My mother is on the War Path!!

I have stayed out of this mess my mother has created on her own!!   I was sick to hear she had closed her annuity out.  Last Wednesday Craig called and talked to the agent that closed her account.  He told Craig the same crazy wild story that mother told Craig this past week.  I was so upset all I could do was cry!!  I had to put it behind me and go on.  It is really not worth the tears!  What on earth has she done with the money?  Praying she has not given it all to the scam artist.  Craig got back in her good graces on Friday and she faxed over several papers about this whole deal she has been involved with.  In reading over it all it is very clear, it is a scam!!!  We even found the guys name online scamming another person.  Craig talked to Ryan Mcdougal who worked for the  FBI for 10 years, he has dealt with many scams of this sort. Craig sent mother an email this morning telling her how he felt and that she needs to walk away from this.  She is so emotionally involved she can not see clearly.  As the day progress my brother Tommy called to talks to our mother,  I don't know what he said , but now we are on mother shit list!!  She is madder than hell and thinks Craig told Tommy everything.  Craig texted her back and said he did not tell Tommy a thing.  So then mother is blaming me!!  I'm the one that called Tommy,  I can't keep my big mouth shut, which is not the case.  I have stayed completely out of this.  I have felt is it is a waste of my time and energy to even get involved because it will not end well!!  Craig was on the phone all morning with mother and I went outside to work in the yard. I didn't want to hear any of this!! So later today Tom did call her,  which I' m sure Jake has confided to his dad, his concerns in over hearing mother on her phone conversations while she has been at the hospital.   Jake called  me last Saturday to question me and to see if we knew anything, for sure
something big is going on!!   He told me, she has her phone with her 24- seven, and is constantly on the phone.  He could hear the conversation and that she is communicating with these international men.  He thinks the scam man Robert Moore, from the fall is working with this new guy the lawyer from Malaysia to just lead mother on and she is taking it all in hook line and sinker.  Jake said he has learned she is not loyal to her family, she will turn on any one of us at any time!!  This is from the mouth of her own grandson!!  Which is so sad and so true!!  Mother has turned and attack me on so many occasions over the years unjustly.   Well, from Tom's conversation , she immediately started calling Craig and sending a string of hateful texts Saturday night.  By the end of the text messages, I'm the one who told Tom!!  Talk about a mother's love?  Here is one of the text she sent:

 Craig you are not to be trusted I will never talk to you or Tom ever again!  The reason I talked to you is I thought I might could trust you, then you call Tommy and got him all stirred up I can't believe the greed of you kids!  I work hard trying to leave you all a little something but you know what I don't care if I leave any of you one cent!   You don't know what the heck you are talking about and I will never invest with you ever again its none of your buisness or Debbie's buisness or TOM buisness, you calling TOM and getting him all upset and me upset is wrong of you when you don't know what the heck you are doing.  I will never forgive you for that, you guys are really going to kill me for sure!   Debbie had me crying my eyes out when I came to enjoy you guys in the fall, all over greed, thinking Tom was taking money from me and all he has done is try to help me over the years.  Him and Michelle is the only kids that deserve anything!!   I'm putting every thing I have in Tom's name.   So don't wait for me to die to get a penny!!   I told you not to tell Debbie because she would go crazy!! And I guess that is what she did!!  She can't keep her big mouth shut!!  I really don't need any stress in my life and I guess the only way I can get out if it is to have no contact with my own children because all you -only give me grief!!  I don't meddle in any of your lives and you don 't need to meddle in mine. I can't believe you would worry Tom with all he has on his mind, that's so cruel and now he thinks I blew all my money but I have every red cent except I bought a car, paid for my dental and eye care I'm not asking you for money.  I just wanted your advice.  Craig texted her back, He did not tell Tommy!! He then shut his phone off for the night.  He told me he is done with helping her!!  It is a lost cause.  She is now madder than hell at me!!  I'm the one who told Tom!!  It is so hurtful that she would attack me, her own daughter, when all I have done is to look after her and help her over the years.  She makes it so hard and difficult to have a healthy relationship with her.  We have not heard from her all week.  She is supposed to received 4.8 millions this week from her Lawry friend that is helping her.  Like she even is entitled to this large sum of money is just crazy!! 

General women's conference

First speaker,  Sister Wixon the general primary president..  "Women's of all ages we walk in the faith."  Bonnie  L. Oscarson young women's president,  "Sister love and care for one another,  look for what we have in common , oh how we need each other!!" " Love each other more, and love each of us better."   Sister Linda K Burton relief society General women's president.   "Keep the commandments,  come follow me, the savior said,  lay aside the things of the world."   "We can't do it alone, but thru the atonement of the savior, a true disciple of Christ."  " Keep our covenants, step forward by our actions as a follower of Jesus, by the way we live, hasten his work,  help each other along the way, walk as one."  President Henry Erying  the closing speaker,  "Treat everyone we meet as a child of God." 

I loved the 1 hr conference it has been very uplifting!!  I tried get all my 5 girls and 3 granddaughters together today to attend the conference,  they were all busy.  I stayed home and watched it on TV by myself.  I work so hard in the yard today it has wore me out then there is the stress from my own mother attacking me tonight!!  I feel such pain from her unkind words toward me.  Which are not true!!  I have stayed out of this mess she has created all on her very own!!  I have been mourning since she was here in the fall.  She spoke so horrible to me and even said she disowned me as her daughter.  The pain has pierced me to my very heart and soul.  How could my mother talk to me this way?  I have prayed the Lord would take the memory away!!  At-least now I have a hard time remembering all the unkind things she said in her rage!   I'm just so thankful for the sisterhood I feel in the church!!  I'm thankful for this women's conference this night that has brought me love and peace amidst the storm of my mother's rage, again this night!  My best course of action is to just turn the other check and love her!!  I pray for the strength I need to carry on with love and kindness!!

