Interview with Diety

The best way to get something done is to do it first thing in the morning. Never procrastinate until late in the day something you want to accomplish. There will surely be obstacles and other things come up that will side track you in your efforts. Family scripture study should be one of these things.

“I fear that many of us rush about from day to day taking for granted the holy scriptures. We scramble to honor appointments with physicians, lawyers, and businessmen. Yet we think nothing of postponing interviews with Deity—postponing scripture study. Little wonder we develop anemic souls and lose our direction in living. How much better it would be if we planned and held sacred fifteen or twenty minutes a day for reading the scriptures. Such interviews with Deity would help us recognize his voice and enable us to receive guidance in all of our affairs. We must look to God through the scriptures” (Carlos Asay in Conference Report, Oct. 1978, p. 79; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, pp. 53–54).

Scripture of the Day: Genesis 49:2

Blog Break

I need to take a few days off of blogging to make some computer repairs/upgrades. I promise I will be back asap! Hope everyone is having a great summer.

The Police are Off-Duty

Sorry for no Police Beat this week--The Daily Universe must be on vacay or something because there were none published this week. Or maybe it's the BYU police themselves on break. Instead, here is a fun David Letterman Top 10 List to get you a laugh for the weekend. And it even goes with the monthly theme. Wahoo!

Top 10 Things You Don't Want to Hear From Your Kids on Father's Day

10. "And you are?"

9. "Father? We always kind of assumed you were our mother."

8. "I'm supposed to give you a gift to thank you for ruining my life?!"

7. "Hey dad, on your special day, how 'bout updating your will?"

6. "It's not just a nose hair trimmer, it's a nose and ear hair trimmer."

5. "All eight of us got you a subscription to US Weekly, so you can read about how you're cheating on mom."

4. "It's a restaurant, dad; they require a shirt."

3. "I know you don't play golf, but golfballs were easiest to shoplift."

2. "It's nice to go through the motions like this every year."

1. "Here's a couple bucks. Get yourself a McDLT."

{source}

Scripture of the Day: D&C 83:4

Advice from Elder Eyring

Photo by Welden C. Andersen

How can parents help their children love the scriptures?

Elder Eyring: "All of us have had various experiences and success with family scripture study, particularly as our children become teenagers. When they’re little, gathering them around and reading the scriptures together is easier. As they get a little older, it can sometimes be harder to do. I know many families are very successful in getting their family up at some very early hour and they read the scriptures and then they read at night. But there are many patterns. For me at least, and I think my six children would agree, scripture study works well only if your children know you love the scriptures and they also know as individuals that you love them. Then whatever pattern you have will work.

"If scripture study is forced for either them or you, if your children feel pushed, or if you don’t really love the scriptures yourself, then scripture study doesn’t have as much power. It’s important to read the scriptures together in a way that lets your children know you include them because you love them. However, reading together may break down during the teenage years. Teens may say, “I’d rather read on my own.” My encouragement to families in that situation is to see that as victory, not defeat. Your child may be saying, “I’m getting something when I’m alone that I don’t get when we’re all here together.” Take that as a wonderful sign that scripture study is beginning to take hold in your teen’s heart.

"The main purpose is to fall in love with the scriptures and feast upon them, whether we are alone or together. You have to be realistic. Let teens know you love them. Make sure they know you love the scriptures. However, if they want to go to their rooms and read, let them. They’ll find their own pattern and fall in love with the scriptures.

"I’m blessed with a wife who absolutely loves the scriptures. If I ask her, “What would you like to do?” she says, “Oh, read me the scriptures.” I think our children have sensed that it wasn’t a duty for us to read the scriptures—it was a pleasure."

Henry B. Eyring, “A Discussion on Scripture Study,” Ensign, Jul 2005, 22–26

Scripture of the Day: Moroni 8:10

This Morning...

Conversation with Patch, who had a headache...

Me: Eat some of this toast so when you take the aspirin it doesn't upset your stomach.

Patch: (nibbles a tiny bit of the toast) But I'm not hungry.

