giveaways...

Caddywumpus is having some great giveaways to begin the Christmas season... go there and enter to win!

Black Friday....

Did anyone brave the crowds and go shopping? I didn't! I don't like crowds. I used to go with my Mom and it was fun, but by myself? NO THANK YOU! Have a lovely black Friday.... I'm making Christmas presents today in bed because I'm still sick!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!

I'm Thankful for:
~First and Foremost and I'm thankful for my family. I love my parents and know how much they love me. I feel their love for me constantly. I love my brothers. Craig has always been there for me, helping me out when I needed it the most. Gary, well Gary always gives us all comic relief. Both Craig and Gary are strong, focused, diligent, honest, hard working, amazing examples to me. Maybe some day I'll be as well grounded and focused as they are. (I can hope I'll be able to change my flighty ways, right?) My sweet Tyler. I love you dearly! You are so sweet to me and I love talking to you and playing games with you. Thank you for loving to PLAY with me because James HATES games! Then James.... oh James... I love you! Thank you for having so much patience with me when I'm being crazy, flighty, silly, or weird... (or When I was in school and crying my eyes out because I had so much homework from taking 16-18 credits a term and didn't sleep for days... sorry you've had to put up with me when I've been emotionally bereft or acting like the wicked zombie witch who needed to desperately sleep!) My sweet sister in law, who I'm glad is my sister. Thank you for sharing your sweet little girls with us. Sweeter angels have never existed before them, hopefully I'll get some babies like them!
~The time I spent on a mission and becoming stronger spiritually and learning to stick up for myself.
~The 12 years I spent as a cosmetologist. Those were fun years and I miss doing hair, but I was so ready to go back to school and get out of the back biting, salon gossipy, meanness that went on.
~My bachelor's degree that I earned this past year. I couldn't have earned it without lots of prayer and help from my Heavenly Father. Thank you Father in Heaven for helping me get great grades and helping me stay awake in classes even though I hadn't slept for a few days!
~The opportunity to get my master's degree.
~The opportunity to live in Portland, because I always wanted to and now I have!
~Other opportunities for work and positive change.
~My friend giving me a job and it was one I absolutely loved and I was able to have a girlfriend who shared her children with me and her experience giving birth to her last baby.
~I'm thankful for the peaceful times in my life when I can sit back, relax, and be quiet.
~I'm thankful for sleep. I love to sleep. Even though I struggle with insomnia, I'm thankful for the times when my body lets me rest.
~I'm thankful that I have so many interests because I get bored very easily. I'm also able to be persistent enough that even though I find something hard, I stick with it and eventually can master it.
~I'm thankful for Prayer, for an ability to talk to my Heavenly Father and feel of his love for me.

I hope all of you have a lovely Thanksgiving too!

I watched The Dancing with the Stars Finale last night

Dancing with the Stars is about the only tv show I watch and I'm sad this season is over. It's my favorite show. Of course everyone knows Brooke Burke won. I was glad that Derek Hough took home a trophy because he's so talented. Here is their last dance that won them the trophy and their free style dance that was aired on Monday.


But this dance was the won I liked the best last night. I really like Julianne Hough. She's my favorite professional dancer on the show.

Tomorrow is the big day!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Are you ready? Are you cooking and baking and getting ready to feast and to count your many blessings? I love Thanksgiving, it's different now then when I grew up. I am used to noisy, sports filled, board game playing, lots of chaos and people filled Thanksgivings. Anymore they are very quiet. James and I will be celebrating this year alone, which is a good thing because I don't want to make anyone else sick! I think sleeping is on the agenda for most of the day and movie watching and couch lounging... AHHHHH... I'm thankful for a peaceful Thanksgiving..... NOW GET BACK TO WORK... (I have to bake the pumpkin and puree it for pie, make toasted bread crumbs for stuffing, make rolls, and two salads. Then I can go sleep some more.)

Happy Cooking and Baking!!!

