A Dollar-Tree-And-Beyond Christmas

We are decorated for Christmas.  As you will see, I have had so much fun decorating on a dime.

Let's start with Santa and ornaments courtesy of the Freebie Closet located in the basement.  The green table runner is courtesy of  Dollar Tree.  The glass vase holding the ornaments is courtesy of  Goodwill.

Next we have a lovely prelit and predecorated tree, courtesy of the Freebie Closet.  The tree is stuffed in an ugly earthenware pot, which I don't like. So I added the tree skirt, which is really two garish black and burgundy bed shams we inherited with the apartment.  I tucked the black borders out of sight.  I think it looks quite classy,  if I do say so myself.  I know, my taste has been tainted by our not-so-tasteful surroundings.  But your dad was so ecstatic that he didn't have a tree to contend with this year.   And it beats the driftwood umbrella stand we converted into a Christmas tree while in the Philippines.

Moving right along.  The sleigh was a great find in Goodwill.  I shopped early  in October to get the best selection.  The poinsettias are from the basement Freebie Closet.  The pine bough pieces are cut from a garland purchased at Dollar Tree.  Another table runner purchased at Dollar Tree.  I bought the last three runners.  I really only needed two, but my Philippine shopping background got the best of me: "Buy everything you can before it's sold out!"  I gave the third runner to my neighbor.

The only decorator piece that isn't second hand: a poinsettia Gary surprised me with.  How sweet of him. The vase is from Goodwill and the ornaments are from the Freebie Closet.

Never mind.  This nativity set was not a second-hand purchase.  But it was on sale at Target.  I had to bring a nativity set from home....otherwise it wouldn't be Christmas.

I think this next arrangement is my all-time favorite.  To begin with, I am a sucker for nutcrackers.  Secondly, I am a sucker for a bargain.  The first part of November I noticed all these darling nutcrackers at Dollar Tree.  I started buying them by the armfuls: some for visiting teaching gifts and some for neighborhood gifts.  Every time I would go back to Dollar Tree I would buy more, especially when different styles would show up.  

Last Saturday night, Gary and I had returned late from the temple.  We were sitting at the table eating dinner. The corner (in the below picture) looked so drab and unChristmasy. It was then that I caught the vision of what I wanted in the corner.  "Gary! Grab your coat! We have to go to Dollar Tree and buy more nutcrackers!"  His frustrated response: "But it's 8:30 in the evening! No way!"  My comeback: "But if we don't go NOW, all the nutcrackers will be gone by Monday.  It's Black Friday weekend, you know."  As you can see from the following photo,  I got my way. Absolutely adorable! And I was right...the next week all the nutcrackers were gone.  All that was left was one lone nutcracker sans his nose.

Door wreath, ribbon, and bow courtesy of the Relief Society Seasonal Closet located in the basement.  As you have probably figured out by now, nutcracker from Dollar Tree.

I made the following wreath for my next-door neighbor for her birthday.  When she saw that it didn't have a nutcracker, she insisted I added one.  I would have put one on to begin with, but didn't want our doors to be twins...but they are now.  No biggy!   (Wreath wrapped in Dollar Tree garlands.  Ribbon on sale from Joann's.)

Gary's contribution to the Holiday Spirit:

From drab.......

.......to beautiful.

Thanks, Gary Dear.  You outdid yourself!

We love you!

     MERRY CHRISTMAS

"A Funny Thing Happened On the Way....."

I'm sure this is one of those "you had to be there" moments, but here goes anyway.

Starting on the seventh floor, there are two staircases on either end of the temple that spiral down to the first floor.  Two beautiful pools with a decorative fountain are situated in the stairwells on the first floor.

Not quite the same look, but I need an attention-getting picture!

These stained-glass pictures have nothing to do with the subject at hand, but will add to your visual enjoyment.

There are two stained glass windows that light both staircases

Gorgeous purples, blues, greens, reds, pinks, etc. 

We had just finished a sealing session.  As your dad was walking down the stairs from the sixth floor, he saw some objects fluttering down the stairwell.  "Humm,  leaves," he thought.  "But wait, how could there be leaves in the temple?  Those are family cards floating down!"  On her way down from the sixth floor, some unaware temple worker had lost her grip on some family cards  Your dad realized the plight of those poor cards as they floated to their watery death. He sprinted (in temple-like fashion) to the first floor to save some helpless ancestors from drowning.  Three of the cards were easily retrieved,  but the fourth had floated to the backside of the pool.  He had to tiptoe through the decorative greenery to the other side of the pool before he could save it.  No CPR required, but those ancestors were a soggy mess.

