Gordon Bitner Hinckley

For those of you who may not know Gordon B. Hinckley or why he is still so dear to me, these presentations will give a small glimpse of this great man.

Please click this for a Tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley, presented by BYU, and then enjoy the additional video below, from the Newsroom of the Church.

The Life of President Gordon B. Hinckley: 1910 - 2008

Blog Poll!

At the request of Hollywood I am throwing it out there for you to decide. I chose my blog colours to flatter the photos I put up, when I put them up! That said, I ask you: Are the white letters on the dark blue background "Great!", "O.K.", "Difficult" or "Impossible" to read? Please participate in the poll on the right. Thanks!

The one where Rory gets hit by a deer

Remember that one? You know, Gilmore Girls? Rory borrows someone's Jeep and is on her way to the hoity toity school for girls and gets hit by a deer. She's late, tries to explain, but no one will believe that a deer ran into her instead of the other way around.

I believe! Because, as it happens, this has happened to me. Well not an actual deer, but with birds; and a polar bear dog.

The first incident was back in the mid 80's. I was driving with my sister in law and all of our kids (remember that post a few days ago that talked about no actual laws about seat belts yet. yeah, back then.) We were just about home and were headed up a small hill. I'm checking out the clear afternoon sun and there just above the horizon was a flock of birds. And I notice one just drops out of the sky and WHAP! onto the windshield. I was horrified! I actually screamed a little as did my sister in law.

Meanwhile all the kids were completely fixed! There on the windshield was the splattered remains of a huge black bird, um, spread eagle as it were. It just laid there and the kids were digging it. So in an effort to rid the vehicle of the flattened feathered friend from above, I turned on the wiper blades in hopes of swishing him off the shield.

Swoooouuuuuushhhhh. Swishuuuuuuuugggggrrrrrrr. Great. The blade took the first swish and then grabbed the wing and kind of drug it back and forth a few times before jamming and stalling with the bird now 'mid-flight' in the center of the window. The smeared bird left an indelible imagine from then on.

We were out in the desert when an owl ran head on into the car. Actually hit the front hood, bounced and smacked the windshield and then bounced again, leaving a dent in both the hood and the driver's side mirror.

On a trip through Arizona we had to pull over to pick a bird who decide to commit suicide by hurling himself into our grill beak first. Not a wise choice. But a danged good show for the other folks who were at the rest stop.

I can go on, but I will switch gears and talk about another animal. The dreaded Polar Bear Dog.

One dark and still night my son and I were driving into Bountiful Utah. The snow had covered the fields on both sides of the freeway with a pristine blanket of white. The full moon light reflected off the snow and lit up the scenery. It was about 2:00 in the morning. We both saw the "animal" out in the field and as we began to make the turn in the road we saw the animal jump up and begin to run towards the road. This was a rather large animal. To me, it looked like a polar bear. Being in Utah, I decided that it could not be a polar bear and determined it must be a dog. A huge, mammoth, white, polar bear dog!

As we reached the bend in the road the stupid dog jumped the fence and headed straight for us. THUMP! Oh my heck. This idiot dog ran into us! Yes, into the wheel well from the side. Into us! It was terrible! It was disgusting! It was dogicide! No note, not completely empty box of worm medicine, just a "nose" left where the lug nuts are. Not pretty.

So I believe. I believe Rory.

I'll leave the post on how many times I have seen random dead cows for another day. But trust me, there's a post!

New Blog Poll ---------->

O.k. New colours up, also larger letters. Please take a new TWO DAY ONLY poll and let me know what you think. Again, comments are even better. BUT VOTE!

President Gordon B. Hinckley

President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away this evening. I have been all over the net reading sentiment after sentiment about this great man. The main theme seems to be his devotion to the Lord, his building up of the kingdom, and how bittersweet this passing is on all of us. Bitter for us who will miss his wisdom, enthusiasm, joy, optimism and humour among a thousand other attributes. Sweet, because he will be with his dear Marjorie once more and forever. The official
statement from the church included this:

"President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 97, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering 13 million in 171 nations.

His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.

He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event."

and this

"...in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training that they would otherwise likely never receive."

The Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune also have articles that highlight his hard working and selfless life.

