Monday, February 28, 2011

Elizabeth's First Quilt

On 1-27-2010 I posted "Little Seamstress", which was about my granddaughter Elizabeth wanting to sew a quilt.  She was 3 1/2.

Soon after that, I let her pick out little squares, and she helped me sew them together on the sewing machine.

She wanted to sew her name with pink embroidery floss, so I picked out black fabric so the letters would show up.  (Now I regret using black because it is too dark, but oh well, can't change it now.)

For a whole year we have been working on this.  Almost every time we get together she hand sewed another inch or two on one of the letters of her name, until she got the last bit embroidered a couple of weeks ago.

Then on Saturday when her daddy and her Pappy were watching the basketball game, she and I put the last bit of stitching into the little quilt.  I made Isaac promise to hang it on her bedroom wall when he got home. (Did you do that, Isaac?)

Here is my sweet little granddaughter with the first quilt she ever helped to make:


Sunday, February 27, 2011

Basketball game on tiny TV

On Saturday, Wayne and Isaac found out that the BYU-(San Diego?) basketball game was on TV, on a regular station which wasn't carried on satellite or cable.

All the TVs in both houses are old analog TVs, which don't get digital signals.  Luckily, Wayne and I recently bought a tiny little 7" TV for emergencies.  It gets digital signals and has an antenna.

So Wayne and Isaac watched the game on that microscopic TV.  And they seemed to have had an exceptionally good time.

I guess once we cancel satellite we are going to have to invest in a bit bigger TV, and buy some rabbit ears.  (I loved the way Narda D. always referred to her TV's rabbit ears as "Peasant Vision".)




And here are some very good articles:

The American Thinker.  "A Tipping Point is Nearing", written on Feb. 14, 2011.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/a_tipping_point_is_nearing.html


Food/Financial Crisis of 2011
Agriculture News, written by Mark Sircus, February 15, 2011
http://agriculture.imva.info/food-prices/foodfinancial-crisis-of-2011

Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Pioneer Woman

Amelia just told me about this great cooking website:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/.

Amelia loves the Indian flatbread called "naan" and the restaurant style salsa.







Friday, February 25, 2011

Just for fun, I looked up gold prices


This is amazing, isn't it?  This is the price of gold from 2000 to 2011.  What this really means is that the value (purchasing power) of our dollar has gone down, down, down.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Watching Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Wisconsin....

The TruGreen man just knocked on my door, I told him we didn't want our lawn TruGreen, we like it the way it is, TruBrown.  Sorry, thats just not a priority in my life right now.  (Has it ever been?)

We went to the cannery yesterday, I feel extremely happy we did that.  Every day that goes by, I am feeling more urgent about food storage and other preparations.  I have been stopping by Goodwill at least every week, buying kids shoes for all different sizes, kids coats, baby girl clothing for my two due-in-July granddaughters.  

  I can't keep from thinking about President Kimball's statement, 

"I remember when the sisters used to say, 'Well, but we could buy it at the store a lot cheaper than we can put it up.' But that isn't quite the answer, is it?....Because there will come a time when there isn't any store."  (April 1974 Welfare Session.)

So I have been making a list of things that we would really suffer without.  If there were no stores open, and maybe the electrical grid is down, we would already want to own things such as shoes, coats, zero-degree sleeping bags, sewing machine needles, lantern mantles, bug spray.  

It cost us $50 to drive our van to and from Greensboro yesterday, the gas price at the pump was $3.11.  Now oil has shot up for the past two days, so of course gasoline will be much more expensive.  What if some day we can't even afford to drive to the cannery?

I keep watching all the countries in the Middle East rioting and governments falling and the way that all the oil producing countries hate us, and the spread of protests in America.  And the many pundits who are predicting that the dollar is going into hyperinflation.  And the severe crop freezes a couple of weeks ago in Mexico and Texas and California (lettuce was $2.99 at Harris Teeter today).  You realize, don't you, that there are food riots going on all over the world, just Google it.  Just because we can still afford the food, doesn't mean other nations can. (This photo was named "food riot in Algeria".)


