Guaranteed to Make You Smile!

Even if you are a grump, this will make you smile. And I really needed to smile today!

A Wonderful Mother

We are way down south in Dixie, visiting our daughter, her husband and their two sons. We drove down last Saturday and will be here a few more days.
We participated in their family home evening Monday, which was much more structured than anything we managed when our kids were young. Their six year old conducted the meeting, and even, when prompted, welcomed the visitors! LOL
Every morning, during breakfast they've read scriptures together. The oldest boy just turned 10 and is in the 4th grade. He reads above his grade level, but then so did his mom, his dad and his uncle. Genetics may have something to do with it. The youngest just turned 6 and is in kindergarten. He also is able to read from the New Testament. I am just amazed.
Mom was reading the parable of the creditor who forgave the 50 pence and the 500 pence debts. Jesus asked Peter which one was more grateful. She stopped and asked the boys if they understood and to teach them compared it to them owing money... who would be more grateful.
The older boy said, I know what that's about. The creditor is Jesus, and the debts are sins. And when he forgave the debts, he was forgiving their sins. You could have knocked me over with a feather!
My daughter is a wonderful mother!!!

Six Destructive Ds

Elder Kevin W Pearson spoke in the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference. His topic was "Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ". A portion of his talk was devoted to the things that impede development of that faith, the six destructive Ds.

• Doubt - a lack of confidence, inconsistent with our divine identity as children of God
• Discouragement - comes from missed expectations
• Distraction - a lack of focus
• Diligence, the lack of - a reduced commitment to being true and faithful
• Disobedience - choosing to turn from what's right
• Disbelief - hardening one's heart against truth

Distraction and the lack of diligence are natural to mortal life. The six don't have to lead to each other, although they frequently do. But distraction and the lack of diligence track me like hounds. Combined, don't they mean procrastination? That comes natural to me too! LOL

I Have A Plan

The president asked that if others had a plan for the budget , to let him know. I have a plan.

1. Cut business taxes to 12%. Businesses do not pay taxes, they pass them on. Tax is a cost of doing business. They are either passed on to customers in the form of higher prices or lower quality, passed on to employees in the form of layoffs, lower salaries or higher production rates, or taken from stockholders in the form of lower dividends. We have the second highest corporate tax rate in the Western world. It needs to drop like a stone.
2. Allow health care insurers to sell across state lines. Let them treat the entire nation as one large "group". Require that they cover pre-existing conditions and catastrophic illness. Continue Medicaid to cover needs based people. Eliminate employer based health insurance. By using the nation as a group, prices will be lower than stopping sales at the state line. Employers will be able to pay their cost of insurance directly to the employees. They will also save the cost of administration of insurance, allowing prices to fall, salaries to increase or dividends to raise.
3. Drill here, drill now! Expand current forms of energy production. Just the announcement will panic OPEC and force them to keep prices at least as low as they are now. They will hope we go slow and continue to import from them for several years. Have research into alternative sources of energy proceed, but don't invent "green" jobs. Let the market determine the rate of growth.
4. Keep the Bush tax cuts in place until passage of the FairTax. In addition to it's other advantages, the Fair Tax will solve the funding issue for Social Security and Medicare.
5. Did I mention, no more bailouts!! No more federal interference with business.
6. Have all departments of the federal government audited by Clark Howard and Herman Cain.
7. Eliminate all programs that are not authorized by the Constitution of the United States of America.

I think I'm done for now. But in case you haven't seen this.... enjoy!

Lemonade Award

My good friend Nancy nominated me for this award. I love awards you can be nominated for, but don't actually have to win, but still claim! LOL

I don't usually think of myself as a making lemonade from the lemons life hands you type. However, just now I was watching the news conference and realized that I will be making lemonade for the next few years. Y'all stop by for a cup, it'll cost you a quarter! (A girl's got to make a living!)

I know so many who have already been awarded this prize..... and so many more who deserve it. I can't choose, the pressure's too much, you can't make me!

So, if you had a bad year, a bad month, a bad week or a bad day; or if you watched the news conference, you are nominated! Grab the prize and go for it!

Swashbucklers, Away!

Have you seen this one yet? It is FanTasTic!!

Evidently Not A Stroke

My neighbor is doing well today; his wife and I went down to visit with him this morning. He has completely lost the memory of yesterday and is frustrated by that. He will be in the hospital for a few days while they try to figure out what caused the episode (probably NOT a stroke) and make sure it doesn't happen again.
Again, I'm glad I was here for them, but next time I'm gonna get out of Dodge. Just sayin'.

It Doesn't Pay To Take A Day Off

I scheduled a week off work, thinking that we'd go down to see family in NC. But the car needs tires and brakes, so we scratched the trip. I decided to take two of the days anyway, yesterday and today. Get some rest, play a little, get a little sewing and spring cleaning done.

But the telephone rang yesterday, my neighbor in a panic. Her husband was unresponsive and having difficulty breathing. Can we come? We took off running (literally just across the street). I called 911 and Ronald darling went to make sure he was still with us. The township response was very quick (thanx Nancy). I moved some furniture so they could get a cot in, kept her out of their way while they tended to him and then drove her down to the emergency room. We met his daughter, son and daughter-in-law there.

As of late last evening he was responsive and stronger. She's already spoken to him this morning he is doing well. Everyone's first thought yesterday, including his nurse daughter, was that he'd had a stroke. I haven't heard confirmation of that, but I'll find out shortly. I am taking her down to see him in a few minutes. I really am glad that I was here for them, but these aren't the days I had planned.

Remind me that if I take time off work to get out of Dodge!

What is wrong with what we know?

I was talking to a friend last night and we touched briefly on political issues. Briefly, because we want to stay friends and we are on opposite ends of the spectrum.
He said that he was against President Bush because Bush was anti-science. One of the examples he gave was that the NASA budget had been cut by 80% during his administration.
I didn't believe that was true, but had no evidence at the time. I reminded him of the president's plans for additional Mars missions, but he said that was just for show.

So, I did some research this morning on the NASA budget. Over the last 8 years, NASA's budget increased by over 27 per cent.

I don't know where my friend got his figures, but he believes them and they strongly affected his opinion. Accuracy in current and historical information is absolutely essential.

If You Can Read This Without Laughing..

I didn't write this; I wish I did.

Jedi don't pick their noses, and other things I never thought I'd say

I always planned on speaking cheerful, positively constructed words of guidance to my children — never making "no" statements, but rather describing what actions they should take instead, making encouraging conversation, and never letting slip a snarky comment. That, of course, was before I became the mother of small boys. Here are words I never thought would come out of my mouth.
10. Don't lick that railing.
9. Don't pick your nose.
8. Don't lick your brother.
7. That bag is not a toy.
6. That's a big poop. Good job.
5. Bye-bye, poop.
4. If you lick that cookie, that's the one you take.
3. Big boys don't pick their noses.
2. Don't lick anything.
1. Jedi don't pick their noses.
Please tell me you've said worse.

Comments:

Monica 1:02 p.m. Feb. 26, 2009
My three year old son got on an elevator and the doors before I could grab him. When I caught up to him he sadly said "Mommy, I on the alligator and you weren't there."
My response? "Honey, you should never ride alligators without your mother!"
Or "If you want some cheese, how about you ask me and I'll cut you a piece, rather than taking bites out of the block."
Or how about: "We don't pour corn flakes in the toilet" Yup, I actually said it.

Ken 1:36 p.m. Feb. 26, 2009
Dad's get to say things too -
Don't put the gerbil on your sister!
Who is eating the shortening?
What did you do with my golf balls? Let's go unplug the toilet - again.