I will miss his positive inspiration and humour. I really love this man, this Prophet of God. I will write more, for now, this is all I can say.

CrockPot Brownies!

If you remember from the meme the other day, I had to make a CrockPot Brownie. Well it turned out great so I thought I'd share. Here we go!

Prep time is about 10 minutes max, Cook time, 90 minutes, and it needs to rest for another 30, so about 2 hours + ten for a decadent dessert.

Your going to need 2 1/2 cups of your favourite dry brownie mix (if you're like me, you will have a bit of dry mix left over, sorry, ' can't tell ya what to do with it!)
2 eggs
2- 3/4oz boxes of chocolate pudding mix (cooking)
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

You're going to mix all that together in a bowl. Spray the inside of your CrockPot with Pam, then pour/spread your brownie mixture in the CrockPot.


Next, in a small pot, blend/whisk:
3/4 cups of water
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder.

Bring this to a boil.

Once it comes to a boil, carefully pour it (as evenly as you can) over the brownie batter.


Put the lid on, set it to high and clock it out at 90 minutes. Mine came out a tad over done, so for my particular CrockPot I think next time I will cook it for 85 minutes and see where that leaves us.

This is the view, with the lid still on, at about 80 minutes!!! It smells terrific and you are really wanting some chocolate by now!

This is the hard part: Once your timer goes off, you need to leave the cover on the CrockPot and if you have a pot that can be removed from the heating element, remove the pot and set it out to cool FOR 30 MINUTES! ACK! This is torture! But worth it in the end... Check this out! Yum!

See that little gooey stuff? Absolutely delicious! This reminds me of a Molten Chocolate cake, but slightly different. Still Fabulous! And, as an added bonus, Surprise! You never know exactly where the gooey stuff will be! Top? Bottom? Who knows? But it's in there and it's terrific!

I served it in a goblet with a small scoop of vanilla bean on bottom and on top, drizzle with a little chocolate sauce and top with a cookie straw and wait for the compliments!

Now, I have to tell ya, you can goof this up and it still tastes great! I left out (forgot!) the pudding this time around and over cooked it. It was tad more dense, but still had a rich gooey yumminess!

Yo! Yur Up!

I was tagged by my friend, Yolanda

10 years ago: I was working as an Interpretor in a k-12 program, a counselor in the Stake Primary, and doing side line art work.

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Finish Stake RS business in preparations for this Sunday's Ward Conference. Write "thank you" notes. Organize my RS briefcase for the weekend.
2. Download photos of the new baby so that I can put a few good ones in a handy-dandy new purse photo holder.
3. Make CrockPot brownies for a Ward Relief Society dinner tonight.
4. Begin to reorganize the art studio in anticipation of getting some (read ANY!) project DONE! : >
5. Make a good dinner for Thor to come home to, slow roasted Bar-B-Que pulled pork.

I enjoy:
My husband, the kids and grandkids, the beach, chocolate, art, museums, music, live theatre, singing, laughing, the smell of a fire in the fire place, hot showers, high thread count sheets, kittens, friends, and I guess I could keep this list going....

What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
Sad, but a billion ain't what it used to be. So, I would buy each of the kids 25 acres of good land and build them a reasonable "green" house that is self reliant and off the grid. College and Mission funds for the kids and grandkids. Depending on what money would be left after that, Humanitarian Aide, Perpetual Education, and Heifer International could always use my help. (and on a very selfish note, yes, I would build a nice pool and hot tub/spa.)

3 of my bad habits:
1. Eating too much, moving too little.
2. Complaining.
3. Not keeping in touch with people I should.

5 places I have lived:
1. San Diego, CA
2. Hemet, CA
3. Carlsbad, CA
4. Rialto, CA (hahahahahahah! "in the ghetto!")
5. Oceanside, CA

5 jobs that I have had:
1. Bridal/Event Designer
2. Visual Display/Window Designer
3. Cake Decorator/Food Presentation for Events/Bridal
4. Interpreter/Instructional Aide/Mainstream Interpreter/County Liaison for the H/H & Deaf
5. Interior/Faux Artist for Private Clients/Model Homes/Commercial

5 Things people don't know about me:
1. I have small feet.
2. I have a very low tolerance for being patronized.
3. I count things when I am socially uncomfortable and then try to find common multipliers; which is really odd seeing how much I hate math.
4. When I was a little, a neighbor girl got mad at me because my mom had called us home, and I began to leave. To stop me from going, she picked up an old board from the field where we were all playing and hit me in the back with it. It had a nail in it and she literally nailed me in the back. They had to surgically remove the board and nail from against my spine. I still have a tiny scar and if I touch that spot it still hurts quite sharply.
5. I really enjoy making Tamari Balls (photo above of my first three), which again, is weird because I hate math, but feel a lot of "attagirl!" points when I get it just right.