Working in the Yard!!

I stayed home today and worked in our yard all day clearing flower beds from all the leaves and grass that has also grown  along the curbbing.  I had a lot of dandelions that have started growing in the ivy.  I went outside at 9:30 am this morning and stayed outside until 4:30 p.m. that is 7 hours of working hard.  I'm psychically beat.  It as kick my butt!!  I think I over did it, I'm no spring chicken!!  I'm feeling exhausted from my hard work in the yard.  I did enjoy my time outside, I love the smell of the dirt.  The front yard looks good, ready for spring to come!!  The trees are staring to flower out, I love the blossoms on the trees, I have daffodils popping out too.  That are so pretty!!  I love spring , the fresh cool crisp air and warm sunshine.  I still have flower beds in the back yard that I need to clear out the leaves, I have made good progress this year in getting thru our yard for the spring cleaning.  It has been an unusually warm winter and spring this year.  I was able to get out in the yard the end of February to start cleaning things out.  This next week I should be able to finish up the back yard.  I then want to get some more bark to fill in our flower beds, it helps on the weeding.  I'm dead tired going to rest for the night!!  I'm looking forward to watching Women's conference today.  I wanted to get cleaned up and attend it with my sisters in the ward at the stake center tonight, since none of my daughters were able to attend with me. But working in the yard today has taken all my energy.  I'm taking a hot bath, putting on my pj's and watching the conference in bed.

Today is Friday!!

My dear husband arrived home from Bear Lake safely last night close to midnight.  I waited up for him.  He called several times to let me know it was snowing and there was black ice on the roads, at one point he had to drive about 20 miles per hour on the freeway  the roads were so bad for over 30 miles.  I was so glad to see him walk in the door!  He safely arrived home!!  What a sigh of relief!  This morning we have a time share appointment at 11:00 am to go to, so I've got to beautify myself for the day, it takes more time than I would like to spend.  Last night I reviewed where I have left off in my process of creating family picture books and updating my journal entries.  I had several years of my Journals I had not printed out.  Just storing on my computer.  Well when I accidentally deleted all my document files this took all my journals.  I've been sick about it since fall and trying to recover what I could.  Having our computer specialist work on the hard drive, I was only able to retrieve journal years 2009 and 2010.  That is all!!  I had saved all my journals on the computer since the 90's.  I had printed them all out, expect the last five years.  I had started adding pictures to my journal entries and needed color ink in my printer in order to print them.  I was slowly working on it in the fall.  I had luckily printed out 2013 up to September, just before I made this huge mistake!!  In going thru my journals,  I have completely lost all of the year 2012.  Which I'm really sad about, but I do have a digital picture book I have made of the year 2012.  So not all is lost!!  My computer is acting up again!!  So Allan says we need to just clear everything off and reboot my entire computer.  I have very few documents on the computer now, but tons of pictures which I do not want to lose.  I have been working faithfully since fall to email my pictures by year to Costso to make  DVD copies that are to last 100 years.  This has been a huge project for me; I have collected over 15,000 pictures that are on my Mac laptop and I have many pictures on my HP that I have scanned and put in family files for the future family books I want to make by year.  So I need to combine the scan pictures with my photo's by year on my Mac laptop and get them all emailed over and saved on a gold DVD.  I have made lots of progress.  Today I'm going to focus on the year 2009, which  was a  huge family event year.  I'm so happy that I was able to retrieve this journal year.  I need to proof read it and then get it printed out.  This will be my project for several days.  Stick to my task and get it done.  I've got to just stay focus on one project at a time.  I'm bouncing around on to many projects right now.  My life history projects are going to have to be pushed back until I can clean up my photo files and journals.  The year 2009 is the focus for now!!

Today Has Been A Good Day!!

After the very upsetting news about my Mother yesterday, I woke up not wanting to get out of bed.  I felt the wind had been taken out our my sail today!  My dear husband had got up early and left about 5:00 am.  I thought he was going to workout.  I was no way able to get out of bed that early.  I dozed back to sleep.  I woke up about 9:30 am from a phone call from him.  He had drove up to the Lake!!  I was surprised!!  He wanted to check on things from the painter working on our bonus room and make sure things are ready for Stacy and her girlfriends this weekend.  She is have a girlfriend retreat.  He planed to stay the day.   After our conversation Iremembered I had a visiting teaching appointment with my dear sister Maray Bringhurst at 10:00 am.  I had to hurry and get myself dressed for the day.  We had such a great visit.  We talked about the Light of Christ in our lives and what a blessing it is to feel the spirit of the Lord giving us comfort and peace.  Christy Dixon shared some very thoughtful scriptures that she loves, about the Light of Christ.  Our visiting teaching time was very uplifting to my heavy soul.  As I visited with Christy about my dear Shannon and all her health issues, she told me about her Live pro-biotic that she has to add to a shake in the mornings.  It would greatly help with inflammation in the body.  She would give me a start of hers.  So off we went to her mansion of a home.  Christy is such a down to earth lady and so friendly you would never know she lives in the most amazing home!!  She grabbed from her fridge a mason jar from where she has her live culture growing.  She grabs another mason jar and gives me a start to grow.  I was amazed how simple and what health benefits this will make for my daughter Shannon.  I know she has been taking pro-biotic, yet she has to buy at the health food store and is over $30.00 a bottle for a months supply.  Now we can grow and intake our very own.  This will be so much better and will cost so very little, just the milk it takes to add each day to replace the fluid taken from the jar.  I told Shannon about it today and she is really excited to it.  I felt this has been an answer to pray in trying to find ways to help Shannon's health improve.