My family loves cranberries, especially my three younger brothers. They like to eat cranberries all year long. So here is some Cranberry Trivia:

By now, nearly all of the cranberry crop has been harvested. Millions and millions of the little hard, tart ruby berries grown in the bogs of Cape Cod (Massachusetts), New Jersey, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, and the Maritime Provinces of Canada have been bagged fresh or earmarked for juice or canned sauce. The cranberry is a genuine Native American, (Vaccinium macrocarpon), a member of the heath family and a relative of the blueberry and huckleberry. The Pequot Indians of Cape Cod called the berry ibimi, meaning bitter berry, and combined crushed cranberries with dried venison and fat to make pemmican.
The Pilgrims and those who followed appreciated the wild berries but did not start to cultivate them until 1816, when a bog was planted and tended in Dennis on Cape Cod. By then, American and Canadian sailors on long voyages knew they could eat cranberries to protect themselves from scurvy -- making them a cranberry counterpart to British "limeys."

It's the time of year... to be sick!

I'm sick.... very sick. I thought I had strep throat on Friday night, but I've never had it before and don't think I'm prone to it. I felt like I was trying to swallow around a golf ball yesterday, but that horrible feeling has finally gone away. Now I'm just tired and fighting off this virus... I slept for 13 hours today. Hopefully I'll be well tomorrow. I'm still drinking my echinacea sick herbal tea.... hopefully some remedy I'm using will help!

Our Beach trip

James and I went to the beach for our Anniversary and his birthday. We had an awesome time and we were glad we went to the beach when we did because it was sunny and nice for the Oregon Coast in November. It's now rainy and gloomy here. While at the beach, I had an accident. I almost fell off a cliff just as James told me to not get too close because it was wet. I was watching the river rushing to the ocean and I was fascinated with the banks of sand falling into the river. The bank I was standing on slid down to the water and I didn't want to get wet because I was cold. I was hanging on with my foot and hand trying to scramble up, but I couldn't and James ran over and pulled me up. I twisted my ankle and bruised my foot. So now I have to wear a wrap and hobble around as best as I can. NO FUN! Now James can tell everyone that he saved me from falling off a cliff! MY HERO!!! HA HA HA!!! I guess someone needs the job of saving me from my clutzy self.

I also start work again on Monday.... Hurray!!!

Birthday time....

It's James' birthday today!!!

Since our anniversary is the day before James' birthday, James tells everyone that he got me for his birthday and couldn't have asked for a better gift! Very sweet!!!

I have awesome plans for James' birthday... He's going to have an amazing time!!!

Today

Is my 3rd wedding anniversary!

The Secular Church

I was reading Rebecca's blog today and she had posted this. Thank you for sharing it Rebecca and I'll post it too so we can spread the word like you wanted.

Christmas gifts

I'm beginning to make my Christmas gifts this year. I wish I would have started earlier because I'm going to be making everything. I've decided that I'm tired of the greed and over commercialization of Christmas and am going to get back to what it really should be about... Christ. I was reading the Little house on the Prairie series over the summer and was reading about the Christmases they had. We are so spoiled and greedy these days. I've decided everyone is going to get one gift and then we're going to focus on our Savior, his miraculous birth, and service to others in need.

great brother/sister LDS dance couples

Not my favorite music, but the dancing of Lacey and Benji Schwimmer is really good.
These two, Julianne and Derek Hough are my favorite dancers. I think they're amazing to watch.

Hope you enjoy!

A giveaway...

Do you like to read? Go here to see the lovely giveaway that Bloggin' about books is drawing names for tomorrow. It would be nice for yourself or a Christmas gift for someone on your list who likes to read.