I am tagging newbies to the blogging world in hopes that you will all go give them some bloggy love and support. Derek and Lauryn are family, the rest good friends.
Derek and Lauryn

Beautiful from Split Ends

Carol from Day2Day

Red from My Two Cents

"We can help, but YOU have to make the call..."

Ahh, kids. Back in the day I would gather up all of my 5, and a couple of other kids, and we'd pile into the minivan and head out for school every morning. I was the Kool-Ade Mom on the block, so I got a lot of kids hanging out at the house both before and after school. I loved that.

This was the day before law required seat belts. Yes there used to be a havoc in the streets and people just threw their offspring haphazardly into the back of whatever vehicle they owned and off they went. Let me tell you, a kid understood the laws of physics much faster back then.

We had the first Caravan off the line! It looked like a small white refrigerator on four wheels. Yeah, we were stylin'! We had bucket seats in front a 3 passenger bench seat in the middle, which did have a baby car seat, and the third row consisted of two folding lawn chairs. Heck, those third seats were EXPENSIVE! Ingenuity! Thor went down to Thrifty's and picked up to lawn chairs for a total of $12. When the kids complained about not having a seat belt, Thor took two of his old belts and wove them between the plastic webbing and TA-DA! seat belts! It was really fun to watch the boys tip over when you took a turn a little fast...they loved that. (You should have seen the face plants when you had to brake fast!)

The morning routine was:
1.Everyone in the neighborhood who needs a ride to school meet at the house.
2. Have neighborhood prayer. (It used to be just family prayer, but the kids began to protest so that circle on the living room floor got rather big.)
3. Everyone pile in the car. Leave the car seat for the youngest; and find a seat, or just stand, whatever... it's only 6 or 7 blocks.
4. Grab my hot chocolate travel mug.
5. DRIVE!
6. Unload everybody and their duck.
7. Drive home.
8. Do this all again in reverse at 2.

One Wednesday, (I know it was Wednesday, because in our house each kid was assigned a day. This part of the story is about #3, and the third day is Wednesday...see how this all works out?) Anywho, #3 is in the front seat crying as we leave. Everything went well until we start to pull out of the drive and she just began crying....hard.

I inquire to her distress and she burst out with, "YOU NEED HELP MOM! I LOVE YOU, BUT YOU NEED HELP!" I am even more curious so I ask why I need help? "BECAUSE YOU DRINK AND DRIVE ---EVERYDAY! AND NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO DRINK AND DRIVE!" I tried (not to laugh) to calm her down and she begins telling me that "there are hot-lines" and that I "am not alone", and that "there are people who can help " me, but that I "have to make the first step". "And while we're talking about it, THE BABY NEEDS HELP TOO! SHE ALSO HAS A DRINKING PROBLEM!" and the crying reaches an almost fever pitch. She is completely undone.

Now, in the back seat and the lawn chairs, other children are beginning to come undone also, only with laughter, which doesn't help the situation up front.

I finish the drive to school and drop off the minions but keep back screaming Mimi. I try to calm her down. She finally gets to a point where she is sounding more and more like Mary Richards, with a very high pitched staccato voice. "The. Ba. AY. BEeeee. Has. A. Drink. Ink. Ing. Prob. Lem!" (Oh Mr. Grant!) "Ev. REeee. Time. She. Drink. Inks. She. E. SPIIILLLLS!"

After a long talk I convince her we'll get the help we need; and resolve to never allow her to watch t.v. again.

I am sad to report, that after all these years, I still drink and drive.

Weird Science!

Over at Mormon Mommy Wars there's a discussion about a lot of random things, and the dreaded Science Fair Project.

