Our New Chronis Grand Child

We welcome our newest grandchild into our family.

Benjamin Lloyd Chronis
Born at 10:14 AM on May 27, 2009
9 pounds 11 ounces - 22 inches

We are sooo proud of Ramona for all her sacrifice that brought this little boy into our family. We know she suffered not only through her labor and delivery, but also in carrying this very large child inside her. Ramona is the finest mother I know and is an example of patience, long suffering and grace. I am her mother and I know most women fit this description, but I want everyone who reads this to recognize her character as do I.



Ramona received more than 1300 text messages of congratulations in less than one hour after Benjamin's birth. She is so beloved by so many.



You gain a better perspective of Benjamin's size when seeing him in the arms of his nine year old brother, Elias.



Ewa-Solange is so happy to have her new little brother in her arms. She will be a very sweet big sister for Benjamin.

Choose Your Ward (Mormon Humor)

I got this from my friend Gail - too darned cute to leave behind.

Choose your ward Find your niche in specialty wards
Robert Kirby Tribune columnist - Salt Lake Tribune

Most Sunday mornings, you'll find me on a pew in the Rosecrest 1st Ward chapel. It's where I'm supposed to go to church. Lucky for me, it's also where I want to go. Technically, Mormons don't have a choice. For church, we're bound by the geography of the ward boundary. We worship where we live.


The only time Mormons can switch wards without also contacting a Realtor is when we attend specialty wards. For example, I went to a Spanish-speaking ward in West Jordan for a while. Specialty wards allow members with specific common needs to worship together and support each other in their exclusive part of the Lord's vineyard. There are (or have been) lots of LDS specialty wards, including singles wards, college wards, deaf wards, ethnic wards and nudist wards.


OK, I made up that last one. There are even seasonal "snowbird wards" in places where Mormon RV owners congregate.

I talked it over with my friend (despite a restraining order) Ken Wallentine. We think the specialty-ward idea needs to be improved on in our ever-changing and increasingly divided culture.


For example, there needs to be a late ward, a ward Mormons who are perpetually late for church could attend and not feel bad about dragging their herd in 15 minutes late. The only problem with a late ward would be showing up late for a meeting that was supposed to start late in the first place. Eventually, you would end up with a ward that ran out of
time before it started. "Welcome to the Tardy 3rd Ward, brothers and sisters. We will close now by singing hymn No.. 145."

Given the high birthrate among Mormons, I thought about the need for maternity wards. Except that we already have those. They're called married student wards.


A Star Trek ward might do well. The bishop would preside from "the bridge" instead of the stand. High-council Sunday would be referred to as a "Klingon Sunday."

Harley riders congregate to the exclusion of just about everyone else. Why not an LDS biker ward? White shirts and neckties go well with black leather.

Ken really wants to attend a concealed-weapons ward. He says church would be a lot more interesting if real personal risks were involved in disagreeing with a lesson.

There could be a texting ward for teenagers. Bear your testimony with your thumb. In 25 years, they'll all belong to carpal-tunnel wards.

At the less-active ward, maybe there'll be a meeting and maybe there won't.

Testimony meeting in an anger-management ward might be interesting. Nobody's going to sleep through, "HEY! I KNOW THE CHURCH IS TRUE, STUPID!"

A big hit would be the Multi Level Marketing ward, also known as a "Gadianton robber ward." With all the financial scamming that goes on in this culture, it would be nice to have them all in one place for a three-hour block weekly.

I think a Democrat wa rd is a good idea, although in Utah the best we could probably hope for is a Democrat branch.

I Have the Answers

You can always rely on good old Maxine to have the Answers!

My cousin, Betty Wontorek sent this to me - it is thought provoking and very funny. What makes it funny is that it is so simplistic! Okay Washington! Why can't you come up with such easy answers? Hmmmmmm. . . ? (So all laughing out loud!)

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately -- illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida.


...... not me -- I concentrate on solutions for the problems -- it's a win-win situation.

* Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.
* Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levees.
* Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?

Think about this:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments


COWS
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow..


THE CONSTITUTION
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq .... why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.


THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this -- you cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians ... it creates a hostile work environment.

