cakes I made

can you see the baby's feet sticking out of Alex's piece?

slow news week

Glen, Eric, Hannah, Alex and I went to Maddie's basketball game on Monday. It was really a blast. We won. Way to go, Maddie.

On Friday, Glen and I attended the boys' Freshman basketball game because one of my seminary students plays on the team. And it turns out I have several of the boys in my health classes now. We won that game, too. It was really a lot of fun.

Over the past 26 years we've only attended a handful of sporting events (Hannah played the most sports of our children and she didn't want us to attend any of her meets/games). We might have to start attending a few more.

I finally managed to take down the rest of my Christmas decorations--the nativity set, the  nativity wall hanging, and my Christmas cross-stitch sampler. Yea me.

Glen had his High Council speaking assignment in Fernley this morning. He asked Eric and Hannah to be his speaking companions. Alex and I went to listen in. The talks were on the Plan of Salvation, aka the Plan of Happiness. Hannah concentrated her remarks on the Millennium when Christ will reign personally upon the earth (she'll be using her spear for slicing tomatoes apparently). Eric had some great scriptures on the Plan and then focused on Christ's role in the Plan, which sometimes gets overlooked in the diagrams that show the Plan.

this is the version I first learned

this is the version in our current seminary manual--I really like it

Glen, as always, did a great job summing things up. He wasn't left much time, but the time he had was really powerful. He used Mosiah 2:41 as a simple sermon on the Plan:

41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

So, it was a great morning. I'm just glad I wasn't speaking!

The weather has been gorgeous. I've had to use the air conditioner in my car several times over the last week or two. Still praying for rain and have enjoyed some of that, too.

Mardi Gras is Tuesday. I've already painted my fingernails gold, green, and purple for the event. We'll be eating red beans and rice that night and thinking of Ryan.

And that just about does it for this week...

Andrew's new calling, playing games, getting ahead, and some new purchases

Last Sunday Andrew received a new calling at church. He is now the assistant ward executive secretary. We aren't sure exactly what his duties will be yet, but we imagine he will fill us in during his phone call later tonight.

Alex played 7 Wonders this week against Ben and Thomas. He dominated with 137 points, with 85 of those points coming from green cards. So, if you play 7 Wonders, you know what an accomplishment that is. The record score, before that, was held by Alex with 104.

Then today, Eric and Alex taught me how to play a game that Andrew invented (and is still working on tweaking). It's called Zarahemla and is based on a city and the humility/prosperity/pride/destruction cycle in the Book of Mormon. It took 2 1/2 hours to play and I definitely lost (104 for me, 185 for Alex, and Eric was somewhere in between).

In my long-term sub job, I finally reached a point where I am not surviving day to day, but am a week or 2 ahead on lesson plans. I can't tell you how much of a relief that is. In my online class, I am also getting ahead of the due dates for our homework. Another big relief. Part of our homework last week was to list our 3 biggest stressors and then relate the week's lesson to them. My 3 biggest stressors: my sub job, my seminary calling, and the class I was writing the paper for. But as I get ahead of the game, my stress is lessening. As for the online class, so far, after 3 weeks, Hannah and I have the same grade...not that it's a competition, or anything...Both getting A's works for me.

My alarm clock died. The one I bought to replace it has 2 outlets (where I can charge my laptop) and a USB port where I can charge my kindle. Got it at Walmart. Love it. Got a slightly different model for Glen. His had the USB port, but not any outlets.

And, the hot tub dries out my skin. It's hard to get lotion on my back, so I ordered something from Amazon that works surprisingly well. I thought it might distribute the lotion unevenly, but it does a great job. My only complaint is that I have to be careful of the angle I hold it since the edges are a bit scratchy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004K1EK5G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



So, here's to a good week where I hope I can stay ahead on my lesson plans and homework.

Alex's team comes in 2nd and, like Motel Kamzoil, we had a new arrival this week

On Thursday the Junior High hosted the Academic Olympics meet. Alex is part of that team. Glen, Hannah, and I attended the meet and it was really a lot of fun. It was the final tournament of the year, so the trophies were given out for the season. Churchill County placed second, beat out by Yerington. Alex really loved participating.

Alex is 3rd from the right

 Glen and I have matching "Dude, Be Nice" shirts and when I get the photo of the 3 of us in our shirts, I'll post it.

The proud team with their trophy

Glen has waited over 5 years for this, but his new hot tub is finally here. We went to Reno on Saturday to pick it up. Saturday evening he was already using it, though it wasn't quite up to temp yet. This morning I got my first dip. Heaven.

Glen got a little help from family members. Thanks, guys!

This weekend we had Stake Conference. Besides our local leaders, we had the Nevada Reno mission president and his wife, Pres and Sis Hermansen, come and speak to us as well as the Reno Temple President and his wife, Pres and Sis Tsukamoto. Such wonderful messages from such wonderful people.

Afterwards, we had a family dinner where we ate, played games, and talked. It was a great Sabbath. And a great week.