temporarily...dysfunctional

Megan's HALLPASS Give-Aways!!! Don't miss these!!!

2009-05-17T15:39:00.001-07:00

from megan's blog: http://meganhallpass.blogspot.com

Giveaway Week #3: Vinyl Chit Chat

Enter here: at MEGAN's blog: http://meganhallpass.blogspot.com

This week's giveaway is sponsored by Rachel who makes cute vinyl letter signs, tiles, and whatever your heart desires! I was thrilled to receive Rachel's pay-it-forward in March!

For Christmas, Becky gave us a tile like this (but with the Salt Lake temple) that included our names and anniversary.

I have similar saying tiles too!

For our giveaway, Rachel is offering any 12x12 vinyl or phrase from her website. She is also currently offering all of my readers a 25% discount off any order through May 31st! Use the coupon code: hallpass.

This giveaway will be open until Thursday, May 21, 2009. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced Friday morning. Be sure to leave your email address in your profile or entries so that we can contact you! Feel free to tell your friends and family about the giveaway!

For your first entry, leave your first and last name in a comment.
Example: Minnie Mouse

For a second entry please peruse the wares at Vinyl Chit Chat. Then, return to Hall Pass and leave ANOTHER comment with your first and last name PLUS the item you'd like to win.
Example: Minnie Mouse: Family Home Evening

For a third entry, leave ANOTHER comment with your first and last name PLUS what and who you'd pay forward if you win.
Example: Minnie Mouse: Massage for Megan and Rachel.

For a fourth entry, become a follower of Hall Pass by clicking Follow in the sidebar. If you're already a follower, you just got an easy entry! Leave yet ANOTHER comment with your first and last name telling me you've become a loyal blog follower.
Example: Minnie Mouse: Follower

For a fifth entry, post the giveaway to your blog. Then leave ANOTHER comment with a link to your post (not just your blog).
Example: http://meganhallpass.blogspot.com/2009/05/giveaway-week-3-vinyl-chit-chat.html

For a sixth entry, put Rachel's Vinyl Chit Chat button on your blog's front page. The button is on her blog's front page. Copy the code and paste it on your blog. Then leave ANOTHER comment with your first and last name and button.
Example: Minnie Mouse: Button

Enter here: at MEGAN's blog: http://meganhallpass.blogspot.com

You can pick and choose which entries you'd like to use--you don't have to do them in order. I'm just providing you with 6 different ways to enter! Good luck!

A Brand New GrandBaby! - Josslyn Patrece!

2009-05-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

Josslyn Patrece

8lbs 4oz - 22 inches

blonde curly hair

May 15, 2009
10:15 AM

(photos - soon - we hope)

Happy Mother's Day - To ALL Good Mothers Everywhere!

2009-05-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

"If you don't talk to your kids about Liberals, who will? "

2009-05-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

"People, do not leave the political education of your children to the schools."

Take a moment to read today's timely reminder at RIGHT WING WACKO* MOM today

*(NOT so wacko!) SMILE

Thanks for the reminder!

None were with Him...

2009-04-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

One of the great consolations of the Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so.

Because of the Savior's Resurrection...

2009-04-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to

Even a Child Can Understand

2009-04-05T23:39:00.000-07:00

God would indeed be unjust if the gospel were only accessible to an intellectual elite.
In His goodness, He has ensured that the truths regarding God are understandable to all His children, whatever their level of education or intellectual faculty.

- Elder Caussé -

CREATE!

2009-04-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. You dont need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

You Are NOT Alone! - We The People - The 9/12 Project - Glenn Beck

2009-03-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

The 9/12 Project is designed to bring us all back to where we were on September 12th, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties.
We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the values and principles of the greatest nation ever created.

ONLINE and in time for General Conference weekend...

2009-03-21T12:27:00.001-07:00

Have you checked out http://www.friend.lds.org

and/or

http://www.newera.lds.org yet!?!
They've both officially gone online with LOTS of activities, stories, games and
not to mention - jokes and all those great

mormonads posters!

Wearing the GREEN!

2009-03-17T13:18:00.001-07:00

I used to tell my cousin I could see in the dark much better than she could because...

I had GREEN eyes - like a cat! LOL

Actually I think my eyes remind me I'm blessed to have some Irish roots!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

((HUGS))

WIN "Best of Brazil" Birthday Basket!!!

2009-03-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Go to Misplaced American's blog -
Post a "Comment" (by March 20th!) to her "Happy Birthday to Me" post
and get a chance to WIN her "Best of Brazil" Birthday Basket Giveaway!!!

(As the mom of two RM's (both Recife Brazil) - I couldn't pass this one up!!!

Mormon Mommy Blogs...

2009-03-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who noticed...
and
for those of you who did NOT -

I deleted my list of "Blog Rings" awhile back.
Why???
Because they just weren't ME.
(or I just wasn't THEM....)

I wanted to be!
In fact I've got to be the closest thing to a professional WANNABE blogger that exists!
but
I know the truth - I'm kinda the "Reader's Digest" version of blogs and bloggers!
LOL
Don't get me wrong! I don't mind! I think I kinda fill a void in the blogging sphere!
SMILE

That said - I may have found my niche at... Mormon Mommy blogs
It isn't that I can write as good/well/FUN as they do
but
they write the way I wish I could!

Give them a visit! I'm sure you'll find LOTS you enjoy!!!

Soooooooooooooooo many blogs - sooooooooooo little time!!!

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m - Sunday March 8

2009-03-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

(Just a reminder...)

Daylight Saving Time in the United States

In the United States Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. On the first Sunday in November areas on Daylight Saving Time return to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m. During Daylight Saving Time turn your clocks ahead one hour. At the end of Daylight Saving Time turn your clocks back one hour.

The names in each time zone change along with Daylight Saving Time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) becomes Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and so forth. Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

In the United States, Under the Uniform Time Act, the Department of Transportation is in charge of time zones in the United States and ensuring that jurisdictions observing Daylight Saving Time begin and end on the same date.

On Monday August 8, 2005 President Bush signed into law a broad energy bill that extended Daylight Saving Time by four weeks beginning in 2007. Since 1986 the United States had observed Daylight Saving Time from the first Sunday in April through the last Sunday in October. The provisions of the bill call for Daylight Saving Time to begin three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. Read our special section about the extension of Daylight Saving Time.

Lock "Bumping" and How to Protect Your Home and Family

2009-02-25T00:28:00.000-08:00

This particular video had the most helpful information that I could find so far
Long but worthwhile!

Please note:
Other security locks such as Electronic and magnetic locks or locks that incorporate rotating disks can not be compromised with the bumping technique, as well as restricted or registered key profiles because the correct key-blanks cannot be legally obtained without permission or proper registration with an accredited locksmith association.

PLUS:
This was supposed to be a "Helpful Hint"???
Finding out my car can be opened with a TENNIS BALL is anything but reasurring!!!

Thanks to Eva for the heads-up!

What's your name?

2009-02-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

This looked like fun - smile

What's your name?

1.YOUR REAL NAME
Linda Marie Tolboe-Hall

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle name)
Faith LeRoy

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Louis Clarence

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Halli

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Horse

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, town where you were born)
Marie Inglewood

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Blue Milk [this is a "cool" superhero name? - LOL]

8.FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Lill

9.ROCK STAR NAME:(current pets name, current street name)
Titus Leslie

10.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle)
Lin-izzle

12.YOUR IRAQI.. NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name)
Ilma (slightly rude but it's just a quiz)

13.YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Titus

(thanks to samantha )

"Happiness in Family..." - thanks to Bethany at Elegant Word Art

2009-02-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks to:

Elegant Word Art by Bethany

LIVE from the Smithsonian - Patriotic cupcake mosaic!

2009-02-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Subject: LIVE from the Smithsonian - Patriotic cupcake mosaic!

Don't know if you'll catch this in process -
but interesting (6000 cupcakes!)
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/smithsonian-on-ustream.tv

Free TV : Ustream

if you miss it live - photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/graphixoutpost/3276724273/

and I'm sure there will be more available

(edited in:)
it was
fun to watch Zilly
Rosen at work!
Getting started:

3:18PM

3:44PM

4:10PM

4:38PM

and the finish - ta-da!

The public showing today - (click live video up top)

and believe
it or not - this was made to be eaten!
they will get to eat (she is a
professional baker) the cupcakes at 7PM EST (I think that's the scheduled time)

Pregnancy Tag (Yep! Megs again! SMILE)

2009-02-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Absolutely! (I had people ask me if I believed in 'Planned Parenthood' - I'd tell them - absolutely! - I PLANNED on being a Parent! Oh! Yes! LOL)

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Can you have babies without being married??? (SMILE)

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
I'm sure glad it's not just the flu! LOL

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
20

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
I went to the doctor because I was not feeling very good!

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
The Patriarch (DH giggle) - of course!

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
that was not an option in 1967

9. DUE DATE?
March 30, 1968

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
"Morning"? sickness - you mean - morning noon and night!
Poor DH thought I'd taken up worshipping strange idols - I spent so much time kneeling in front of the 'porcelain throne' in the bathroom! LOL

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
SWEETS!

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
The male chauvinist pig who dared to tell DH that morning sickness was all in my head and I could stop it anytime I wanted to! (what I wanted was to throw up all over him!!!!!! GRRRR!)
Can you tell that irritated me just a tad???!!! LOL
whew!

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
Girl

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
No.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
Who knows - I just wanted to have a healthy baby

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes - I was very blessed

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I think I knew

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Not with the first one - thank goodness!

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Ridgecrest (for all ten)

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
5 1/2

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
DH

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Husbands were not allowed in delivery at that time - so just the doctor and nurses

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
Natural.

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
They did use pitocin and I sure wish there would have been something more than just a demoral shot (which hurt so much it was like adding insult to injury!)

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
8 lbs - 7 1/2 oz.

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN?
March 30, 1968

26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Alice Marie

27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY?
41!

and - like Megs said:
I'm sure most, if not all moms who read this will want to be tagged, so guess what? You are!

How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

2009-02-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

How Addicted to Blogging Are You?
(Thanks Megs - smile)

You are 70% addicted to blogging!
(it wasn't a bad as I thought it was going to be! - LOL )

70%

Hubby Tag (Tagged by Megan)

2009-02-04T01:38:00.000-08:00

Hubby Tag (Tagged by Megan)

and she thinks this would be better labeled as "Couple Tag"...

what's your husbands name? Carl W, Dad, Grandpa, Bishop Hall, Pres. Hall, Honey, Dear , the Patriarch - smile

how long have you been married? Will be 42 years on July 8

how long did you date? dated 3mos - got engaged - and married 3 mos later

how old is he? He looks a whole lot younger than the 69 he is going to be this year!

who eats more sweets? going to have to think about that one - used to be me - but...

who is a better singer? He is! For sure!!! Wonderful voice!

who is smarter? I don't think he realizes how very smart he is!!! SUPER Smart! (the proverbial Rocket Scientist!)

who does the laundry? He's very good about doing his own!

who pays the bills? I wrote the checks for the bills the first 25 years - his turn since then - smile

who sleeps on the right side of the bed? There's a wrong side to the bed???

who mows the lawn? We haven't had a lawn to mow since we moved onto this property in 1981

who cooks dinner? He is a wonderful cook! bless his heart!

who drives? He almost always drives anymore

who is the first to say they are wrong? I think he has always been very good about that

who kissed who first? hmmm...

who asked who out first? LOL! LONG story there! Me - definitely!!!

who wears the pants? LOL

I tag: ALL MY FELLOW BLOGGERS

United Criminals for Gun Control (UNCLASSIFIED)

2009-02-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

Adult Language Alert!
This one says it all...
(Thanks to my nephew who helps protect us all!)

Narnia Lives On! - Movie #3 in 2010!

2009-02-03T07:57:00.001-08:00

Narnia lives on
By Marjorie Kehe 02.02.09

Christian Science Monitor

C. S. Lewis enthusiasts will be glad to know that the Narnia Chronicle films will continue. Although Disney has bowed out, 20th Century Fox will step in as producer.

Disney produced the first two Narnia films (”The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian”) but Fox will be at the helm of “Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” scheduled for release in 2010.

Both of the first two films became top DVD sellers, but “Prince Caspian” made only $420 million, compared with $745 million for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

Some C.S. Lewis enthusiasts have suggested that Disney chose the wrong moment to back away from Narnia. Many readers consider “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” to be one of the best of the Narnia books, while “Prince Caspian” (in which Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie are magically whisked into Narnia from a railway platform) is less beloved.

In “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” the two youngest Pevensies, Lucy and Edmund, are living with their cousin Eustace while their parents and Susan are traveling through America. But while their parents are away, Edmund and Lucy – along with Eustace – are drawn into Narnia through a painting of a ship. Caspian (in a ship called the Dawn Treader) is there engaged in a quest to find the seven lost Lords of Narnia.

For committed lovers of Narnia, of course, each book is precious and a certain core audience is guaranteed for any Narnia film. Those who doubt the hold of Narnia on its readers, even long into adulthood, have only to pick up Laura Miller’s 2008 tribute “The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventures in Narnia.”

Have You Met "The Meanest Mom" !?!

