Slacker

I was busy last Sunday and never got a blog post out.  But now that I look back, I'm not sure what kept me so busy.

We just returned from visiting Andy and Kera the week of Monday April 28th.  I had loaned money to JWB a company that buys and rehabs houses in Jacksonville.  My first house was sold and I'm now reinvesting and holding the mortgage for a second house.  I came home to read the paperwork and send the $$$.

I was pretty busy with work.  I finished up the "Living Benefits" of Whole Life Insurance basic book and got that sent off for review.  I discussed design with a graphic artist and got a tentative go ahead from my client. But paid work is slowing.  I need to go search for work, but that's my least favorite thing to do.

Tom and I had been visiting a brother with terminal cancer.  He passed away and his funeral was on Wed. April 30th.  Tom officiated at it and we went to the burial as well. His wife is bed-ridden and so we will need to continue to visit with her.  It was sweet to see their love even in their frail state.

Friday we went to dinner with the Baizes.  They'd stayed at our house while they were job and house hunting.  Now that they are settled, they returned the favor of a meal. It was lovely to visit.

Sunday I went to visit the Ash Flat Branch.  They have a new Relief Society President and I wanted to meet her.  She didn't feel like she needed any training, so I didn't have to do that. Then that evening Tom and I drove to West Plains for a Missionary Zone conference.  The missionaries and all the members were invited. It was a spiritually enriching and inspiring meeting.

One story was of a woman who prayed for missionary experiences.  She said, I'm sure the Lord is giving them to me, I'm just too dense to see them.  So she decided to pray for missionary experiences that were easy and obvious.  The next day the neighbor knocked on her door and said, "Would you tell me more about your church?"

I decided to try that, and the next day, I was able to invite a less active to church and share my conversion story with a lovely lady at the Empty Nesters gathering.  Once a month those of us without children in the home meet for Family Home Evening.  This time it was a hot dog roast and the hostess had invited her neighbors.  I had a chance to visit with one of them.  A nice evening.

Tom has been working on the South College house. He painted the living room, hall, and kitchen-- including the cabinet fronts. (Same color, they just needed to be touched up.  Except you can't... so the entire fronts got painted again.) I agreed to help him with laying tile in the kitchen.  Then came back and grouted the kitchen floor while he laid tile in the laundry room.  It looks very nice.

We tore up the bathroom floor.  Theoretically just to get the top layer of linoleum off.  But all 4-6 layers came off along with a good percentage of the pressed wood that had been put around the toilet to reinforce that area at an earlier time. Hmm.  A little more work than first anticipated.

I also looked at a $19,000 2 bdrm 1.5 bath.  Of course it was missing the .5 bath (down to the studs) and had about $17,000 of other issues.  I thought it looked like fun.  Tom thought it looked like work.  He was not interested.

Saturday I had my first Relief Society Training meeting for RS presidencies and secretaries.  I think it went well.  My counselors and secretary did a wonderful job of helping out and doing a lot of the work.  I asked most of the RS presidents to talk on a topic ranging from organization, to welfare, visiting teaching, compassion, presidency meetings and so on.  I learned a lot, and I think the others did, too.  My 1st counselor made a delicious lunch and the leaders sat around and visited long after the meeting was over.

Part of my goal was to help them get to know each other better.

Today was a lovely Mother's Day.  Tom fixed me french toast for breakfast and Jambalaya for dinner.  He also brought home chocolate covered strawberries. The young women made them as a fundraising project.  And most all my children called to wish me a happy Mother's Day.  So it was a great day.