Welcome Little James Michael
January 31, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [2]
James Michael was born this morning, and weighed 8 lbs and 13 oz. That’s all I know. Brenda will have to give a full report. Brenda?
Just to clear the air. . .
January 31, 2008 | Funny | Comments [3]
<>My husband greatly exaggerated the story of oatmeal fudge cookies for dramatic effect. Which looked like it worked out great for me, you all are so nice! All I really said was that I was too tired on Sunday to make cookies (not realizing at this time that oatmeal fudge cookies are no-bake) and all I had energy for was to spread boxed brownies in a pan. We did find a recipe on allrecipes.com, but since they still have cocoa, we still might need suggestions for literally clearing the air–Glade air freshner anyone?
<>Love, Julie
<>p.s. good luck Crystal! What a special day is ahead of you! Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and give kisses to James Michael!
baby’s coming
January 30, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [6]
Hey all,
Just to let you guys know, going in the morning to have the baby..They think he is a 10 pounder…Wish me luck…Nana I wish you could be here, we miss you!!! I’ll try to post some pictures soon…
Make Like A Tree Comics
January 30, 2008 | Funny | No Comments
Hey, Ben! Ever heard of these guys?
They just, I dunno, made me think of you. Go figure.
The Natural Order of Things
January 30, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [1]
Okay I read this in the Ensign once , but it was confusing. It explained how their is a natural order to the way the apostles and prophets and councelors move up , so I think it means Pres. Monson, will be the next Prophet is that correct? But, even at that I didn’t understand Pres. Eyring, I thought it had to do with seniority, I thought it would have been Wirthling, he’s at least 125.
Five Year Old Lainie’s Testimony Of The Prophet
January 29, 2008 | Nostalgia | Comments [2]
Lainie’s comments about teaching her primary class on the Pres. Hinckley thread reminded me of a story that I should set down here for “posterity.” And also because it’ll embarrass her.
When we joined the church in Macon, Georgia back in 1966, we began going to church there in a small chapel that the church had purchased from some other denomination. In those days, before the “block meeting” schedule that we have now, you typically had priesthood meeting early in the morning, and then Sunday School as the “main” meeting of the morning. Then you went home, and came back in the afternoon for Sacrament Meeting.
Other meetings including Primary were held on weekdays. It was all set up according to what was convenient in Utah, of course. Children under 12 at that time met during Sunday School apart from the adults, in what was called “Junior Sunday School” (much as we have Primary separate from the regular Sunday School today).
Junior Sunday School would meet in its own small assembly room just like Primary does today. On Fast and Testimony Sunday, the kids would have their OWN testimony meeting in Junior Sunday School.
One Fast Sunday right after we began attending, I was sitting with Lainie in Junior Sunday School, and the teachers asked for those who wished, to bear their testimony. You did this simply by standing up, with your arms folded, and speaking so everyone could hear.
That Sunday, Lainie was called on for her testimony. She shot up out of her seat and said “I’m thankful for this church, and my family, and President DAVID MO MCKAY!”
President David O. McKay was the prophet at that time.
Which angle looks best
January 29, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [8]
Okay, so Sunday after Sacrament, I went out to my car to get my bag with all my teaching materials in them and I was lookin down and I ran into the Satellite dish. I went “Ouch”, but then I kept walking and got my bag and walked into Sunday school and all of my kids were staring at me like I was a monster and then one of the teachers said “Lainie, your head is bleeding”. So, I took some pictures to show you and I was thinking if I was interviewing for some very important jobs this week, which angle would look best at the interview?
Sen. Orrin Hatch’s Tribute to Pres. Hinckley
January 29, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [1]
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, made the following speech today on the floor of the U.S. Senate regarding the life of Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who died Sunday at the age of 97.
Mr. President, today I add my voice to those of 13 million other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in bidding farewell to our beloved prophet, President Gordon Bitner Hinckley. His death late yesterday in his home in Salt Lake City has reminded us that all good things must come to an end. It is a sad day for all Utahns. We have lost our friend, our leader, and our fellow servant. President Hinckley lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people, leaving behind him a fame and a name which will be known for generations to come.
In our effort to follow in President Hinckley’s footsteps, Latter-day Saints found they had to lengthen their stride to keep up with him. Even into the sunset of his life, President Hinckley was indefatigable. He set a vigorous pace, traveling the world and sharing his message of service, love, and compassion with millions of all faiths. Everywhere our prophet traveled, he succored the weak, lifted the hands which hung down, and strengthened the feeble knees. When I think of the blessing President Hinckley was to those around him, I am reminded of the words from the great Mormon hymn, “Every day some burden lifted, every day some heart to cheer, every day some hope the brighter, blessed honored pioneer.”