2009-01-31T17:31:00.000-08:00

Watch the "Meanest Mom" interview on the Buckley Report
and
Enjoy her blog here!

Smile

(Thanks DD for introducing me!)

Google Blogger For Dummies to be released in February!

2009-01-30T01:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Blogger Buster for the heads up!!!

" If you're familiar with the "Dummies" series of books, you'll understand how helpful and insightful these textbooks can be in dealing with any subject.

That being said, I'm happy to announce that Google Blogger for Dummies is due to hit bookshops on February 3rd. It's available to pre-order now from Amazon.com (priced at $16.49) and will be available in Barnes and Noble, Waterstones and other bookshops, and also directly from Wiley..."

We're so excited! We'd like you to meet...

2009-01-29T22:43:00.001-08:00

We're so excited!
We'd like you to meet Ken More our new refrigeration specialist!

(his predecessor went into a steady decline suffering from severe compressor overload -
essentially his heart just gave out - sigh
and as he was being hauled out he kept murmuring deliriously over and over something about:
"they would never make sure my door was shut...")
It was very painful to watch!!!

Ken is really Busy working - so when you come to visit - it's probably best to ask
if he has time to visit or not...
We certainly don't want him to suffer the same fate!!!

(Braken Shrog made me do it - He's been teaching me how to choose the 'proper' name for things - i.e. his computer is named: 'Dell-ano Roosevelt' and Miglet's is named 'Dell-ilah'! LOL)

Evolution of Dance goes to THEIR WEDDING!!!

2009-01-25T15:21:00.000-08:00

It was just too good not to happen!
Thanks to my cousin Ric for sharing!!!

FetchFido - The Valentine Dog

2009-01-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

Click on the hearts and watch them explode revealing a love message.

Limbaugh Responds to Obama - The National Review

2009-01-25T00:49:00.000-08:00

from
the corner
(the National Review)
Saturday, January 24, 2009

Limbaugh Responds to Obama [Byron York]

According to an account in the New York Post, President Barack Obama yesterday told Republican leaders, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done." With George W. Bush now off the stage, it may be that Obama and some of his fellow Democrats view Limbaugh, and not John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, or any other elected official, as the true leader of the Republican opposition. This morning I asked Rush for his thoughts on all this, and here is his response:

There are two things going on here. One prong of the Great Unifier's plan is to isolate elected Republicans from their voters and supporters by making the argument about me and not about his plan. He is hoping that these Republicans will also publicly denounce me and thus marginalize me. And who knows? Are ideological and philosophical ties enough to keep the GOP loyal to their voters? Meanwhile, the effort to foist all blame for this mess on the private sector continues unabated when most of the blame for this current debacle can be laid at the feet of the Congress and a couple of former presidents. And there is a strategic reason for this.

Secondly, here is a combo quote from the meeting:

"If we don't get this done we (the Democrats) could lose seats and I could lose re-election. But we can't let people like Rush Limbaugh stall this. That's how things don't get done in this town."

To make the argument about me instead of his plan makes sense from his perspective. Obama's plan would buy votes for the Democrat Party, in the same way FDR's New Deal established majority power for 50 years of Democrat rule, and it would also simultaneously seriously damage any hope of future tax cuts. It would allow a majority of American voters to guarantee no taxes for themselves going forward. It would burden the private sector and put the public sector in permanent and firm control of the economy. Put simply, I believe his stimulus is aimed at re-establishing "eternal" power for the Democrat Party rather than stimulating the economy because anyone with a brain knows this is NOT how you stimulate the economy. If I can be made to serve as a distraction, then there is that much less time debating the merits of this TRILLION dollar debacle.

Obama was angry that Merrill Lynch used $1.2 million of TARP money to remodel an executive suite. Excuse me, but didn't Merrill have to hire a decorator and contractor? Didn't they have to buy the new furnishings? What's the difference in that and Merrill loaning that money to a decorator, contractor and goods supplier to remodel Warren Buffet's office? Either way, stimulus in the private sector occurs. Are we really at the point where the bad PR of Merrill getting a redecorated office in the process is reason to smear them? How much money will the Obamas spend redecorating the White House residence? Whose money will be spent? I have no problem with the Obamas redoing the place. It is tradition. 600 private jets flown by rich Democrats flew into the Inauguration. That's fine but the auto execs using theirs is a crime? In both instances, the people on those jets arrived in Washington wanting something from Washington, not just good will.

If I can be made to serve as a distraction, then there is that much less time debating the merits of the trillion dollar debacle.

One more thing, Byron. Your publication and website have documented Obama's ties to the teachings of Saul Alinksy while he was community organizing in Chicago. Here is Rule 13 of Alinksy's Rules for Radicals:

"Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it."

01/24 03:32 PM

'Little Women' was just a story...

2009-01-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

'Little Women' was just a story... even though I always wished it were more

However, nienie

and cjane

are very real - thank goodness!

Many of you have met these sisters, already - but - if you haven't,
it's definitely worth your while to take the time to acquaint yourself!

The HALL MEN - 6th out of 6 - Jenna made me do it!

2009-01-20T18:21:00.001-08:00

Jenna wrote ... Tag!
"All you have to do is post the 6th picture from your 6th folder (and pray it's not embarrassing). "
The 6th of the 6th gave us ... 6 !!!
The 6 Handsome Hall Men - that is!!!

I told 'the Patriarch' (back right) long before these wonderful sons of mine were born that I'd had a dream where I was protectively surrounded by five TALL sons.
DH laughed at the time - he didn't think I could have sons taller than he is because I'm so short...
Micahwave (back left )
Blazeburner (middle left)
Carloche (bottom left)
Braken Shrog (bottom right)
NeoSigma (middle right)

Not only are all my sons taller than I am - so are my five DDs - smile
and yes - they are as tall as they look!

I tag the Patriarch , Micahwave , Angie , Jarca , and Kate - smile

What PUNCTUATION Mark Are You...

2009-01-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

(Miglet and Angie had an interesting quiz! chuckle)

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven.

You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue.

You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched.

You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions.

Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice.

(But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!)

You excel in: Leadership positions

You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

(I don't know about that 'brilliant and incredibly learned' part
but
my sister is sooo going to roll/LOL about the "You like to make lists" part! LOL )

"I Must Have Loved You Before" - an early Valentine for "the Patriarch"

2009-01-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

(Thanks to "Bethany - WordArt" & "Kenoe" )

Obama's New BlackBerry: The NSA's Secure PDA?

2009-01-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

(I can't help it - I'm a wanna be Techie and it IS Interesting!!!)

Obama's New BlackBerry: The NSA's Secure PDA?

By Declan McCullagh, CNET.com

Bill Clinton sent only two e-mail messages as president and has yet to pick up the habit. President George W. Bush ceased using e-mail in January 2001 but has said he's looking forward to e-mailing "my buddies" after leaving Washington, D.C.

President-elect Barack Obama, though, is a serious e-mail addict. "I'm still clinging to my BlackBerry," he said in a recent interview with CNBC. "They're going to pry it out of my hands."

One reason to curb presidential BlackBerrying is the possibility of eavesdropping by hackers and other digital snoops. While Research In Motion offers encryption, the U.S. government has stricter requirements for communications security.

"Without more details I would have to say that putting sensitive or classified information on a BlackBerry is a risky proposition," said Greg Shipley, chief technology officer at Neohapsis, a governance, risk and compliance consultancy.

Fortunately for an enthusiastic e-mailer-in-chief, some handheld devices have been officially blessed as secure enough to handle even classified documents, e-mail and Web browsing.

___________________________________________________

More from MSN Tech & Gadgets:

___________________________________________________

One is General Dynamics' Sectera Edge, a combination phone-PDA that's been certified by the National Security Agency as being acceptable for "top secret" voice communications and "secret" e-mail and Web sites. Through three separate interchangeable modules, it works with Wi-Fi, GSM or CDMA networks, and is dustproof, waterproof and rugged enough to survive repeated four-foot drops onto concrete. Physically, it's a chunkier second cousin to the Palm Treo 750, though with an additional LCD display below the keyboard.

The price is $3,350 with a two-year warranty, a princely sum that's reflected in the Pentagon-worthy price tags for accessories: a simple adapter for a lighter plug costs $100. (Never again should you complain about how much your civilian analogue costs.)

The Sectera runs a mobile version of Microsoft Windows, including versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Windows Media Player. The NSA says that the installed versions of Internet Explorer, WordPad and Windows Messenger are good enough for data that's classified "secret." Presumably the federal spooks have found a way to protect IE from the numerous security flaws that continue to plague the Internet's most popular browser.

The NSA declined to comment on Monday.

L-3 Communications' Guardian, still in development, is similar, but sports a chunkier antenna and a slightly less conventional keyboard shaped like a V. It, too, runs Windows, boasts a stylus and QWERTY keyboard, supports desktop synchronization, and can be used on secure data plans with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and internationally, Worldcell. Files stored locally are encrypted.

Both PDA-phones owe their existence to a Defense Department project called SME-PED, meaning Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device. Because the SME-PED was explicitly designed to act as a classified-information-friendly replacement for a BlackBerry, it should be an easy switch for Obama.

That's assuming he still feels like e-mailing after Inauguration Day. Even though Bush enjoys the same access to NSA-certified handhelds, he has never resumed his daily e-mail habit from the days when he went by the humble moniker of G94B@aol.com. (On Jan. 17, 2001, Bush sent out this sad farewell: "Since I do not want my private conversations looked at by those out to embarrass, the only course of action is not to correspond in cyberspace. This saddens me. I have enjoyed conversing with each of you.")

At the time, Karen Hughes, one of Bush's closest aides, said that the president chose to abandon e-mail because of public records laws. That includes the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, and the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

Obama may find the convenience of wireless e-mail a pleasure difficult to give up. News reports during the presidential campaign described how he relied on his BlackBerry to bypass aides, which was even satirized by The Onion.

He checked e-mail during his daughter's football games, e-chatted with actress Scarlett Johansson, and before the New Hampshire primary told CNET News that the BlackBerry was his favorite gadget. On the other hand, Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin's e-mail breach is still within recent memory, as are the Bush White House's legal troubles stemming from the use of Republican National Committee e-mail systems.

"It's not just the flow of information," Obama said in the recent interview. "I mean, I can get somebody to print out clips for me, and I can read newspapers. What it has to do with is having mechanisms where you are interacting with people who are outside of the White House in a meaningful way. And I've got to look for every opportunity to do that -- ways that aren't scripted, ways that aren't controlled, ways where, you know, people aren't just complimenting you or standing up when you enter into a room, ways of staying grounded."

Federal law does explicitly exempt from disclosure any "personal records" that do not relate to the president's official function. Those include electronic records that are "of a purely private or non-public character" and don't relate to official duties; the law lists diaries, journals, notes and presidential campaign materials as examples. Similarly, FOIA prevents files from being released if the disclosure would significantly jeopardize "personal privacy."

In other words, Obama could choose to keep e-mailing judiciously, and trust his lawyers and the law to fend off overly nosy journalists and historians.

___________________________________________________

More from MSN Tech & Gadgets:

___________________________________________________

Wireless devices: What price convenience?

One thing that security experts can agree on is that despite RIM's efforts, a BlackBerry probably isn't up to the security standards for a leader of the free (or even unfree) world.

BlackBerrys can become infected with viruses that install spyware or turn the microphone on and record conversations, malware can be inadvertently downloaded, e-mail and text messages can be intercepted, and, of course, they can be lost or stolen, said Dan Hoffman, chief technology officer of SMobile Systems, which sells antivirus software for the devices.

The National Vulnerability Database, which is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity Division, lists 14 vulnerabilities for BlackBerrys. Those include ways that a malicious attacker can install malware, and perhaps crash the device through a so-called denial of service attack.

It's not as if snoopy computer utilities are difficult to find. Flexispy.com sells spyware that can be installed by someone with physical possession of a phone for 15 minutes. The creators boast that their software, once installed, can "bug a room or person" and "catch cheating husbands."

The U.S. government uses special ciphers for secret information and it uses data networks differently from the public data networks, said Phil Dunkelberger, chief executive of encryption provider PGP Corp. "Unless you're using point-to-point encryption technology … or the mail itself is encrypted, you would have exposure to people administering the network." And, on a related note, we know that Obama's cell phone records through Verizon were improperly accessed last year.

There's also the risk of someone tracking the coordinates of a BlackBerry through the device's built-in GPS or the carrier's ability to triangulate on the signal -- something that police, for instance, says they should be able to do without a search warrant or evidence of criminal activity. Bush White House aides say that security concerns prompted them to disable the GPS feature on their BlackBerrys.

James Atkinson, president of Granite Island Group, an engineering firm that helps the government protect classified networks and equipment, pointed this out as a possible security vulnerability. "You can identify where a person is without gaining access to the cell phone network just by the timing of the signals, Atkinson said. "You can identify who is sitting in which seat in a conference room from a couple thousand feet away."

Then again, it's not as if the president of the United States and his entourage travel incognito that often.
If nothing else works, Obama can always turn to Bush for some tips. Not his immediate predecessor, but former President George H.W. Bush, a late-in-life convert to the joys of e-mail. Bush the elder has been quoted as saying: "I'm what you might call a black belt wireless e-mailer."