Here are just three of the articles I found when I googled "food riots 2011":

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-01-07/world-risks-food-riots-as-grains-climb-economist-chalmin-says.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/food-riots-worldwide-2011-1


I know you all hate my gloom and doom, but I say its time to get our houses in order and buy the necessities of life and get them stocked up in all your closets.  There are ten different scenarios that could all go kaboom at the same time, imagine if the New Zealand earthquake had happened here.  There is no telling how this could all play out.

We are told "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear."  I want to be totally prepared, and I want all my friends and family to be totally prepared also.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Self defense or kill some wasps

Someone said a good thing to use for self defense was Raid Wasp spray.  It shoots 27 feet, and only costs about $6 per can.  Now I have a can beside me in my car, and one beside my bed.  It may be stupid, but its better than having nothing.

I also saw a self-defense TV show once that said if someone is threatening you right outside your car, you can spray them in the face with a fire extinguisher.

For what its worth....

Sunday, February 20, 2011

My sources say.....

Here is something I just learned yesterday from a forum I am on.  A woman who owns a food storage business said:

Dear members of XXXXXXXXXXXX,
Last week I told you that there's been a fierce turn in the market,
and due to vast food shortages, food prices are about to triple.
This includes powdered dairy products, freeze dried fruits and
vegetables, baking goods, and so on. Anxiously I tried to gather
my resources to see what I could do to reach out to you and help
you make the most of this scary situation.

Here's just an example of what's about to come...
45lb. bucket of wheat.....now $16.95.....soon $53.95
3.5 lbs. powdered milk...now $13.99....soon $28.99
25 lb. bag of sugar...now $13.95.....soon $45.50 

(end)





I'm not putting this on my other food storage blog www.GottaWannaNeedaGettaPrepared.blogspot.com  because I don't know this person and I can't vouch for its truthfulness.   I don't like to put sensational things on there because I do it as part of my church calling and I want it to be all above-board.  But here, on SchoolofGoodEnough, I don't have a huge number of readers so I can do what I want.  You and me both are going to have to pay attention and see if this comes true.  It is a very serious warning.



Saturday, February 19, 2011

"A Sobering Effect", Benson, 1988

Ensign » 1992 » November

Sin Will Not Prevail
President Gordon B. Hinckley
First Counselor in the First Presidency

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=f5699209df38b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Pres. Hinckley quoted from Pres. Benson's book during General Conference:


The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God on the earth will be combined together at Christ’s coming—and that time is not far distant. How I wish we could get the vision of this work, the genius of it, and realize the nearness of that great event. I am sure it would have a sobering effect upon us if we realized what is before us.” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988, p. 19.)

Friday, February 18, 2011

How to fabricate an economic recovery out of thin air


Read the whole article by Giordano Bruno at:
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/required-reading-how-to-fake-an-economic-recovery_02162011

"Here is a step by step guide to fabricating an economic recovery out of thin air….

Don’t Count The Unemployed, Discount Them: Jobless people are a real downer and a pesky nuisance because they represent living breathing proof that a recovery is not taking place. By most standards, a recovery in jobs markets can be claimed if meaningful evidence shows a return to unemployment standards (normal unemployment) set before the recession / depression was triggered. If you are a global banker today, however, this will not do. Instead, you simply change the definition of “normal unemployment”. Thus, the debilitating jobless rate which was originally thought of as “bad”, is now thought of as “natural”. You must then publish long-winded white papers using more subjective statistics devoid of common sense while feigning a logical pretense:
http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2011/el2011-05.html
This only satisfies a small portion of the populace, though. Next, you must rig the manner in which unemployment is calculated to always overlook certain subsections of jobless. Never count those people who have been unemployed so long that they no longer receive benefits. Always count people who are underemployed as fully employed, even if they are only able to scrape together ten hours a week through part time McSlavery. After this, change the manner in which raw data on unemployment is actually collected.....