From there I can home to work on my journal for 1 hours and then out the door for a Birthday luncheon for the sisters in the Ward who have a birthday this month.  It was fun to just visit and fellowship with friends.  It has really lighten my spirits.  I went to Costco to pick up my 2005 ditgial scrapbook I made this past month.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  I've got 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 done.  I'm working on my 2013 book.  I'm trying really hard to stay as current on 2014 as I can this year.  I still want to do 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008.  I will then be all caught up for the last thirteens years in my family record keeping.  I then want to go back and make digital books of all the scrapbooks I have made since I've been married which will indeed be a huge project.  I just love making digital family history books of our family.  It is so fun to see our many blessing over the years and how everyone grows over the years.  I cherish the years as our children and now grandchildren are so small and so fun to look at.  I love to re-live the years as a mother and grandmother!!  I came home and worked a few hours, until it was time to attend my book club tonight

At 7:30 pm I attend my first book club meeting in my ward.  I thoroughly enjoyed!! I have wanted to attend and have never made the time.  Sunday, Michele Richards as dear sister,  I sat by her in Sunday School and she told me about the book she had written about her journal entries about her children as they grew up, her divorce, a single mother and then her marriage to Craig Richards combing their families and raising a family of 11 children.  She gave me her book to read for the up coming book club this month.  I came home Sunday afternoon and read the entire book.  I loved it!!  It has been such an inspiration to me.  It has motivated me to do something for my children like this.  I have been faithful for over 36 years in my  journals and I would have lots to share in a book format.  Michele is a gifted writer.  She is very good in writing poetry about her life in such a tasteful and expressive way.  She was able to mix the happy times, fun times, sad times and heart breaking times, in the words she expressed in her book.   She titled it A Family Memoir,  From Where I stood.  We had fun sharing from her book today and her telling us more about her life and how the stories came about.  It has been a joy to attend tonight!  I took my Baptism digital book to share with the group tonight.  I made for our family this Christmas.  I'm so proud of it.  It was a lot of work for me.  Everyone loved my book and want me to teach a class about it, which really surprised me.  I don't feel that talented in this area, but I'm learning and starting to get pretty good at it.  It has become a new passion for me in creating our family digital scrapbooks.  I volunteered to host the next book club at our home in April.  Craig called and is on way his way home tonight from the lake.  It is snowing up north and the roads are bad with black ice.  I told him to drive slow!!  Be careful, my love.
Being out and about today and just sharing in friendship with my sisters in my ward has greatly lifted my spirit today and has helped to cheer me up.  Life is good.!!

The Cover of my girl friends book she printed.  She has been such an inspiration to us all at book club tonight.  What a great idea!!  Something I want to work toward myself.  A mother's Memoir to leave for my own children.

Reading my Facebook postings

I was reading some Facebook posting tonight and ran across this post, thought of my dear daughter Shannon. She will get a good laugh from this post!!  We both so relate!!

My Mother's Life History!!

Last Thursday morning, March 20th, I woke up and first thing I thought was I should start working on my Mother's Life History!  It has been a project I have encouraged my mother for many years.  I have collected lots to start working on in her family file.  So I got out what I have collected.  I starting reading journal entries she has given me and listened to a casset tape she made many years back of her early childhood years.  This has been a great healing process for me.  I have been moaning since she was here in the fall 2013.  She re-opened my heart with pain and sorrow by her very harsh words.  It has been really hard to forgive her.  I have been so hurt by it all, I felt if she died today i could not attend  her funeral.  I had nothing good to say about her.  I'm so tired of being hurt by her unkind works toward me over and over.  I just have wanted to shut her out of life.  So working on this life history has opened my heart again!!  Very interesting how this has all taken place just days before I find out about the crazy story she is living in her life right now.  It is just hard to believe it is really happening.  Only time will tell how the story place out.  In the meantime I have to be strong!!  I worked hard all day Thursday, Friday until 4am in the morning and all day Saturday, creating a history book on Costco digital scrapbook program.  It is going to be a very nice life history.  The first volume is going to be up to her early married years.  I have collected much more than I realized.  It is taking time and a lot of work, in typing and proofing what I have done.  I've been scanning pictures and added them into the story of her beginning years of her life as a young child in West Virginia. She was born in 1936 and she has lived to see a world of change in her life time.  This will be a on going project for many months maybe a few years.  I called mother on Sunday to let her know she  could record her stories on her voice memo on her cell phone and then send them to me as a text message.  This way I can ask her questions, she can talk away and then send the voice memo to me.  I can then listen and type the information in our history book.  Things have changed a lot from the days when we used tape casset recorders.  It is so much easier to record information.  It is a modern miracle in my life time how technology has changed.  We use our cell phone to record , taking pictures, our phone, our notes, my blog, calendar, address and phone # birthday, etc.  It is so very handy.  Our lives is stored on our cell phone.  How could we live without it now?

Our Oldest Daughter's Birthday Today

 March 27th, Today is Sharlena's 36th birthday.  It is hard to believe we have a daughter this old now.  She is very special in our lives.  We love her so very much!!   For many years Sharlena and I have met at Quilted Bear in Murry for her special day.  This give us time to be together as mother and daughter, some one on one time.  This spring a new Quilted Bear location is opening up in Draper.  So as soon as it opens we are going to have our special time together.  Looking forward to spending time with my oldest daughter Sharlena.