___________________________________________________

More from MSN Tech & Gadgets:

___________________________________________________

He's a "Dancing Machine" and He's BACK!!!

2009-01-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

(I think I like the ORIGINAL Best!!! how about you???)

Judson Laipply is back with the official sequel to "Evolution of Dance"

- one of the most watched Internet videos of all time!
Go to http://www.eod2.com/ for more information.
Upload your photo and dance alongside Judson at http://www.peoplejam.com/eod/ !
Presented by Saveology.com

AND
In case you missed the ORIGINAL:

(I hate to say this - but this sooooooooooooo reminds me of my sons!!! LOL!)

The Very First "Temporarily Dysfunctional Blog Award" goes to...

2009-01-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

It seems only fitting that the Very First
Temporarily Dysfunctional

Great Blog Award

should go to...

That SUPER lady who started it all (for Our Family!)

MIGLET

the "HALL PASS" !!!

Thank you for being YOU!!!

((HUGS))

Sunday Sweets: Castles & Fairies

2009-01-11T15:14:00.001-08:00

(posted by Jen over at the Sunday CAKEWRECKS !!! )

Sunday Sweets: Castles & Fairies

Continuing in our fantasy theme, here's a gorgeous cake from Suka that also could have gone in last week's dragon post:

Shallyse G. sent in what I'm going to call a fairy castle, just so I can include it here:

(By Sarah of The Little Bakehouse. More pics in her Flickr stream.)

Addie F. found this adorable little garden fairy, although I can't tell if she's on a cupcake, cake, or is just a topper:

(From Dulce Decoracion's Flickr stream, where there are lots more amazing figurines and cakes.)

Posted by Jen at 9:35 AM
Labels: Sunday Sweets

"HEARTS of COURAGE": “There are two survivors up on the mountain. We've got to bring them out!"

2009-01-06T23:05:00.000-08:00

“There are two survivors up on the mountain. We've got to bring them out!"
Monday – January 12, 2009 – 8 p.m.
Thursday – January 15, 2009 – 9 a.m.
Monday – January 19, 2009 – 4 p.m.

(January 5, 2008 – Provo , Utah ) Hearts of Courage, a page-turning true account of an extraordinary Latter-day Saint in an unimaginable situation is now a new BYU-TV documentary to be broadcast on January 12th and 19th. BYU Dean Stephen Jones ( College of Fine Arts and Communications) learned of the story, was impressed with the story, met with John Tippets, and then forwarded the idea to the folks at BYU Broadcasting.

Coincidentally, Rob Sibley, producer, first read about the Gillam crash and Joseph Tippets in LDS Adventure Stories compiled by Preston Nibley. “In November 2007, I had a meeting with John and he told me about his dad and his amazing survival in the Alaskan wilderness. As he talked I thought, this story sounds really familiar. And then I remembered that I'd read about this exceptional man some years before. What makes some men extraordinary is their normal day-to-day persona that is pushed to the limits in extremes we can only imagine. They stand up to adversity; they face their challenges with a tenacity most of us never have to deal with. Few Latter-day Saints are tested to such a degree, literally putting their lives on the line to save others.”

Now intrigued, Sibley found additional sources through discussions with Joseph and Alta's four children, archival film footage, historical photos, and a special KUED interview that had been done with Joseph Tippets in the 1960s by Neal A. Maxwell.

The rescue took place 35 miles southeast of Ketchikan , Alaska in the winter of 1943. Joseph Tippets and Percy Cutting stood yelling with their last ounce of energy to a passing Coast Guard vessel on routine patrol. Bedraggled, barely alive, the two had pushed through rough Alaskan territory in one of the worst winters ever recorded. It was February, almost a full month since the Gillam plane had crashed in the middle of nowhere. Two more men lay in a makeshift lean-to in the wilderness desperately hoping Tippets and Cutting would get them out alive.

Back in January, Joseph had sat in the warm Lockheed Electra with four other passengers thinking of his reunion with his beloved Alta and their son John. He reminisced about the hurried flight he'd made to Utah from his home in Anchorage to be at the bedside of his dying mother. Gone over Christmas, Joe had left his expectant wife and made it to Utah . As the plane taxied down the runway, Joe thought of his hurried days visiting with family in Ogden and Heber and his opportunity to report on the state of the Church in that far northern territory to several Church officials in Salt Lake City. He was the first Anchorage branch president to a small LDS congregation, in the midst of World War II. Back home, Alta helped provide some sort of Christmas for many of the young servicemen, even though her prayers cried out for Joe's safe return. The couple knew their meeting would be especially sweet and Joe wrote Alta to say, “Godspeed our quick reunion and I hope I beat this letter to you!”

Alta and Joseph Tippets, December 1942

Alaskan bush flying in ‘43 was no place for a beginner pilot. Old-timers said there were three kinds of Alaska weather: clear and unlimited, ordinary, and “Gillam weather.” Harold Gillam, an aviator experienced in flying through some of the foulest weather, shook his head and said, “The weather's never as bad as it looks.” But the Territory was having one of the worst winters in 100 years and already there were ice accumulating on the plane. It not only got colder, but Gillam would approach his destination in darkness. Knowing all these factors, the pilot still felt confident as he pushed on through the clouds. The carburetor heat and de-icing systems were full on; the plane was on track and on time. The airplane was heavy with ice but within limits and still performing well.

Several hours into the flight, Gillam tuned in to what he thought was the Annette, Alaska radio range. Suddenly the left engine lost power; with the added weight of ice, the right engine couldn't maintain altitude. The last radio contact was, “one engine has conked out, expect trouble.” At 1,800 feet the snow cleared briefly to reveal an open spot on a mountainside. The plane slammed into the ground but only after smashing through trees, shearing off the right wing, and buckling the fuselage. The Lockheed slid into a deep gully, deep in snow and a tree crashed down to further bury the crumpled plane. The six passengers survived but were now completely hidden from view. Hearts of Courage is the account of the legendary Gillam plane crash and the two brave men who journeyed through the Alaskan undiscovered territory to attempt a rescue for the remaining passengers waiting in freezing weather.

Now, an exciting LDS Lives documentary, the tenacity and courage of Joseph Tippets and Percy Cutting is a story of real heroism against impossible odds, the stuff legend is made of. The miraculous events of those weeks—the ordeal of survival, the ultimate rescue—all are recreated and told with reverence as only a BYU-produced documentary can tell.

Author John Tippets stated, “I recently listened again to a recording of a fireside given by Dad where he said one possible reason his life was spared by his Father in Heaven was so he could tell this story to others and increase their faith and confidence that prayers are answered. With the book Hearts of Courage, and now with this wonderful BYU TV production that purpose is continuing to be fulfilled."

Click to Buy “An astounding story of unparalleled bravery and faith!”

– Stephen R. Covey
Author
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

Be sure to catch this fascinating and faith-building documentary, airing on BYU-TV, Mountain Standard Time:

Monday – January 12, 2009 – 8 p.m.
Thursday – January 15, 2009 – 9 a.m.
Monday – January 19, 2009 – 4 p.m.

The Star Spangled Banner - How SWEET it is!!!

2009-01-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

Our National Anthem the way it should be sung -- none of that 'big name' flakiness!

The Cactus Cuties singing our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, is now available for downloading from Cdbaby and Itunes.
The Cactus Cuties, http://thecactuscuties.com, range in age from 8 to 13.
The group is named for the Cactus Theater in Lubbock, Texas and they are coached by Cami Caldwell.

The NEW "Dr. Who" is...

2009-01-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

This just popped up on Wikepedia ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Smith_(British_actor)

Matt Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He has performed in theatre, TV, and film. Best known perhaps for his appearances in the BBC adaptations of Phillip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North alongside Billie Piper, as well as his stage performances in On the Shore of the Wide World and Cast B of Alan Bennett's History Boys.

On 3 January 2009, during an episode of Doctor Who Confidential it was announced he will be the Eleventh Doctor on the British television series Doctor Who, the youngest actor to date to play the role.^[1]^[2]

The Eleventh Doctor - New Doctor to be revealed on BBC One tomorrow!

2009-01-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Eleventh Doctor

New Doctor to be revealed on BBC One tomorrow.

Back To News List

The BBC confirmed today that it will reveal the identity of the Eleventh Doctor as part of a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential to be aired on BBC ONE tomorrow, Saturday 03 January at 17:35hrs.

Following the announcement in October that David Tennant would be stepping down from his role as the Doctor at the end of 2009*, speculation has been mounting as to who would take over from him for the fifth series of this iconic BBC drama that will air in 2010.

With a new creative team in place for the new series led by Executive Producers Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger, the casting of the new Doctor was job number one to be completed before scripts could be finalised and shooting could begin in summer 2009.

In the Doctor Who special, to be aired tomorrow at 17.35hrs, the actor playing the new Doctor will be giving his or her initial reaction to being the new, eleventh incarnation of one of television's most loved characters.

Head Of Drama BBC Wales Piers Wenger said, "We are so pleased to have been able to cast this person as the new Doctor. We believe the actor is going to bring something very special to the role and will make it absolutely their own - I just can't wait to tell everyone who it is - it has been a nail biting Christmas trying to keep this under wraps!".

* There will be four Doctor Who Specials featuring David Tennant that will run in 2009 into New Year 2010 (dates tbc).

The Doctor Who Confidential programme will also be broadcast live on the BBC's Big Screens nationwide.

Doctor Who Confidential - The Eleventh Doctor: Saturday, January 3rd - 17:35hrs, BBC ONE

CONGRATULATIONS Amy & Tim !!!

2009-01-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Amy & Tim

Click "HERE" for MORE Photos!

Ann...

2009-01-01T00:50:00.000-08:00

2009 Edition: Getting to Know YourFamily and Friends.

2008-12-30T16:03:00.000-08:00

2009 Edition: Getting to Know YourFamily and Friends.

1.What is your occupation right now?
Retired - Stay at home mom

2.What color are your socks right now? white

3.What are you listening to right now?
hum of the computer and humidifier

4.What was the last thing that you ate?
a bite of chocolate frosting from our Happy Birthday to Jesus cake
(that means it won't spike my sugar levels ?!? - argh)

5.Can you drive a stick shift?
OH! YEAH! That's REAL driving!!!

6.Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My sister, Rachael (jarca)

7.Do you like the person who sent this to you?
YES!! - ALL of them!!!

8.How old are you today? 61

9.What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
lately...Tennis

10.What is your favorite drink?
milk

11.Have you ever dyed your hair?
You bet!

12.Favorite food?
Anything I don't have to cook! LOL

13.What is the last movie you watched?

14.Favorite day of the year?

15.How do you vent anger?
Vent??? Me? Vent...??? chuckle

16.What was your favorite toy as a child?
My BOOKS! and a little cook stove!

17.What is your favorite season?
Winter

18.Cherries or Blueberries?
Cherries (Chocolate covered - of course!)

19.Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?(or in this case post on their blogs)
If they like - I love to read them! smile

20.Who is the most likely to respond?

21.Who is least likely to respond?

22.Living arrangements?
At home with my DH, Carl(the Patriarch) and Titus our dog

23.When was the last time you cried?
oh gosh - I even cry at movies and books - just ask my kids (though they are good and don't tease! Thank you children)

24.What is on the floor of your closet?
Scary - would you believe: 2 gallons of green paint; 2 storage drawers of electronic parts and wires and connectors; boots; clothes that need to be donated...oh my gosh!

25.Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?

26.What did you do last night?
watched Angie and Jason play the Wii fit! FUN!

27.What are you most afraid of?
something happening to my children

28.Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Jack-in-the-Box's Ultimate CheeseBurger - of course!

29.Favorite dog breed?
our smooth hair Collie is the best! Collie personality and gentleness without the hair!

30.Favorite day of the week?

31.How many states have you lived in?
California - Utah - Minnesota(3 months-smile)

32.Diamonds or pearls?
Pearls are gorgeous!

33.What is your favorite flower?
Carnations! love the fragrance!!!

Kellie Coffey Sings...

2008-12-21T01:51:00.000-08:00

(don't forget to pause the playlist up above...)

Sometimes you stumble upon something that reminds you how very blessed you are
and
you just have to share...

"The 12 Days of Christmas" ~ Origins and Religious Meaning ~

2008-12-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

(This interpretation of the origin - though apparently controversial - is really informative)

"The 12 Days of Christmas"
~ Origins and Religious Meaning ~

Caveat: there is a controversy disputing the authenticity of this interpretation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic until Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song.

"The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something significant to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help Catholic children learn their faith. The better acquainted one is with the Bible, the more these interpretations have significance.

The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"

The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.

1st Day:
The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them.
The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.

2nd Day:
The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.

3rd Day:
The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and charity—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

4th Day:
The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

5th Day:
The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

6th Day:
The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.

7th Day:
The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

8th Day:
The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

9th Day:
The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

10th Day:
The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments

11th Day:
The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

12th Day:

The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in their "Apostles’ Creed": belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

So the next time we hear "the Twelve Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in keeping alive the teaching of their faith.

adapted from email messages,from "How To Decode the Twelve Days of Christmas,"by Hugh D. McKellar,U.S. Catholic, 12/1979,and from "‘12 Days of Christmas’ is no nonsense, but a serious riddle"by David CrowderEl Paso Times, 12/19/1993.Also, Origin of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"An Underground Catechismby Fr. Hal Stockert 12/17/95 http://www.cin.org/twelvday.html

...she dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered.