As Long As Stocks Are Green, The World Is Golden: ....... A question arises here though that desperately begs to be answered; if the stock market’s meteoric rise from near destruction to the 12,000 point mark is “real”, and completely in tune with a legitimate recovery, then why is the Fed still keeping interest rates at near zero after almost three years, and why are they continuing quantitative easing measures? Could it be that without constant liquidity injections from the Fed, the stock market would once again collapse like a wet paper sack? We know that in 2009, it was revealed that bailout funds which were supposed to go towards muting the effects of toxic bank assets were actually being pumped into the equities of healthy banks instead, meaning,the money has not been allocated to the areas promised:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1436061/more_shocking_news_on_2009_bailout.html

We also know that top hedge fund managers have openly stated that stocks will remain bullish because QE funds are propping up the market:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tepper-tells-cnbc-fed-will-prop-up-market-2010-09-24.......


Inflation? What Inflation?: ......To mask inflation is nearly impossible, especially where commodities and base goods are concerned. That’s why our government and private central bank calculate the Consumer Price Index (CPI) without counting food or energy. Most grains and crude oil have doubled in price over the past year alone, and this does not reflect well on the safety of the dollar, or the effectiveness of liquidity measures by the Fed. China, whose inflation is but a prequel to our own, is also distancing food and energy price surges from its CPI numbers, giving the false impression of leveling markets:
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/china-lowers-weighting-surging-food-prices-cpi

Corporate retail chains have a tendency to absorb rising prices of base goods to avoid alienating their customer foundation, hoping that the increases are temporary. When retailers realize that prices are not going to drop back down, they eventually relent, and shelf costs skyrocket. The bottom line is clear; overall worldwide food averages were up over 28% in 2010:
http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/FoodPricesIndex/en/

Crude oil prices continue to hover near the $90 mark even though inventories are at a 20 year high:
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/gasoline-inventories-jump-20-year-high-gas-price-surges

The World Bank is now warning of possible disasters (which they helped create) in the wake of “dangerous price levels”:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/15/us-worldbank-food-idUSTRE71E5H720110215

Our government’s response? Complete denial that there is any significant threat of inflation. Denial that overprinting of the dollar and its subsequent devaluation has anything to do with rising prices. Scapegoating everything from weather, to speculators, to the fake “recovery” itself for price spikes. The longer they keep the terminology of inflation out of the mainstream, the less Americans are likely to prepare for an onslaught of the dollar.

Create Debt To Pay Off Debt: This is pretty self explanatory. If foreign investors want nothing to do with you, your explosive national debt, or your depreciating currency, where is your government going to get the money to continue spending like a drunken trophy wife at Macy’s? If you default, the jig is up, and no one will buy your recovery yarns. Instead, print even more fiat and use it to purchase your own Treasury bonds! This serves two purposes; first, it props up the federal bureaucracy which gives the impression of stability (at least for a time), and, it furthers your goal of squeezing the dollar like a grape.

Remove All Checks And Balances: If you plan on decimating an economy, you can’t very well have people pointing fingers at you while you do it. That would be inconvenient. It’s funny, but for years, ratings agencies like Moodys helped global banks facilitate the mortgage and derivatives crisis by categorizing worthless assets as AAA securities. Without them, no one would have invested in such garbage in the first place, and the banking fraud would have been immediately exposed. Now that ratings agencies are finally doing their job and downgrading the creditworthiness of banks and countries that possess extreme liabilities, the SEC is moving to marginalize them:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/09/us-financial-regulation-creditraters-idUSTRE7180OD20110209
Interesting that as the U.S. nears a possible credit downgrade, we suddenly no longer care what ratings agencies have to say....