The Drama Continues With My Mother!!

Yesterday Craig talked to my mother on the phone early morning.  We have both been so upset by the conversation and very concerned about my Mother.  Craig was not suppose to not tell  me anything, according to my mother, but how could he not tell me the crazy wild story!!  It is still hard for us to even believe, it seems like something from the movies.  As the day progressed things get even worse.  Craig called to check on her life's savings, the only annuity saving account she had to her name.  The only money that is saved to take care of her in her later years.  She had called and closed the entire account out.  She took out all her money!!  She told the agent the same crazy story she told Craig this morning.  I starting crying my eyes out!!  I'm in total shock!!  It appears that she has given all her money to these internet scam men.  She had about $130,000.00 and now it all gone.  Not sure where the money is?  We do know they have asked for money and why would she close her savings account is crazy. This is the money she was going to use as she needed for money in her later years.  I'm having a hard time believing that she would be so naive!!  The world can be a scary place and you have to be careful!!  There are so many scams out there and we are witnesses of one before our very eyes!!  It is such a helpless feeling in not knowing what to do and how we  stop this!!?  She is convinced she is going to have over 4-million dropped off on her doorstep!!  None of this even makes sense!!  My heart is just aching inside for my mother this day.  Pray for her that she will be safe and somehow come to her senses!!  This is not going to play out well especially if she has already given her all her money away.   We just don't know what she has done with it. We just know she has closed her savings account.!!!   He had called her yesterday just before we went to our temple assignment to let her know he was very septic and had talked to Lawyer friends,  They said it was certainly a scam and to run as far as your could from the situation.  He let her know that he knew she had closed her saving account out and pleaded with her to not give any money to these men.  She told him she had not, but it is really strange, especially hearing the Agent for her Annuity account repeat the same story, she just told Craig this morning.  Mother did not like hearing this and turned on Craig in a hurry.  She is not listening to any of her family and she hung up on him.  All I can do is cry, this is just a nightmare!!  Craig talked to her this morning and she is suppose to be faxing over all kinds of documents for Craig to look over. Craig tried to smooth things over with her and just say what she wants to hear right now, so we can get some type of evidence from her.  Right now all we have is this crazy story she is telling us!!  It is just unbelievable!!

Journal Projects I'm Working On.

March 27^th, 2014

In the fall 2013 I was working making family digital scrapbooks and accidentally deleted all my document files that I have collected the last 23 years.  I have typed all my journals and have been faithful in this project over the years and was working on several family histories.  I have done better in my record keeping the past five years and was added pictures to my journals.  I like looking at the pictures in my journals and seeing how we change and grow over the years.  My computer hard drive was really acting up and I was only able to retrieve very few documents.  Luckily I have printed out almost all of my journals.  I just missed 2009-2013.   I was working on adding the pictures to my journal entries and then printing them out.  I was out of  color ink and had not printed most of them yet.   In retrieving from the hard drive, I was only able to save 2009-2010.  I had printed 2011 and most current on 2013 in fall months.  I have completely lost my 2012 Journal year.  I’m very sad about this.  This has been a hard lesson for me to learn.   On my Mac laptop I have stored all my pictures.  I have over 15,000 pictures.  My Mac was getting slow and not functioning as it should.  Sharlena took it in the fall and just got it back to me in February this year 2014.  She had to clear it off and reload everything.  My new project is to go thru and delete pictures I don’t want. She made a back up on our external hard drive of all my pictures.  I’ve been slowly going thru my pictures by year and e-mailing them to Costco by year to save our family pictures on a gold DVD picture disk that is suppose to last 100 years.  That will last my life time.  This is a huge project for me.  I have been scanning pictures from my scrapbooks and making new family picture books on the digital scrapbook program thru Costco.  It is a lot of fun for me to see them printed.  Today I picked up my "Our Family 2005" family digital picture book which a great over view of our lives as a family in 2005.  I made a back up DVD of all my family pictures for 2005.  I did not start my digital pictures until 2003.  So I have not printed hardly any pictures out since 2003.  I have stored them all on my computer.  In losing all my documents, it has been a wake -up call that I do need to make sure all our family pictures are backed up.  I would be devastated if I lost all my family pictures from the past 13 years.  Technology keeps changing and it has been a challenging for me to keep up with.  I had just started inserting digital pictures in my journals the past five years.  It has been a fun project for me.  Today I have reviewed where I have left off.  I did find I have not printed out my 2009-2010 Journals that I was able to retrieve on my old hard drive.  I need to take the time to proof read for typing mistakes and them print them out.  As of December 2013 thru this year 2014,  I started a Blog in recording my journal.  This is a great way to know it will be saved on the cloud and that I will not lose it.  I can them send to a printing company the end of the year and have my blog printed in book format.   I’m so excited!!  In my journal keeping I have collected a journal for each year in a large 3-ring binder.   I have 68 books!! It takes up a lot of room!!   I now have a closet full of Scrapbook binders I have collected since our early marriage in 1977.  I have got to condense the amount of space it takes in keeping family records of our family.  The blog and digital scrape booking is so fun and a great way to condense on my storage space.    I’m beginning with the year 2003 to make digital scrapbooks and save all my pictures on a gold DVD.  That is 13 years and keep current on this year as I work on my projects.  I’m making good progress.  It has been a great winter and now spring project for me.

My Mother, She Is Indeed A Challenge!!