Me: (repeating self multiple times) Patch, eat more of your toast.

After half a slice has been eaten Patch takes the aspirin. A short time later...

Patch: I think I am going to throw up.

Me: Then go into the bathroom to the toilet.

Patch: I can't make it that far.

He runs to the trash can, which is full, and vomits.

I spent the next 15 minutes cleaning up the mess off the floor, trash can, kitchen cupboards, his pajamas and pillow.

Next time I will wait until he eats the full slice of toast.

Scripture of the Day: Abraham 5:18

Random Happenings

Yesterday and today have been quite busy, but I thought I would jot down a few things for a post so you would not think I had completely disappeared. Here goes:

1. Sweetie Peach is sick with strep throat. She has not slept well the past two nights, which means I have not slept well either. Life seems so much harder when I have not had enough sleep.

2. Today I went to our ward RS water aerobics and had fun. Honestly, the main reason I go is for the socialization. The extra exercise is an added bonus for me.

3. I showed up for Primary presidency an hour early today on accident. Oops! I went home and came back again on time.

4. Last night I went to visit my parents, who recently returned from a trip to Utah. For a father's day gift I took a book and bag of sugar free Dairy Queen treats. The vanilla-orange popsicle was what I had and it was delish (and only 1 WW point! score!).

5. The dashboard on my van is not working (hasn't for two days now). I can't tell how fast I am driving so I just try to go a little slower than the flow of traffic. Hopefully my DH can get it fixed before we run out of gas (that gauge is not working either).

6. I have three loads of laundry in my living room to fold and put away. Don't make me, please.

7. I finally finished my picture of a Nephite temple. I will post it asap, but I am honestly not real happy with it. When I post it you can give me feedback. I may choose to re-do it.

Scripture of the Day: Moses 2:28

Member Missionary Moment #7

This post is part of a year long series where each week I strive to complete and item from a list of 101 Ways to do Member Missionary Work. Feel free to join me in the work!

This week's moment is from section 5. Internet, number 10: "Recommend to a friend / acquaintance to visit either mormon.org or lds.org."

Yesterday I found this great video on lds.org, as well as the Mormon Messages YouTube channel, about Father's Day (if you haven't seen it yet here it is--I figured out a way to embed it). I decided to use the video and recommended all my brothers-in-law watch it. I sent them an e-mail with the link and told them how grateful I am for the positive influence they have been in our family. One of my brothers-in-law is not a member of the church; he is such a nice man and a wonderful father (to two adorable kiddos). Really, all three of my brothers-in-law are terrific! Hopefully they will all watch the video and enjoy their Father's Day.



Scripture of the Day: D&C 121:43

Happy Father's Day!

I was deeply touched by this video and hope you will take time to watch it--such a great reminder of the many blessings a good father can bring to the home. Sorry, there was no embedding code, so you will have to click over. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhqRMP9meMc

Police Beat #44

Have a great weekend!

June 5: An adult male dressed in black was reported running through the quad and hiding behind dumpsters at Wymount Terrace. The man ran through the quad, dropped to his belly and army-crawled, then got back to his feet and continued running. He ran past a woman and said “Good morning” before jumping in a car and speeding off.

(Comment: Turned out to be a senior prepping for his interview with the CIA. His good manners will definitely help him get the job.)

June 6: An adult male dressed all in black was seen acting “stealthy and ninja-like” near Taylor Hall.

(Comment: Day two of CIA interview prepping.)

June 10: A juvenile was reported hurting a duck near the duck pond. The police were not able to locate the juvenile or the injured duck.

(Comment: Probably just a freshman. The duck, I mean.)

June 11: Graffiti was found in the women’s restroom of the WSC.

(Comment: It read, "That Brigham Young funky chicken thing is just a ruse!")

June 5: Copper piping was stolen from BYU’s storage complex near the LDS Motion Picture Studio. The piping is valued at $1,000.

(Comment: Why steal copper piping when there are so many pennies in fountains to be had for much easier? Stupid criminals.)

