For His Eye is on the Sparrow and I know He watches me

I am sitting at my desk at the institute checking emails, making plans, taking breaks to tie baby quilts and now catching up on our blog.  In our devotional this morning, we read from Alma 5:14-15.  I feel the beginnings of a mighty change in my heart that sometimes seems just out of reach, but in view.  I begin to see the value of patience and the need to trust in the Lord's time and not just what I think should be happening in my life and efforts.  In short, I'm like everyone else just trying to get it right, without doing too much damage while I am in the process.  So much for me!  This is dad now.  I am more like the agency motto that President Marshall said that they had at their advertising agency; "Seldom right -- never in doubt."

We have been busy with lots of Institute activities and plans.  On November 13th, we planned a service project for one of the family ward members.  The Paynes had a 100-year-old Post Oak tip over in a big rainstorm last month and we wanted to help move the chopped up tree.   We moved a ton of brush and dried leaves. When it got too dark to work and the fire had burned down some, we had a hot dog and marshmallow roast and visited around the fire.  Elder Neil called it "No [Bro.] Payne, no Gain!"

Brother Payne transporting wood

Moving and shaking

First load burning!

Lily Jean

It was while we were at the Payne's that we had exciting news.  Our daughter, Maggie, had a beautiful baby girl, Lily Jean, on Nov. 14th.  I left the next afternoon, after our Friday Forum and lunch, for Decatur to help out for a few days.  It was so wonderful to be with Maggie and Justin and family.  I cooked and played and generally wore myself out.  I am definitely not as spry as I once was, but I loved every minute of it.  Gracie and Gunner are

My first meeting !

in school each day, so Maisy and I hung out. She makes me laugh.  She is my little miracle child and is wiry and crazy.  It always throws me a little because she looks so much like her cousin, Isabel, only Isabel has beautiful dark brown hair - so it is quite a contrast to an almost white blonde.  I need to get a picture of the two of them together.  I always hoped for curly haired children and then I also got some curly haired grandchildren as a grand prize!  Every time I tried to get Maisy to look up at me for a photo, I would get her focused and then, as I would push the button, she would look down again at the ipad.   It was fun watching Maisy play 

Mr. Potato Head on the ipad.  She figured out new things to do with it that I didn't even know existed.  I guess we know who are the ones to rule the new world.  I love the picture below of me holding Lily in my apron.  It is a symbol to me of two of the things I love best--grandchildren and cooking for others.

This is getting longer than I intended it to be, but I just wanted to mention two more things.  It poured rain last Friday for our service project of making baby quilts, so instead of setting up on campus, we ended up setting up quilts at the Institute.  We served Grilled Teryaki Turkey which was something new for most of the group.  Kind, Brother Ballew from the Branch Presidency came to be our outdoor chef on our new donated BBQ grill.  We are also going to use it tonight for hot dogs at FHE.

The amazing Elder LeBaron

Elder LeBaron continues to amaze students with all of his domestic skills.  I think it is a great role model for them to see a man who is so supportive of his wife.  Yes, we are still crazy in love!

The final picture is of somethings I have fallen in love with in Texas!  They have some of the most expressive clouds I have ever seen.  I love to look up each day and see what new picture has been created for my enjoyment.  It can be blue, clear sky in the morning and then look like this an hour later.  So many layers--just like our lives, eh?

Sunset comes to Huntsville

Family History Makes History

From Neil:  The church has 250 teams of microfilmers worldwide.  The church already has billions of images and with those, along with the microfilm crews, the church is transferring 1.1 million names per day and adding them family search database.  The Lord is hastening His work.

Attached is a picture of Scott Trammel, a student, who had the most innovative costumes at the Stake Halloween Dance.  You can always count on the innovative ideas of a college student who wants to get married.