What a drama!! This can't be happening?  The story just keeps growing in intensity!!  In October when my Mother was here she talked about a boyfriend she met on the internet an Italian man that she was in love with and they were going to get married, he was the one!!  He was suppose to come see her and then never showed up.  She had wired him money, over $10,000 to Turkey, we have later found out.  She just ups and suddenly comes to Utah to visit us with only a few days notice.   As she tell us the story she had call the FBI they were putting a tab on her phone and trying to find the guy, it is an internet dating scam .  We asked her if she sent the man money, and she said no!!  Well come to find out from my Nephew Jake she did give the guy money and that is why she suddenly came to Utah to get out of town.  She closed her accounts and was afraid he would try to scam more money out of her.  She never told us any of that story only that she was almost swindled.  When  I told her I knew about Robert Moore the boyfriend, she blew up like a hell cat in a rage and freaked out at me and told me I was disowned, that I was selfish that I would not get a penny of her money, it would all go to the church or who ever she wanted to give it too.  I don't want her money, only looking after her and what little she really has to take care of her in her later years.  She is 77 years old and will be 78 this July 20th,  We don't know how much longer she is going to live, she does have a bad heart and has been told she could pass away day.  She is not in the best of health.  This last  year has been really hard on her.  Her back is deteriorating  and she could very likely end up in a will chair at some point in time.  I have been moaning over the behavior she displayed in the fall toward me.  How can a mother talk to her own flesh and blood the way she belittled me, I will never understand.  I have been so upset I have no desire to even see  her again and have had very little contact on the phone.  I have avoid any conversation with her.  I have felt if she died tomorrow I could not even attend her funeral.  I have been so destroyed by her actions in the fall.  This past Friday morning I woke up and felt I needed to start working on her life history.  A project I have been trying to get her to write in the Journal I gave her back in  1990's before John Wallace died.  She just keeps putting it off, and I felt I needed to push her along.  I started working on it all Friday and Saturday going over all that I have collected from her over the years and making a timeline of her life.  So this would cue her brain of memories she could share, before her brain is no longer able to recall.  I have had nothing recorded from by birth father or step-fathers and wished I had asked more questions at the time.  There is so much I do not understand about my own mother and wish I did.  Working on her life history has been  a healing process for me this past weekend and has soften my heart toward her.
It is a way for me to forgive her of the hurt she has caused to my very heart and soul.  She has attacked me over and over the years unjustly and has said the most hurtful things.  It has been so hard each time to recover and feel any love to her.  I have had to build up a shield of defense that I don't care in order to not feel the pain I feel deep in my heart.  So I have been earnestly working on this huge project.  I talked to her the weekend and taught her how to use her voice memo  on her cell phone.  She can talk the information and then send it to me like a text message.  It is really easy.  I felt Sunday this was the perfect inspiration I needed in order to get her life story recorded.  She had sent me a type many year back at the beginning of her early childhood and that was a start.  Technology has changed so much over the years.  We no longer use a tape recorder, but our cell phone to record.  I have not used this process yet myself, I'm just trying to learn how.  So Sunday is when I figured out how to send a voice memo.  I have been trying to encourage her in a positive direction.  She says she need to talk to Craig in private. and kept sending me text messages for a time she could talk to Craig.  I told to just call him.  Sunday she was at the hospital with Chance and all the family.  Sunday we were texting back and forth when a text came thru that was suppose to go to her boyfriend and not me.  Hi sweetheart miss you today, are you just getting ready for the day??  It is 11pm her time.  To me that says a different time zone.  Who on earth is she texting?  Jake my nephew called Craig Friday to alert him something is going on with my mother,  He wanted to know if she has taken any money out of her Annuity account.  Since fall she has cut him out of her doing and has not wanted me knowing anything she is doing.  Jake was her life blood up to that point.  He helped her set up her internet and helped her learn her new cell phone, how to text  and how to do the new technology.  She has been doing very well for almost 80 years old.  Amazed that she is even trying. We can't get Craig mother to even try.  She is on all these internet dating site and this is how it all stared with the International Italian man.   She learned to scype , talk to him like on the phone,  it is called facetime, talking and seeing each other at the same time; so she has never meet the man, yet he is very real to her.  I thought she would blow it off after this fall in knowing she was a victim of an international dating scam.  Jake told me Saturday that she is involved in something just by how she is always on the phone and being so secretive.  They have been around her just enough this past week to see something is going on,.  He said she is on the phone constantly.  She has a password on her phone now so he can not see what she is up too.  He felt she is still involved with this Robert Moore and more international stuff going on.  He told me that he has learned that his Grandmother is not faithful to the family, she will turn on anyone of us!!   So sad to hear my nephew say this about my own mother, yet I know all to well he is speaking the truth!!  We do know she took $25.000.00   out of her life policy after she was here visiting in the fall.  Which we assumed was money she was giving my brother Tommy for the purchase of his home in Canton.  Tommy called Craig back in December to talk to him about it. The money did not go to Tommy.  Where we do not know?  So they have been several red flags waving in the air.  Jake calling Friday was another red flag, and then the odd text I got late Sunday night, gave me cause to be concerned.
Today at 8:00 am our time, Mother calls to talk to Craig and begins her story that has taken place since fall.
She has been having contact with this Robert Moore since fall.  He has been sending her all kinds of love letters.  In the process  he is in Turkey, he came by a large sum of money that he made Mother the beneficiary of 4.8 million!!!!  He hired an attorney in Malaysia to be responsible in sending the money to the USA.  The money was sent to Dubai in a vaulted safe and in held there.  The attorney some how has been in contact with Mother, his name is Antonio.  They have developed a relationship by internet, he is a Christian.  Robert Moore wanted him to change the beneficiary to another women in California and not mother now.  The attorney said he could not do that with him being a Christian.   Mother said she accident sent the attorney a love letter that Robert sent her and this clued him in that Robert was indeed taking advantage of mother.   He proved this Robert Moore to be a scam.  So now the money in in Dubai,  The Attorney had to take a second mortgage on his home of $176.00 to pay fees needed in Dubai to transfer the vault of money to the USA.  He is calling mother and saying he needs additional $17,000. sent in order to get it out of Dubai and  and he will personally the vault of money to Mother doorstep in Canton, Texas.  Mother told this story to Craig this morning!!!  It is crazy wild!! I'm just can't believe she is entertained something as wild and crazy of a story as this.  Jake told he she bought a brand new Cadalic car just last week, how she paid for it I don't know?  Hoping she used her own money and did not put it on payments.  She is at 78 years of age and now has a house payment and looks like a ca payment.  She really believes she is going to get this money and that she is justified in getting this large sum of money due to this Robert Moore in trying to scam her.  None of it makes sense!  She is faxing some papers over to Craig today and asking for his advice.  Just telling the simple version of the story on paper, It is so obvious it is a scam on my mother.  These international men are just trying to get money out of a lonely American women.  And my mother is seriously entertaining the entire journey.  MAY-DAY!!  I don't know what we are going to do with her!!