Thursday, February 17, 2011

I can't wait for the Wake County Library Book Sale!

Wake County Public Libraries’ booksale will be held at the NC State Fairgrounds' Exposition Center February 17–20, 2011. The site offers ample parking, easy access, and an in-house concession for food. The library plans to make the booksale a system celebration, featuring great books for sale in a festival atmosphere. More than 450,000 items will be available for sale to the public at great bargain prices.

Schedule:

Thursday,
February 17
5 p.m.–9 p.m.Opening Day
Friday,
February 18
10 a.m.–9 p.m.
Leisurely shopping with musical entertainment until 7 p.m.

10–11 a.m. – Ernest McHenry, African Drumming
Noon–1 p.m Los Galleros de Mexico, Mariachi band
3–4 p.m. – Adem Eker, Turkish Style Music
5–7 p.m. – Kudzu Ramblers, Blue Grass Band
Saturday,
February 19
10 a.m.–9 p.m.Family and children’s activities
until 7 p.m.

10 a.m.–noon – Sandbox!! (Kids and Family band)  playing traditional children's music
12:30–2 p.m. – "Instrument Petting Zoo" – sponsored by the North Carolina  Symphony
Noon–1 p.m – Special appearance by Muddy, mascot of The Carolina Mudcats
Noon–4 p.m. – Digital Library staff will be available to demonstrate downloading audio and ebooks
2–3 p.m. – Black Belt World will demonstrate Tae Kwon Do
2–5 p.m. – Chris "Juggle Boy" Fowler, stiltwalking and juggling
3–4 p.m. – Irish dancing provided by Inis Cairde School of Irish Dance
4–5 p.m. – Children's movement dance provided by The Dance Center of Knightdale

All day: Drop-in craft for kids, games with prizes, face painting, balloon art, magic tricks, book characters in costume, the WCPL Bookmobile and more!!
Sunday,
February 20
10 a.m.–6 p.m.Bargain Day!
Expo Center map
Fairgrounds Map






Directions -

View Larger Map
NC State Fairgrounds1205 Blue Ridge Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
 

Prices:

Thursday
& Friday
Hardbound books & media – $4
Paperbacks & children’s materials – $2
SaturdayHalf-Price Day!Hardbound books & media – $2
Paperbacks & children’s materials – $1
SundayBargain Day!
Boxes of books – $5
Bags of books – $2
The library provides boxes and bags.
Only cash and checks are accepted—no credit card purchases!
Customers are encouraged to bring carts, wagons, etc., as we cannot guarantee the provision of these items this year in this venue.
All proceeds from the sale are considered library revenue and are routed to the Wake County General fund which covers the operating costs for Wake County Public Libraries.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Janette and Seth are having a girl, due date July 6.

And yesterday we found out Rachel and Isaac are ALSO having a GIRL!!!!!

I hope they will be best cousins!

Monday, February 14, 2011

I love my valentine

I am totally in love, happy as can be,  head over heels, comfortably settled down forever, and living a completely satisfactory middle aged married life with my absolutely adorable husband WAYNE.  And I am counting on him looking exactly like this again when we get resurrected.

P.S.  Today is the 31st anniversary of our first kiss.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sysco document was true, its in the news

I hate to say I told you so, but now it is in the news, not just on some wacko's YouTube video.  Food prices are going through the roof.


Sysco declares force majeure, raises grocery prices
Jack H Barnes's picture
Submitted by Jack H Barnes on 02/12/2011 13:37 -0500

Food inflation driven by freezing weather in Florida during December and in Mexico during February, is hitting the US supermarkets in the coming day’s. Sysco sent out an alert that announced an “Act of God”, to address their contracted supply issues.

The cold of the Superbowl weekend in Texas, has had a more lasting impact than on just the game plans for lots of travelers. The deep cold sank into the produce fields of northern Mexico, destroying fresh produce crops. This is the biggest page 16 story, about to hit a headline, that you have seen in a while. Your restaurants will be low on fresh produces for weeks. They will have to raise prices significantly or cut the produce out of the menu.

