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Friday, November 28, 2008

Some basic respect, please, for other people and their things.

Spent the day at my husband's place of working doing lunch for them. I saw a lovely rusty orange microfiber sofa that I would love to have, or give to one of my children. It was contemporary, very pretty and warm feeling.
Just happened to notice while I was there that one of the customers had taken off her children's shoes and was letting them jump on the mattresses! These are mattresses that belong to the retail establishment in which she is shopping. Same customer had earlier been letting her children push strollers around into furniture and appliances.
I read an article years ago called "Those Poor People and Their Poor Ways". I'm sure I have bored people to death with discussing parts of that article, but really, how can a person treat anyones property that way? How would you like to be the person who bought a mattress that someone else's children had been playing on? How can you justify treating your own property so poorly that you break it down as soon as you have it?
My church used to have a maxim: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." In spite of some recent evidence to the contrary, I do agree with that maxim. We have too many products that cannot be repaired if they break down. We have too many poorly made things. And we treat our property with such casual disregard that things have to be replaced much too often.
I love the clearance store because I love a bargain and can't help but love the idea of buying a leather couch that is brand new for 1/2 off because someone didn't like a little scratch in it. It was going to get a scratch within minutes of being in the house anyway.
However, it wasn't going to get the scratch from the way I treat it. I take care of my things. (and I vow here and now to take better care of my things in the future.)

Monday, November 24, 2008

Family History work

We had a follow up fireside last night regarding the regional conference and temple week we had in September. Some amazing promises were made to us by our Stake President and we heard reports of some of the experiences members of our stake had in trying to follow the word of our priesthood leader. Too sacred to tell, but just let me say, when you are told to do something, and you follow through, fabulous things happen.
Get out of debt. Get food and other emergency storage. Get a financial storage (ie: save money!!!!) and most of all, attend the temple. Be spiritually prepared for the things that may come in the future. Do as the Lord says and trust in Him, and things will be ok.

Time in the woods.

Last week some friends invited us to spend the weekend with them at their cabin near Bear Lake in Idaho. We have a wonderful, relaxing time hiking, playing games, watching movies and of course, visiting with our friends. We have a lot of fun when we travel with friends.
Unfortunately, in this case we met up with a bad traffic accident wherein a propane truck dumped on the freeway. We were stuck in traffic for a good three hours.
Their cabin is very nice. I didn't take the best pictures, lighting was either too bright because of the sunshine or too dark without. Still, I thought I would show you a few. This is the living room.
This is a shot of the exterior.
This is the bedroom we stayed in.
This is a shot of the kitchen.
Here are the stairs up to the loft.
Look how cute the doors to the bathroom cabinets are.
This is the bed in the master bedroom. It is bigger than it looks. I couldn't fit the whole thing onto my screen.
This is a view of the lake from the main floor deck. Views were beautiful even in the late fall. We did wake to find a skiff of snow on this deck Sunday morning.
This is the wrap around seating on the lower deck.
This is a rather poor shot of the lower level bonus room. The cabin has three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a large bonus room, a two car garage, kitchen with dining area and living room area, and three decks - the main deck wrapping around three sides. The Idea of a cabin at the lake is a wonderful one. I'd love to own such a thing. However, these cabins are more homes, with furnaces and electricity, water, sewer, and propane gas. Also they cost as much as a home in town. I couldn't justify that for a recreational property. Still, we had a great time. Their cabin is for sale if anyone is interested. E-mail me and I'll pass on your interest.

It was a great weekend with friends and I am thankful to them for inviting us along.
The futon in the loft.
A too early in the morning view of the lake.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Barack


I gotta say, I am rather excited about the idea of our first 'black' president. I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it on my own. I am not the type to vote for, or not vote for a person based on their 'race', or 'color'. However, after watching how very excited the black population is about this whole thing, I think we do need to have a person of color as president, finally.
I guess I don't understand the whole feeling picked on because of race thing. I once saw an interview with Brian Gumball (?is that the name?) and the interviewer asked how he would feel if a waitress slammed his plate down in front of him. He said he would think she didn't like blacks. I thought then, and I think now, that it would be much more likely that she was having a bad day, or that she was just rude. There is, after all, plain meanness. I live among a people who love all races and my church teaches that we are all children of God, so, most of us don't notice color except for interest sake.
On the other hand, I am the type of person who votes for someone because I agree with their ideals. I am a fiscal conservative who has voted independently all of my life. I was very unhappy about all of our choices because the history of democrats is to spend our money for programs and lately the republicans have put us miles deeper into debt.
Government is not your daddy. When you receive money from any government program it is being paid for by the guy next door. No problem if there is true need. As in; truly unable to work. But way too many of those monies go to the simply lazy. Everyone in this country has the opportunity to receive a high school education for 'free'. The rest of us should not spend our lives trying to pay for the choices of those who couldn't be bothered to get at least a high school education. We should not spend our lives paying for the needs of those who would rather get high, play around, or do a million other things rather than take care of their own responsibilities.
So, my hope is that our new president will think of all the citizens of this and not just switch to a lot of new programs. I am very concerned about the taxes and expenditures he may implement. But. . . . . I would so like to see him be a great president. We so need a great president!
So, good luck and may God bless Barack Obama.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Investment tips for our time (cheerfully stolen from someone else)