President Hinckley was born to humble surroundings on June 23, 1910, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended public schools, and graduated with a bachelor’s of arts from the University of Utah. His first job was as a newspaper carrier for Utah’s Deseret News. This modest exposure to the news media was perhaps a prelude of things to come. President Hinckley became the most media savvy leader our church has ever known, sharing his warmth and spirit with countless reporters, cultivating great friendships with notables like Larry King and Mike Wallace. Wallace once described President Hinckley as “a man I admire and I love really, because he’s just an extraordinary guy.”
As many Latter-day Saints do, Gordon B. Hinckley performed a service mission as a representative for the church while he was young. President Hinckley served in Great Britain in the 1930s, sharing the gospel’s message of peace and hope during a time of great political and economic turmoil. Discouraged by the lack of receptivity he found among the Britons, he confided his dismay to his father, who instructed the young Gordon to “forget himself and go to work.”
Young Gordon did, both in Great Britain and in the 70 years of service that followed.
His love of God fueled his love of country. President Hinckley carried the torch of patriotism, and the spirit of America burned in his heart. He came from a long line of patriots. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.
He once said, “I love America for [its] great constitutional strength, for the dedication of its people to the peace and the prosperity of the entire earth. I love America for the tremendous genius of its scientists, its laboratories, its universities, its researchers, and the tens of thousands of facilities devoted to the improvement of human health and comfort, to the extension of life, to better communication and transportation. Its great throbbing and thriving industries have blessed the entire world. The standard of living of its people has been the envy of the entire earth. Its farmlands have yielded an abundance undreamed of by most people of the earth. The entrepreneurial environment in which has grown its industry has been the envy of and model for many other nations.”
President Hinckley’s patriotism inspired him to great acts of civic service, in addition to his church duties. He was a chairman or board member of many businesses and educational entities. He received honorary doctorates from five colleges and universities, the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Silver Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America, and special recognition for his contributions to tolerance from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
President Hinckley’s ministry earned him national prominence. In 2004, President George W. Bush awarded our prophet with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civil award. President Hinckley was one of the spiritual leaders Mr. Bush invited to the White House following the September 11th attacks. It was a great honor, both for him and our faith, that the President invited him to that gathering. A few months later, on the eve of the Winter Olympics in 2002, the Commander in Chief said, “President Hinckley represents a great religion, he is a strong part of the American scene.”
But President Hinckley never let his love of the United States obscure his vision for the rest of the world. Prior to becoming the LDS president in 1995, Hinckley supervised the church’s organization in Asia, Europe, and South America. During his tenure, the number of members living inside North America was surpassed by those living outside of it. He traveled across the globe, setting an energetic pace that would have exhausted men half his age. The nations of the earth heard his voice and he brought them a knowledge of the truth by the wonderful testimony which he bore.
As president, he administered to both the ecclesiastical and temporal needs of the Church, whose 13 million members are spread over some 160 nations and territories. President Hinckley lifted his voice on every continent, in cities large and small, from north to south and east to west across this broad world—from Cape Town to Stockholm, from Moscow to Tokyo to Montreal, in every great capital of the world.
President Hinckley oversaw the Mormon church’s vast, worldwide humanitarian efforts. When disasters struck, he directed the church’s dispatch its resources and its members to help, whether it be to the hurricane-struck Gulf Coast or tsunami-ravaged East Asia. In fellowship and brotherhood, President Hinckley directed the LDS Church to work hand in glove with Catholic Charities. He once said, “All about us there are many who are in need of help and who are deserving of rescue. Our mission in life, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be a mission of saving. There are the homeless, the hungry, the destitute.”
One vision President Hinckley had for the LDS Church was a perpetual education fund, whereby members in wealthier nations could donate to the education of those in developing nations, thereby empowering them to help themselves and strengthening the infrastructure in struggling parts of the world, particularly Latin America.
When he became president of the Church in 1995, the church had only 47 temples, our special meeting houses such as the magnificent one in nearby Kensington, Maryland. Thanks to President Hinckley’s vision of expansion, today there are 124 in operation, and 12 more are under construction.
One of his first messages upon becoming our prophet in 1995 was a proclamation to the world, declaring the divine nature of the family unit and providing direction on how to nurture strong family relationships. There is no greater duty or privilege among the Latter-day Saints than to serve our families. President Hinckley admirably demonstrated that service as a grandfather, father, and husband to his eternal companion, Marjorie, who walked side by side with him for two-thirds of a century.