The people have spoken twice in California supporting the traditional definition of marriage—once in 2000 and again this election—but that isn't enough for proponents of same-sex marriage who intend to intimidate and harass until their philosophy triumphs. As San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said when the California Supreme Court ruled for same-sex marriage earlier this year, “It's going to happen—whether you like it or not.”
Though opponents of Prop. 8 who seek for same-sex marriage tout that they are the movement of tolerance, their actions mark them as hypocrites, as they send the message through protests, property vandalism and singling out donors for vilification that anybody getting in their way had better watch out. Payback and punishment will follow for those who have exercised their right of political expression to support traditional marriage.
This, of course, is designed to inhibit and terrorize anyone who opposes redefining marriage, chilling not only discussion of the issues, but political opposition altogether. At the very least, those who support that marriage is between a man and a woman are labelled hateful and bigoted.
Even the media participated in this kind of name-calling. The Los Angeles Times, for instance in endorsing a “no” vote on the marriage amendment said, “Vote No on the bigotry of Proposition 8.” But supporters of traditional marriage have also seen windows broken, cars keyed, and social disdain. Many ministers are employing guards to watch their churches round the clock.
A particularly easy target for abuse, perhaps because they are a minority, has been The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, whose First Presidency sent a letter to the California congregations in June urging members to be involved in supporting the marriage amendment. Apparently participation as citizens in issues opposing the same-sex marriage agenda cannot be tolerated for now it has become open season on the church and its individual members.
In the past few days, thousands of people have besieged LDS temples in Los Angeles , Manhattan , San Diego , and Salt Lake . Freeway ramps were closed leading to the Oakland temple because of angry protesters. Two days after the election, fearing for the safety of members, LDS officials had to temporarily suspend services at the Los Angeles temple because of the threatening crowds. More protests at LDS temples are planned and at least one website is calling for the LDS temple in Los Angeles to be a permanent protest site.
The protesters bear signs like: “Mormon scum”; “Mormon money, Mormon lies”; “Go back to Utah ”; “Latter-day H8”: “Religious bigots”. They scrawled graffiti on the walls surrounding the temple lot, calling Latter-day Saints “liars” and chanted, “Stop Mormon hate.”
This was a mirror of the sort of threats that appeared on homosexual blogs toward religious people who supported Prop 8. A blogger wrote, "Trust me. I've got a big list of names of mormons and catholics that were big supporters of Prop 8. ... As far as mormons and catholics ... I warn them to watch their backs." Another blogger wrote, “Burn their [expletive deleted] churches to the ground and then tax the charred embers.”
For those who claim that when traditional marriage proponents say a child deserves to have a mother and father, it is hate speech, let us draw a clear distinction. What we see on these blogs is what hate speech looks like. It is not hate speech to assert what every other generation has taken for granted.
Calling your opponents “hateful” is just a tool to silence them.
The AP has reported that there's a growing call amongst opponents of Prop 8, gay rights activists and others to boycott the entire state of Utah to punish the Mormon Church and Utah 's vibrant tourism industry.
Under the mantra “Tax LDS now, hate on your own dime,” a petition is also afoot to gather support to challenge the tax-exempt status of the LDS church. This is a frivolous effort, for though, according to some estimates, individual members of the church accounted for some $20 million worth of contributions to the cause of supporting the marriage amendment, according to the Protect Marriage campaign, the LDS church itself only contributed a little more than $2,000 for travel expenses for some officials to attend a meeting.
What is more pointed is Prop 8 opponents have created a website called antigayblacklist.com that lists donors to Prop 8 and where they work. The call is to boycott their businesses. This means, of course, that employees may be penalized at their workplace and seen as a threat to a business's profit for having made a free choice in an election.
Scott Eckern, the well-liked artistic director of the California Musical Theatre in Sacramento resigned this week after a 25-year career, driven out because he voted “Yes” on Prop 8 and donated $1000 to the cause.
According to the Sacramento Bee, "when Tony Award-winner Marc Shaiman, the composer of ‘Hairspray,' read of Eckern's donation last week, he urged artists and theater workers across the country to boycott the theater." He wrote "that he wouldn't allow his work to be done at California Musical Theatre, and theater workers across the country have followed his lead...