This brought back those years in our life when the kids were up to their ears in volcanic anticipation. We were given a huge amount of great information and eventually our kid earned the school, then district, then 2nd in state. He actually did the majority of the work. I, on the other hand did a LOT of testing, driving, and photography. And as you will see later, a lot of talking the kids out of a trip to Disneyworld, which actually was part of the experiment.

Our dilemma was solved via our #1's oncologist, who suggested a "medical" experiment. She asked him a few questions and after a few minutes they decided on the question:

"Can just one cigarette hurt me?"

He made his guess (hypothesis!) -a misguided "no, just one cigarette wouldn't hurt." and we began.

First stop, The American Lung Association. We made an appointment to talk with a representative then drove an hour to get to the nearest office. She gave him numerous pamphlets to read and get information from, and a stack of freebies to add to his display as hand outs. That was genius! The information he got from the pamphlets taught him how the lungs work with the heart and blood stream, and how chemicals from everything we put in our bodies (via food, drink or air) went throughout the entire body. I read them all also and tested him so that he understood what the heck he would be talking about and experimenting for.

She also gave him facts on air intake, lung capacity, and biology of a teen-aged lung. Granted, the "teens" were a few years off, but so was the average age of the first cigarette (back in those days).

The representative told him how the numbers of lung capacity could be converted in to ounces, and how he could make a "lung" from an empty dish soap bottle, plastic fish tank tubing (with the diameter equal to the size of a cigarette so it would fit snuggly inside), and plasticine clay. She gave him the numbers he needed to make a lung, throat, and mouth equal to the size of a 12 -15 year old.

Then we set out to purchase our supplies: the above items and cigarettes. We bought filtered and unfiltered in the most popular brands. He had to do a bunch of leg work to find out the best sellers, but the internet wasn't available then. Things could be easier now!

He emptied out the soap and rinsed the bottle until it was clean. He made a thick rope of plasticine, about the size of your baby finger, and wrapped it around the fish tank filter tubing, attaching it to the neck of the bottle. The tube went through the plasticine and down about an inch into the bottle and up out of the bottle forming the throat and mouth. Another rope of plasticine for the lips and he was done. He made five lungs and labeled them "one cigarette- filtered", "one pack of cigarettes - filtered"; and the same for the unfiltered, plus one to keep "clean" for comparison.

He had to make graphing charts and I took photos to show the before, during, and after shots of the lungs; and of him as he "smoked" the lungs. He placed one cigarette into the outer end of the tubing, and wrapped the plasticine lips securely around the cigarette to make a good seal. Pumping the bottle would make the lung "breathe" and work as the lung "smoked" the cigarette. He wore a mask as he "smoked" to keep as much of the smoke from his lungs as possible. (so did I! gag!)

What he learned was that the chemicals in one cigarette does change blood chemistry, blood pressure and actually do harm you. He also learned the cost of cigarettes was high. Back then if someone smoked one cigarette a day (who does that?) for a year, it would cost the same as our entire family going to Disneyland. If you smoked an entire pack a day for a year, it would cost as much as taking him to Disneyworld, including the flights and hotel!

He made charts for all the info and the 'whys' (vessels constrict thus causing blood pressure to rise, yada yada yada) and also the costs, average age of starting, the stats on how cigarettes were the jump off "drug" for other substances, such as pot, drinking, etc. (Things in this area may have changed by now, but back then usually a kid would try smoking first then the other stuff.) He had his lungs on display along with the clean unused lung to show how much tar and nicotine collected in just the one and one pack...that was dramatic actually. Those, plus the pamphlets, were great in the eyes of the judges.

The thing that put him over the top was that he actually understood the "why's" because of the testing we did and could explain it all clearly to the judges.

Technically it wasn't that hard of a project. He had to read a lot and memorize a lot. But he also learned things that he wouldn't have without the "firsthand" experience. The main work took a couple of hours one Saturday and another hour for him to put it all on his board.

So there you go. Feel free to give it a try. And no, I never got one of the kids to do an experiment entitled: "Will just one shot of whiskey impair my judgment?" dang it, that could have been so much more fun!

Is it easy being green?

This morning I was watching the "The Morning News" and it has been proposed that LA follow the lead of some European Countries and charge 15cents for each plastic bag one uses at a retail store. This, they explain, will help reduce the consumer use, reduce the landfill, encourage recycling, and avoid a tax.