Now he and Marjorie are walking together in the fields of paradise, enjoying a richly deserved peace in the Lord. I’m sure at this time he would remind us that death is the great equalizer. No matter what a man or woman may accomplish in this life, this final inevitability is waiting for them. Shortly before his own passing, perhaps recognizing the end was nigh, President Hinckley told church members, “A man must get his satisfaction from his work each day, must recognize that his family may remember him, that he may count with the Lord, but beyond that, small will be his monument among the coming generations.”
Our heads are bowed now, as we bid him farewell. Gordon Bitner Hinckley joins the ranks of departed prophets, on whose shoulders he stood and in whose mighty company he can now proudly mingle. God be with you, our friend, till we meet again.
The Silent Treatment
January 29, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [2]
Last night I wanted to have a nice, quiet evening at home (as much as possible with two kids and a talkative husband) so I informed Ryder after I picked him up from school “There will be NO playstation tonight”. He gets very upset when it is time to get off (putting it VERY mildly). He handled the announcement much better than I expected. He didn’t even say a word.
Well, we arrived home and a little while later he came into the kitchen holding a sign that said “Ying is Dead”. Ryder has a fish tank in his room. Apparently I was being given the “Silent Treatment” - which was a first for Ryder.
I went to his room and as I walked in there was another sign taped to his door that read “Can I at least play on the computer at hotwheels.com? If your answer is Yes then please turn over—–>”. I flipped to the other side and it read “THANKS!” Ryder came rushing up to me and threw his arms around me “Oh, Mother, I’m sorry I was silent for so long!!”
It had only been 5 minutes!
Karate Lessons
January 29, 2008 | Kid Brag | Comments [6]
Dylan is very excited about attending his first karate class tonight. This morning he informed me that he had already been given some lessons during a school demonstration. I asked him to show me a move that he learned. He said, “Ok, Mommy, walk near me like you are going to get me”. I proceeded to approach him and he stuck his hand straight out in a halting manner and announced in a very firm, commanding voice “Stop! Don’t come near me Ranger!”
(you know how mean those Rangers can be…)
Oatmeal Fudge
January 28, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [5]
I have decided to take up the mantle of Oatmeal Fudge Cookie maker in my home as Julie only makes brownies and they give me gas.
She was somewhat upset that I felt the need to bypass her Sunday treat commenting, “Well, I guess my deserts just don’t compare to Maria’s Oatmeal Fudge cookies!” and then there was weeping and something about not being good enough to which I just responded “I didn’t say you weren’t good enough, just your brownies.” Then more crying and somehow I ended out on the couch.
So anyway, I need the recipe, anybody got one? Maria? 
President Gordon B. Hinckley Dies at 97
January 27, 2008 | Items of Interest | Comments [9]
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley has died. He was 97 years old.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, world leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was ordained and set apart as the 15th President of the Church on Sunday, March 12, 1995.
He had earlier served 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the top governing body of the Church, and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for 20 years prior to that.
President Hinckley married Marjorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple in 1937. They have five children. Sister Hinckley passed away 6 April 2004.
The exact cause of President Hinckley’s death was not immediately released, but his health has been declining over the past two years due to a bout with cancer and complications of old age.
SALT LAKE CITY (Fox News Utah) - The president of the LDS Church passed away Sunday evening at the age of 97. Gordon B. Hinckley was the fifteenth president of the church and has been president since 1995. He was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history. We’ll have more tonight on Fox 13 News at Nine.
Happy surprise from the past
January 27, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
In the mail yesterday, and very unexpected, I received a photograph (copy) from a friend from the third grade, Marilyn Ford. There were four of us. Marilyn, Milly, Janice, and Elaine. We were big buds all the way through the ninth grade, and then we broke it up in Senior High School…went our separate ways. Milly dropped off in fifth grade, and Peggy took her place, so Peggy is in this photograph. Anyway. The picture is of my Seventh Grade Class. I have no memory of it. But there we are, all in a row. Peggy, marilyn, Elaine, and Janice….and all the others. I remember most of them. Four of them are deceased (that I know of). I’m sure there must be others, because I have no idea what happened to twenty of the thirty-three. The picture is taken on the grounds of Pearl Stephens Elementary School. That school has been closed for years and years, and I don’t understand it, because it’s still in such good condition from the outside. Luis took my picture in front of it in 1999. Nine years ago!! Yipes!!