"Susan Egan, star of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie' and ‘Cabaret,' followed with a similar email. Theater professionals flooded CMT's offices over the weekend with phone calls and emails decrying Eckern's actions."
Catch that phrase. "Decrying Eckern's actions." These actions that are being so widely decried are his making a legitimate choice as a citizen in a free election, voting the way the majority of Californians voted, including 70% of the African Americans who seem not to be buying the idea that anyone's civil rights have been violated as theirs once were.
Most egregious was a commercial created to run on election day where two actors, posing as LDS missionaries invade the home of a same-sex couple. They knock on the door, say they are from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and tell a lesbian couple "we are here to take away your rights." They take their wedding rings, ransack the house looking for their marriage license, find it, and then tear it up. They say, "that was too easy, yeah, what should we ban next?" Then the ad says: "Say No to a Church taking over your government. Vote No on Prop. 8"
Of course, this deplorable ad was seeking to incite hatred and fear of a religious minority, but it is ultimately a strike against churches having any say in these vital social issues, and the last line is absolutely chilling for all religious people, no matter who they are, as it seeks to censor their voices. Any church has a constitutional right of expression on political and social issues.
One of the most potent arguments against same-sex marriage is that it tramples religious freedom. A group of distinguished legal scholars recently published a book called Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty, Emerging Conflicts . While they fall on both sides of the issue concerning the desirability of same-sex marriage for our culture, they unanimously agree on one point—that a conflict is brewing for religious freedom, which includes freedom of speech.
Harvard Law professor Mary Ann Glendon wrote in 2004, during the same-sex marriage debate in Massachusetts, ''the experience in other countries reveals that once these arrangements become law, there will be no live-and-let-live policy for those who differ. Gay-marriage proponents use the language of openness, tolerance, and diversity, yet one foreseeable effect of their success will be to usher in an era of intolerance and discrimination...The ax will fall most heavily on religious persons and groups that don't go along."
Religious groups have legitimate concerns that they will be gagged regarding the importance of traditional marriage and family, if same-sex marriage becomes a civil right. Yet, same-sex advocates know it doesn't take the force of law alone to silence opposition. You can harangue and intimidate people into silence. You can threaten their jobs and target their livelihood—even if they have been at their job for 25 years.
The press is often complicit in seeking to paint supporters of traditional marriage in an odious light and uses its own methods to silence them. Brian Fitzpatrick writing in an Anglican publication noted that the New York Times condemned “the ugly outcome of these ballot fights” and ran seven letters to the editor, six by opponents. The Chicago Sun-Times called traditional marriage “discrimination and nonsense.”
Fitzpatrick said a local CBS station in Palm Springs , Calif showed furious protesters knocking a Christian cross out of an elderly woman's hands and stomping on it. She remained calm and collected, and when Kimberly Chang, the reporter, tried to interview her, protesters blocked the camera with their signs. Then CBS anchor Kris Long, in a magical act of moral equivalence, told viewers, “There's a lot of anger and a lot of hate, quite honestly on both sides.”
What is accurate is that for holding the not-so-very-remarkable idea that marriage is between a man and a woman, citizens and their churches are being warred upon. George W. Dent, Jr., wrote of this conflict in the Kentucky Law Journal, “[T]his war is not amenable to compromise. [T]he goal of the gay movement is not primarily economic; most gays already have above-average incomes. The goal, rather, is approval of homosexuality as legally and socially equal to heterosexuality. Because of the tremendous influence of religion in America , this goal cannot be achieved unless religious groups either surrender, thus affirming this equality or, at least, those that do not are reduced to a despised minority compelled to keep its views to itself. In other words, the goal of the gay movement is to confine its opponents in the closet.”
In a democracy, the results of a fair election should be respected and no one should be singled out for attack because they are exercising their core civil right to speak, vote, or donate to the cause of their choice. If, instead, a group demands adherence to their point of view, with consequences for those who do not comply, we are veering sharply from a fundamental foundational principle of our nation. The technique of vilification and intimidation of those who do not comply or conform is a tool of totalitarian systems.

