The Extermination Order Revisited

I heard a nasty rumor about this housing development that we live in. It's not a new house, it's probably almost 20 years old, but I heard these homes were built on land that was (and still is) infested with ants. Tonight I came home to find a swarm of ants in the garbage can, even though we sprayed on Friday and Saturday.
We have tried everything. We have bug-bombed, and we called a professional and had the inside and outside sprayed multiple times, which I reluctantly had done because I prefer not poisoning my home, but these methods have proven to be ineffective and I have decided that this is war.
David bought some spray and went around most of the house with it, on the outside. This actually has done some good. He couldn't get to one side of the house because of weeds so tomorrow Mark will pull them and then saturate that side of the house. I am determined to win no matter how persistent those ants may be. We WILL come off conqueror!!!!! Ants beware!!!!!!
(At least it's not roaches or spiders.)

On Puppies and Pools

Often our pets are close companions, even loved ones for years, so when an old pet passes on we sometimes try to help ourselves feel better by getting a new pet, like a puppy. This is what we have done with our pool. Saturday, David and I went looking for a replacement and we found one at Wal-Mart. Like a pup, it is small and new and when Paige and Abbie were here they had lots of fun with it.
Puppies must receive love and care from their people. They need a safe place where no harm can come to them; and pools need to be set up where they won't get punctured or have dirt or rocks get into them. Pups need to be fed and watered and a pool needs to be filled. They need their shots and check ups and a pool needs to be kept clean.
Pools may be quieter than puppies because they don't cry in the night, keeping everyone awake, but they both leave puddles in the floor.

P.S. This is not a picture of the pool we bought. Our new pool is rectangular and inflatable. Sorry, I didn't think to take pics yesterday. But we still plan on getting a big pool :)

I will always love Vincent

Many people sing in the shower, for better or worse, however I am not one of them. But it was in the shower tonight where it all began.
Mark was enjoying singing and could be heard rather well, singing one song after the other. Then, without my even asking him, he recited "Vincent", right there in the shower, opening up a stream of fond memories.
I've always thought Tim Burton had a bit of a warped mind and this particular short story/poem, which was one of his first, reveals it. ("Nightmare Before Christmas" isn't one of my favorites but I got a kick out of "Corpse Bride"!)
When Mark was in the 8th grade his English teacher assigned them to memorize a poem and then each student would have the opportunity to recite theirs for the class. Mark recited ""Vincent", which she liked so much that she had him do it for the whole school. I was invited to go see him recite and I fell in love. Mark did a really good job and since then I have, on occasion, asked him to recite it again. Usually he is reluctant but tonight, it was on his own. Just for fun, here it is:

Vincent
Vincent Malloy is 7 years old.

He's always polite and does what he's told.

For a boy of his age he's considerate and nice,

But he wants to be just like Vincent Price.

He doesn't mind living with his sister, dogs and cats,

Though he'd rather share his home with spiders and bats.

There he could reflect on the horrors he's invented,

And wander dark hallways alone and tormented.

Vincent is nice when his aunt comes to see him,

But imagines dipping her in wax for his wax museum.

He likes to experiment on his dog Abercrombie,

In the hopes of creating a horrible zombie,

So that he and his horrible zombie dog,

Could go searching for victims in the London fog.

His thoughts though aren't only of ghoulish crime,

He likes to paint and read to pass some of the time.

While other kids read books like "Go Jane Go",

Vincent's favorite author is Edger Allen Poe.

One night while reading a gruesome tale,

He read a passage that made him turn pale.

Such horrible news he could not survive,

For his beautiful wife had been buried alive.

He dug out her coffin to make sure she was dead,

Unaware that her grave was his mothers flower bed.

She sent Vincent off to his room,

He knew he'd been banished to the tower of doom,

Where he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life

Alone with a portrait of his beautiful wife.

While alone and insane, encased in his tomb

Vincent's mother burst suddenly into the room.

She said, "If you'd like to you can go outside and play,

It's sunny outside and a beautiful day."

Vincent tried to talk but he just couldn't speak,

The years of isolation had made him quite weak.

So he took out some paper and scrawled with a pen,

"I am possessed by this house and can never leave it again."

Vincent's mother said, "You're not possessed and you're not almost dead,

These games that you play are all in your head.

You're not Vincent Price, you're Vincent Malloy,

You're not tormented or insane, you're just a young boy,

You're 7 years old and you are my son;

Now I want you to get outside and have some real fun."

Her anger now spent she walked out through the hall,

And as Vincent backed slowly against the wall

The room started to sway.

To shiver and creek,

His horrid insanity had reached its peek!

He saw Abercrombie his zombie slave,

And he heard his wife call from beyond the grave.

She spoke from her coffin and made ghoulish demands

While through cracking walls reached skeleton hands.

Every horror in his life that had crept through his dreams

Swept his mad laughter to terrible screams!

To escape the badness he reached for the door,

But fell limp and lifeless down on the floor.

His voice was soft and very slow

as he quoted, "The Raven", from Edger Allen Poe:

"And my voice from throughout that shadow

that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted,

Nevermore."

By Tim Burton

A Dark and Stormy Night

As I was driving with a friend to a church meeting last night at about 7:15 I noticed that the sky looked odd; dark in places, thickly overcast in others, and in between it had swirled together but sat still, as if it were awaiting something. I told her I thought it looked a bit creepy, but it wasn't enough to make us turn around. The meeting lasted about an hour and by that time the wind had kicked up, there was lightening everywhere and huge drops of rain began to pelt down on us as we scurried to our cars.
The drive takes about 20 minutes and it was just wierd. Sometimes it seemed smokey but there was no smell of smoke, and at one point I couldn't see anything in front of me. In spite of the rain, dust and dirt were blown in front of us and I had to use windshield washer fluid on the glass several times in order to clear my vision.
By the time we got home, things had settled down to light rain and a lightening storm but I left my front and back doors open so I could watch. It was really warm outside. It didn't all fit together and it felt unsettled, even strange. Our lights complained about it, too, as they went out for a few minutes, then back on and then they flickered and came back again.
The actual storm lasted from about 8:30 til 9:30, only about an hour, and then everything returned to normal. The rain stopped, the wind settled and the lightening calmed. Within another hour the ground was fairly dry and had the appearance that there had been nothing unusual going on, which made it all the more unusual, I thought.
This morning the only sign left is damp ground around the edges of the lawn and in places where water might congregate until daylight takes control. By all appearances it looks like it's going to be a nice day.

Happy 37th Anniversary, David!

It was so nice to go out to dinner tonight. I'm glad we could work it into our sometimes crazy schedule!

See you when our paths happen to cross again! Love Ya Lots!

(I'm looking forward to our Hawiian celebration :)

The Sam and Ruth Chandler Family Reunion

We have a very close family. Many opportunities are made for us to get together and celebrate! Nancy and Reggie do most of the work as they have graciously appointed themselves Host to visitors for many years. We appreciate all the time, effort and love that goes into planning , preparing and executing so successfully the events that bring us all together and remind us of who we are.

The Donald Shipp Family Reunion 2006

Summer is about family reunions and I'm thinking it's time to plan another one for next year. With a year notice maybe more people will be able to come. These pictures are from the Shipp Reunion we put together and held in the summer of 2006. We played games, ate and had a talent show, but most important of all, we renewed acquaintances and strengthened family ties.

Only 2 More Days

Seminary is drawing to a close and while it has been a good, full year and I will be glad for the rest, I will miss it.
Tomorrow we are having our end-of-year auction where they will be able to spend their hard-earned talents, or seminary dollars, on some small but fun items they can use over the summer.
Always included are Bath and Body Works products. There are mechanical pencils with word search and sudoku puzzles, pillows with home-crafted pillow cases, candles, travel games, picture frames, edibles like various candies in boxes and tins, candy bars, brownies, and chips and salsa. In addition to the summer stuff there are cd's of girl's camp songs and the sound tracks to the New Testament and Book of Mormon seminary videos. We always enjoy having a guest auctioneer for added fun, and there will be some small refreshments afterwards.
On Thursday we will close with our traditional eggs and sausage and pancake breakfast while watching a video, probably "The Touch of The Master's Hand". Here is where I will give the kids the tile boards I made for them with John 3:16 and a picture of the Savior in the Red Robe with him smiling. I figure, sometimes kids get told frequently how they need to straiten up, stop this or that, or do better, so that's why I wanted the Lord to be smiling at them. Life is long, they are young and they NEED to know that He loves them NOW, as they are today. We all need this reminder from time to time.
Anyway, they will hurry through the door with their treasures. They will call out, "Have a great summer, Sister Chandler!" and the room will be left silent and empty, but full of mixed emotion, memories and the anticipation of an exciting year of Book of Mormon learning on the horizon.

Obituary

Today we bid a fond farewell to our much beloved pool that has faithfully kept us cool for the last four summers. It succumbed after years of suffering from a chronic condition in its lining which became too far advanced for surgery. We will be offering a moment of silence in memory of our dearly departed today at high noon when temperatures will be just under 100 degrees. Anyone wishing to make donations in behalf of our loved one may reply with their own happy remembrances of summers past in the comment option below. Heartfelt regards go out to friends and family.

But what about the pool?

We are excited because next Saturday Celeste and Jeremie and the girls are going to be here. I have some things I want to get done before they come, like, I want to clean my bedroom and get laundry caught up, and I also want to clean out the refrigerator. We are greening up the lawn because it was starting to get a bit dry, and we'll be pulling weeds and making the patio more useable. But I am in a quandry over what to do with our pool.

While it's true, we have had 4 good years together, I just don't know if I'm ready to part with it. It has over 100 holes in it from a couple of summers ago as the result of a run-in with a 4 pound weight. The patches aren't holding up quite as well as they did at first so it may spring a leak or two somewhere but I don't think this pool can be replaced. (They don't use the heavy duty materials they used to). I could exercise in the pool at the gym, however swimming in public is certainly not my first love. And I know we would have a blast using it this weekend. Part of me thinks there is still some life left in it.

Hmmmmm. What to do; what to do?

Two thumbs up, except...

On the movie scene, David and I give two thumbs up on the sequel,

"Night At The Museum". This one takes place in Washington D.C. at the Smithsonian and was very fun and tastefully done. We think that if you liked the first, you will love the second.
Also on the big screen is a great new "Star Trek", which this writer enjoyed very much with the exception of that one scene... . Despite the fact that James T. Kirk was on the wild side as a young man, portraying immorality as being part of the character of a hero is a sorry mistake. There is true strength in virtue and it's too bad that Kirk is weakened in this way. (I chose not to see the new Superman movie for this same reason; I like remembering him as representing "truth, justice and the American way" as it is supposed to be). Wait until it comes out on disc and watch an edited version; it will be worth the wait.

Some of Mark's Mission Pics

First day in Uruguay ...........................Baptism of 2 brothers

The lighthouse of La Paloma ......................... Inside El Faro

Mark and the Ghetto Stove ............................ Mark and the Lamb

Good ol' Asado Uruguayo.................The baptism of Santiago

Boiling water for a baptism...............Crossing some random bridge

The beach at La Coronilla ...... And the Beautiful sunset of Uruguay

Mark served in Uruguay from November 2006 - December 2008
(Thanks, Mark, for the captions.)

Thought for the Day -

We are not mortal beings having spiritual experiences,

but rather,

we are spiritual beings having a mortal experience.

Mission Impossible!

It seems so impossible to understand the book of Revelation in the New Testament, but-----
I am sooooo jazzed! Today in Seminary we began (after the prayer, etc., of course) with the Mission Impossible theme. Then a tall man came to the door with a secret code and a packet. Inside the packet was a page with a picture of John the Revelator and a disc with instructions for the students "should they decide to accept this mission". Also in the packet was the Seminary dvd for them to watch that had students excavationg and deciphering, with further explanations. I wrote "Mission Impossible" on the board and crossed out the "Im". After that, they were divided into 5 groups and received instructions for specific chapters; they really got into it. Tomorrow each group will report their findings and then I will conclude the book with all the hope and good news with which it was intended. I can hardly wait to see how they did! (Dave recorded the Mission Impossible theme onto a disc for me and then he also was the voice on the second disc he did for this lesson - Thanks, David, it was a complete success! And Thank You, Brother Lanning for being the tall, mysterious stranger!)

Not Just Emma

In the Second Epistle of John, he wrote of an "elect lady". Some of my students wanted to know who she was, and others answered that she was Emma Smith. While it is true that Emma was given this distinction by the Lord himself, she would be very alone if she were the only one. So, just who else is an "Elect Lady"?
My Institute manual quotes the book, "Mormon Doctrine", by Bruce R. McConkie as giving this accepted definition:
"An elect lady is a female member of the church who has already received, or who through obedience is qualified to receive, the fullness of gospel blessings. This includes temple endowments, celestial marriage, and the fulness of the sealing power. She is one who has been elected or chosen by faithfulness as a daughter of God in this life, an heir of God, a member of His household. Her position is comparable to that of the elders who magnify their callings in the priesthood and thereby receive all that the Father hath".
This distinction, while lofty, is attainable by sisters everywhere and they are found all around us. Some examples of elect ladies I know include Grandma Chandler, Grandma Stanger, Sheryl, Tammy, Lisa, Dannah, Madeline, Marianne, and Nancy. Some sisters in my ward include Pam Machado, Marna Knudsen, Susan Lanning, and Cheryl Carrillo. But these are only a few examples of sisters who have made and kept sacred covenents. There are so many more. Perfection is not a condition of mortality but election can be; remember, she is chosen by faithfulness, therefore, we choose it for ourselves. And if we can only work towards it at this time, it is all the Lord requires.

On Lists

With my bathroom and living room now looking more like they did before I left, weeks ago, I am feeling great about having the Elders over for dinner. I am writing this little blog entry as I take a break in between rooms, (and yesterday, I finished 16 of those 20 tileboards)!
In Seminary, as we were spending our time memorizing our second-to-last scripture mastery scripture, I was able to see what is needed for our class in the next week and a half, and I wrote it down in list form.
Because of this, and having my house more under control, I am beginning to feel so much less stress, and somehow, when things that need to be done are written down, I can see on paper that it really will be possible. This helps me to prioritize. Also, when I give each thing a time slot each task has a time limit and when there is a time limit, there is an end! Even when I don't accomplish it all within that time, I can see enough progress that either I will take the needed time to finish or it makes it okay to move on to the next task and then come back later to finish.
It will be nice to have the Missionaries come, but when dinner is done and we say goodnight, I will put the dishes into the dishwasher and sit back and enjoy my home as it is meant to be.

About those pics...

Okay, so what are all these people up to lately? Well:
- Sam is living and working in the Salt Lake area. Actually, he lives in the downstairs of his apartment and Dawn and her family live upstairs. He sings in their ward choir and assists with music arranging, voice coaching, etc.. He is currently studying philosophy and religion, and he enjoys international cooking and entertaining friends.
- Suzanne and Jared are stationed at Schofield Army Barracks, near Wahiawa, on Oahu, Hawaii. Right now Jared is in Iraq, which leaves Suzanne to attend to her very active family. She is the Enrichment Leader in her ward and she is also finishing her Master's online. Until Kamryn was born, hers was the family of boys! They are Chandler, Jacob, Andrew, Adam, and now, Kamryn!
- Celeste and Jeremie are still in Turlock. He is a truck driver and Celeste is a manager at Red Robin. Last year they were sealed in the Oakland Temple and they hope to be buying a house soon. They are the girl family with Paige, Abbie and Mollie.
- As stated above, Dawn and Lawrence are in Salt Lake. Dawn is teaching school and Lawrence will be starting school soon to become a CPA. Last year they were also sealed in the Oakland Temple. They both are on their Ward Activities Committee. Their little one is Garret.
- Just this month, Shannon and Joe were transfered to Kadena Air Force Base on the island of Okinawa, Japan.(And they took the baby with them!) They will be there for three years. I am soooooo grateful for cell phones and computers! They are attending the Branch on base. Joe has been to Iraq twice and they are hoping it will be a while before he is deployed again. Isabel is their little sweetheart.
- Mark is going to be moving to the Salt Lake area next month so that when he joins the Army Reserves he will be able to go to school there. He returned home from his mission to Uruguay last December.
- As for David and I, well, I keep very busy with Seminary and David is Second Counselor in the bishopric. He teaches at the Corcoran Prison. We try to spend as much time as we can with our family, especially those new little ones!

Today's Feature - Pictures!

Thanks to Suzanne, we were able to put pictures here on this site! We found the pictures together, even over the miles, but she was the one who made them look so good! Honestly, she did most all of the work. Also, David put up the picture of us, and his was the first! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Mark, you too! You helped me learn how to put pics with my posts! You are all making me look so talented, when it was you.
Make sure to check out the "Baby Gallery" at the bottom of the page - They're adorable!

The Temple - Life Changing

Last Sunday, as you know, was Mother's Day. I expected Sacrament Meeting to be the traditional salute to mothers, but instead, Brother Spencer spoke on a variety of subjects. The Spirit may not have told him who it was that needed this part of his talk, but I know it was for me.
I have been praying for several weeks for help in some areas of my life and there in his talk he brought up a list of blessings we will receive if we go to the temple often. Right there, in his list were each of those things I had been praying about! So I decided on the spot to set up a schedule for me to follow so that I could get the help I was seeking.
Immediately the blessings began to come because the Lord knew I was committed to going. It became easier for me to hold my tongue and replace unkind thoughts for kinder ones. In a talk by President Benson called, "Come to the Temple", he said:
"When you attend the temple and perform the ordinances that pertain to the house of the Lord, certain blessings will come to you:
- You will love your family with a deeper love than you have loved before.
- Your heart will be turned to your fathers and theirs to you.
- You will be endowed with power from on high as the Lord has promised.
- You will receive the key of the knowledge of God. You will learn how you can be like Him. Even the power of godliness will be manifest to you.
- You will be doing a great service to those who have passed to the other side of the veil."
He added:
"Many parents, in and out of the church, are concerned about protection against a cascading avalanche of wickedness which threatens to engulf [the world]. ...There is a power associated with ordinances of heaven - even the power of godliness - which can and will thwart the forces of evil if we will but be worthy of those sacred [covenants made in the temple of the Lord]. ...Our families will be protected, our children will be safeguarded as we live the gospel, visit the temple, and live close to the Lord".
And in 1984, President Hinckley said, "I am satisfied that if our people would attend the temple more, there would be less selfishness in their lives. There would be less absence of love in their relationships. There would be more fidelity on the part of husbands and wives. There would be more of love and peace and happiness in the homes of our people."

This experience has had a profound effect in my life. I expect it to be life changing, even life lifting as I continue to keep my committment to attend the temple often. I will be forever grateful for this timely reminder.

A Child's Delight

I'm sure everyone will agree that there is nothing like the sweet and happy voice of a child. Yesterday we went to Turlock and visited Celeste's family. On the way, they called on the cell phone to find out where we were and then I got to talk to Abbie. As I told her that I was bringing her flowers from Hawaii she took in a quick breath and said, "Really?! You are?!" And she repeated this after each thing I said I was bringing. Her voice was so innocent and filled with expectation, almost wonder.
And when I was visiting Suzanne, Adam would come up to me and talk in his own dialect, but he knew what he was saying to me. His voice was just as confident as if he were truly communicating.
Last year our family added two grandchildren, Garret and Mollie, and this year we have welcomed Isabel and Kamryn. They are so intelligent. You can see it in their eyes. There is no doubt in my mind that they are adult spirits just getting to know how to use their bodies. Heaven is still open to them and only gradually does it close. They are fully aware of their surroundings and what we are doing.
I have beheld some sweet moments as our grandchildren, Chandler, Jacob, Paige and Abbie have risen to an occasion and treated their family members with all the love they could muster, offering comfort and kindness.
What has brought this to mind is a bulletin board that is on the wall outside our Primary room at church. It has pictures of an activity they had that depicted some of the events surrounding the Savior when he was crucified. They decorated the hall to look like the entrance to Jerusalem. They sat in a Primary room that was transformed into The Upper Chamber where the Last Supper took place and where the Sacrament was first administered. Then they went to another part of the Primary room where they could see how the Lord's body was laid to rest but now was risen.
Pictures were taken of the children and their faces shone as they were transfixed into the moment, re-experiencing those sacred events that took place so long ago but that were known throughout the heavens.
In their very faces one could plainly see their simple faith, and the love they have for the Lord. They felt the spirit and their young hearts were touched. We must never underestimate the impressions made on them.
I also remember as a youngster myself, going to church with my father. On this particular afternoon, we must have been late due to him waiting for me to get ready because we were sitting towards the back. As I sat, I doodled and dangled my feet. But at one point I felt the spirit so strongly that I had to look up to see where it was coming from. Not too surprisingly, I saw a man at the podium wearing a dark suit and a white shirt. I didn't know who he was but I'll never forget those feelings. I believe this was the beginning of a budding testimony. It was the first time I felt an unmistakable witness from the Holy Ghost and I grew to understand that it meant I was in the right place.
I don't recall telling my Dad about this experience at the time, but I have since thanked him for waiting for me that Sabbath afternoon. There is no way to truly express my gratitude.
Our little ones are in the right place whenever we have prayers or read the scriptures or go to church. These experiences are never lost even though we may feel frazzled with the effort that must be made to make these things happen. True delight is in the spirit, making not only them but all of us partakers of the fruit of the tree of life which is the love of God.
Matthew 18:4-5 says "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me."
Our family's children are:
Chandler, 8 years old. Paige, 6. Jacob, 5. Abbie, 4. Andrew. Adam, 2. Garret and Mollie, 1 in June. Isabel 8 weeks and Kamryn, 7 weeks.

F.Y.I.

Okay, Shan, to answer your questions:
1. I got an "A" in my class. And,
2. You are in a tropical location so I would hope you could find coconut oil there easily. Make sure you get the extra virgin, organic oil because the other types don't have the flavor and are not as healthy.

Herbology and Potions

I just finished a class in medicinal herbology. (My sister, Sheryl, took this class as well and we laughed about long, pointy hats and bubbling cauldrons!) But really, this has been so good for me to do. The only drawback is that when you are trying to learn how to take care of your own health, you have to have health problems in order to use the herbs and get to know them and how they work.
Fortunately, I was able to begin with health concerns that are comparatively minor. I have made and used my own cough syrup, treated infections on my foot and in my mouth and a sunburn around my neck and on my arms successfully, without a doctor or traditional medication.
The principle behind herbal preparations is that when they are used along with fasting, a healthy diet, clean water, exercise, etc., the cause is being addressed rather than just the symptoms.

The recipe for cough syrup is as follows:
1-2 Onions, peeled and chopped
Honey, enough to cover the onion to about 1/2" over
Opt., Licorice Root powder, about 3-4 T.

Place all ingredients into a double boiler. Heat the water under the double boiler till hot, not boiling, and keep it hot. Let the mixture sit over the hot water for 5-6 hours. Strain and squeeze out onions with clean hands and discard onion pieces. Store mixture in a dark glass bottle, if possible, and in a cool, dry place. It has a pleasant taste and is completely safe for children.
Take 1-2 T. at a time and as needed to loosen congestion. (This syrup will not suppress the cough but will make coughing more effective in ridding phlegm, and will soothe the throat).
No perscription is necessary and there are no known side effects!