Mitt Under The Radar
January 25, 2008 | Items of Interest | Comments [6]
Saw this on the Free Republic website, evidently an email from a member of the Church whose property suffered damage in the San Diego wildfires back in the Fall:
Subject: Fisher’s Assisted By Mitt and Matt Romney and Friends
( Personal Journal Entry By Victims of San Diego wildfires )
[See Photographs Below]
Remember that big pine tree right in the front as you walk out the front door. It pretty well got cooked in the fire. In fact, Brian Brockbank, Steve Chidester, Chris Odenwalder and Jeremy Dixon cut most of it down the first day we were allowed back in the neighborhood. But the trunk and the stump was too much to handle that day.
Last week a brother in the Del Sur ward sent me and email and said he and some others would like to do something to help. I told him that one of the things on my “to-do” list was to remove a tree stump from my front yard, but it was a pretty big job! He said they wanted to come and do it. I reluctantly said OK, but, “I do not expect you to really get it out because it is a big root. It has been there for over 20 years.” So he called me to confirm and said that they were coming at 7am on Wednesday morning and his DAD might come too.
I decided to go to Los Primos and get some breakfast machaca burritos and orange juice for the crew coming to work on my stump..so I was late in arriving. I drove in from Cabela because it gives me a better feeling entering our street as none of the homes at the top of Luz Pl were burned. As I drove up I looked and saw several men down in the hole around the tree. They were really going at it with power saws provided by the LDS Church.
Then I got a Big Surprise. First I saw Matt, then beside him with chain saw buzzing away was a candidate for President of the United States!!! You guessed it!! Matt Romney was there with his DAD, “MITT ROMNEY”, former governor of Massachusetts and republican presidential candidate. He was actually in Levi’s and a blue T shirt and tennis shoes, with leather gloves and goggles. He was really sawing away at my stump! Others who were there working were LDS Bishop Jim Davies, Greg Davis and 6 LDS Missionaries. Oh and I almost forgot the Secret Service bodyguards were nearby standing guard.
The Mormon Missionaries were there because they have been reassigned to disaster relief projects all over San Diego where the fires burned. They got assigned by their leaders to come to our home at 11372 Luz Place that morning. There were no local news media. Mitt and Matt Romney were just being good neighbors helping neighbors. Mitt was in Southern Calif for some meetings later in the day up in Riverside/San Bernardino.
I can really tell that the Romney’s know how to work and to work really hard. I looked over my shovel at one point and sweat was running down Mitt’s face. When I suggested we stop for a breakfast burrito, I got a polite ‘maybe later, gotta get this root out.” Mitt told me that this reminded him of taking out a stump on the ranch with his father. After it was too much, his Dad(George Romney) said get some dynamite! Well, Mitt attacked that old stump, cutting as many of the big roots as he could until it was well time past for he and Matt to leave for their meetings up north.
I put a Machaca burrito in Mitt’s hand and a glass of O.J. I could tell he didn’t like leaving the job partially completed and neither did Matt. But I knew they had “bigger stumps” elsewhere that day. Just before he left, those missionaries showed up. This is where faith takes over. God is always a partner in a good act of service I believe.
Well, you know how believing Mormon Missionaries are. So these six Elders from the Carlsbad California Mission said, Bro Fisher WE WILL GET THIS STUMP OUT. (You can tell these young men understand the principle of determination.) All were wearing their special disaster relief yellow T-shirts, provided by the church. It was an inspiring sight to see this” mass of yellow” wielding ax , pick and shovel on this stump.
About this time a policeman patrolling the neighborhood pulled up. The Officer took one look at the stump and the tools and said .”you fellows will need more than those to get that one out”. A missionary responded, “that stump is coming out for sure”. The Officer gave encouragement using the indirect method.. Do you really think you can do it. I am not so sure.” The “challenge was laid down”. Officer Smith left and the Mormons went to work. No slackers among them.
Later, Officer Smith came back to check on progress. And there was plenty of it, but still there was a ways to go. He said he had spoken to some other officers about the stump project on Luz Pl and could those Mormon boys get it out. Then the suggestion was made that maybe we could get a skip loader in the area to lend some assistance. A great idea! After the officer left I did observed a tractor going down a nearby street and flagged the driver down. He said he would come over later. He only had a limited time.
Those Mormon Missionaries continued to hack away (I forgot missionaries are not allowed to use power saws for safety reasons, so this was ALL pick and ax). They finally girded the stump completely. The tractor came back as promised. He got way up under the root because the Missionaries did such a good job clearing out around the base of the root. I watched as smiles, then cheers went up from all as that big old pine tree stump popped out of its hole. THEY DID IT! As the hole was being filled back in, Officer Smith drove back up. He
came over to the filled hole a little amazed “Where is it he asked?”. I think I heard one of the Elders say.”Officer Smith, you should have been here 10 minutes ago. The heavens opened up..a light came down and that big old stump was taken up!