2008-12-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

A good Christmas message...
author ~ unknown

"I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: 'There is no Santa Claus,' she jeered. 'Even dummies know that!'
My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.
Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. 'No Santa Claus!' she snorted. 'Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go.'
'Go? Go where, Grandma?' I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous, cinnamon bun. 'Where' turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything.
As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. 'Take this money,' she said, 'and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car.' Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.
I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's second-grade class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. 'Is this a Christmas present for someone?' the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

'Yes,' I replied shyly. 'It's for Bobby.' The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry
Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked
it in her Bible) and wrote, 'To Bobby, From Santa Claus' on it --
Grandma said, 'Santa always insists on secrecy.' Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. 'All right, Santa Claus,' she whispered, 'get going.'

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.
Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the tag tucked inside: $19.95."

author - unknown
===============================

He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree.

YOUNG WOMEN THEME - Virtue

2008-12-12T04:41:00.000-08:00

The Young Women's theme is a wonderful guideline for each of us to live by:

YOUNG WOMEN THEME

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. We will "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:

Faith

Divine Nature

Individual Worth

Knowledge

Choice and Accountability

Good Works

Integrity

and Virtue.

We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

Oh! No! - Not Disco!

2008-12-08T02:40:00.001-08:00

(scroll down and pause the Playlist before starting)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elder Steven Tolboe has been in the field for 53 days

2008-12-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

(Visit his website at: http://www.missionsite.net/eldertolboe/main )

Elder Steven Tolboe
Assigned to the Everett Washington Mission
as an ASL Missionary

Mission: Washington Everett
Entered the MTC on: October 15, 2008
Expected Release Date: October 15, 2010
Favorite scripture: D&C 78:17-18

Latest News:
November 4 - Assigned to Lake Forest Park, Washington, Companion Elder Moss, Assigned to learn ASL
November 4 - Elder Steven Tolboe left MTC and flew up to Everett Washington, arriving at 9:34a.m.
October 15 - Elder Steven Tolboe entered the Provo MTC, 1:00 p.m.

Gail - Steven - Richard Tolboe

South Africa Durban Mission link, ACTIVATED

2008-12-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update to let you know that Arlo and Sandy Mickelsen's Mission Blog has it's first post!!!

http://arlosandy.blogspot.com/

A reminder:

"Postage is expensive to and from South Africa, so we hope you will send us your Christmas greetings via internet! Our e-mail is arlosandy@aol.com and we will have a blog (http://arlosandy.blogspot.com) "

----- Original Message -----
From: Arlosandy
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 8:03 AM
Subject: Christmas Greetings from South Africa

Christmas Greetings from South Africa

From home to home, and heart to heart.
From one place to another,
The warmth and joy of Christmas,
Brings us closer to each other.

Emily Matthews

The words in the above poem say it all and how wonderful it is to have a season that allows us to renew the warmth and joy we find in our friendships! The holidays are truly upon us, and it just doesn't seem possible. The usual comment is, “Where has the year gone?” and we concur with that. Especially this year, as our holiday greetings need to come early for a special reason!

The Mickelsen's have received a mission call to serve in the South Africa Durban Mission for the next 18 months as Perpetual Education Fund missionaries. Our call came the middle of July and we have been busy since with all the preparations that a foreign call brings, but now we are ready and anxious to go. For those of you who don't know what the PEF is, we refer you to the Ensign, August 2008, page 76. Our entry date for the MTC is November 17th, where we will be for 10 days. Thanksgiving will be celebrated with lots of family and then on the 29th we will begin a very long plane ride (Salt Lake City – Chicago – London – Johannesburg – Durban) -- somewhere around 36 hours!!

There are 11 fantastic grandchildren in our family who keep their fantastic parents busy with all their school, church, music and sports activities.

Arlo served on the High Council and as our Homeowners Association President this past year and Sandy has coordinated the Humanitarian Projects for our branch.

As we bring this letter to a close, we send our love and friendship to you all. At this time of year, we are mindful of the birth of Jesus Christ and the sacrifices He made for us. Our past missionary service brought and continues to bring tremendous blessings to us and our family, and we are looking forward to this new opportunity to be of use to our Savior . Our prayers are for a wonderful Christmas season for each of you.

P.S. Some of you will receive this letter via e-mail and others by snail mail since we don't have e-mail addresses for everyone. If you have one, please let us know. Postage is expensive to and from South Africa, so we hope you will send us your Christmas greetings via internet! Our e-mail is arlosandy@aol.com and we will have a blog (http://arlosandy.blogspot.com/) as soon as we officially begin our mission, if anyone is interested. We'll be back in St. George sometime in May, 2010

P.P.S. This letter was written and to have gone out before entering the MTC and it just didn't happen. This is being sent from Johannesburg, South Africa where we are having additional training in this truly inspired Perpetual Education Fund program, before going on to Durban.

You can find additional information on the church website: http:lds.org
then follow through with these links:
Home and Family
Education
Perpetual Fund

Divine Connection (a little irreverent humor + a Woot shirt)

2008-12-04T16:14:00.001-08:00

(sent to me by ... oops! I can't reveal my source! LOL)

Divine Connection
by Wootbot Wednesday December 3, 2008 12:00 AM
at: http://shirt.woot.com/Blog/

And the LORD formed the computer nerd of the dust off His keyboard, being mainly the powdered remains of heavenly Chee-tos, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, which wasn’t easy, given the computer nerd’s deviated septum; and the computer nerd became a living soul, if you can really call it living.

And the LORD set up a vast network eastward in Eden; and before it He put the computer nerd whom he had formed, saying “here, I need an admin, get thee to it.”

And the computer nerd set about exploring the many files and folders on the network, discovering various digital wonders and delights, but there was one machine the LORD forbade him to access, speaking unto him: “All of this is created for thee to use and master, My pasty-skinned, soft-bellied creation. Except stay away from the Apple, would you? I keep My personal files on it, and thou shalt poketh around in them not.

“Not that I’m going to password-protect it or anything, because I trust you.”

This shirt was designed by: Robert Gould. No, not the one David Mamet condemned to Hell; another one.

Wear this shirt: if you hear a voice in the garden, and are afraid, because you are naked, to hide yourself.

Don’t wear this shirt: in Paradise. It’s strictly topless and bottomless there. Or so we have read.

This shirt tells the world: “Hallelujah, I’m right-click-saved as”

We call this color: We Call The Light “White,” And The Darkness We Call “Black,” And This Color In The Middle, Oh, Let’s Call It Like A “Heather Gray.”

Ann Hansen - Living in Israel

2008-12-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 7:45 AM
Subject: Ann Hansen - living in Israel

This afternoon as I was sitting in the hospital, waiting to do a bone
mapping (this is a translation from Hebrew - I don't know what it's called
in English), I looked around and thought what a perfect example this was of
what it is like to live in Israel.

In the waiting room with me were a Russian, an Ethiopian couple, a soldier
from the same division as my son, a Druze man in traditional dress, a
Beduoin, Israel's version of a Yuppie couple (middle-aged Ashkenazi Jews
with high-tech toys to while away the time), and an older kibbutznik. I
grew up in the US, and the TV was set on "Viva" - a channel which features
only Spanish-language soap operas from Spain and South America. I heard
people speaking Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and Amharic.

The room where I was doing this exam sits in the basement of the Sfat
hospital's new wing, which was built mainly to house the new emergency
room(s). The wing was finished just a couple of weeks before the war with
Lebanon in 2006. It was a good thing, because as the hospital nearest the
border it treated a lot of wounded soldiers and civilians. The hospital
itself was also hit by rockets many times. The new wing is actually a huge
bomb shelter, complete with blast doors and windows.

While I was waiting I was reading the biography of a Jewish woman from
Vienna, who was writing about her life just before and during WW II. She
had been picked up in the street one day, and sent off to work on an
asparagus farm in northern Germany in conditions which were about one step
above slave labor. She was talking about the factories in that area of
Germany- Opel cars (appropriated from its Jewish owner) and Siemens
electronics - which did use slave labor, mostly Romanians and Serbs. Just
then I was called in to do the mapping. As I laid down on the bed (its
like doing a CAT scan) and the machine was put over me, I noticed that the
machine was built by Siemens!!! It was a weird feeling seeing that so soon
after reading about its slave labor 70 years ago.

As you leave the hospital and look west, you see literally layers upon
layers of hills. In the fading light they look like they were built of
separate layers of blue and gray construction paper which were glued on top
of each other. It reminded me a bit of how the Smoky Mountains looked in
the early morning. Sfat itself has been continally inhabited since medieval
times, and carries the scars of centuries of war. Onthe very top of the
city are the ruins of a castle built by the Hospitalers ( a knights' order
named after Christian knights who set up a hospital next to the Dome of the
Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem) during the Crusader period. The city
also contains synagogues which are centuries old, the ruins of a mosque, an
Ottoman Turkish period building now used as a community center, a building
which was built as a hospital by Scottish missionaries in the nineteenth
century, and several buildings built by the Bristish army during the
mandate.

Sfat sits at an altitude of 900 meters (about 3,000 feet). My house,
however, is almost 100 feet below sea level, so the drive home is all
downhill! On the way I pass a moshav built by Morrocan Jews in the late
1950s, and a kibbutz which has on its grounds an ancient well which,
according to tradition, was where Joseph's brothers put him in a pit until
he was sold to the passing caravan. The well is mentioned by travellers in
several sources written up to 500 years ago, including Mark Twain and Eliza
R. Snow. The well was notorious for having the foulest-smelling water in
all the Holy Land. Thankfully the smell is gone now! Below me is the Sea
of Galilee, but first I have to so down the "curvy road" (which roughly
parallels the ancient Roman road), past the Mount of Beatitudes and the
church at Tabgha, past the site of an ancient fortress, and finally past the
pumping station of the National Water carrier, before I reach home, which is
in the area where the biblical prophet Habbakuk is reported to have been
buried. The valley below my house is part of a natural draw which leads
from the northern part of the lake up to the route to Nazareth. I
frequently wonder if Jesus ever walked it on his way to Magdala or
Capernaum.

For as long as I have lived here, I still haven't gotten used to the
amazing diversity of topography, history, culture, religion and language to
be found in such a small geographical area. It continues to take my breath
away.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Ann Hansen

Paradigm Shift...

2008-12-04T13:14:00.001-08:00

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young
woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.

Perhaps she needs better laundry soap"

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the
young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.

I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

Christmas Greetings from South Africa - Arlo / Sandy Mickelsen

2008-12-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

----- Original Message -----
From: Arlosandy
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 8:03 AM
Subject: Christmas Greetings from South Africa

Christmas Greetings from South Africa

From home to home, and heart to heart.
From one place to another,
The warmth and joy of Christmas,
Brings us closer to each other.

Emily Matthews

The words in the above poem say it all and how wonderful it is to have a season that allows us to renew the warmth and joy we find in our friendships! The holidays are truly upon us, and it just doesn't seem possible. The usual comment is, “Where has the year gone?” and we concur with that. Especially this year, as our holiday greetings need to come early for a special reason!

The Mickelsen's have received a mission call to serve in the South Africa Durban Mission for the next 18 months as Perpetual Education Fund missionaries. Our call came the middle of July and we have been busy since with all the preparations that a foreign call brings, but now we are ready and anxious to go. For those of you who don't know what the PEF is, we refer you to the Ensign, August 2008, page 76. Our entry date for the MTC is November 17th, where we will be for 10 days. Thanksgiving will be celebrated with lots of family and then on the 29th we will begin a very long plane ride (Salt Lake City – Chicago – London – Johannesburg – Durban) -- somewhere around 36 hours!!

There are 11 fantastic grandchildren in our family who keep their fantastic parents busy with all their school, church, music and sports activities.

Arlo served on the High Council and as our Homeowners Association President this past year and Sandy has coordinated the Humanitarian Projects for our branch.

As we bring this letter to a close, we send our love and friendship to you all. At this time of year, we are mindful of the birth of Jesus Christ and the sacrifices He made for us. Our past missionary service brought and continues to bring tremendous blessings to us and our family, and we are looking forward to this new opportunity to be of use to our Savior . Our prayers are for a wonderful Christmas season for each of you.

P.S. Some of you will receive this letter via e-mail and others by snail mail since we don't have e-mail addresses for everyone. If you have one, please let us know. Postage is expensive to and from South Africa, so we hope you will send us your Christmas greetings via internet! Our e-mail is arlosandy@aol.com and we will have a blog (http://arlosandy.blogspot.com) as soon as we officially begin our mission, if anyone is interested. We'll be back in St. George sometime in May, 2010

P.P.S. This letter was written and to have gone out before entering the MTC and it just didn't happen. This is being sent from Johannesburg, South Africa where we are having additional training in this truly inspired Perpetual Education Fund program, before going on to Durban.

You can find additional information on the church website: http:lds.org
then follow through with these links:
Home and Family
Education
Perpetual Fund

Doctor Who Trivia: First aired on November 23, 1963 Makes this BBC Series 45 Years Old !