We now have the quilt stands, frames, clamps, tacks, and material to make several baby quilts (on campus) to be donated to rest homes or shelters.  We received approval from the media department of the church to go ahead with billboards in the Houston area.  I am working on that with Pres. Pingree.  I also contacted over a dozen students or potential students this week who are not attending institute.  Sister LeBaron and I put together a package of hot chocolate mix in a cup (to take to YSA's who aren't coming) with a note that says: “It may be chilly outside but you’ll always have a warm feeling at the LDS Institute.  Join us for a Free Lunch Fridays Noon- 1 p.m.”  (Chilly: when the temperature plummets into the low 40’s.)  There is a “legend” about an actual snowstorm that happened in Huntsville.  Sister Vann said that she was so mad at herself for not taking a picture because the snow had all melted in four hours.  Schools cancelled classes just so students could play in the snow because snow is such an unusual event.

Sister Vann said in a devotional this week that she was going to a mini-Vann reunion in Arkansas (meaning that only part of the Vann family could attend.) I could see that  Sister LeBaron was forming a mental picture of a parking lot full of minivans - rather like Sunday dinner at the LeBarons.

Samantha Toney, the primary chorister said that she likes to make sure Primary children know what they are singing about.  She was explaining "Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning":  "And a shining, glorious pillar..." "What's a pillar?"  A small, eager boy (certain he knew the answer) shouted out, "It's what you sleep on!"

My Monday lesson was on Symbolism in the Scriptures.  We talked about colors (purple, black), body parts (shoulders, heart, loins), creatures (serpent, lion, locust), clothing (clothed in righteousness, or shame or sackcloth), food (milk, fruit, etc,), minerals(clay, silver, gold, pearls or precious stones), natural elements (fire, wind, waves of the sea) objects (yolk, keys) places (Zion, Sodom & Gomorrah, Babylon), ordinances (baptism, marriage sealing), actions (laying on of hands, washing feet), numbers:1, 3, 6 (incomplete) & 7 (complete), or elements from nature (Grass, sand, stars, rock.)  666 is the mark of the beast (totally incomplete) and 70 x 7 (totally complete.)  Lots to think about symbolically.  When I was Bishop, I asked a girl in our ward if the water represented a washing away of sins... if she were baptized last and accidentally swallowed a little of the baptismal water, would she be "drinking in" the sins of the other children?  She didn't think that she would and explained the symbolic meaning of the water in washing away sins.  The water also represents dirt - being buried in Christ but quickened (or made alive) in the Spirit. It is simple enough for an eight-year-old to understand but deeper than we can fathom (the doctrine -- not the water.)

Ruth Ann:

My Texas Quilt

I finished the quilt top for my Texas quilt the other day.  It was so much fun putting it together.  There is a woman in the family ward who has a quilting machine, so I am hoping she will let me rent some time from her.  Even with that big Texas map, I am still amazed at how absolutely big Texas is.  I love that everyone I meet has so much Texas pride.  They also have hearts as big as Texas!  

Maggie's baby is coming any day now, so I am hoping it comes on a Friday since I am on my own for Friday lunch this week and next week we have "Quilts on Campus" where we will tie baby quilts on the mall by the student union.  I need to be there, so if Maggie has her baby on Thursday or Friday, I could leave after the lunch and then be back in time for the next week.  She is hoping for an 11-12-13 baby!  It may just be wishful thinking, but you never know.  The due date is on the 21st.  She was teaching Relief Society today and I told her she should tell the story of Tom's birth an hour after I finished teaching my lesson, but I think she was worried they wouldn't be able to concentrate on the lesson for fear of a repeat performance.  Those were the days!

I had to laugh this morning.  I was listening to our daughter, Flori's recitation of their activities yesterday.  Her 11 yr. old daughter told her just before going to bed, "I am so tired!  And to think Nanny does this everyday, I don't know how she does it."  My life isn't quite that busy, but we do seem to get things cranked up.  The Stake President suggested we offer dinner another night of the week to help attendance.  Easy for him to say!  We are going to start serving appetizers on Monday nights at Neil's late afternoon class just before FHE.  We are just firming up the schedule for next semester.  

I taught the Relief Society lesson in the Branch today extemp!  I am also leading the music in both RS and Institute.  Now if a miracle happens and my piano skills improve I will know without a doubt that miracles never cease!  I had the special opportunity of doing the initiatory for 14 sisters on Friday from both the Adams and MacDonald lines.  The two most meaningful for me were his Aunt Eva and his first cousin, Hazel, both of whom I knew in this life.  I hope they have accepted the gospel.  They are really wonderful people.