April 23rd to April 29

 April 23^rd to April 29:  Wednesday, Mom took at job at Northwest Middle School and I worked on getting all the hardware off the doors and I got the first coat of paint on one side of the doors.  After work, mom took front runner down to Lehi, to tend James’ kids.  James and Kirstin went on a little trip so she will be there till Friday. 

Door all lined up ready for painting.

Door all lined up ready for painting.

Thursday, I got all the doors painted with 2 coats on both sides.   Friday, Blake helped me hang doors.  We installed new hinges and door handles and got the doors hung.  Some of them will have to be cut down because the carpet is a lot thicker and the doors rub on the carpet.   I also got the ceiling in the front room painted.  It is about a 13 foot ceiling and when I got done my neck and shoulders were really hurting from looking up so much and holding a roller on an extra long extension pole.  The added weight of the pole really made it a workout.  Mom took Luke for his birthday outing.  So I met them and Jake at Lindsey Gardens for lunch. 

Lunch with Luke and Jake.

I had to hurry to John’s house to tend kids so they could go to the temple while mom was tending Charlotte’s kids while Alex and Charlotte went to the temple.  Saturday, Mom asked me to make my beef and bean burritos for Sunday dinner with everyone coming.  So I started cooking the pinto beans for the refried beans I would need.  I took Luke to his soccer game.  It was raining pretty hard and so when Alex showed up about half way through, I left them to get wet.  I got the kitchen cabinet doors in John’s house fixed and got a few things purchased for the rest of his punch list.  Mom went to a brunch with all her cousins and their daughters on her mother’s side of the family. 

The cousins and Aunt Deanee.

In the evening I went to Stake Conference with Charlotte and Alex.  Dean Hodson from our old ward on the avenues was one of the speakers.  He is the first counselor in the mission presidency.  I went up and talked to him for a few minutes.  It was fun to see an old friend.  Sunday morning I started cooking early and got the refried beans and the enchilada sauce made. It was regional stake conference and was broadcast from the conference center.  Elder Whitney Clayton conducted and Elder Neil L. Anderson presided.  It was a good meeting.  After conference I finished up my burritos/enchiladas. 

Burritos / Enchiladas

We had a great get together with all our children and grandchildren who live here in Utah. 

Dinner was a success.

  We celebrated Chris’s birthday.

Singing to Mom.

I think she gets her wish.

Mom's birthday present.

We played some CEO after dinner.  Good times.  Monday, I met Blake at John’s house and we loaded up John’s table saw into Blake’s pickup truck.  We are going to have to cut down all the doors that rub the carpet.  Blake and Michelle had their grand piano moved out of the upstairs bathroom, where it had been for the last 3 months, so that I could get the baseboard changed out.  Blake helped me get all the doors cut off and then we sanded any of the doors that were too tight because of the added layers of paint.  Maybe we sanded 10 doors and cut down about 14.  I got all the baseboards in the bathroom done and the ceiling in the front room touched up and finished up a couple of doors that we didn’t have the hardware for last Friday.  Mom gave the Family Home Evening lesson on the anchor in our lives (the gospel of Jesus Christ) and the chain (keeping the commandments and serving others) that connects us to our anchor to Charlotte’s family.  Then I pulled all of her boys down the stairs and yes, we stopped when someone got hurt and was crying. They beg me to play this game with them, but I don’t know why.  I then drove the truck to John’s to unload the table saw.  Tuesday, I started at 6:30am and Chris came into help with the last little bit of painting on the trim.  I got the cabinet doors painted and the molding in the last bathroom puttied and caulked and then Chris and I got all the trim painted upstairs that I had left because we were concentrating on the rooms that would get carpet. It looks like I won’t get everything done.  Blake and Michelle will have a few rooms that will need have their walls painted, but pretty much everything they needed me to do is done.  Van came and took us to lunch at La Frontera, trying to get us ready for Mexico.  10 day to go we can’t wait.