On Feb. 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported prices of $22.95-24.95 for two-layer cartons of 4×4, 5×5 and 5×6 vine-ripe field-grown tomatoes from Mexico, up from $6.95-9.95 the week before and $5.95-7.95 the year before.

This cold storm has brought to the food growing region the coldest temps in 50 years. This has caused damaged to most of the fresh produce available to US supermarkets in the winter spring season. This is going to impact the price you pay at the Supermarket anywhere in the North American continent.

This event will add to the worlds food supply issues already impacted by fires in Russia, rains in Australia, droughts in China, and now freezing temperatures in Florida & Mexico. Here are some quotes on the topic

“The last time there was a freeze of this severity was 1957,” said Jerry Wagner, director of sales and marketing for Nogales, Ariz.-based Farmer’s Best. “It’s still too early to tell, but there’s a lot of damage.”

“It’s been a rough day,” said Lee Anne Oxford, marketing director for Raleigh, N.C.-based grower-shipper L&M Cos. Inc. “Right now we have all of our growers out in various fields. We’re expecting to regroup over the weekend and hopefully know where we stand by Sunday.”

The Packer:

“The early reports are still coming in but most are showing losses of crops in the range of 80 to 100%. Even shade house product was hit by the extremely cold temps. It will take 7-10 days to have a clearer picture from growers and field supervisors, but these growing regions haven’t had cold like this in over half a century.”

“Florida normally is a major supplier for these items as well but they have already been struck with severe freeze damage in December and January and up until now have had to purchase product out of Mexico to fill their commitments, that is no longer an option.” Via Sysco Alert

“Supplies of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables from Mexico will be severely limited until at least March following an early February freeze.”

Digital Journal:

This event will push up the price of produce in the US for the next few months. The bigger question is if the US wheat crop was damaged by the cold weather before the heavy snow fell to blanket it.

Vinnie's story: Rozilphia's death

I remember a particularly fascinating story my grandma Vinnie used to tell.

It seems that her grandmother, Rozilphia Stratton, lived in an old house that had once had a balcony on the second story.  For whatever reason, the balcony had been removed, but the door was still there.

Some relatives came to stay with Rozilphia, so she offered to stay in the bedroom upstairs and give them her ground-floor bedroom.  Rozilphia was an old woman, and maybe a little forgetful.  During the night, she had to use the outhouse, so she walked out the upstairs door and fell to her death.

There has been a lot of speculation about this story throughout my life.  How dumb was it to have a door that opened out to nothing?  It seems like someone could have nailed a board across it or something.  It really makes you wonder about people.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Vinnie's genealogy: 3 sets of parents

What was so frustrating last week when I went to new Family Search for my first time, was that I found that my grandma Vinnie had all the wrong parents!

Not only has she and her siblings been sealed to her parents Susan McCleve and George Franklin Gardner, but all those Gardner children have also been sealed to their aunt Maggie McCleve and her husband Darien Kartchner.

(This, of course, results in all their Kartchner cousins being listed as their siblings instead of their cousins.)

(And, very unfortunately, it makes my pedigree go on the Kartchner line instead of on the McCleve line, which is totally bogus.)

To add insult to injury, they have also been sealed to another set of parents, George (their real dad) and their aunt Maggie!

So I will live in frustration for awhile until some new features get added to new Family Search.  Randolyn told me next year we will be able to add comments, and you can be sure I will add some comments when that capability opens up.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Vinnie's story: Twin mothers

These are my grandparents, Hap and Vinnie Stewart.

Here is Vinnie's family when she was a girl.  Her mother, Susan McCleve Gardner, her father George Franklin Gardner.  Vinnie is on the left, little brother Harald in the middle, sister Georgia on the right.