2008-11-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yes...YES!!! We are a "Dr. Who" family!
(I purchased a hand made 12 foot scarf for my DH (from England - no less) that is the rival of any that Tom Baker ever wore!!! - oh! yes! SMILE)

For any of you who are not educated in the ways the the Tardis travelling Time Lord - a quick summary:

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien time-traveller known as "the Doctor" who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box. With his companions, he explores time and space, solving problems, facing monsters and righting wrongs.

Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who

The character of the Doctor was initially shrouded in mystery. All that was known about him in the programme's early days was that he was an eccentric alien traveller of great intelligence who battled injustice while exploring time and space in an unreliable old time machine called the TARDIS, an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space. As it appears much larger on the inside than on the outside, the TARDIS has been described by the Third Doctor as "dimensionally transcendental"^[35] and, due to a malfunction of its Chameleon Circuit, is stuck in the shape of a 1950s-style British police box.

However, not only did the initially irascible and slightly sinister Doctor quickly mellow into a more compassionate figure, it was eventually revealed that he had been on the run from his own people, the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey.

As a Time Lord, the Doctor has the ability to regenerate his body when near death. Introduced into the storyline as a way of continuing the series when the writers were faced with the departure of lead actor William Hartnell in 1966, it has continued to be a major element of the series, allowing for the recasting of the lead actor when the need arises. The serial The Deadly Assassin established that a Time Lord can regenerate twelve times, for a total of thirteen incarnations (although at least one Time Lord, The Master, has managed to circumvent this). To date, the Doctor has gone through this process and its resulting after-effects on nine occasions, with each of his incarnations having his own quirks and abilities but otherwise sharing the memories and experience of the previous incarnations:

First Doctor, played by William Hartnell (1963–1966 ^[36])

Second Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton (1966–1969 ^[36])

Third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee (1970–1974 ^[36])

Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker (1974–1981 ^[36])

Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison (1981–1984 ^[36])

Sixth Doctor, played by Colin Baker (1984–1986)

Seventh Doctor, played by Sylvester McCoy (1987–1989, 1996) ^[37]

Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann (1996)

Ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston (2005)

Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant (2005–2010) ^[7]

The current Tardis - The Tardis used from 1980-1989

Calling Evil Good

2008-11-24T10:35:00.000-08:00

MYTH OF THE MONTH:

Calling Evil Good
by H. Wallace Goddard

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20

Satan is the master of inversion. Where God offers Light, Satan provides darkness. God confers joy, peace, and love. Satan dispenses lies, misery, and bitterness. Satan’s latter-day lies stand in contrast not only to heavenly revelation but even to good research on families and human development.

Being Married
The world suggests that being married is just one rather old-fashioned and unprogressive way of living. Rates of cohabitation are exploding. Divorce is epidemic. Both cohabitation and divorce are offensive to God. "Marriage is ordained of God unto man" (D&C 49:15). The wisdom of God’s commandment is supported by decades of research. Cohabitors who later marry are more likely to divorce (and be violent in the relationship) than those who do not cohabit. Cohabitation is not an effective testing ground for an enduring relationship. The multitude of benefits of marriage for both men and women is sustained by Waite and Gallager’s new book, The Case for Marriage.

Married people live longer, have better health, earn more money and accumulate more wealth, feel more fulfilled in their lives, enjoy more satisfying sexual relationships, and have happier and more successful children than those who remain single, cohabit or get divorced.

Meanwhile the long term damage of divorce on children is underscored by Wallerstein’s longitudinal work reported in her most recent book, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce. Both Wallerstein’s book and the Waite and Gallager book are enormously unpopular with some progressives in today’s world but both are based on good science. More important, they agree with the timeless truth given by God.

Success in Marriage
Satan has promoted a medical model of marriage: Notice anything that is wrong with your partner, think about it, talk about it, and invite your partner to fix it. It seems so reasonable. Many marriage programs have been based on skillful communication of discontents. But God recommends a very different approach to building relationships: personal repentance and love for our partner. When we cover our own sins, gratify our pride or exercise control over our partner by shifting attention away from our need to repent and to our partner’s faults, the heavens withdraw themselves (See D&C 121: 37).

No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of [spousehood], only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile-- D&C 121:41-42

The best new research in marriage makes the same point. John Gottman’s remarkable program of research on marriage recommends editing (Some things don’t need to be said!), more positives (Kindness!), and self soothing (Gentleness!). In successful marriages, partners value the relationship over being right ("Repair attempts.") Gottman has found the pattern of marital conflict to be remarkably predictable. (Satan is not creative.) But happy couples are wonderfully unpredictable. They make the creative use of differences, work to build their relationship, and actively invest in their love.

I cannot find any place in scripture where the Lord commands us to carefully catalogue our partner’s follies. Nor can I find any place where he directs us to fix our partner. He does command charity, that pure love of Christ that transcends any ordinary definition of love. It is not surprising that research is coming to recommend kindness as the essential ingredient of healthy family relationships. The Lord and His servants have always recommended kindness, patience, and love. Joseph F. Smith counseled:

We all have our weaknesses and failings. Sometimes the husband sees a failing in his wife, and he upbraids her with it. Sometimes the wife feels that her husband has not done just the right thing, and she upbraids him. What good does it do? Is not forgiveness better? Is not charity better? Is not love better? Isn’t it better not to speak of faults, not to magnify weaknesses by iterating and reiterating them? Isn’t that better? . . . Is it not better to drop [faults] and say nothing about them–bury them and speak only of the good that you know and feel, one for another, and thus bury each other’s faults and not magnify them; isn’t that better? (pp.180-81)

Chastity and Fidelity
Satan has portrayed chastity and fidelity as provincial, boring, and even lowbrow. But the Lord delights in chastity. (See Jacob 2:28). He commands it even in today’s sexualized world. What does excellent research find?

Those having the most partnered sex and enjoying it most are the married people. The young single people who flit from partner to partner and seem to be having a sex life that is satisfying beyond most people’s dreams are, it seems, mostly a media creation. In real life, the unheralded, seldom discussed world of married sex is actually the one that satisfies people the most. (Michael, Gagnon, Laumann, & Kolata, 1994)

Hollywood is wrong. The joys of married life have always been superior to the excitement of a swinging lifestyle.

Raising Children
Satan has parents looking for some magical combination of rules, consequences, timeout, and rewards that will teach their children to be good citizens. Heavenly Father provides a simple directive: "I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth" (D&C 93:40).

"Light and truth" suggest to the mind love, compassion, heavenly inspiration and the teaching of gospel principles. Decades of research on parenting confirm that nothing matters more than love. Urie Bronfenbrenner said it eloquently:

Every child should spend a substantial amount of time with somebody who's crazy about him or her . . . There has to be at least one person who has an irrational involvement with that child, someone who thinks that kid is more important than other people's kids, someone who's in love with him or her, and whom he or she loves in return. (Psychology Today, May 1977)

Love also sets the context for moral development. Hoffman (1983) suggests that children develop in their commitment to goodness and concern for others as we love them, set good examples, reason with them, and help them understand how their behavior affects others. That is bringing them up in light and truth.

Relationship with Self
Satan’s greatest coup may be in the area of our relationship with self. Old Scratch insists quite reasonably that "you cannot love anyone until you love yourself." But the Lord has always recommended the opposite course: "And whosoever will lose his life in this world, for my sake, shall find it in the world to come" (JST Matthew 16:28). Self discovery comes through forgetting self.

Even scholars have been concerned about the modern western emphasis on self. Baumeister has observed a revolution in the way people find meaning in life.

Love and work are regarded by modern Americans as means of cultivating, exploring, and glorifying the self, and if they fail in this they lose their legitimacy. A relationship that stifles the self ought to be broken off; a job that fails to foster self-expression or growth should be changed (pp. 104-5, emphasis in original).

The new emphasis on self has caused a redefinition of morality.

For centuries . . . each individual made his or her major life choices between the conflicting demands of self-interest and morality. . . . Virtue meant conquering the various forms of self-interest, including greed, lust, laziness, and cowardice. . . . Vice, in contrast meant putting the impulses and desires of the self first and acting on them even when such actions ran counter to the community’s needs, wants, and values. The hero exerted and suffered for others, and in the process the hero helped the community. The villain indulged his or her own selfish appetites at the expense of others. . . . [But] in the 20th century . . . morality has become allied with self-interest. It is not simply that people have the right to do what is best for themselves; rather, it has become an almost sacred obligation to do so. The modern message is that what is right and good and valuable to do in life is to focus on yourself, . . . Once it was a virtue to place the best interests of others ahead of your own. Now, instead, there is an increasingly moral imperative to do the opposite (p. 113).

Krauthammer has observed that "the reigning cliche of the day is that in order to love others one must first learn to love oneself. This formulation . . . is a license for unremitting self-indulgence, because the quest for self-love is endless" (1993, p.76). Satan must laugh as Americans obsess on self-love and never quite get to loving God or neighbor.

When meeting our own needs becomes the moral standard in all our decisions, marriage suffers, children suffer, communities suffer, eternity suffers. What trend could better fulfill the promised latter day doom:

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (2 Timothy 3:1-2, emphasis added)

God does not provide commandments as an arbitrary test of our willpower. They simply define the path to happiness. That God who created us and gave us Life knows how to bless us. God enjoins marriage, love, service, and unselfishness. Such commandments look like restrictions to the natural man but the spiritual person recognizes them as guides to love, joy, and peace. Truly we can choose misery or we can choose joy.

When we choose to obey Satan he pays us in the currency of his realm: misery. "The devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell" (Alma 30:60). When we obey God, we receive "good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom" (Luke 6:38).

God’s way is always better.

Notes:
Baumeister, R. F. (1991). Meanings of life. New York: Guilford Press.

Hoffman, M. L. (1983). Affective and cognitive processes in moral internalization. In E. T. Higgins, D. N. Ruble, & W. W. Hartup (Eds.), Social cognition and social development: A sociocultural perspective (pp. 236-275). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Krauthammer, C. (1993, June 28). Beware the study of turtles. Time.

Michael, R. T., Gagnon, J. H., Laumann, E. O. & Kolata, G. (1994). Sex in America: A definitive survey. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co.

Smith, J. F. (1998). Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith. S.L.C.: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

----------------------------------------------
H. Wallace Goddard is a son, a husband, a dad, and a grandpa. He works as a Family Life Specialist for the University of Arkansas Extension Service in Little Rock and has written several books and programs including The Frightful and Joyous Journey of Family Life (Bookcraft) and Principles of Parenting (Alabama Cooperative Extension System). He claims to be living proof that a person who makes lots of mistakes can still be blessed with joy beyond any deserving.

SR-71/"The Blackbird" - In early 1960's I saw a strange black plane...my father told me: "You NEVER saw that"...

2008-11-19T23:31:00.000-08:00

In early 1960's my father was scheduled for some Saturday overtime at Edwards AFB. One of the highlights of my young life was being allowed to accompany him on 'slow' days.

This Saturday I would see something I would never forget ...and years later I would finally find out what the strange black plane I saw that day really was!!!

As we were driving across the desert to one of the test ranges - I looked out my window just in time to see a huge black plane being towed out of an isolated hanger.
It was the most fantastic airplane I'd ever seen and it's black color really set it apart!
I asked my dad what kind of plane it was.
He looked at me very seriously and said: "You NEVER saw that"

It wasn't until Lyndon Baines Johnson took it upon himself to break national security that I found out that plane was the super secret: SR-71!

It out ran almost 4,000 missles!!!

PART I of the SR-71 Documentary:

From another observer:

In 1968 (1967?) a SR-71 made an emergency landing at Grand Forks AFB and was "parked" between two B-52 hangers close to the N/S road that paralled the base runway. The aircraft was completely visible to anyone using the road. Immediately after landing, GFAFB security established machine gun "nests" close to the plane. The two man crew could not exit the plane until a C-130 arrived from Edwards AFB with the ground support equipment and aircraft technicians to evacuate the crew and "fix" whatever the problem(s) were. Of course, everyone on the base came to see the 71 and security had to control traffic. After the "fixes" were accomplished (two days?), the 71 exited the base heading north. A few minutes later it returned at a very low altitude at tremendous speed in a fly by. It was awesome and was probably witnessed by about everyone on the base.

Eye candy for people who like airplanes

Grab your beverage and relax for a few minutes of awesome beauty. The SR-71 was the creation of Kelly Johnson, Lockheed, Eisenhower and the Air Force. It was envisioned in the '50s, first flew in the early '60s, retired in the '80s, briefly brought back in the '90s.

In all, 13 units of the single seat A-12 were built, and 32 of the Pilot + Recon two seat SR-71 units were built. Five A-12 were lost, one is stored. Twelve two seaters were lost. The remaining 27 are on display around the USA .. The closest is at Atwater , the old Castle AFB museum at Merced with 50 other classic warplanes. You probably have a better opportunity of viewing the one in San Diego . Ask me and I'll tell you where the others are. NY, OR, OH, DC, etc. I can find most answers to most questions. Just ask. Start

with the 2000+ mph, the 80,000 feet + altitude. More if you wish.