Scripture of the Day: D&C 68:25

Book Review: Lydia Bennet's Story

This past week I read Lydia Bennet's Story by Jane Odiwe. I found it on the "new arrivals" shelf at the library and couldn't resist. I know, I know--it is not on the summer reading list I posted last week. But anything Jane Austen-related usually is too tempting for me.

Lydia Bennet's Story starts near the beginning of Pride & Prejudice and tells the story from the point of view of Elizabeth Bennet's younger sister Lydia. There is not too much about Elizabeth and Jane--Lydia is much too self-centered to be thinking of them. And, as part of the book is written in journal format, Lydia's first person point-of-view takes center stage.

Personally, I was interested to know how Lydia ended up running away with Mr. Wickham, as well as how their marriage turned out. This book serves to fill in those details. Odiwe does a good job of keeping Lydia's flirty, silly character true to Jane Austen's original design--Lydia is almost completely oblivious and careless to the havoc she causes by running away with Wickham. She is even less aware of Wickham's flaws or her own. And therein lies the charm; readers familiar with P&P know what is going on behind the scenes and can still appreciate Lydia as a character all her own.

The one flaw I found in Lydia was with the time line. In my mind it was too condensed. What ultimately happens with Lydia and Wickham takes place too quickly; if I had written the book I would have drawn it out longer. Maybe that is because I think Lydia should have to suffer the consequences of her silly behavior more (does that make me mean?). I do not want to give away the plot or conclusion, but Odiwe does have Lydia begin to realize her own flaws and mistakes and then redeems her. I like that she matures and grows, I just don't know if it was realistic to have it happen as quickly as the author penned it.

Despite this flaw I would still recommend Lydia Bennet's Story. It was a fun read, perfect for summer vacations and a little romantic daydreaming.

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 4:14

Old is new Again

When I was young and in Primary flannel board stories were all very common. I even remember playing with my mother's flannel board at home, using random shapes to build objects and make up stories.

Somewhere along the line, though, flannel boards fell out of fashion. Passe, you might say. But you may want to dig this little teaching tool out to help spice up your family scripture study, family home evening lessons, or even a Primary lesson. The newness of it in the eyes of your children will be sure to draw their attention and the lesson taught will be anchored more deeply in the depths of their memory. They may even want to play with it long after your teaching moment has ended--gotta love when that happens!

To help you may simply want to turn to the Friend magazine. Most months in 1998 there was a different flannel board story printed, including ones for Esther, Enos, and Moroni. These figures need to be colored--but if you want already colored versions, this blog has them ready for you. (There are 48 of them listed there! Yay!)

Additionally, some darling scripture puppets published in the Friend each month in 1986 could easily be converted and used for flannel board figures.

Finally, an Etsy shop called Teachable Moments also makes some sweet flannel board story pieces worth checking out (as shown in the picture for this post). So cute!

I am sure there are other flannel board resources out there, so get to it! If you find something great, be sure to leave a comment and share with us.

Scripture of the Day: 1 Timothy 3:4

Struck by Lightning

I thought this was worth the reprint... should we be questioning our faith? I think not.

"Mother Nature added another sight to see at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, Saturday.

As weekend rain and lighting storms moved across the Salt Lake Valley, one strike took a path through the Angel Moroni's golden horn en route to the ground. Steve Allison, a resident of South Jordan who lives near the temple said lightning was dropping in the area Saturday and Sunday it was obvious lightning had struck the temple's unofficial lightning rod.

"(The Angel) is the only thing up there, Daybreak is pretty flat," Allison said. "Saturday afternoon we we're getting big strikes, one shook the house and knocked the power out."

"Allison said he first heard the temple had been struck when a friend walked into choir practice with a pair of binoculars hanging from his neck. On Sunday streams of passersby stopped to view the damage and take pictures.

"Lightning struck the spire on the Oquirrh Mountain Temple on 13 June 2009," Scott Trotter, LDS Church spokesman, said in a prepared statement.