In the same hour on another network they are promoting carpooling, and following up that report with a promotion to encourage the exchange of standard bulbs with the curly "eco-friendly" bulbs.

My experience with bringing my own bags has been both great, and well, not so great. I really got into the whole canvas bag idea. I have a ton of them that I have collected over time. But I can't get the entire family on board. Some do, some don't. At best we aren't consistent. Some don't like having to keep them in the car and then having to carry them around a retail store. Some feel like a "bag lady". Some feel weird because they get "the look". I get that. I have actually received curious looks from retailers, especially in malls and larger retail stores. The security gets perked up a bit if you're scanning the merchandise with a handy-dandy bag ready to fill. There is a social weirdness of having a tote full of canvas bags while shopping at Nordstrom's. Is there a bag large enough, or convenient enough to have handy if all the sudden you find that large crock pot, a pile of kid's clothing, or that cute leather coat?

The other problem for me has been from the folks in line behind me. When they see me pull out the canvas it is as if I have just laid another full shopping cart on the belt. It takes about twice as long for a bagger to fill the odd sized floppy fabric bags that don't fit in their bag assisting hangers.

As of April 22, Whole Foods is removing all the their plastic bags. They decided that Earth Day would be a grand day to kick off their program. In addition to leaving plastic at the curb (so to speak) they offer a large bag made from recycled plastic for 99cents, or (and this is good "or") they will refund you 5cents for every bag you bring in to use. It's not a lot, but hey, it's 5 cents!

Target and a few other retailers have also offered cheap alternatives to plastic, although I rarely see them being use. ( I have to say I LOVE the Target bag because it zips into itself like a small makeup pouch and can be stashed in a purse while shopping. Less Dork/Less Security.)

More and more I am reading how terrific the new eco-friendly bulbs are. Heck they are even given out as door prizes or laid free in your mailbox as promotions from retailers. The good is they are supposed to last much longer, use less energy, thus making less of a mess in the land fill, and less money from your wallet. The problem? They are considered a bio-hazard when it comes to land fills. How do you dispose of them? What happens when one of them BREAKS!?! That's a huge problem!

So where are you all on this? Is your family on board? How do you carry your bags from store to store, and where do you store them so that you remember to take them with you? Does it drive you crazy when someone is in front of you at the counter and it takes more time to fill their canvas rather than the plastic? Do you consistently use your own bags? What do you think of the 15cent fee? What are your thoughts on "eco-friendly" bulbs?

In a land of milk and honey...

As a kid, there were four thirsty little mouths and always an empty milk carton somewhere. At one point my mom had a deal with a local women who owned a few cows. We would get our fresh bottles of 100% and skim it to make our butter! The milk was thick and yummy. The butter... amazing!

As an old married lady I felt the extreme luxury of always having the carton to myself, or at least with only one other person to share with. Again, never left overs, always on the brink of milklessness.

As a mom, at times, I had to budget enough money for a gallon of milk a day. There may be a few unsuspecting souls out there who have yet to experience an adolescent boy and his need for "moo juice". I had that times three (13, 16, 18, with a 15 yr old girl and another girl 10). Three teen aged boy-men who could drink milk until, well, the cows came home. It was so bad that they got into a habit of having to ask me if they could have a snack, a glass of milk, anything from the fridge. They are sharks in young man form. To this day my male adult children still feel compelled to ask before raiding the cupboard or fridge. Habit.

So here we are. The two of us. Thor and S'mee. We love our milk too. It's kind of nice not having to worry about the milk being gone. The budget isn't as tight, I can get a carton of fat free for Thor, (gag, blue milk!) and a carton of whole for me and to cook with. I purchase less, but I still watch to make sure we have what we need and that it's fresh. I have never had a problem until this morning.

After being gone for the week and weekend (thank you burglars for not visiting while we were away) ... the milk had gone bad and the bread stale. The times, they are a changing!

hello world!

Fresh from God.

Mavericks

(check out the videos below..seriously)
O.k. people! If you have nothing to do this weekend have I got a plan for you! The Mavericks Greenlight is on, and that means the world's best surfers will meet this Saturday at Mavericks to surf and compete on waves averaging over 25 feet. This is the big deal THE contest for surfers... and you can watch it all for FREE!