Reenactment of actual ancestors in distress

Meanwhile it had been brought to the attention of the guardian-of-the-temple-cards sister that she had lost some of her cards.  She then took them from your dad and continued on her mission.  Back on the "bridge", as they call it, I was waiting patiently for our recorded family cards to show up.  They still hadn't shown up when your dad arrived late on the scene. Your dad told me the story, wondering if those drowned cards just so happened to be OUR cards. Checking in the recorder's office, yup, just as he suspected....they were ours. He discovered our cards all spred out to dry on the counter.  Poor things!

Thanks to me, "hanging out to dry" for their second time in two days!

We had to return to the temple later to pick up our, by then,  dry and recorded cards.

Sorry!  Like I said earlier, "I guess you had to be there!"

Priesthood Restoration Site

Off again.  This time to Pennsylvania to see the newly-dedicated Priesthood Restoration Site located on the Susquehanna River.   It is so close to the boundaries of our temple district, it isn't even funny.  But we were legit. Ted asked if we had electrified collars on to make sure we stayed within temple boundaries.  Very funny!

After a four-hour Sunday drive with the Prices, and a stay at the Holiday Inn, we arrived on Monday morning.

Left to right: Sister Price, missionary-couple docents, Brother Price, and Gary

A quick look at the diorama of the Hale farm:

Because of persecution, newly-wed Joseph and Emma left Palmyra, New York where they had been living with Joseph's family.

They hid the Gold Plates in the bottom of a barrel of beans.........

Hard to tell, but this a dissection of the bean barrel with the plates on the bottom.

..........and traveled the three-day trip to Harmony, Pennsylvania to live with Emma's parents.

Really cute display: the faster Gary spun the wagon wheel, the faster the horse went.....

.......galloping at this point!

They arrived at the Hale home on a cold, November day, much like today.

Newly-built replica of the Hale home

"Bustle oven" on left and 2 warming ovens above

Joseph stored the Gold Plates in a glass box. The box wasn't made of glass, but was a container for shipping glass panes.  It is calculated that the box and its precious contents weighed between 50 and 60 pounds.

Gary lifting 50 pounds

"It looked so easy when Gary lifted it!"

Joseph kept the box and contents under Emma's and his bed in their tiny bedroom just off the kitchen.

The Hale home was considered a very luxurious home with wallpaper, carpeting, and nice furnishings.

Emma's father, Isaac, wouldn't let Joseph do any translating of the Gold Plates in his home.  In fact, he had not given his approval for Joseph to marry Emma, but they were married in spite of Isaac's disapproval.

After just a few months of living with the Hales,  Joseph and Emma bought 13 acres from Isaac, which included a small home previously owned by one of Emma's brothers.

A replica of Joseph and Emma's home

Interior of Joseph and Emma's modest home:

                                       

                                       


                                           

                                               

Old-time clothes pins

Wash tub and wash board

Some contraption your dad had to figure out.

Down the road a piece in a small cemetery is this original marker.  It has been cemented to a granite slab to help preserve it.  Here is buried Joseph and Emma's first child who lived only one hour.

Being in his own home, Joseph was finally able to start translating the Book of Mormon again.

Oliver Cowdry had heard of Joseph Smith, and traveled to find him to offer his help. He became Joseph's scribe. In the next two months, Joseph translated almost seventy percent of the Book of Mormon.

Copy of actual manuscript in Oliver's handwriting

Those who were scribes for Joseph while he translated.

Because it was easier to see the writings on the seer stone in the dark, Joseph put the stone in an upside-down hat and looked into the hat. If Oliver didn't write exactly as Joseph dictated, the words on the stone would remain until Oliver had corrected his mistake.  Once the mistake was corrected, a new phrase or sentence would appear on the stone.

On May 15, 1829  Joseph was translating a section in the Book of Mormon concerning baptism.  He and Oliver discussed the fact that neither of them was baptized.  They went  into the woods near Joseph's home and prayed concerning the matter.  John the Baptist appeared to them and conferred upon them the Aaronic Priesthood.

They then went into the Susquehanna River.  Joseph baptized Oliver and Oliver baptized Joseph.

We couldn't wait to finally be at the water's edge of the beautiful Susquehanna River.  Such a peaceful and sacred place.

As you can probably tell, it has been a very touching and spiritual day.  Touching: to feel of the sacrifice, and the hardships both Joseph and Emma endured for the Gospel.  Spiritual: to feel the commitment, love, and service Joseph and Emma not only displayed for each other, but for their Heavenly Father, and the Savior.