Something funny!

The Shoe Box
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years.
They had shared everything. They had talked about everything.
They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little
old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had
cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but
one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said
she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took
down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.
She agreed that it was time that he should know what was
in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted
doilies and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be
married,' she said, ' my grandmother told me the secret of a happy
marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry
with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doiley'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears.
Only two precious doilies were in the box.
She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving.
He almost burst with happiness. 'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the doilies,
but what about all of this money?
Where did it come from?'
'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the doilies.'

She's here!!!

My friend's baby was born at 3am this morning. James and I went over today and took the blanket that I crocheted for her. I'm happy the blanket turned out as well as it did, I came up with my own pattern and was very pleased with it.
The baby is beautiful, she was born at home and my friend's husband delivered the baby while the midwives watched and guided him. The atmosphere in their home was serene and peaceful, definately a wonderful way to have a baby!

Could it be time...

for a baby??? My friend was having pretty stong contractions today, but they weren't very close together. Perhaps the baby is turning it self and getting ready to be born. I was going to stay, because she thinks the baby will be born tonight or early in the morning, but it seemed she was calling a lot of people and I think I decided to come home and stay out of the way. Afterall, I wouldn't like the whole ward in my bedroom watching me deliver a baby. That would be a little weird! I'm excited for her because she is a couple of days past her due date and she's so tiny and the baby is getting huge. It must be really uncomfortable for her. I hope it comes tonight so she can get some sleep. Her husband is taking 4 weeks off to take care of her and the kids. How awesome is that???

Remember a Vet

Catholics appalled at anti-Mormon slur

Seattle

I've been in Seattle over the weekend. It was so beautiful and they had lovely fall weather. I took my camera, but I was preoccupied and never even took a photo.

My sister in law was here for a month with her children and we had a wonderful time together. Her little girls were a joy for us all to be around and my sister in law was happy for the help. We were sad when we came home and they weren't here. The house seems really empty without them.

I enjoyed their oldest daughter who is my new best friend! Although she probably won't remember that when I see her next time. (she's only 20 mos. old) I loved that she loved me. It made me think that, I would be a good mother and I am good with children. Whenever I sat down, she wanted to sit in my lap... very sweet! Their youngest is equally adorable and gives the most charming, endearing looks of love with her eyes and she is such a smiler and so beautiful. (she's 9 mos. old) they are both outgoing and sweet. I know my brother was happy to have them come back home to him. He missed them, he said his youngest smiled really big at him when he met them at the airport.

Thank you to my brother and sister in law for sharing their family with us. I wish we could have seen my brother as well, but he's working hard and couldn't get away. I'll have to go there to see him.

It's been a busy week!

I'm cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and making dinners for two families every night. I love making dinner... anyone want me to come cook for them? I'm a great cook and I love it! At work, my friend can give birth any day. She has a couple of days left, and we need to get to work on getting ready for the baby.

I'm invited to attend the birth, but I'll probably take care of the other kids because I'm afraid I'll never want to have children if I see a woman in birth, at home, and without pain medication...

But I must admit, I think giving birth at home is very cool!

It's been a busy weekend...

I got back from my parent's house today. I had another dentist appointment and I didn't have to have a root canal!!! He said the medicinal treatment he did saved the tooth and all I had to have was a permanent filling! I'm so grateful and I've been praying and praying that my tooth would be saved.

Then I went to work and cleaned like a crazy woman and cooked a yummy dinner! Vegetarian Borsch. It looked good and smelled good, but now I've got to hurry and get dinner on the table for us.

Have a great evening!

how was your halloween?

James handed out candy at our house and I went to my Mom's house. We both wore our costumes... we were black crows! My Mom has company and I wanted to go be with them so we sort of did our own thing. We went through the corn maze on Thursday, which I 'm glad we went then because it rained on Halloween. We had a ton of fun... and James' pumpkin that he carved.... GROSS! I'll upload pictures soon. I'm at my Mom's still and am helping her get ready for the Fall Festival at her ward.

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween!