Feels so good

Yesterday was a great day for us. Stuart was ordained an Elder, and, of course, given the Melchezideck Priesthood. It feels so good to have the Priesthood in my home again.
Patrick was ordained an Elder the Sunday before he went to the hospital the first time back in May.
It is so good to see them progressing in the gospel after all the ups and downs they have gone through with the gospel in their lifes.
Patrick also got his Patriarchal Blessing last fast sunday. I know he felt the spirit witness things to him a couple of times during the blessing because of the things we talked about on the way home from his appointment with the Patriarch. All I can really say is -I am going to be a grandma. (NOT IN THE NEAR FUTURE) He has things to do first.
During our talk on the way home he said he felt for a long time that Paul was not the only one I would marry. That surprised me because I don't think he has ever read my blessing, and that is something I have felt for many many years. Right now I am pondering how I can head the admonition to "remember [my] first and primary responsibility rests in the home as a mother" and still go to school because now I need to provide for my kids. Somethings are so confusing.
As for the relax/don't work so hard...The kids and I went camping for the fourth of July. It was really nice, I could have spent another day or so. I didn't get any of the things done that I should have (homework). I just sat around the camp site and visited with a friend. Today I should have spent the day studying for tomorrow's test. Instead I spent 2 hours in my garden, did some home work at that same friend's (I needed to play some phonics games with her kids) then I tried to study but spent the last few hours weeding my flowerbeds. I don't know if it was relaxing or not. The gardening should have been but I kept thinking about the test I should have been studying for. Like I have heard it said, everything gets more important than finals. Oh well, I have all night. hehehe

So what do you think it is?

Ok, so, back in December around finals time, I took an hour out of my day to go to the dr. to find out what the bumpy patch of skin on my temple was. He diagnosed and treated it as a fungus. It imediately went away with one application of the med. Then during christmas break I got a similar but VERY itchy patch on my wrist. I went back to the dr's office, saw a new dr. and he diagnosed it as something I needed to see my family dr about. So I made the appointment, an my family dr. made a maybe diagnosis of scabies or dry skin; and treated both. The rash got worse, but I continued to treat the dry skin with the awful goo he perscribed, which didn't seem to make much difference. Yesterday I saw another dr, the fourth, a dermitologist this time, he diagnosed it as hives and gave me a year perscription for claritan and samples of the "new and refined zertec." Seems like they are all guessing. Anyone else want to take a guess. It is extreemly itcy-like flea bites-especially first thing in the morning and when I get hot or stressed. The itchy feeling comes before the little white bumps. They come after I start scratching and look like headless zits. The "zits" go away within 15 minutes of me not sctrathcing.
All this started after I took the moldy insulation out of my bedroom ceiling. The second dr. said the rash was not from the insulation since I was so covered up when I took it out. (Hood, gogles, gloves, cover-up suit, breathing mask...) Soooo, any guesses/diagnosis?

linking?

Can anyone help me with linking your blogs to my blogsite? I want to be able to go to your blogsites from mine, like on Randon and Lori's sites.

What's new

I have really been enjoying everyone's blogs. I have spent way too much time scanning through the Marutz's pictures, but enjoyed every one of them. It was fun to see Jacob walking and Belle with Belle.
Asside from spending way too much time on the computer, I have been revamping the apartment in hopes of attracting a better pool of renters. One couple came high on something! I have been doing the painting, stripping, and tub surround myself, so it's s-l-o-w going. A ward member/carpenter is helping me with suggestions for fixing the renter's porch.
I am also planting a garden this year. Stuart actually went out and helped me put in half of it. I had to quit when he suggested it or I fear he will never go out in the garden again. He planted the cantalopes-cause he loves cantalope. He got really excited when we were planting the corn because he thought the pink corn seeds would produce pink corn! he he. Then he wanted to plant popcorn! (He LOVES popcorn) I think he'd plant pizza too if he could.
Nathan came home Monday afternoon from a sleep-over and announced in a proud voice that he had just done his first all nighter; about 10 minutes later he was asleep.
My summer classes started yesterday. It's a good thing I started reading the text last month. The pace is soooo fast. We are discussing behavior and behavior modification methods. From what I understand we will be selecting a behavior in ourselves to monitor and a supposed behavior in a pretend student to modify. If this were during the semester, I think there is an actual student for each university class member to work with.
I'll see if the kids can put some pictures this week on during all their free time.

Spring Break

Well, it is supposed to be Spring Break. Monday we got about an inch and a half of snow, and Friday we got about two more inches. At this point in the season I am not shoveling it off the driveway though. It all melts within a day or two so I figure why kill my back when it's going to melt so soon. I'm so sick of snow. I am ready to plant my garden. I took a walk around my yard, cleaning up roofing debris from the re-roof job, and noticed I have a bunch of tulips and daylilies comming up. I couldn't tell if my apple tree made it through the winter or not.
I had all kinds of things planned for this week. Breakfast at 8:00, catch up on homework in the morning, free time in the afternoon to complete some of the projects around here, dinner together and a little more homework in the evening. Well, so much for the plan. We had breakfast the first two days. Then the plan fell to pieces. No one wanted to get up. Nathan got sick so he didn't feel like doing anything. Stuart spent the night at a friends and everyday on the computer. Stephanie slept in till noon or went babysitting.
The carpets didn't get cleaned, the table didn't get stripped, and the apartment didn't get rented, and my bedroom ceiling still has a big hole in it from where I took out the moldy insulation. Oh ya, and the homework is nowhere near being up to date. I did spend a day trying to fix the computer, after Patrick had already spent 2 days on it. It is definately faster but it still isn't right.
I have today and Monday to get the homework and projects done. I believe I am going to have to hire a handyman. I don't have the time or the know-how for the bedroom, the plumbing or the broken windows.
I did get my taxes taken care of though. So the whole week isn't a total wash.
Stephanie got her hair cut yesterday. She had enough cut off to donate to Locks of Love; and her hair is still shoulder length. I took some before and after pictures. She really likes her hair cut, just ask her. And "it smells so good."

Catching up

Since my last blog, Stephanie has had her wisdom teeth pulled, it has snowed and snowed and snowed and I think my car is fixed.
Steph's teeth were comming through but there was no room for them. Yes, she is a little young for this stage of the tooth game but that's typical for my kids. She is doing pretty good as far as the complaining goes, but she is still taking the vicadin a week after surgery. Not sure if that is normal. She says she is getting really sick of pudding and soup. She wasn't excited to go to school Monday with chipmunk cheeks, but she managed just fine.
The meteorologist says we have gotten more snow this year than he's seen in the last 10 years. That's about right. I remember one of the first winters we were in this house and having to lift the shovel about shoulder high when I was shoveling the driveway. I hope this is a good sign for my summer garden.
I really don't know what the real problem was with my van, other than age. I replaced the alternator again (second time in 6 months), and I was happy to realize it was still under warrenty. After I helped a friend put the new alternator in, we (he) decided that maybe the frost on the outside of the battery was why it wasn't starting. So after a night in the kitchen, I hooked up the battery and started the van. It ran for about 20 minutes and quite. After that I couldn't get it started , and ended up having AAA tow it to the mechanic. He just reset the anti-theft feature, and put in a quart of oil. The van has been fine all week. Boy do I feel silly for not checking the owners manual about the anti-theft.

Just trying things out

Hello everyone,
I think I just uploaded a picture of the court of honor that Stuart and Patrick received their Eagle Scout awards. Patrick earned his just before President Bush (W.) ran for a second term so he got his badge/pin but never had or wanted a court of honor. Stuart asked that Patrick be the one to present his (Stuart's) award to him. So, since Pat was there the Scout leaders arranged to present Patrick with his award at the same meeting. There were about four other Eagles awarded that night too. This all happened just before christmas.
Looks like it didn't work. I'll keep trying.
It has been really cold here lately, -12 plus a windchill. I thought of all you in California and other sunny, warm locations yesterday as I was shoveling the snow/ice off my driveway yesterday; dressed in about four layers plus my snowpants. Brrr! Lots of people didn't make it to church today, I suspect their cars didn't start or they decided it was just plain too cold to go outside.
Despite the cold and snow, there is a lot of green that can be seen in the state of Wisconsin right now! Go Packers. Although I am not a fan, I will be watching at least the kick off today. This game is being compared to the ice bowl of, I think, 1967.
I passed my latest class, which leaves me with 2 semesters and student teaching until graduation.