My New Diamomd Ring

Craig came home yesterday after meeting all afternoon with his Aunt Cheryl Jones,  his mother's sister.  He has been helping her with her financial planning.  She moved her money to another agent, which she had buyer remorse and then called Craig again to bail her out, she has made a huge mistake!!  She would have to pay taxes on  a huge sum of money that she would have to declare as income.  This is not in her best interest.  She is very fickle and is always changing her mind and getting herself in a pickle so speak, she calls Craig to bail her out!!  So yesterday was another grueling afternoon dealing with her and her problems.  He is just helping her from the kindness of his heart and that she is family.  He came home just exhausted from working on the situation.  Craig surprised me with a beautiful diamond ring!!  It was Aunt Cheryl's wedding ring from her second husband that went bad.  They are divorced now.  She has kept the ring for many years and now has decided to sell it.  She asked Craig if he wanted to buy it?   It is valued at $6,000.00 and She is selling it for 3,000.00,  Craig felt I would love the ring, which I do!!  What women would not love this diamond ring!!  It is really pretty!  He asked me if I wanted to wear it last night to my Relief Society Birthday party.  Wow, what a surprise!!  I had a small diamond come out the ring Craig gave me in 1987.  I was lucky to find it on the couch when I realized I had lost a diamond in my ring.  I guess this new ring will make a great replacement; I still plan to have  my old ring repaired, I have loved that ring. I've never taken it off for over 27 years.

Baby sitting the Towner boys

Stacy asked me to baby sit the boys tonight while she goes to a birthing client.  They are so cute!! Stacy has had both boys a natural child birth and is thinking about having baby # 3 at home with a mid-wife.  She is a brave soul, there is no way I could have my babies natural.  She is due in October.   Jude and baby Yael taking a bath

My Temple Day

Today is my day to serve at the Draper Temple.  I really love being there in the House of the Lord.  I feel sad having my girlfriend leave today.  Going to the temple will be a time to pray for their family and for my Nephew Chance as he is recovering from his terrible accident last week on spring break.  He is now in the Baylor Hospital in Dallas and it is going to take a long time for him to even walk again.  It is such a tragedy for him and his family to endure.  We are all praying that he will walk again!! 

Ramona left today !!

 Hope it is an Eternal Friendship!!

My dear friend Ramona left this morning for her Florida home.  She has been here since March 3rd helping her daughter Sara get ready for the up coming wedding  April 25th.  They will all be back as a family.  It will be fun to see all the family together for Sara's wedding.  The time went by so fast!  Today will be the first day since Christmas that we have not had company in our home.  It will be nice to have things quiet down a little.  Life never slows down for long, with our big family there is always a new adventure just around the corner.  We are very blessed to have good friends in our lives!  Going to miss the sisterhood and friendship from my dear friend Ramona.  Just wish that we didn't live so far away.  I laugh!!  The last time she was here in August, she told me I needed to get a new toaster, my old is on it's way out, some times working and some times not.  So when I woke up this morning she had a new toaster on the counter for us as a gift for all the time she has spent in our home.  I really appreciate the thoughtfulness and our friendship!  She gave us two darling cards before she left this morning!!

The Towner at Sea World

Jude loved Sea World! It was fun to see him so intrigued and entertained by all of the sea animals. He even went on some rides with Mom, and Dad and loved it. Jude with his daddy at Sea World March 2014

Stacy & Chad went to California last week

We spent the week in California last week and had a great time going to the Beach and Sea World. We couldn't keep Yael out of the ocean. He would have dived in if Chad wasn't there to catch him.

Yael's first words are Mama and Dada. He says Hot and waves his hand up and down. He signs "all done" when he is done eating. This is the only sign I have seen him do so far. He is such a sweet boy! He is very curious and adventurous. He will take risks!

Right now he does this little squat anticipating and prepping for a big jump on the couch or bed. His look of determination is so funny. He is too cute! He makes me laugh. I love him so much.

I had someone at Costco today tell me that I should put Yael in a cutest baby contest. She kept saying how cute he was! Ha! He is pretty dang cute! His smile just melts your heart. He is a Heart melter! I surprised to see Yael climb up to the slide and go down it all by myself today !

(I watched the video clip on our little Yeal going down the slide- it is so dang cute.  
I love the pictures that Stacy posted on her blog and fun to Share with Grandma!!  They are the cutest little boys, love them so very much.  I'm  babysitting them this Thursday night, looking forward to grandma time with the Towner boys!!)

Got myself going today

I got up at 8:30 am this and got myself to the gym for a-work out.  I have slacked off while having Ramona here in town. She has been here since March 3rd, she is leaving tomorrow.  We have had non-stop company since the first of the year.  It will be nice to have a break from all the company.  I had a good workout burned over 600 calories, I I just need to eat well today.  I have not lost any weight the past two months, I'm just staying the same weight around 162- 163.  I really want to get below 160 lbs and stay below by the end of the month.  So tired of staying the same weight, for over two years now.  Got to buckle down and see some real results.  After my workout I went to costco to get some good food in the house.  That was a chore hauling everything in I bought and putting not away, now I ready for a nap it about 2:30 already, the day is ticking by.  I would like to work on my Dicky family line this afternoon.  

The wearing of the Green!!

Yesterday was St Patricks Day.  The wearing of the green.  I put on my green shirt for the day.  I was so tired from our busy life, I just rested most of the day.  I watched several gospel series on Netflix to pass the time.  Shannon called really frustrated with boys in how messy they are sent me a fun picture of the note she made from the Lepercan to clean their rooms and they would some money she hide whe. They clean up the mess.  I gave her $5.00 to give to each of the boys Sunday and some chocolate golden coins to add to their surprise!!  I have loved St. Patricks day when I learned years back that the three leaf clover is a symbol of the godhead, God the father, Jesus Christ, & the Holy Ghost.  We went to Ireland in 2008.  I loved it there.  I love Irish music and felt I had come home not knowing at the time I have Irish decent.  Just this month I have been working on my birth father family tree.  My grandmother is Rachel Dicky.  In learning about the Dicky family line on ancestry and family tree I found my 4th generation grandfather James Jonathan Dicky was born in Ireland 1718 and migrated to the United States. Some  of his children  were born in South Carolina.  I still Havw work to do in locating sources for all the family names but it is so exciting for me to learn I do have Irish decent on my direct grandmother's family line.              

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Today is a busy day

Today is Boston's 4th birthday we haveing a family dinner to attend ad then I have to rush off to Meagan Mcdougal baby shower at 7:30pm. Ramona was leaving town today but is staying longer due to health problems with her daughter Sarah.  She has a scope test early this morning.  He liver levels are really high and trying to figure out what is the matter.  So Ramona is extending her staying longer , until they can figure out what is the matter.  The weather is so nice and sunny today I'm going to work in the yard for a few hours.  Spring is here!!  I've got several more flower beds to clear out  rake up leaves so I can fertiler the lawn to green our yard up for spring,  we are going to do it ourself this year,  I have the narcotic ring fungus in our yard and need to see if I can get it under control.  There is always lots to do.  I really wanted to drive down to see my nephew Chance in the hospital before he is transferred tomorrow to Dallas , but with taking Craig to the hospital yesterday he needs to rest and then I have two events tonight I need to attend ,  I just can't fit it all in.  We are all praying for chance.  I need to go buy a birthday and baby gift this afternoon. 

Boston burbidge 4th birthday

March 13th, We are celebrating our Boston's 4th birthday today, we FaceTime called him this morning to wish him happy birthday. He is so excited!!  Trisha has invited us over for a family dinner at 5:30 pm to celebrate his special day.  He is such a darling little boy!!

Chance is doing some what better

 Update on chance:

The doctor gave him a new test today and he was impressed with chances response and his recovery he has made so far. The doctor said he is confident that chance can go the distance and beat this. So there was more good news today. His flight home is still scheduled and he is more than ready to come home and start this journey to recovery and get back to the old chance. Thank you for the continued support and prayers. This process would be way more difficult if it were not for great friends and family. The Lord knows all and he has a great plan for chance

Took Craig to the Hospital

Craig woke up this morning at about 4:30 am in pain on both of his arms , he was not feeling well.  Concern he was having a heart attack or a stroke.  We drove to the Montpellier hospital to have him Checked out.   Everything appears to be ok they gave him a shot of toroidal.  They sent us home and told him to just rest today.  Craig has not been sleeping.  He woke up yesterday morning at about 4am and stayed up all day, we didn't go to bed until around midnight.  We came home this morning and are just getting back in the valley.  Crazy don't really know what is the cause of his symptoms.  For him to break down and go to the hospital, means he does no feel well.  His blood pressure was up high and has had a head ache.  I drove home, hopefully he will rest .  I really tired!! Today is our temple shift at 3:30 pm so we do need to get so some rest.  The contractors finished the trim in the bonsus room it looks really nice. 

Our Crazy Dad!!

March 11th and it is still very cold outside Craig had to get out the kayak that bought for the lake this year.  We got two of them, he tried it out on this cold day trying to pull in the anchor that has moved out from the ice.  They are going to be lots of fun this summer

Heading to the Lake

Craig scheduled for the finish contractor to start working on the bonus room tomorrow.  It will be nice to get it finished, it will be a great room for the grandkids to hang out in.  We are driving our new truck up. Craig  bought our new truck the weekend we went to St George two weeks ago. He's loving his new truck !! It pulled the trailor up Parleys canyon really we'll.   So we are the owners of our first truck!!

Our Nephew Chance Wallace

Our Chance was in a bad skiing accident, broke his neck, was in surgery for about 3 hrs yesterday .  He is in icu for the week and then will be transferred to Texas for rehab, he has no movement from the neck down and will be in a will chair, keep him In your prayers, love mom. He is hanging in there,  he is all smiles even after his surgery yesterday. We are all praying for him and that he will recover

Our Friday night date night

Friday, March 7th ,  I invited Scott & Jan to attend a dinner and guest speaker with us at our church.  The speaker Matt Townsend was wonderful, he had us all laughing about out relationships.  It was just what Scott & January needed to hear.  I felt inspired to invite them and we were All greatly  up lifted by the counsel we received for our marriages in a fun way.   It was a great evening out!!   The main theme , Look to god and Live!!!   Only the Savior Jesus Christ can bring us peace in the world not our spouse.  We must bear one another's burden unconditionally.  Even in our marriage a  principle to love and cherish our spouse to the end of our lives.  Their weaknesses are our cross to bear in this life.  We laughed so hard our speaker was wonderful!  It was all perfect for us all to hear and such prefect advice for Scott  & Jan at the difficult time in their marriage.  They have been married for over 36 years now, why start over?  Just find a way to renew their love is my advice!!

Sarah's Bridal Shower

Saturday, March 8th , 2014.  I attended Sarah's bridal shower.  I meet her future mother-in-law, she is darling.  The family hosted a darling shower for Sarah.  This past week has gone really fast with Ramona in town.  Hard to believe it has been an entire week since she has arrived.  There has been lots to do in getting Sarah ready for her wedding April 24th.  They did find her wedding dress that is huge success!! 

Day with Michael

Micheal came home with me yesterday after church to spend the night.  He was out of school today.  He wanted to buy a new skate board.  He has already broken 4 trying to learn his jump tricks.  Micheal is now 15 years old and is getting so tall taller than me now.  We had lunch at Johny Rockets today.  He is excited to try out his new skate board.  I bought him a helmet. To help protect the crazy young kid from getting hurt so scary after hearing about what happened to my nephew Chance , he broke his neck yesterday snowboarding on his spring break

Spending Time with our Grandchildren

Last was a busy week baby sitting baby Winston.  Tasha went to California for the week with the Burbidge family.  She left baby Win.  Stacy helped baby sit too.  I ended up having a very busy week and was not able to baby sit as much.  We drove to St George last weekend came home Sunday night.  While in St George we bought a brand new 2014 black GMC Truck.  Craig has been looking at trucks for several months, so he finally pulled the trigger.   Monday morning bright and early Stacy brought over her two & Winston.  I watches the three while she ran errands.  I kept Winston until Wednesday afternoon.  I served at the Draper temple for my 6 hour shift.  Stacy just kept Winston for the night.  Craig & I were leaving Thursday afternoon for a retreat evening at Daniel summit with his work and come home Friday afternoon.  I stopped by to pick Win up for the weekend.  Tasha was coming home early. So Winston just stayed Friday with Stacy until his mommy got home.  I stayed and visited with Stacy and the Kids for a few hours.  Stacy is so tired, at the first trimester of her pregnancy.  I felt bad having to add another child on her load of caring for another child.   She said Win just fits right in and they played well together with Jude & baby Yael.  She had her hands full this week.  From Stacy's  I headed out to picked up Micheal to come work and earn some money .  Grandpa Symes has things he could do to help us out.  When leaving Landon wanted to come too!  We ended up keeping the two for the weekend and took them home Sunday morning for church.  We just got home this afternoon in time for me to tidy the house for another shift of family.  Life is full!  The grand-kids bring lots joy!  Chris and Mom LaVon are arriving this afternoon for cousin's Keith's funeral in the morning.

Hotel SYMES

March 3rd , Ramona, my girlfriend from Florida arrives tonight for a couple of weeks to help her daughter Sarah getting ready for her wedding in April. Scott , Craig's brother has lived with us for the past two months and just moved back last night, just in time to change the sheets for Chris and Lavon, now I've got to change the sheets again, clean the basement this afternoon, for Ramona to have her shift in the guest room of our home.  We have had a lot of family in and out since the fall and the first of this year.  I do enjoy spending time with the family.

Cousin Keith Naylor's Funeral

Craig's mother LaVon & his sister Chris  arrived  yesterday, Sunday afternoon to attend the funeral this morning.  Keith was one of LaVons favorite cousins on the Robert side of the family.  They were first cousins.  Keith lived an honorable life.  He was loved by all his family.  His wife, Carmen was the love of his life they were married 63 years.  That seems like such long time. Don't know if we will make it that long before death comes our way.  It was a very uplifting funeral.  After the funeral Craig & I had lunch at Hires. Home , sweet, home. 

Our Landon Chaudhry 6th Birthday

Out Landon turned 6 years old February 26th , 2014.  He is getting so big.  We bought him a star light for his room. He loves his gift from papa & mama Symes

Our Humanitarian Qulits

Last Thursday, February 20th,  I picked up Saydee & Karlee and we turned in the quilts we made for children around the world,  Saydee & Karlee loved learning how to tie a quilt.  I made them one to work on in the car while they drive to California this past week for a family vacation.  It gave them something to do for the 12 hour drive.  We had a fun afternoon together. 

Natalie Symes Bigler baptism

We are attending Uncle Scott's  oldest daughter , Kim , her daughter Natalie , her special baptism this morning.  Last night we picked up Michael & Landon for a sleep over.  We took Landon shopping last night for some new church clothes so he would have something to wear today.  Landon eating chocolate pudding , grandpa made last night, grandpa is our pudding master!!