"No structural damage was reported; however, a black residue discolored the upper portion of the Angel Moroni statue. A work crew will re-gild the statue as soon as possible."

Article by Clayton Nolen; Photo by Steve Allison; Article and photo courtesy of MormonTimes.com

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 22:6

Summer Indexing Challenge

It took me more than a week to finally get signed up (a phone call to admin did the trick), but I finally finished my first batch. I am officially an indexer!

My ward is having a summer family history challenge, part of which is a goal to index 100,000 names on FamilySearch.org. I had been hearing of other ward members who are already indexing fools. And yesterday in sacrament meeting one of the young women gave a talk and she has completed almost 1000 names on her own already. So amazing!

The batch of 50 names I completed today was from the 1920 Census in Pennsylvania (looked a lot like the one shown above, only readable :-). The only hard thing about it was figuring out a few of the names (Furgston? Lethea? Breitweitz?). Otherwise it was interesting to see where they were from, the family relationships, and when some of them had immigrated. I was interested to see how many of them had boarders living in their home--more than a few and a practice that is quite uncommon today. It took about an hour and then I uploaded it back to FamilySearch.org.

Not a bad experience. In fact, quite the opposite!

Scripture of the Day: Malachi 4:5-6

Member Missionary Moment #6

This post is part of a year long series where each week I strive to complete and item from a list of 101 Ways to do Member Missionary Work. Feel free to join me in the work!


The idea I completed this week was from section 4: Church Media. Number 9 on this is "Inform a friend/acquaintance about the Church's cable television channel; recommend a particular program."

At my Weight Watcher's meeting this past week the topic of discussion was working out for less. The leader was working through a list of ideas and one was to use fitness shows on television. I raised my hand and mentioned the BYU cable channel has some fitness shows. The leader said she wasn't partial to the female trainer on the show she had seen, but maybe someone else in the room will tune into BYU TV and have a positive experience.

Scripture of the Day: Exodus 20:12

Police Beat #43

Welcome Friday!

(SO glad it's here!)

May 29: A urinal in the men’s restroom in the TMCB was torn from the wall. There are no suspects.

(Comment: Whoever did it probably did not realize they were not supposed to sit on it.)

May 30: Occupants in a white truck were squirting people with water squirt guns in the Cannon Commons area around 11 p.m. The students were located by police and apologized.

(Comment: Memorial Day weekend madness strikes again! Everywhere else in the U.S. it's drinking and driving. In Provo it is squirt guns.)

May 31: A 13-year-old male living in Wymount Terrace called police from his cell phone to report that his mother was being abusive. The male was in the bathroom for a 30 minute time-out session and told police that he felt that punishment was too harsh.

(Comment: Bwahahahahaha! 30 minute time-out session too harsh--that kid doesn't know how good he's got it. At my house it would have been 30 minutes scrubbing the bathroom!)

June 3: An EFY counselor thought he could smell marijuana in Gates Hall around 11 p.m. He found three EFY participants smoking marijuana in the stairwell. Police said the juveniles will be charged.

(Comment: How did the EFY counselor know what the marijuana smelled like? Hmmm??)

June 4: A moose was loose on campus so police called the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Officials came and tranquilized the moose. However, before going down the moose damaged two vehicles in the parking lot across from the SAS Building.

(Comment: PETA protesters were seen picketing the SAS Building parking lot the following day while wearing moose antlers and chanting, "Loose the moose! Loose the moose!"

June 1: The driver of a campus golf cart was seen driving recklessly, almost hitting a pedestrian near East Campus Drive. The driver admitted his errors and was issued a citation.

(Campus: Maybe if they jacked up the campus golf carts like this one pedestrians would be less inclined to get in the way.)Scripture of the Day: D&C 75:28

GOAL!!!!

Today at Weight Watchers I reached goal! Woohoo!!!

I am extremely excited because it took me two years (TWO!?!?! ouch!) to complete and represents a loss of 41 pounds. There were many times I would get burned out, but I am proud of myself for sticking with it and finishing what I had started. I knew from day one I would be a slow loser.