My Brother Walt Lingren

I had not seen my older brother, Walt for more than 13 years. So imagine how happy I was to get a call from him a few weeks ago. He said he and his wife Janice were coming to LA to go on a cruise and wanted to know if they could visit us for a couple of days. I was ecstatic and of course told them yes. So on the appointed day I picked them up at LAX and brought them to our home. They were so pleased to come to our home, and we were so glad to have them. You see, in all my adult lifetime Walt has NEVER been to my home. I was glad to have him see how we live and what our lives are like. He found out we are VERY busy, all the time.

I took them to a concert at USC the night they flew in. The concert was really special because Lauren (our granddaughter) was playing in the symphony orchestra. Lauren is currently second chair cellist and this is only her sophomore year at USC, which tells you what kind of skills she has.

The concert was fabulous and we went to Gladstones for ice cream afterward and Lauren got to know them better, and they got to talk quite a bit with her.

The next day I took them sight-seeing. We went to The Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax and we got to go to the shop where Percia (another of our granddaughters) works.

We stayed for lunch and then I took them to Rodeo Drive so they could see the 'beautiful' people.

Then in the afternoon I took them to visit our church and I played the organ for them. Neither one of them ever knew I play the piano and the organ, so they were extremely surprised. That tickled me so much. I was very proud to play our lovely pipe organ we have at the Wilshire Building for them.

The next morning (Saturday - sailing day) I made a huge breakfast for us all, we devoured everything and really enjoyed ourselves. We left the house a 11 AM and got to the Port of Los Angeles at noon.

We stayed until they got their luggage taken and then we left. I wish we could have gone on the cruise with them, because Tony and I adore cruising. So we made a promise we will take one together the next time.

I was able to re-connect Walt with his former high school sweetheart, Janice a few months ago and they have been inseparable ever since. Janice has always been my dear friend and although we had not seen one another in 49 years we picked up our friendship right where we left it off. This was truly such a fantastic reunion and I'm so happy they made us part of it. I can't wait to see them again.

The Saga of the Vengeance of the Flu - 2009

On March 23rd we picked up Elias, Katie and Justin (three of our grandchildren) and brought them home for the week while their parents and sister travelled across Europe as part of a Junior High School group from Lancaster, CA. That evening while watching TV poor Justin (only 5)hurled clear across the room - and the games began. He vomited all night and into the night as well. He wore a path from his bed to the bathroom several times, never quite making it each time. Poor kid. By the morning he was exhausted and slept off and on most of the following day.

By late afternoon the next day Elias began the same ritual. So Tony was hauling clothes and bedding back and forth from the laundry room - several times. He ended up washing all the boys clothes from their dresser drawers. Then Katie got it and on it went.

The next day I went down and spend more than 22 hours in bed, trying to keep from hurling and unable to move more than a finger. Tony was chief cook and bottle washer trying to keep us together body and soul. I barely made it out of the bed the next day and it was time to take Justin and Katie back to Lancaster to take them home so their mother could pick them up for the weekend.

Tony held on until we got home from dropping them off and then hit the toilet with his head in a vengeance! I was not good for anything, barely walking around like a zombie. Elias was recovering but still not able to eat well. None of us could eat a meal for about three days because of the constant nausea.

So - comes Monday morning and we had to take Elias to the airport to fly to Arizona to visit for the next week with his other grandparents. We saw him off and headed to Miguel and Greg's and had a delicious lunch of breaded filet of sole with refried beans and Greg's especially delicious rice. It tasted sooooo good. We hadn't been able to eat a complete meal for the whole week, so what a treat! Thank goodness for Miguel and Greg.

Then Ramona, Dan and Ewa returned from Europe. Two days later Dan promptly hit the bed with a bucket beside him and Ramona and Ewa are awaiting their turn. I pray they will be alright, especially Ramona because she's entering the 8th month of her pregnancy and I'm not certain what effect the flu would have on her and her unborn son. Such a terrible present for Ramona and her crew upon returning home from a whirlwind tour of Europe. They all have severe jet lag as it is, they don't need this as well. God bless them all.

The Purpose of Mormon Temples

Take a look at this wonderful video - it explains the reason we build and use our temples. Remember, to click on the title of this article to take you to the web site and video.

Purpose of Mormon Temples From The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has created a short video that explains the purpose of Mormon temples.

Father's Day Shirt and Tie Card

You know the drill, cick on the title of this post and it will take you to the instructions for making this great Father's Day Shirt and Tie card. Enjoy the craft, do it with or without children.