Thornton Mom

Elizabeth's 4th Grade teacher moved away to be closer to family.  My cleaning lady and here are best friends so I regularly get updates.  Recently Elizabeth's teacher, Mrs. *******, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  Since we couldn't make dinner for her we sent her some money to buy take out during her treatments.  She sent us a thank you card and asked Elizabeth to email her what has been going on in her life.  Within minutes Elizabeth was at the computer typing an email to her.  I enjoyed reading it and finding out what was important for my daughter to tell her great teacher.  Elizabeth is a wonderful young woman and I am so proud of her. Hey Mrs.******* its your very tall student who loves you very much! I got really worried and sad when i heard you got cancer. I'm really sorry hope you liked the $40. You asked about my updates well i'm at Durant Middle in 8th grade i'm a straight A student. i was on the volleyball team for 3 years (a man...

Seeing Aunt KoKo laying on the ground in her Sunday Best and playing cars with Michael and Maddie. John Derek keeping Michael happy and giving him lots of piggy back rides as we go see Elizabeth play Basketball. Maddie climbing on a rock and so excited to run and play. Michael falling asleep in my arms while I told him stories of Jesus. Going into Elizabeth's room after an argument with a prayer in my heart. She immediately opens up about school and friends. As I encourage prayer and scripture study examples of how Heavenly Father is helping her quickly come into my mind. A true friend from Aspen Grove, Ashley and Izzy at school, basketball going so well and her doing so good, coach Clark and her becoming friends. Whip Cream Noses Samantha offering to make dinner. Grocery store with JD, how everything was his favorite. He pushed the cart and we consulted in what dessert to get. He is growing up. When I watched Elizabeth run through the t...

The last couple of days have been difficult.  It is my time to be hormonal but so frustrating.  On top of my mental and emotional problems Samantha is having a hard time too.  She repeatedly has breakdowns and always looks forlorn.  We had an especially bad one a couple of weeks ago.  After talking to the Therapist she recommended that we get a Psychiatrist to evaluate her and maybe give her medication.  I don't love the idea of putting her on medication but I don't know what else to do. As her mother I feel very inadequate.  I think that she needs a mother who loves to snuggle and loves to pay attention to every ache and pain that she reports, but that is not the mother she has.  This morning as I was pondering over this I was reminded that she was sent to me.  That there must be something I can give her that a cuddly mother could not give her.  I don't know what that is but I hope I can find it. Yesterday I was able to go to the te...

We have needed a new couch for a long time.  At one point we got a couch but within 3 months it had been broken and again we were left with a non functioning couch.  After Christmas we felt it was time to get another couch and went to Costco in hopes of finding one.  As soon as I walked in I saw a couch and felt that this was the one.  Sure enough after sitting on it and all the others we chose the first.  The next day Annelise had decided to stay one more day and we ended up at the store and decided to buy pillows. She helped me make a decision.  I really like it and finally feel like my family room is pretty.  Even Samantha commented, "Are we making our house nice?" When I expressed my concern for the amount of money I was spending and what my husband would say, Annelise said, "He will not mind as long as it makes you happy."  Later that day I texted him what we had done and that I had spent some money he texted back, "As long as you are ...

Last night we had Family Home Evening.  John Derek taught a lesson on Fire Safety.  We talked about what to do if there is a fire.  Where to go.  How to call the firefighters.  Etc.  We then went through a fire drill.  Dad sounded the alarm and we all made our way laughing down the stairs and out the door to the mail box.  When we got back inside Michael turned to us and said, "Wew awe du fiw twuk, and the pois man, and the amboolans?"  (Where are the fire truck the poliece mand and the ambulance?) Poor Guy!!  He got so excited as we talked about fire safety that he though he would get to see his favorite rescue vehicles.  Needless to say he was very disappointed. Ether 11:12  "12  And it came to pass that in the days of Ethem there came many prophets, and prophesied again unto the people; yea, they did prophesy that the Lord would utterly destroy them from off the face of the earth except they repented of thei...

Michael had me make a truck. (I have to say I was impressed with what we created.)  Aunt Annelise brought us stuff to make Gingerbread Houses with.  It was so much fun.  Elizabeth got to use the frosting tools she got for Christmas. Samantha was able to put more candy in hers than anyone else. John Derek stuck as much candy on the outside as he could. Maddie's came tumbling down but she still smiled. Today as I was making my bed I was pondering on a statement that frequently runs through my head when I am depressed and frustrated. "This is not what I wanted my life to be!"  I was reminded of a talk I gave years ago after studying a lot about Christ.  I learned that life was not easy for Christ.  That even He didn't have the life that He wanted.  That He may have know about what was going to happen but He was not prepared for His Father's comforting spirit to leave Him.  But God knew He could do it and He had faith in His Fa...

 Christmas Morning we all gather at the top of the stairs.  Dad then checks to make sure that Santa has come while the children find excuses to take another step down the stairs.  We always go oldest to youngest.  I wondered why until I realized that Michael would be trampled by the older ones if he was first.  We then play with our Santa gifts and bake the quiche and sweet rolls prepared the night before.  After a little while we open our other gifts.  Grandma Dew got us these snuggly warm blankets. Derek was sweet and took me shopping for a coat, we found one at Good Will for $10.00 and then went to the store and found another one.  Early in December a huge packaged arrived.  It was bout 4'x3'.  When I opened the box I found another box about 3'x2' inside was a cute Minnie Mouse Umbrella.  What a sweet husband I have. Eyes to See and Ears to Hear Kim B. Clark, October 2015 General Conference " ...

Recently I requested the patriarchal blessings of my great grandmother and grandfather.  I have a great love of these two wonderful servants of the Lord.  I was born on Irvin L. Warnock's birthday and subsequently named after his wife Lexia Dastrup Warnock.  It was delightful to read their blessings this morning.  There were two passages that stood out to me that I wanted to share.   Grandpa was given 2 blessings. One at the age of about 30 and one at 49.  He was given the first by William A. Warnock (His Father) and the second was given by John Dastrup who could have been Lexia's Great Uncle.   The first one has William's shaky signature at the bottom and then he wrote "age 91."  How cool is that? The passage I wanted to share is from the first blessing it says: "Study the best of books. Give time to our reflection and you shall be a ready mouthpiece at times when needed.  Cultivate the talents that you have and spend them for t...

Christmas Eve Dinner Got to LOVE the cousins The most interesting thing just happened.  Lately I wake up at about 3:30 in the morning.  This is nothing new for me.  So instead of trying to fall back asleep (which I don't usually do until about 6:00) I decided to get up and read my scriptures.  As I usually do I checked my email and found that my neighbor had responded to something I had sent her.  So I wrote back and immediately she responded.  "What was she doing up at 3:30 in the morning?"  Well her son was having leg cramps and she was out of medicine.  I felt so blessed that I could run medicine over to her so that they could both get some sleep.  How nice to do service first think in the morning. Silly Wise man (He was quite insistent that he wanted to be a wise man. I didn't even know he knew what that was.) We had a great Christmas Eve.  It is so fun to have family around and to spend time with them.  Annelise ...