Of course, goal weight for me is the highest weight a person of my height can be and still be considered healthy. So after a few months of taking a break (aka, working to maintain) I may try to trim off another few pounds. Check back in 2012 and you may find I have completed it by then! {j/k}

I am trying to decide the best way to reward myself without spending a fortune. Vote for your favorite reward idea in the sidebar. The winning option I will do and take a pic to post.

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 24:17

2009 Summer Reading List

The first of three books on my summer list is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Here is the Publisher's Weekly description: "The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946, when single, 30-something author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume Izzy Bickerstaff) writes to her publisher to say she is tired of covering the sunny side of war and its aftermath. When Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams finds Juliet's name in a used book and invites articulate—and not-so-articulate—neighbors to write Juliet with their stories, the book's epistolary circle widens, putting Juliet back in the path of war stories. The occasionally contrived letters jump from incident to incident—including the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society while Guernsey was under German occupation—and person to person in a manner that feels disjointed. But Juliet's quips are so clever, the Guernsey inhabitants so enchanting and the small acts of heroism so vivid and moving that one forgives the authors (Shaffer died earlier this year) for not being able to settle on a single person or plot. Juliet finds in the letters not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life."

Second on my list is this novel (don't you love the cover?). Heather Moore reviewed the Jamie Ford novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on this website. Ever since I have thinking it would make a great addition to my summer reading list. In fact, a USA Today reviewer said it would be "the best book you'll read this year." Don't want to miss out on that!








Finally, something a little lighter. LDS author Josie Kilpack wrote Lemon Tart and I have been meaning to read it for months. The book description is as follows: "In this debut volume, cooking aficionado turned amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller tries to solve the murder of her beautiful young neighbor a single mother who was mysteriously lured from her home while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie's search is the woman s missing two year-old child. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects including her! For an added treat, original mouth- watering recipes for Sadie's Lemon Tart, Homemade Alfredo Sauce, Carrot Cookies, Brownies, and Granny's Gingerbread Bundt Cake are sprinkled throughout the book."





What's on your summer reading list?

Scripture of the Day: Enos 1:1

Rest In Peace

I think my laptop is dying. Actually, I know it is.

It all started about a month ago when I had problems being able to access the internet. No matter how often I unplugged, restarted, and reset I could not get on the internet. Luckily the family computer still had access, but I could not figure out the deal with my laptop.

Then last Friday I was working away on it and it shut down with no warning. The power indicator was green, so I knew it was not that. So I called my computer guru, Joseph, and asked his opinion; he said it sounded like a hardware problem and would come out to see it on Saturday. In the meantime he suggested trying to back up anything I was concerned about.

Luckily I have been backing up files once a month or so and there was not much. But just in case I decided to run a back up to an external hard drive. I started it Friday evening and it never got more than 35% of the way done. I even left it going all night. It never finished and I had to just shut it down.

Joseph came Saturday morning and looked it over. He determined the internet access problem was with the wireless access card (busted somehow) and said the other poor symptoms probably meant it was time to replace the laptop altogether. {sigh}

Maybe normal people would enjoy this shopping opportunity, but not me. To me computers are like cars. I want them to work, but I don't care to understand how it works. It just isn't my thing. So going to shop for a new computer means I need to brush up on all the how and what and wherefores of computers.

Yuck.

Does the resurrection apply to computers? {It should.}

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 3:12

Member Missionary Moments #5

This post is part of a year long series where each week I strive to complete and item from a list of 101 Ways to do Member Missionary Work. Feel free to join me in the work!

Thanks to my dad I was able to do this week's member missionary moment without too much effort. I was babysitting him last Friday and while there the physical therapist came to work with him. They were in the family room and she noticed his family tree (a fan chart like the one in the side column of my blog). He had a nice conversation with her and told her about my great aunt who did a lot of the research. Then he mentioned visiting the place in England where a lot of the Spiers family came from. I did not have to do hardly any of the work, but I have to admit I admired the way my dad handled it. Way to go, Dad!