Well this is what I have to say, Mitt and Matt Romney, Jim Davies, Greg Davis and those Missionaries efforts were fully rewarded. After all they could do, the Lord was not going to let their efforts go unrewarded. The tractor man came about the time the stump was prepared for removal. This we must all remember. Out of small things proceeded that which is great! This was a memorable day for all of us.
children - Ugly kid
January 21, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [11]
I bet his Mama thinks he’s pretty, Lainie.
Children
January 20, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [3]
I told beth the other night but this appalled me. I decided until I go back to work at the plant nursery in the 3rd week of February I would work temp jobs for Kelly services, so the first job they sent me on was to go to the Sheriton and promote a “Model and Talent” search for kids and adults. Anyway, I just gave out paperwork and explained the procedures and their were several radio stations along the way promoting this. Well, it was just me doing the paperwork \explanation work and the first radio station was a couple of black kids in their 20’s maybe. Meanwhile, in between parents coming in with their adorable kids I made the comment to one of the DJ’s that some of these kids were “not so cute” (mind you maybe 1%) and when they went back on the air (which was every 15 minuites )the DJ said “make sure you don’t bring your ugly kids”. I was appalled and laid my head down, I told him, “thats horrible!!!kids are innocent!! What if someone told you your kids were ugly? He said “If my kids were Ugly , I would tell them!” Oh!! So, when he went back on the air 15 minutes later I grabbed the mike and said “I’m sorry for his “Temporary insanity”, all of your children are beautiful in God’s eyes. I gave him back the mike and he changed the subject and laughed it off. Still, kids these day’s I can’t believe the things they say!
Okay
January 20, 2008 | Pets | Comments [2]
Okay so it didn’t take Richie Rich long to decide he loved Nana’s afghan she gave me for Christmas, and I put a chair by my bed and he learned to jump on it pretty quick to get on my bed. I get a free doctor’s visit for him tomorrow. He has a skin rash and I need to get the doctor to prescribe something for him. I wanted to send a picture to Casey because she is such a Cat lover, but my printer is acting up. He is 5 months old and at the moment is playing with a whistling bird toy I had. Beth, please show Ryder the picture and Dylan so they will know I won’t take one of their cats.Oh, Mother , and please show Teyla, and tell her this is Aunt Lainie’s new kitty Richie Rich and he is a baby boy!
Richie Rich
January 20, 2008 | Pets | Comments [2]
Since Casey’s cat went to live with her grandmother (she lives in a mansion and the cat liked it better there). I had still paid my pet fee, still had my cat bed, litter box, scratching posts, toys, food etc. and so I went to the Humane Society to get another cat. I like to go there because they are already neutered and have had all their shots. The cat I picked out was 5 months old and his name was Richie. He had been in the cage for 3 months (bless his heart). The vet checked him out when I got ready to leave and said “Bye Richie Rich”, He said that is what he had always called him so I guess thats his name. The thing is its been 3 days and he has barely come from out from under the sofa. He has barely eaten, and I can’t even hardly tell if he has used the litter box. Thats where the picture was taken under the sofa. I hope he doesn’t starve himself to death. He ought to be happy I saved him from a little cage. Their were a lot of kittens but I wanted an older cat that had less of a chance of being saved.
Our Gingerbread Cookies
January 19, 2008 | Uncategorized | Comments [8]
I’m not sure how good the picture is, but these are the gingerbread cookies we make about a 1 1/2 months ago. See how long it takes for me to post a pic. Now that I have done it, I am just going to keep on posting them. Any ole thing. Anyway…Jordan, Teyla and I all made 2, mom made one and jason made one. Can you figure out who made what?
Meet My New Candidate of Choice!
January 19, 2008 | Politics | Comments [1]
I know Ben will agree!
And just think how fast the illegal immigration problem will disappear when Cthulu gets hungry for Mexican food.
As for the War on Terror…well, Cthulu is the ultimate terror, of course, so any terrorist trying to bring down buildings in this country ever again will probably be too busy fighting for survival to plot the destruction of America.
I’m not sure what sorts of Supreme Court Justices Cthulu would appoint, but since the commencement of his reign will allow mankind to be “free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy,” I guess it doesn’t much matter!
The downside of course will be the complete overthrow of the Constitution, but since things like freedom of religion (there will only be one) and of speech (who will dare say anything that might get him eaten instantly?) will also be moot, again, not much point.
One thing’s for certain, though: if you want a real conservative, who better than one of the Great Old Ones who existed before the beginning of time, and will make sure things really get back to what the “founders” intended. No more “Democrats,” that’s for sure, only meat on the hoof.