So enjoy. One more thing. The author of the captions to the picture in this video made one misstatement, due to youth. The U-2 Recon aircraft was created in 1955, flew operationally in 1956. Kelly thought the USSR would shoot it down in 18 months. Lucky us, it flew until Gary Powers was downed on 1 May 1960.

But Kelly Johnson already had the go-ahead from Ike for the A-12. It first flew in 1962, JFK kept the manufacture of it active. No one told LBJ, 'cause everyone knew he would spill the secret. He wasn't told til the week after JFK left us. And sure enough, LBJ gave out the secret in a matter of months.

Anyhow, the most interesting, most exciting five years of my life were spent in the program, as a KC-135 refueling pilot. Where the Blackbird went, we went. You will see several refuelings in the following.

Enjoy.

Click here to view the slideshow:

https://webmailcluster.tds.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.greatdanepromilitary.com%252FSR-71%252Findex.htm

For the Museum and more information: click HERE

On the table side by side - The Holy Scriptures and the T.V Guide

2008-11-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

On the table side by side
The Holy Scriptures and the T.V. Guide.

One is well worn, yet cherished with pride,
But that one is not the Scriptures, it's the T.V. Guide.

One is used daily to help folks decide,
No! it isn't the Scriptures, it's the T.V. Guide.

As the pages are turned what shall they see?
Oh! it doesn't matter, just turn on the T.V.

Then confusion is started, for they can't all agree
On what they shall watch on the old T.V.

So they refer to the book in which they all confide
But it isn't the Scriptures, it's the T.V. Guide.

The Word of God is seldom read.
Maybe a verse before they fall into bed.

Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be,
Not from reading the Scriptures, but from watching T.V.

Then back to the table side by side,
The Holy Scriptures and the T.V. Guide.

No time for prayer, No time for the Word.
The plan of salvation is seldom heard.

Forgiveness of sin so full and free
We find in the Scriptures and not on T.V.

(an oldie but goodie - smile)

Scripture Stories Available Online and on DVD

2008-11-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

(a wonderful teaching aid for home and/or class!)

Scripture Stories

Available Online

and on DVD

November 12, 2008 - News from the Church

Scripture Stories

These colorfully illustrated stories from the scriptures are written on a basic reading level for children. They are also a valuable resource for others who may not yet be familiar with the standard works. Select from the items below to access these stories in multiple media formats.

Old Testament Stories

Available as downloadable text, audio, and video, Old Testament Stories contains colorfully illustrated stories from the Old Testament, as well as a map, glossary, and chart of events.

New Testament Stories

Available as downloadable text, audio, and video, New Testament Stories contains illustrated stories from the New Testament, along with a map and glossary for additional reference.

Book of Mormon Stories

Available as downloadable text, audio, and video, Book of Mormon Stories contains illustrated stories from the Book of Mormon, as well as maps, glossaries, and a time line of events.
and/or

Buy Scripture Stories

Buy the scripture stories as books or as a DVD set.

Friend.lds.org

Visit friend.lds.org for coloring pages, children's music, hidden pages, and other Funstuf.

"Freedom Isn't Free" - Veteran's Day 2008

2008-11-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

(See Gallery of Veteran's Day posters of years past)

"Freedom Isn't Free" - A Tribute

Fast Facts:

Veteran’s Day

Veteran’s Day was originally known as Armistice Day, because the eleventh hour of that day—the eleventh of the eleventh month—marked the end of World War I hostilities in 1918. It was renamed in 1954 to commemorate veterans.

Currently there are about 25 million living veterans.

About 48 million Americans have served in the military since 1776.

“Veteran” comes from the Latin vetus, meaning “old.”

Veterans may include anyone who has served in the army, excepting those with dishonorable discharge but including those who may not have seen combat.

Anyone can be...

2008-11-08T03:02:00.000-08:00

RICKROLLED! - SMILE - sometimes you just need to dance!

Animated Korean Dancing Couple

10 Ways to Pray for President Elect Obama

2008-11-06T23:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Kat at: Moms In The Right

10 Ways to Pray for President Elect Obama

Barack H. Obama has been elected by the majority of voters in our nation to be the next President of the United States. Whether we voted for Obama or not, we need to pray for him. Prayer yields amazing results both for the person prayed for and the one who prays.

Here are 10 ways I plan to intercede for him regularly:

1. Pray for Obama’s protection.

We already know that some weird, neo-Nazi fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let’s pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let’s cancel every assassin’s bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.

2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer.

It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for Obama’s wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father.

3. Pray that Obama will govern with God’s wisdom.

God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life, or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that Obama will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon’s tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.

4. Ask God to keep our president humble.

Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington. The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President Obama from the curse of pride.

5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him.

Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political crony-ism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.

6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation.

Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with Obama now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.

7. Pray that Obama will adopt pro-life convictions.

Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950s some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God could soften and change his heart.

8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president.

The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States, and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use Obama as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel.

9. Pray that Obama’s door will remain open to the church.

The loudest voices of secular culture—from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia—would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that Obama, who claims to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will un-apologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.

10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God’s peace and blessing during the Obama administration.

The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God’s will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God’s mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world’s poor and share Christ’s love at home and abroad.
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Posted by Kat at 11:11 AM
Labels: Obama, prayer

FIRST PHOTOS of California's "Bullet Train" !!!

2008-11-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

more animals

DISNEYLAND Spur...

more animals

Back to the REAL world...'It's Only Democracy When Democrats Win'

2008-11-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

If you have any doubts...check the headlines about the Prop.8 'victory'...
Try to find an article or newscast that has anything positive to say!

You won't find the media celebrating the affirmation of the rights of moral people and traditional marriage !

Church Responds to Same-Sex Marriage Votes

2008-11-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

SALT LAKE CITY 5 November 2008 COMMENTARY

Since Proposition 8 was placed on the ballot in June of this year, the citizens of California have considered the arguments for and against same-sex marriage. After extensive debate between those of different persuasions, voters have chosen to amend the California State Constitution to state that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Voters in Arizona and Florida took the same course and amended their constitutions to establish that marriage will continue to be between a man and a woman.

Such an emotionally charged issue concerning the most personal and cherished aspects of life — family, identity, intimacy and equality — stirs fervent and deep feelings.

Most likely, the election results for these constitutional amendments will not mean an end to the debate over same-sex marriage in this country.

We hope that now and in the future all parties involved in this issue will be well informed and act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility toward those with a different position. No one on any side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information.

It is important to understand that this issue for the Church has always been about the sacred and divine institution of marriage — a union between a man and a woman.

Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong. The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches.

Some, however, have mistakenly asserted that churches should not ever be involved in politics when moral issues are involved. In fact, churches and religious organizations are well within their constitutional rights to speak out and be engaged in the many moral and ethical problems facing society. While the Church does not endorse candidates or platforms, it does reserve the right to speak out on important issues.

Before it accepted the invitation to join broad-based coalitions for the amendments, the Church knew that some of its members would choose not to support its position. Voting choices by Latter-day Saints, like all other people, are influenced by their own unique experiences and circumstances. As we move forward from the election, Church members need to be understanding and accepting of each other and work together for a better society.

Even though the democratic process can be demanding and difficult, Latter-day Saints are profoundly grateful for and respect the ideals of a true democracy.

The Church expresses deep appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the many Latter-day Saints and others who supported the coalitions in efforts regarding these amendments.

The Epitome of Dignity and Honor - McCain Concedes

2008-11-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

McCain was the epitome of dignity and honor as he conceded...the highest example of true statesmanship.

"Do me the honor of being my fellow Americans and VOTE"

2008-11-04T02:24:00.000-08:00

Patriotism: Not Quite Dead in the Public Schools yet!

2008-11-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

This arrangement of "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic" is performed by four high school choirs, plus a choir of elementary school children.

The arrangement is deeply moving.
The younger children get the first verse to themselves,then the high schooler students join in.
A small band accompanies the choir.
The soundtrack is taken from a video made by the father of one of the performing students.

To this school district, It's in their honor, this is made,
By: GreatDanePro - Taken from the web site at:

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm

Taken from the website and reproduced by TG Truman
Patriotism: Not Quite Dead in the Public Schools yet!

Kindergarteners don't know what "transgender and bisexual" are and WHY would a Kindergarten Teacher want to teach them...???

2008-10-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

How Does Jewish Tradition View Proposition 8? Look at the Midrash for the Story of Noah, This Week's Torah Portion!

2008-10-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

(Another perspective...Thanks to the "Kosher Hedgehog")

In Jewish tradition, the weekly Torah portion always has special significance for the week in which it is read.
Therefore it is undoubtedly not coincidental that election day, Tuesday, November 4, the day that Proposition 8 appears on the ballot in California, falls out in the week of Parshat Noach, the Torah portion that relates the story of Noah and the Flood.
The Midrash tells us, twice in fact:

"Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Yosef, 'The generation of the Flood was not wiped out until they wrote marriage documents for the union of a man to a male or to an animal.'"--Genesis Rabbah 26:5; Leviticus Rabbah 23:9.

"I know...we should have voted 'Yes' on Prop. 8. I guess we missed the boat on that one."

"A Call to Arms"

2008-10-29T02:13:00.001-07:00

A flag to rally the troops and a call to arms.

"YES on Prop.8" Protect Marriage

"Operation Free Speech"Vigilance and Technology = Arrests

2008-10-27T09:20:00.001-07:00

Enough is enough. Determined proponents of Prop #8 help the police apprehend thieves. Yes (on Prop. 8)

"Yes on Prop. 8"
It's for our Children!!!

"Samuel the Lamanite" says...

2008-10-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

Brian Andre from Irvine created this graphic.

(Brian is also the graphic designer who created the poster of the four candidates for Pres and VP who all said they support traditional marriage)

Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?

2008-10-22T20:43:00.001-07:00

By Orson Scott Card

Note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.

An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America:

I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.

This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration.

It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.

What is a risky loan? It's a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay.

The goal of this rule change was to help the poor — which especially would help members of minority groups. But how does it help these people to give them a loan that they can't repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can't make the payments, they lose the house — along with their credit rating.

They end up worse off than before.

This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people did foresee it. One political party, in Congress and in the executive branch, tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules. The other party blocked every such attempt and tried to loosen them.

Furthermore, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It's as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)

Isn't there a story here? Doesn't journalism require that you who produce our daily paper tell the truth about who brought us to a position where the only way to keep confidence in our economy was a $700 billion bailout? Aren't you supposed to follow the money and see which politicians were benefiting personally from the deregulation of mortgage lending?

I have no doubt that if these facts had pointed to the Republican Party or to John McCain as the guilty parties, you would be treating it as a vast scandal. "Housing-gate," no doubt. Or "Fannie-gate."

Instead, it was Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, both Democrats, who denied that there were any problems, who refused Bush administration requests to set up a regulatory agency to watch over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who were still pushing for these agencies to go even further in promoting sub-prime mortgage loans almost up to the minute they failed.

As Thomas Sowell points out in a TownHall.com essay entitled "Do Facts Matter?" ( http://snipurl.com/457townhall_com ): "Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury."

These are facts. This financial crisis was completely preventable. The party that blocked any attempt to prevent it was ... the Democratic Party. The party that tried to prevent it was ... the Republican Party.

Yet when Nancy Pelosi accused the Bush administration and Republican deregulation of causing the crisis, you in the press did not hold her to account for her lie. Instead, you criticized Republicans who took offense at this lie and refused to vote for the bailout!

What? It's not the liar, but the victims of the lie who are to blame?

Now let's follow the money ... right to the presidential candidate who is the number-two recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae.

And after Freddie Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae who made $90 million while running it into the ground, was fired for his incompetence, one presidential candidate's campaign actually consulted him for advice on housing.

If that presidential candidate had been John McCain, you would have called it a major scandal and we would be getting stories in your paper every day about how incompetent and corrupt he was.

But instead, that candidate was Barack Obama, and so you have buried this story, and when the McCain campaign dared to call Raines an "adviser" to the Obama campaign — because that campaign had sought his advice — you actually let Obama's people get away with accusing McCain of lying, merely because Raines wasn't listed as an official adviser to the Obama campaign.

You would never tolerate such weasely nit-picking from a Republican.

If you who produce our local daily paper actually had any principles, you would be pounding this story, because the prosperity of all Americans was put at risk by the foolish, short-sighted, politically selfish, and possibly corrupt actions of leading Democrats, including Obama.

If you who produce our local daily paper had any personal honor, you would find it unbearable to let the American people believe that somehow Republicans were to blame for this crisis.

There are precedents. Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11, you could not stand the fact that Americans had that misapprehension — so you pounded us with the fact that there was no such link. (Along the way, you created the false impression that Bush had lied to them and said that there was a connection.)

If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression.

Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That's what you claim you do, when you accept people's money to buy or subscribe to your paper.

But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie — that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad — even bad weather — on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.

If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth — even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate.

Because that's what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don't like the probable consequences. That's what honesty means . That's how trust is earned.

Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time — and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing.

Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter — while you ignored the story of John Edwards's own adultery for many months.

So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means?

Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for?

You might want to remember the way the National Organization of Women threw away their integrity by supporting Bill Clinton despite his well-known pattern of sexual exploitation of powerless women. Who listens to NOW anymore? We know they stand for nothing; they have no principles.

That's where you are right now.