Susan had an identical twin sister, Margaret McCleve Kartchner, who lived just down the street, so the sisters were often together.

I remember my Grandma Vinnie telling this story of one of her earliest memories.

Vinnie remembered being a very small girl, and when she was hurt she ran crying and buried her face in what she thought was her mother's long skirt.   She remembered being so surprised when her aunt Maggie said, "Bless your heart, child, I'm not your mother!"

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Where do I find all this stuff about food shortages?

Well, I have a lot of websites I read.  And I see these stories more and more and more.  


YouTube video, Feb. 8, 2011

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Benson "Prepare Yourself for the Great Day of the Lord"

http://lds.org/new-era/1982/05/prepare-yourself-for-the-great-day-of-the-lord?lang=eng


BY PRESIDENT EZRA TAFT BENSON

 "Prepare Yourself for the Great Day of the Lord", New Era, May 1982, 44



Youth of Zion, do you realize you are living in the days of the fulfillment of these signs and wonders? You are among those who will see many of these prophecies fulfilled. Just as certain as was the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jews, so shall these words of the Savior be certain to your generation.
We know not the day nor the hour of His coming, but of this you may feel assured: You stand close to the great day of the Lord! In His words of modern revelation, we say to you, “Seek the face of the Lord, always” (D&C 101:38).
You will live in the midst of economic, political and spiritual instability. When you see these signs—unmistakable evidences that His coming is nigh—be not troubled, but, “stand … in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come” (D&C 87:8). Holy men stand in holy places and these holy places include our temples, our chapels, our homes, and the stakes of Zion, which are, as the Lord declares, “for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:6).
Heed the Lord’s counsel to the Saints of this dispensation: “Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord” (D&C 133:10).
This preparation must consist of more than just casual membership in the Church. You must learn to be guided by personal revelation and the counsel of the living prophet so you will not be deceived. Our Lord has indicated who, among Church members, will stand when He appears:
“And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.
“For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.
“And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation.
“For the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their king and their lawgiver.” (D&C 45:56–59; italics added.)
President Wilford Woodruff further prophesied in 1894:
“Can you tell me where the people are who will be shielded and protected from these great calamities and judgments which are even now at our door? I’ll tell you. The priesthood of God who honor their priesthood and who are worthy of their blessings are the only ones who shall have this safety and protection. They are the only mortal beings. No other people have a right to be shielded from these judgments. They are at our doors; not even this people will escape them entirely.” (Wilford Woodruff, Young Women’s Journal, 5:512, June 1894.)
If you are to preserve your blessings, it is not enough for you to just be free and independent, to capitalize on your advantages so that they accrue to your well-being and prosperity. You must protect and safeguard the freedom you have. You must be wise and virtuous. You must govern your natures by the doctrines of His kingdom. You must be valiant in your testimony of Christ, by keeping all His commandments.
Will you be among those who are faithful to the end? Will you endure? Are you prepared? Can you live in the world and not partake of the sins of the world? Will you “arise and shine forth” as the Lord has commanded? Will you be a light and “standard for the nations”? We know you can. We pray you will. We have every confidence that you, “the rising generation,” will not falter. I repeat: You were valiant spirits reserved for this exceptional time. Make the choice. Rise to the task of this momentous hour!
As a special witness of our Lord, I humbly declare to you that He lives, that He is close to His servants.His word “shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by his own voice or by the voice of his servants, it is the same."(D&C 1:38.)
 

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

"In the Presence of Angels"-Jan. 2011 New Era

I loved this article about missionaries being protected in the Ivory Coast.  There were riots and violence in the country in 2004.

http://lds.org/new-era/2011/01/in-the-presence-of-angels?lang=eng


"In 2003 I was called to serve a mission in the Ivory Coast, in western Africa. As I researched, I found that the country seemed to be involved in constant civil war, but I was comforted to learn there was a ceasefire in place. Further comfort came when I was set apart. The stake president gave me a promise that while I was serving, I would at times feel the presence of angels and they would protect me. I was also promised that if I was obedient, I would return home safely.
In the first months of my mission, the mission president counseled us to be prepared. In our apartment in the capital city of Abidjan, we kept a three-day supply of food and water, and at meetings we received training on what to do if conflict broke out."
I believe in following the counsel of our church leaders.  I have a testimony that by following their counsel, we can be safe.  This story strengthens my testimony. 