BTW, this was #3 of section 9 (Family history/genealogy - Show your pedigree chart to a friend or acquaintance).

Scripture of the Day: 1 Nephi 1:1

Police Beat #42

Happy Friday!

May 17: A young man was seen slashing at trees with a knife in Heritage Halls. Officers were unable to locate him upon arrival.

(Comment: Maybe he was preparing for his final exam in Jungle Expeditions 101. That or he was preparing to head off on his mission in South America.)

May 21: A female transient was found eating red juniper berries on the east side of the Benson Building. She told officers she was looking for a place to live. They advised her not to eat the berries off the bushes

(Comment: Juniper berries? Another item to add to your year supply!)

May 19: A male student reported persistent harassment from his former wife. He said his ex-wife has made no threats but that he is concerned and fears for his safety.

(Comment: If he doesn't pay up on his alimony who knows what may happen to him.)

May 20: A 29-year-old male subject was stopped at the WSC bus stop for skateboarding. As officers checked the individual’s record, they found a warrant out for his arrest. As they continued to search this individual they found possession of marijuana, a joint and other controlled substances such as morphine. He was arrested on second-degree felony and possession of drugs in a school drug-free zone.

(Comment: I think the fact that a 29-year-old male was skateboarding was a big sign this guy did not have his life in order. Another good item to add to my what-to-warn-my-daughters-of-when-they start-dating list.)

May 20: Someone noticed a deserted bag on the sidewalk south of the WSC and called police. The officers responded and found it was merely a student’s blue backpack. They identified the owner and returned the bag to the owner.

(Comment: Yet another fine example of the BYU police doing what they do best!)

Scripture of the Day: Moroni 8:2-3

The Crack of Dawn

Just because you may not have had family scripture study yesterday doesn't mean you can't get it done today. Keep trying!

"Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail." Og Mandino

Scripture of the Day: Ephesians 6:1-4

Terrific Tuna Melts

Believe it or not I have never, ever had a tuna melt. I have heard of them before, but it has never been something I tried. Not sure why. But this summer I am training the kids to eat tuna. Every Tuesday I am feeding them Tuna sandwiches for lunch (despite their whining). A week or so ago when I saw this recipe (on this fun blog) I thought I would give it a try for myself. I have tweaked it a bit to fit my needs, though. Feel free to experiment with me.


1 T. Olive oil
2 carrots finely diced
1 rib of celery finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. Herbs de Provence
1/4 t. pepper
1 T. flour
1/3 c. nonfat milk
2 T. light mayo
2 cans tuna, drained
1 c. diced green onions
6 slices of light 100% whole wheat bread, toasted
1 1/2 c. 1% shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Saute carrots and celery in oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic seasonings and flour, combining thoroughly. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Slowly add the milk while continuing to stir. After it has thickened add the mayo, tuna, and onions. Pile the mixture onto the toasted bread that has been laid out on a cookie sheet. Top with cheese and then broil until melted and bubbly.

For those of you counting this is about 5 WW points (237 cal; 4 fiber; 7 g. fat).

Scripture of the Day: D&C 75:28

New Month, New Theme

June is finally here and it is time for a new monthly theme! This year it is Father's Day again, but different from last year's theme in that instead of being about the different types of fathers this year it will be about the responsibilities of an earthly father.

As shown in the picture above, I have developed six different ties that represent different responsibilities, including being a provider (tie with green dollar signs), a counselor (tie with question marks on it), a teacher (apple tie), a priesthood holder/patriarch (key tie), a helper (tools tie), and a friend (hearts tie). Throughout the month there will be different scriptures that go with each of these.

Originally (about eight years ago) I developed this as part of a family home evening lesson, but my kids still love it. This year I will adapt it to scripture study; but if anyone out there would like a copy of the FHE lesson just leave me a comment or send me an e-mail. It may take me a few days to get it scanned in, but I will definitely get it to you within a week.

Scripture of the Day: "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness." (Family Proclamation, paragraph 7)