It's not too late. You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there.

If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices.

Then you will print them, even though every one of those true stories will point the finger of blame at the reckless Democratic Party, which put our nation's prosperity at risk so they could feel good about helping the poor, and lay a fair share of the blame at Obama's door.

You will also tell the truth about John McCain: that he tried, as a Senator, to do what it took to prevent this crisis. You will tell the truth about President Bush: that his administration tried more than once to get Congress to regulate lending in a responsible way.

This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion.

If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe — and vote as if — President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie.

If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats — including Barack Obama — and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans — then you are not journalists by any standard.

You're just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it's time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a news paper in our city.

This article first appeared in The Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro, North Carolina

Proposition 8: Who's Really Lying?

2008-10-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a press release from Chip White of protectmarriage.com. It is kind of a long read but very revealing as to the opposition's claim that our Ads are full of lies and mis-information. If you got a couple of minutes, read it and let me know what you think.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Proposition 8: Who's Really Lying?Date:
Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:15:38 -0700

Memorandum Contact: Chip White
For Immediate Release
October 16, 2008

Proposition 8: Who’s Really Lying?

Public Records Show Proposition 8 Opponents Want Gay Marriage To Be Taught In Public Schools – ‘The earlier the better.’
Sacramento -- The top issue that has emerged in the Proposition 8 campaign is whether same-sex marriage will be taught in California public schools if the initiative is not enacted.
Opponents of Proposition 8 are spending millions of dollars on television commercials telling voters that the Yes on 8 campaign’s claim that gay marriage will be taught in public schools is a lie.
Yet a review of public records filed with the First District Court of Appeal in Boston shows these same organizations who claim our statement is a lie fought to make it true in Massachusetts. Specifically, they fought to ensure that gay marriage be taught in Massachusetts public schools, even over the objection of parents who sought an “opt out” for their children.
Gay marriage was legalized by Massachusetts courts in 2003.
Further, their assurance that parents can always “opt-out” of such instruction when it is taught is belied by the fact that in Massachusetts, they argued successfully that Massachusetts’ parental opt-out provision should not be permitted.
“These damning public records show that it is in fact the organizations leading and financing the No on 8 campaign who are lying to California voters,” said Yes on 8 campaign manager Frank Schubert.
“On one coast of the country they tell judges that gay marriage should be taught to children in school at the youngest possible age.
But, on the opposite coast, here in California, they have the audacity to tell voters that gay marriage has nothing to do with public schools.”
Lying…who’s really lying?
The Yes on 8 campaign has been airing television and radio commercials factually presenting what happened in Massachusetts where second graders were taught in class about gay marriage using the book, “King and King.”
This book is about a prince who married another prince, and includes an illustrated scene of the two men kissing.
In response, the No on 8 campaign has purchased at least $1.25 million in television time to run an ad that says, “They’re using lies to persuade you…[Prop. 8] will not affect teaching in schools.
Another lie.” (Source: No on Prop. 8 Ad available at www.noonprop8.com)
In the greatest irony, of course, just two days after the No on 8 “Lies” television commercial began airing, a first grade public school class in San Francisco was taken on a field trip to a lesbian wedding at City Hall, officiated by Mayor Gavin Newsom.
School officials said they wished to provide their five and six year old students a “teachable moment.”
It should also be noted that the day after the first Yes on 8 ads began running, the Los Angeles Times reported that "Newsom called the (Yes on 8) ad 'classic distraction' and misleading."
Ten days later, he officiated at the above-mentioned and now infamous field trip.
“Not only do the organizations leading the No on 8 campaign want gay marriage, under the guise of ‘diversity,’ taught in public schools, they believe it is important to teach it at the earliest possible age,” Schubert said.
Massachusetts begins its “diversity education” to five year old children in kindergarten.
According to legal records on file with the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, Massachusetts in the case Parker v. Hurley (514 F.3d 87 (1st Cir.2008)),
some of the very organizations who are funding and driving the No on 8 campaign have argued vociferously that gay marriage should be taught in the public schools under the guise of “diversity,”
and any attempt to prohibit such instruction –
or to permit parents to opt their children out of it – must be stopped.
The following are statements filed in amicus curiae briefs in Parker v. Hurley.
The statements show how organizations leading the No on 8 campaign are lying to California voters when they say gay marriage will not be taught in California public schools.
From the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Amicus Curiae Brief: “In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where the right of same-sex couples to marry is protected under the state constitution, it is particularly important to teach children about families with gay parents.”
[p 5]“Diversity education is most effective when it begins during the students’ formative years.
The earlier diversity education occurs, the more likely it is that students will be able to educate their peers, thereby compounding the benefits of this instruction.”
[p 3](Note: The ADL is a leading member of the No on 8 campaign, and publicly announced they had joined the campaign opposing Proposition 8 on September 9, 2008.)
From the Human Rights Campaign Amicus Curiae Brief:
“There is no constitutional principle grounded in either the First Amendment’s free exercise clause or the right to direct the upbringing of one’s children, which requires defendants to either remove the books now in issue –
or to treat them as suspect by imposing an opt-out system.” [pp1-2]
“In short, there can be no serious dispute that the books in issue are both age-appropriate and reflect the growing diversity of American families.” [p 9]
“Lexington’s selection of the [three] books…for inclusion in its curriculum is firmly rooted in the long-recognized tradition of public schools as a place for disseminating the knowledge and information that helps to foster understanding between diverse groups and individuals for the overall benefit of society.” [p 13]
(Note: The Human Rights Campaign has organized one of the largest recipient committees to oppose Proposition 8.
The committee, Human Rights Campaign CA Marriage PAC (ID# 1307246) has received more than $2.2 million in contributions (as of 10/8/08), including over $100,000 from the Human Rights Campaign itself in non-monetary contributions.
The committee has funneled over $2 million of its funds to No on 8, Equality for All (ID# 1259396), the main No on Proposition 8 campaign committee.)
From the ACLU Amicus Curiae Brief:“Specifically, the parents in this case do not have a constitutional right to override the professional pedagogical judgment of the school with respect to the inclusion within the curriculum of the age-appropriate children’s book…King and King.” [p 9]
“This court has astutely recognized that a broad right of a parent to opt a child out of a lesson would fatally compromise the ability of a school to provide a meaningful education, a conclusion that holds true regardless of the age of the child or the nature of the belief.” [p 18]
“First, a broad right of a parent to opt a child out of a lesson would subject a school to a staggering administrative burden…
Second, in contravention of the axiom that ‘the classroom is peculiarly the ‘marketplace of ideas’’ [citations], a broad right of a parent to opt a child out of a lesson would chill discussion in the classroom…
Third, the coming and goings of those children who have been opted out of lessons would be highly disruptive to the learning environment.
Moreover, such comings and goings would fatally undermine the lessons that schools teach the other students.”
[pp 22-23](Note: The Northern California Chapter of the ACLU has also formed a Proposition 8 opposition committee:
No on Prop 8, Campaign for Marriage Equality, a project of the ACLU of Northern California (ID# 1308178).
This committee has collected $1.6 million in contributions (as of 10/8/08), including more than $70,000 from the ACLU of northern California, as well as $8,000 from the ACLU Foundation.
This committee has contributed $1,250,000 to No on 8, Equality for All (ID# 1259396), the main No on Proposition 8 campaign committee.)
These are the facts.
This is the truth about the calculated efforts to deliver gay marriage into our public school classrooms, against the wishes of the people of our state.
Voters may differ about how they feel about gay marriage, but there is no disputing that the organizations funding and leading the No on Proposition 8 campaign have already revealed, in their own words, their desire to impose this subject on children in the public schools –
‘whether you like it or not.’

###

Northern & Central California (Sacramento Press Office): Chip White
Los Angeles & Southern California: Sonja Eddings Brown
Protect Marriage, 915 L Street, # C-259, Sacramento, CA 95814
To be removed from our mailing list, please send an email to info@ProtectMarriage.com.
For more information, visit http://www.protectmarriage.com/
Paid for of California Renewal. 915 L Street, #C-259, Sacramento, CA 95814.
Major funding by Knights of Columbus, National Organization for Marriage California Committee and Focus on the Family.

cute..CUTE! Hats - Scarves - fingerless Gloves

2008-10-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

That little nip in the air gives us just cause to bring out our favorite CUTE Hats, Scarves and even fingerless Gloves!

Yarnlovertn - Custom Knit and Crochet Accessories
is just the place to shop!

I LOVE Pumpkin! - 2 Great Recipes

2008-10-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU! Crystal at "Everyday Food Storage"!!!
Wonderful! Wonderful! recipes!

Out of This World Pumpkin Cookies

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies

2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 C. Oats (quick, uncooked)
1 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Salt
3/4 C. Butter
1 C. Firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C. Sugar
1 Egg (1 T. dry powdered egg + 2 T. Water)
1 t. Vanilla
1 C. Pumpkin
1 t. Pumpkin Pie Seasoning
1/2-1 C. Butterscotch or Chocolate Chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degress.
Cream the butter, add the sugars (beat together until fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Alternate between dry ingredients and pumpkin.
Add chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls and bak for 10-12 minutes.
------------------------------------------------

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 egg whites (or 2 T. dryPowdered Egg + 1/4 C. Water)
1/2 cup fat-free milk (1-1/2 T. Dry Powdered Milk + 1/2 C. Water)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
2-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350ºF.
Grease a nonstick 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
Mix pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 3 of the egg whites, milk and oil in large bowl.
Add flour, baking powder, pie spice and salt; stir just until moistened.

SPOON the pumpkin batter into prepared pan.

BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 5 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Run knife or thin spatula around edges of pan to loosen bread;
cool in pan on wire rack 10 min.
Remove bread from pan to wire rack;
cool completely.

6 Questions - Tag

2008-10-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

"Editorializing" comes easy - answering personal questions is always very hard for me! - LOL

1) Six places that I go to over and over:
my Tempur-pedic and 1 of 2 comfy chairs - giggle

2) Six people who e-mail me regularly:
DH, jarca(my sister Rachael), Bro. Ewer (best jokes! LOL), DIL Miglet, all my kids and grandkids - smile

3) Six of my favorite places to eat:
Home (DH is a GREAT cook!), Arby's Mozzarella sticks; delivery from Pizza Hut or Chinese, occasionally The Lodge (their Prime Rib is to die for!) and El Charro's

4) Six places I would rather be right now:
at the Temple; someplace nice with DH; at my sister's; in the mountains; Wal-Mart/Costco(giggle); just driving

5) Six people I think will respond:
I think all my peeps are ahead of me!

6) Six TV shows I watch:
anything on HGTV; Jon and Kate + 8; 17 and Counting; The Closer; Burn Notice; Top Chef

Why California NEEDS to Vote YES on Prop 8!

2008-10-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

What happened in Massachusetts will happen here, too!

Please take the 7 minutes to view this video.
It shows first hand what will happen to parents' rights if we don't amend the California constitution to state that marriage is between a man and a woman.

California already voted on this issue and the people have spoken...
but four judges with personal agendas decided they knew better???!!!

Whether we like it or not, we have to fight YET AGAIN.
Please vote YES ON PROP 8!

Thank you, Megan

The Home Is the Most Significant Classroom

2008-10-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

thoughts from: Family Gems

The Home Is the Most Significant Classroom

"Perhaps most significant of all classrooms is the classroom of the home.
It is in the home that we form our attitudes, our deeply held beliefs.
It is in the home that hope is fostered or destroyed.
Our homes are the laboratories of our lives.
What we do there determines the course of our lives when we leave home.
Dr. Stuart E. Rosenberg wrote in his book The Road to Confidence,
'Despite all new inventions and modern designs, fads and fetishes, no one has yet invented, or will ever invent, a satisfying substitute for one's own family.' "

Thomas S. Monson, "Precious Children--A Gift from God," Ensign, Nov. 1991, 68

Behind the BURST of the HOUSING BUBBLE

2008-10-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

OR -"Julie is NOT a very happy person today!!"

Could YOU get a home loan today???
Do you want to know really why you might not be able to?!

Please watch this video to the end.
It may (or may not) change your mind...

Thank megs - ((HUGS))

Why I will Vote YES on California's Prop. 8

2008-10-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Bill May is the chairman of Catholics for the Common
Good, a nonpartisan Catholic organization focusing on issues related to the
social teachings of the Catholic Church. He wrote a wonderful article in the San
Francisco Chronicle that I would like you to read. It is titled "Prop. 8
protects rights of those who support traditional marriage".

Bill May

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Proposition #8 isn't just about the
rights of loving and committed gay couples.
If that were the issue, Proposition 8 wouldn't be on the state ballot. All
Californians respect the right of gay couples to live the lifestyle they choose
and to enjoy the same legal protections of every citizen. California's laws,
including our expansive domestic partnership statutes, already provide every
legal right to gay couples that are provided to married spouses.

The
California Supreme Court's ruling last May gave birth to a broader perspective
on same-sex marriage, and that is how it affects the rest of society. That's why
Proposition 8 is on the ballot, and that is why we are working hard to pass it.

If the California Supreme Court's ruling is not overturned, then the
consequences facing voters are serious and real. First, it was wrong for a
narrow majority of the court to ignore the decision of more than 61 percent of
the electorate, more than 4 million voters, who decided that marriage should be
as it always has been - between a man and a woman. To ignore the will of the
voters, the court should find in unequivocal terms that the voters have done
something they cannot legally do. That was not the case here. This case hotly
divided the court and resulted in a narrow decision to overturn the voters' will
- not because what voters did was legally wrong, but because four judges decided
to change the meaning of the law to suit their own views.

Second, the
court elevated same-sex marriage to the highest legal class possible: a
protected class. That means when the rights of people opposed to same-sex
marriage on moral or religious grounds conflict with the rights of same-sex
couples, the courts will almost always side with same-sex couples because of the
protected class status conferred by the state Supreme Court. Even expressing a
view in opposition to same-sex marriage often exposes people to personal attack,
ostracism, and even threats of loss of employment for standing for what they
understand to be true about marriage.

This goes beyond acceptance and
tolerance. Many supporters of Proposition 8 are already experiencing these
pressures to some extent, but the ruling of the court clears the way for
lawsuits and further legislation to penalize people who do not cooperate with
the desires of same-sex couples.

Finally, perhaps the most profound
consequence will be to our children. California law provides for the teaching of
children about marriage. Under the court's ruling, they would have to be taught
that there is no distinction between the same-sex marriage and traditional
marriage, and it would be discriminatory to view them otherwise. This interferes
with a parent's right to teach their children the true meaning of marriage,
which is important to their futures. This is the case in Massachusetts, which
also legalized same-sex marriage. In one recent and famous case, a teacher
taught a second-grade class using a book recounting the story of a prince
marrying another prince, rather than a princess. Instructing young children
about same-sex marriage in school undermines the rights of parents to approach
this subject with their children on their own timetable and according to their
family's values and beliefs, religious or otherwise. This is a major concern to
California parents.

These are the issues that are fueling the views of
voters on this crucial issue. It is no wonder that supporters in every corner of
California are preparing to make their voices heard. Everything we as a people
hold dear is on the ballot.

Election 2008

To read The
Chronicle's endorsements on Prop. 8 and others on the Nov. 4 general election
ballot, go to sfgate.com/campaign2008/

Bill May

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on...

2008-09-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

The announcement that a new little spirit is coming to join the family is a reminder that...

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. "

Carl Sandburg

US biographer & poet (1878 - 1967)

I have permission to say...

2008-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

a little bird told me grandbaby number 20 is on the way -

...too TOO Cute not to share!

2008-09-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

an important message - but such a cute way to share it - bless the good daddy's everywhere - smile

(Thank you, Aimee for sharing this! ((HUGS))

"Blargon" - I think I may be a "blurker"...

2008-09-25T04:35:00.000-07:00

I think...I am a blurker!

I blog lurk...I admit it...and that is called blurking.

We have all our friends and family listed on the sides of our blogs...and - I click on the links!

----------------------------------------------------------
"Blargon"

Kel Richards writes:

In his New York Times column “On Language” William Safire recently referred to “blargon” – by which he meant blogger’s jargon – the jargon used by bloggers about their blogs.

It turns out that a “blurker” is someone who lurks on a blog: a blog lurker is a “blurker”.

I’ve reported in the past on some of the jargon words that have developed around weblogs (or “blogs”) and those who write them (“bloggers”). For instance, I recently mentioned “blook” – this being a book based on a blog. Now I come across one that is new to me – “blurker”. It turns out that a “blurker” is someone who lurks on a blog: a blog lurker is a “blurker”. Someone who reads many blogs but leaves no evidence of himself behind, or reads an online forum conversation without making a contribution, is a “blurker”.

The word is recorded in the third edition of Paul Dickson’s book “Slang: The Topical Dictionary of Americanisms.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've learned a LOT by blurking!

One of my dear friends won the sweetest dress ever for her little Granddaughter because of a contest I read about on another blog!

I've gotten some of the BEST recipes by blurking.

And I've found that the friends of my friends - not to mention the friends of my children's friends - are some of the nicest people!!!

Hmmm - maybe I'm not a true blurker - because sometimes I do post - I just have to say "Thank you" for the recipe or share a ((hug)) - and - I hope you don't mind - SMILE

Emergency Preparedness - to Go !What happens if an Emergency strikes when you aren't home...

2008-09-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Emergency Preparedness to Go
by Heather Beutler
Saturday, August 30, 2008

So, you have your neatly organized year supply of food and well-stocked 72-hour kits at your house. But what happens if you're not at home when the worst happens?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disaster can happen at any time, in any place-and you and your family might not be at home when catastrophe strikes. There may not be a way to access your food storage or emergency supplies, so it is vital that you have some type of an emergency kit for each place where members of your family spend a signifi cant amount of time.

School Kits
Schools have emergency plans to help keep your children safe. How much do you know about them? It is a good idea to contact your school district to find out what their plans for an emergency situation include. Make sure you know your district's policy concerning how your children will be released from the school in an emergency, so you can designate a meeting spot to join them.

You can also help your children prepare a mini-disaster kit to keep in their desk or locker at school. This kit would be extremely helpful if your children are ever stranded or trapped inside the school, or if the school ever needs to be evacuated. They would have access to some necessities until help could arrive, and have an extra source of comfort to help get them through the crisis. This kit could include some of the following items:

• Compact emergency blanket
• Flashlight
• Food
• Water
• Condensed first-aid kit
• Identification card
• Contact information
• Their favorite comic book

This kit should be tailored to fit the specific needs of your children. If they are not comic book fans, substitute something else that could help them combat the stress and boredom that accompany emergency situations. Some children might also want a small toy to be included in their kit, and some might want an extra candy bar or two. Talk to your children about the kinds of things they think they would want in an emergency situation and include as many of their requests as possible. It is a good idea to contact your school district to find out what their plans for an emergency situation include.

Having said that, remember that this kit will need to be compact and contain only the essentials. It needs to be light enough that your child will be able to carry it for long periods of time without difficulty. It also needs to be small enough to fit inside a locker or desk without taking up too much room.

Similarly, it's a good idea for adults who work outside of the home to keep a small emergency kit at their place of employment.

Car Kits
Your car should be a bastion of emergency preparedness. If your car breaks down or you get lost in a remote area, would you have access to the supplies you need to survive? If you need to quickly evacuate your home, would there be enough basic provisions in your car to sustain you?

Your car kit should include water and food. Remember the temperature in your car changes drastically everyday, so choose food items that won't be damaged. Make sure you have a basic first-aid kit and enough blankets to keep everyone in your family warm. In addition to these essential supplies, your car kit should include the following:

• Flares and reflective triangles
• Flashlight or chemical light stick
• Emergency power source
• Tools to cut through seatbelts or break windows
• Fire extinguisher
• Heavy-duty rope
• Hand sanitizer and soap
• AM/FM radio with multiple sources of power
• Cell phone

If you are unable to contact help with your cell phone, tie a bright cloth (preferably red) to your antenna. This is generally recognized as a plea for assistance and can help rescuers find you. Try signaling for help using any other method you can think of: flares, lights, whistles, etc.

In addition to an emergency kit, you should always be supplied with some basic car-care necessities.

• Jumper cables
• Car repair kit and tools
• Map and compass

Customize your car kit to fit your family. Try to anticipate any special needs or circumstances that you may need to be prepared for. For babies you'll want extra diapers, formula, and blankets, while small children will need extra snacks and a source of entertainment. Consider allergies or chronic illnesses within your family and include any appropriate medications.

College Kits
Between books, tuition, and rent, money is stretched a little too thin for most students to devote much thought to beginning a food storage supply or an emergency preparedness kit, but it is still important that they have quick access to emergency supplies. If you have sons or daughters leaving the nest for school this year, help prepare a kit for them to take to campus this fall.

Young adults living on their own for the first time probably won't have enough space to store an extensive collection of emergency supplies. The kit you put together needs to be something they can keep under their bed or in a closet at their apartment or dorm. Young adults also usually don't have funds to replenish a lot of perishable goods or to keep up anything too elaborate. Keep the kits simple, including only basic supplies:

• Essentials: three-day supply of food and water and a good first-aid kit
• Clothing: jacket or coat, raincoat or poncho, and extra clothing, underwear, and socks
• Bedding: blankets or a sleeping bag, an extra set of sheets, and plastic ground cloth
• Lighting: flashlight, batteries, candles, waterproof matches, lighter, and flares
• Tools: pocketknife, radio, can opener, utensils, dishes, sturdy rope, and duct tape
• Hygiene Supplies: toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, soap, hand sanitizer, shampoo, dish soap, feminine hygiene products, sunscreen, and basic and prescription medications
• Personal Documents: scriptures, patriarchal blessing, legal documents, identification, insurance policies, and vaccination papers
• Money: cash and credit cards
• Miscellaneous: prepaid phone cards, pen and paper, bags and containers

Some of these supplies will need to be rotated or replenished throughout the year. In the winter, sweaters, gloves, and hats should be included in the kit, while during warmer times of the year, a small supply of light clothing should be sufficient. Remind your students to keep everything updated.

It doesn't take too much to piece these kinds of kits together. Start compiling things for them today. Being prepared will help you and your family face the uncertain future with a sense of courage and peace of mind.

LDS Living, July/August 2008, 81-82

Do you know the "Seven Wonders of the World"???

2008-09-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

"I Love to See the Temple..."

2008-09-21T02:17:00.000-07:00

The "Hubby tag" made me think about - where it all began...

We were married for "Time and All Eternity" - July 8, 1961 -

in the Los Angeles Temple

of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Lovely thoughts for the Sabbath

SLIDE SHOW OF 126 LDS TEMPLES
...... BEAUTIFUL

It takes about 14 minutes to view all 126 temples,
they are beautiful!!!!
Be sure to put your screen on full view.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/slideshow/

Hubby Tag!

2008-09-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hubby Tag!
This challenge came from Aimee's blog -

I don't know whether to thank her
(we really need to take the time to appreciate each other more often - smile)
or
freak (I am very private - yikes)

1) Where did you meet? (the first time):
The very first time I saw him was working to get an "MMen & Gleaner" (now Single Adults) Conference set up - when we were all part of the Palmdale Stake (1967) - (my friends love to remind me that I told them "if there was anyone I could marry - it was him" before we even dated - LOL - what an "Attitude")

2) How long did you date before you were married?:
We dated 3 months - then were engaged for 3 months before we got married - smile

3) How long have you been married?:
41 years! (July 8, 1967)

4) What does he do that surprises you?:
He gets right down with the Grandkids to play with them - SMILE - they love to play with Grandpa!

5) What is your favorite feature about him?
He has an amazing aura of comfort and strength about him.

6) What is your favorite quality about him?:
As demanding as he is of himself - I'm always amazed at how very patient he is with others!

7) Does he have a nickname for you?:
"Mutti" (it's German from his Mission to Austria)

8) What is his favorite color?:
cyan - a light blue (like the background of his website http://hallcw1.u.yuku.com/)

9) What is his favorite food?:
I know he really likes a good pie - smile

10) What is his favorite sport?
Probably Tennis right now (to watch) and swimming (to do) - he Lettered in most sports.

11) Who said "I love you" first?
Probably me - chuckle - blush

12) When and where was your first kiss?:
I'm embarassed to say ... I don't remember

13) What is your favorite thing to do together?:
Quiet things...now days - smile

14) How old is he?:
He looks much younger than his 68 years (March 31, 1940)

15) Do you have any kids?:
LOL - 10!!! - 5 sons and 5 daughters - smile

16) What is a hidden talent he has?
He makes Giant Cinnamon rolls that are to die for!

17) What is his favorite type of music?
He loves to sing!

18) What do you admire most about him?:
He has a fantastic Gospel and Scriptural background!!!

19) Do you think he is going to read this?
He doesn't even know I have this website - yet - giggle
(he is sooooooooooo busy right now with genealogy - seminary - and Prop. 8!!!)

How to 'Peel' Hard-Boiled Eggs Without Peeling

2008-09-20T01:43:00.000-07:00

(I don't know if I have the energy to blow an egg out - but it is certainly fun to watch!)

Warning: Video contains mild profanity, parental guidance suggested.

Hard-boiled eggs can be annoying and time consuming to peel. In this video, master of time management Tim Ferris (author of the great book, The Four Hour Work Week), demonstrates how easy it is to get the egg without having to peel it!Instructions:Cover the eggs with water and boil on low for about 12 minutesCool the eggs by placing them in cold water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ice. The baking soda raises the pH level and reduces adherence. If you choose not to use baking soda, be sure to move the eggs into cold water with plenty of ice immediately after boilingCrack the top of the egg and remove a small pieceCrack the bottom (wide end) of the egg and remove a small pieceHold the egg in your hand and blow vigorously into the narrow end of the egg, which will expel it out the wide endDoesn’t get much easier than that! Just be ready to catch it when it comes out…For tips and guidelines on selecting the freshest and healthiest eggs, please see the links listed under Related Articles.Sources:Four Hour Work Week July 2, 2008

Which Sports Car Are You???

2008-09-18T16:12:00.002-07:00

I'm a Ford Mustang!

You're an American classic -- fast, strong, and bold. You're not snobby or pretentious, but you have what it takes to give anyone a run for their money.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.