"Despite dozens of attacks on foreigners throughout the country, none of the missionaries were harmed during the riots, and no missionary apartments were broken into. Because we listened to the mission president’s counsel, we were safe at home when the riots broke out and we had supplies necessary for our survival. And even more comforting than military protection was knowing we had the Lord’s protection.
When we were being evacuated, I found out that on Sunday afternoon after our sacrament meeting, a group of protesters had been preparing to attack our apartment. One of our neighbors shouted, “They aren’t French!” but they would not leave. Finally, another neighbor cried, “They’re missionaries!” and the rioters dispersed. I again remembered the words, “My Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you,” and I realized that I was living the promise from my stake president’s blessing. I had seen prophecy fulfilled."

Monday, February 7, 2011

A primer for the president

"Were (the president) to ask for a primer on how to act in relation to other states...and were that primer to be written by the American people, whether of 1776 or 2010, you can be confident that it would contain the following instructions:
"You do not bow to kings.  Outside our shores, the President of the United States bows to no man.  
When in foreign lands, you do not criticize your own country.
You do not argue the case against the United States, but the case for it.
You do not apologize to the enemies of the Unites States.
Should you be confused, a country, people, or region that harbors, shelters, supports, encourages, or cheers attacks upon our country or the slaughter of our friends and families are enemies of the United States.  And, to repeat, you do not apologize to them."

Mike Pence, U. S. Representative, Indiana's 6th Congressional District, in a speech entitled "The Presidency and the Constitution", delivered on the Hillsdale College campus on September 20, 2010.
Published in Imprimis magazine, October 2010

Sunday, February 6, 2011

CERT was great

I really, really enjoyed my CERT training for the past 3 days.   Today we went through a mock disaster, and had to treat victims with fake blood and injuries all over them.  I told all about it on my other blog  www.GottaWannaNeedaGettaPrepared.blogspot.com

Saturday, February 5, 2011

CERT training

I am attending Citizens Emergency Response Team training for 3 days.  It has been fun and very interesting.  Here I am putting out a fire.

I'll tell you more tomorrow.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Hand me downs

Tara had the cutest dress.  Her friend borrowed it, washed it and shrank it.  I was so mad.

Here is Elizabeth wearing her new dress-up dress.

So sad.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Chocolate Chips, CERT, Ham radio, Baby Girl

Tonight, I am teaching at an evening Relief Society meeting at my ward.  I will be demonstrating how to vacuum seal M&Ms and Chocolate chips inside regular canning jars using a FoodSaver vacuum sealer and a jar sealer attachment.

And I am excited to be taking CERT training this weekend (thats Citizen Emergency Response Team).  I will let you know what I learned, it should be WAY out of my comfort zone.  I know for sure we will be learning about search and rescue and first aid, I think how to put out fires, and a bunch of other stuff.

Studying my Ham radio manual is not going so well.  Man! That is difficult stuff!  Frequency and UHF and VHF and AM and FM and transceivers and transponders and wavelength and range and repeaters and blah blah blah.  It goes right over my head.  I think an electrical engineering major would love it, though.  I think I am going to read the whole manual to see if I start understanding it, then reread it to see if any of it sticks.  I really want to become a Ham radio operator so I'm going to keep working on it.

Janette and Seth were told yesterday that they are going to have a GIRL!  I am excited.  We still have to find out about Rachel and Isaac's baby.  (Both daughters-in-laws are due in July.)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011