Follow this link for more info Mavericks Surf and check out the "wave" page and click on "Geography for the reasons why Mavericks is number one.

A quote from the website: "The Mavericks Surf Contest® will be back again in 2007/2008, bigger and better than ever. We will continue the rich tradition of years past, bringing 24 of the world’s very best surfers together to test themselves against the incredible challenges of the Mavericks wave. As in year’s past, invitees to the ’07/08 contest will only have 24 hours notice before they're expected in Half Moon Bay, California, ready to rip. There they will face cold water, strong currents, unpredictable conditions, huge waves, and each other in a surfing contest like no other on the planet. Why would elite athletes risk everything in the truly hairy conditions off Pillar Point? Clark sums it up nicely:

"Mavericks is really the only spot that still holds its own in paddle-surfing," he says. "It's the biggest, baddest paddle-in spot in the world. When Waimea Bay (Hawaii ) closes out, Mavericks is still ripping. When it comes to who's paddling into the biggest waves on this planet, it's the guys that surf here." "

Check out the two flicks below..awesome!

Laird Hamilton - The greatest big wave surfer to have lived?

Grant "Twiggy" Baker won Mavericks last year, but check the wave Laird rides at the end of the video...

SICK!

2007 Mavericks Surf Contest Live Webcast

Ah, my favourite colour! How nice!

Mustang Sally has this on her blog, it seemed pretty accurate, although harshly worded for her; so I thought I'd try it out myself. My comments about my analysis is in green, of course.

You Are a Green Crayon

Your world is colored in harmonious, peaceful, natural colors. True, my house is various shades of green, chocolate, and wood tones. While some may associate green with money, you are one of the least materialistic people around. Again, true. Money means nothing to me. It's nice, I use it, but it certainly doesn't impress me. Comfort is important to you. Yup. You like to feel as relaxed as possible Certainly! - and you try to make others feel at ease. Yes indeedy! You're very happy with who you are, and it certainly shows! Why, thank you. Your color wheel opposite is red. I actually accent with reds! Every time you feel grounded, a red person does their best to shake you. Not sure who those reds are, but I do get shaken from time to time by folks!

What Color Crayon Are You?

Time Out For Women

Hey everyone! Any LDS (or otherwise!) bloggers who plan on attending the San Diego (Feb 2) session of TOFW? Anyone want to get together for a short howdy-do at lunch? I think it will be a great day and would be fun to meet anyone in the area! Let me know!
Time Out For Women

Also, attention to all SoCAL bloggers! I am planning a meet and greet for all of us to put a face to the blog! Anyone interested please contact S'mee via the S"mee-mail! I'll send out info soon! Thanks!

Extreme Makeover...

Wow. Today was great. Church had some really awesome lessons, the best one, I think, in Relief Society. The Extreme Makeover.

The teacher opened with three different Top Ten lists on New Year's Resolutions. One from the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. Their top resolution? Spend more time with family; followed by the usual stuff, lose weight, quit smoking, fix the house up, etc. The second list mentioned many of the same items, and the third made me sit up and take notice. It began...

#1. Never again see someone cold, hungry, or without hope. Find a way to help these people before you leave their presence.

Let me tell you, I heard the Spirit very distinctly and I knew before the day was out one person I knew of would not be cold or hungry again this winter.

The teacher pointed out that all of these resolutions were great, some even admirable, and that a lot of them were very predictable. How do I rid myself of having to repeat the same resolution again, or in other words, How can I finally achieve all this, and have it stick?

She brought out a Barbie doll. We'd all like to be like Barbie. Thin, fit, great job, pretty smile, nice house, fast car and liked by everyone. But how do we get there? Dr. Hollywood. Dr. Hollywood comes along and we can pay him thousands of dollars to Nip and Tuck, Make us the Biggest Loser, and/or give us the Extreme Makeover.

First up, Lasik Eye Surgery to see more clearly. She asked us to think in the terms of the Saviour who advised us to pull the beam from our own eye before we set out to pluck the mote from our [sister's] eye. Good advice. Seeing other folks as the Lord sees them would indeed give us an eye lift that would make us feel better about who looks back at us when we look in the mirror. Spiritual clarity when looking at the world would help us in all kinds of ways!

Dr. Hollywood would charge $3,500, The Lord asks us to be obedient to His laws and Commandments, and to donate 10% of our earnings.

Next, Rhinoplasty. The perfect nose! Again, she helped us see that the Lord asks us to keep our nose out of other people's business, into good books, and to the grindstone. This would make anyone's nose more attractive.

Luscious full lips are all the rage right now. The stores are full of chemical enhancers called lip venom that, when applied, will swell the lips into the desired plump kissable mouth we all want. We can pay Dr. Hollywood $20.00 for lip venom, or thousands for collagen implants; or we can do as the Lord has asked and speak kind words, avoid speaking ill of others, never lying or stretching the truth, and finding ways to lift someone else will lift us as well. Again, it costs 10% and obedience.

She went on to talk about saggy necks that could be lifted surgically or doing facial exercises like smiling and keeping our head high as we go through trials. That tummy tuck or perhaps fasting and donating the money spent on two skipped meals to those who have nothing to eat. Gastric By-Pass or perhaps following the Lord's diet of healthy foods that are fresh, and good exercise. Following the Lord's plan adds a bonus of a healthier mind and Spirit too, for no extra cost. Angioplasty to unblock a clogged artery or maybe acts of love to open up our heart? Flabby underarms could be liposucked or perhaps wrapping those same arms around someone alone or frightened or lost would be more beneficial in the long run.

The lesson had many illustrations for a complete head to toe makeover that would be so much better for us in the long run, because it would strengthen our Spirit as well as our body. No money involved, just commitment to the Lord and following His example and commandments.

It was a fun, motivating and Spiritual lesson. I am so glad she taught it. It was really a good day.

and I thought I would be a dork...

Well here you go folks, scientific proof of what my sisters have been saying all along:

Your Score: Pure Nerd

60 % Nerd, 30% Geek, 30% Dork

(For those curious...I now look a lot like this guy...if he let his hair grow out about two inches...yikes! And yeah, I read Mandarin Chinese newspapers every single day!)
For The Record:
A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.

The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendencies associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.

Congratulations!
Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

And while we're at this, since when has 60+30+30 =100? Doesn't that mean that in reality if I were all those numbers I would be 120% of the normal person? I am bad with math, always have been, but this seems wrong. Although the scale in my bathroom seems to agree that I am 120% person. sheesh.

Holy Canole, It's a girl!

When I was a little girl mom worked day and night, night and day. One of the side effects of this constant working was not enough time to fiddle with four little heads of hair. So one got buzzed, and the other three were cut into "Peter Pan" bobs for ease. Wash. Dry. Run out to the playground. That was the routine until you were old enough to protest and insist on length.

By the time I finally got the gumption to express the desire for long hair I had fallen so in love with length that I let it grow. And grow. And grow.

When I got married I could feel my hair at my waist. A few years later I was able to sit on it! But after baby number three came along I decided maybe the long hair would be easier to maintain if it weren't so long. So off it went.

The eighties were a sad and tragic time for me. Remember all that BIG hair? I mean radically HUGE FRIZZY WHITE GIRL WITH A FRO hair. yeah. It was horrid. My hair refused to take a perm, so I fried it. Over and over and over again and eventually I looked like the bride of Frankenstein.

Eventually I promised myself that I would never cut my hair again. I would never perm my hair again. Pony tails would reign supreme. And for a few years they have. Sure I have cut my hair now and then, but only to my shoulders...had to keep it long enough to put back into a pony tail so I could work. I CANNOT work with hair on my neck or face. So in the pony it would go.

Today, I went to my favourite stylist and let her loose. Do whatever! She sent a few options via e-mail last night and I had Thor pick out what he thought were best. I had other ideas, until he revealed that my choices were "helmets". (He didn't know I was secretly leaning in that direction.) After hearing that remarks I saw what he saw and went with what he thought was a good choice.

I am still trying to get used to it. No hair, none on my neck, short short short! And bangs. Sweet mercy I have bangs. Oy.

So I went out and bought a blow dryer, a curling iron and my friend is bringing me home "product", shampoo and conditioner. Someone call the papers, I'm a girl.