With all the turmoil in the market today and the collapse of Lehman Bros and Acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America this might be some good advice. For all of you with any money left, be aware of the next expected mergers so that you can get in on the ground floor and make some BIG bucks.

Watch for these consolidations in the near future:

1.) Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and WR Grace Co. will merge and become: Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.

2.) Polygram Records, Warner Bros., and Zesta Crackers join forces and become:
Poly, Warner, Cracker.

3.) 3M will merge with Goodyear and become: MMMGood

4.) Zippo Manufacturing, Audi Motors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining will merge and become: ZipAudiDoDa.

5.) FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become: FEDUP

6.) Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become:
Fairwell Honeychild.

7.)Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to become: PouponPants.

8.) Knotts Berry Farm and the National Organization of Women will become: KnottNOW.

and finally. . . . .

9.) Victoria's Secret and Smith & Wesson will merge under the new name: TittyTittyBangBang.

(sorry about that last one but it was funny, if crass. We all need a laugh.)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Finding Joy


Quote: "This is our one and only chance at mortal life - here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey - now."
This was the quote read to me today by my VT's. My first thought was of my daughters mission, where they often used the line "Got Joy?' to lift each other up. They even had 'joy wands' so they could bestow joy upon one another.
I really have up days and down days and pain gets in the way more than it should sometimes, but I must say, I really do love working in the yard, planting flowers and watching them grow, planting vegetables and weeding them (notice I didn't say in harvesting them), raking leaves and feeding the soil with them, knitting and giving what I have knit to someone. I even enJOY washing the dishes. Sometimes, the things that I don't like are only un-fun because I am alone. Yesterday my son and I were mudding sheetrock, sanding, and painting. Ok, I always like painting, but I am really bad with sheetrock. I can do anything else in regards to building better that I can mud. But, because my son was working there in the same room it was fun.
Enjoy your journey today, whatever it may be.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Crazy 8s

8 TV shows I like:
1. CSI
2. Gilmore Girls (I still see them in reruns)
3. Ghost Whisperer
4. House
5. Fringe
6. Pushing Daisies
7. Numbers
8. Blog Cabin (DIY)

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Cafe Rio
2. Market Street Grill
3. Sages
4. Lemon Tree
5. Chilis
6. Wingers
7. Sweet Tomatoes
8. Garden Cafe (at Thanksgiving Point)

8 Things I did yesterday
1. sanded sheetrock mud
2. primed the wall
3. got my bike brakes fixed
4. exercised at the pool (I don't really swim, I do pool aerobics)
5. painted the wall
6. finished a hat for Adopt a Stocking
7. swept, swept, swept the garage
8. exercised a lot

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Christmas
2. finishing my house renovations
3. finishing my handmade Christmas items
4. losing some weight
5. getting in better shape (I am working on the last two, but boy is it slow)
6. tilling leaves into the garden
7. redesigning my garden pool
8. putting my sewing room back together so I can sew! (it is the staging area for all other renovation work)

8 Things I love about this fall:
1. How long it stayed warm!
2. Actually harvesting all the grapes
3. Getting most of the fall yard work done (with youngest son's help)
4. Watching all the leaves turn color
5. Nearly two months worth of PERFECT days
6. No need for furnace yet!
7. Feeling better than the last two years (maybe I am finally getting over it all)
8. Walking outside

8 Things on my wish list
1. Other than wishing to be skinny and rich, (don't we all?) I don't really need much except some very sacred things I'd rather not say in public.

I tag Chrys, Jennifer B, Lily, AJ, and Shannie Liz

Sunday, November 2, 2008

For the good of the Nation

I've tried to say very little about the election. I can get way too caught up in politics and I am trying to become a kinder, gentler, more spiritual person so . . . . . Talk about being of two minds. I am so torn. I really don't believe either of our choices for president is good for the country. In fact, I don't think either party is good for the country. Politics has become so much about power - their personal power and party power, and so little about the good of the nation. No one in power really cares about the American people. Mostly, I think ethics, personal and political, have gone by the way side. I think we really, really need a return to the Constitution and to real values, such as honesty and integrity. To doing things for the greater good. We really need to stop the constant spending, spending spending without the funds to back it. We are so terribly in debt and no one seems to think about putting the brakes on. It is all so very depressing.