Random Happenings in My Part of the World

(I am wishing fall weather would arrive!)

1. Yesterday I had the missionaries over for dinner. I knew my DH would not get home in time, so I set a table up on our front proch and we dined al fresco. Too bad it didn't *feel* al fresco; it was 100 degrees outside. I felt bad for torturing the elders like that, but figured they would prefer a home cooked meal in hot weather than none at all.

2. Today I received a performance review from the department chair and it was very positive!! I was so excited to get such positive feedback because I am working my tush off doing all the prep work for these classes.

3. Patch had a b-day bishop's interview last night. Before he went, DH told him to use "Aunt Carol's strategy" for church interviews and just say "no" to every question. Upon hearing this I looked at him like he was crazy and asked, "What if they ask him if he's saying his prayers?" The DH had to agree I had a point. Maybe this is why Aunt Carol is no longer active in the church?

4. Current WIP word count is 10,444. And Lindsay H. deserves a big shout out for editing and feedback she provided on the first 8,000 words. She did an awesome job.

5. I am so looking forward to General Conference this weekend. I am planning on doing the talk summaries, but might keep them a bit briefer than I did last April. Is that okay with y'all?

6. I am currently reading The Help and am so impressed with Stockett's ability to write character voices as distinctly as she does. She is inspiring to me!

Scripture of the Day: 1 Nephi 17:45

Easy Jell-O Popcorn Balls

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 bag (10-1/2 ounce size) Miniature Marshmallows

1 package (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Gelatin, any flavor

3 quarts popped popcorn

1 cup candy corn (optional)

Directions:

MICROWAVE butter and marshmallows in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed. Stir in gelatin until well mixed.

POUR marshmallow mixture over popcorn and candy corn in large bowl. Mix lightly until well coated. Shape into balls or other shapes with greased or wet hands.

This recipe (from CDKitchen) *supposedly* serves/makes 15; we found it made about 10-12.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 20: 75, 77, and 79

Saturday Morning Cartoons #45

Happy Saturday!

Enjoy the RS Broadcast this evening.

Scripture of the Day: Genesis 9:15-16

Book Review: Alma the Younger

Heather Moore's newest volume in her fictionalized Book of Mormon series is Alma the Younger. I read this a few weeks back and was really impressed with the boldness of the plot line. It is one of Moore's more creative plots (if not the most creative)--but maybe this is due to the lack of detail the scriptures contain regarding Alma's life before his repentance. Still, I really admire Moore's writing abilities; her characters are strong and well-rounded (I both liked and disliked Alma for a variety fo reasons). And she is able to emphasize the forgiveness aspect of the gospel without sounding preachy.
From the back of the book:

"As night falls, a scarlet-robed man emerges from the temple and a hush falls over the waiting crowd. Studying the hooded figure with enmity, Alma recognizes that this is the man who incites rebellion among the people of Zarahemla. This is the man who dares preach from the very place where King Benjamin uttered his final blessings upon the people of the church. Defiling the tower with his very presence, the man who embodies evil raises a hand to silence the drums, then calls to his followers through the eerie quiet. And that's when Alma realizes the terrible truth: this man is his son. Alma the Younger, son of the aging high priest, once was taught by the wisdom of prophets. Now the young man is a thief ensnared by the wiles of strong drink and harlots; a bitter dissenter determined to overthrow the church, to lead the people into new freedoms. He has gathered a strong army to create a revolution, which only begins with the desecration of the temple and will escalate to calamity once he captures King Mosiah s daughter. But en route to his malicious mission with his royal henchmen, Alma is halted by an unexpected opponent: an angel of the Lord, a messenger of the very God he has sought to defame. And what unfolds is a story of miraculous redemption, a story building on the poignant Book of Mormon account to show how even the vilest of sinners can be transformed by the Savior's amazing grace."

Alma the Younger is very much a worthwhile read and makes me look forward to Moore's next book, Ammon.

Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 64:9

New Mormons Made Simple Video

The Mormons Made Simple videos are so great! And here is their latest and greatest: Joseph Smith and the Restoration. It makes for a wonderful missionary tool, as well as a nice supplement to a family home evening lesson. My kids have enjoyed them and I have been able to use these videos to answer their questions about basic gospel questions. Enjoy!

Scripture of the Day: D&C 8:5

Note to Self

Never wear a red top and tan pants while shopping at Target--unless you happen to be in the mood to answer other shoppers' questions about where the coffee is or if Target happens to carry motor oil.


Scripture of the Day: Deut. 8:2

Saturday Morning Cartoons #44

Have a great weekend everyone!

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 4:11

Thank You Note

Dear Macaroni Grill Waiter,

Just a quick note to thank you for the great job you did waiting on our table Tuesday evening. We were there to celebrate my mother's 10 year anniversary of being in business for herself. (She is a CPA and has worked her tail off these past 10 years.) Your quick service and fun attitude made the evening all the more fun.

I especially wanted to thank you for not giving me the evil eye when I special ordered my pasta as whole grain and then asked for half to be brought to the table and half to be placed in a to-go container to take home. You did not blink an eye (which, believe me, is highly unusual). Additionally, I was so surprised the next day when I opened the to-go bag to eat my remaining pasta for lunch and found a whole loaf of your yummy bread also sent home! This added touch was much appreciated. Although I only ate a small slice of it myself, my family loved having the rest of it for dinner that night.

Again, thanks for your hard work. It made our night out (and the day after) wonderful. We will definitely be heading back to the Macaroni Grill in the near future. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Irvine


Scripture of the Day: 1 Nephi 15:11

A little online shopping

Just a few things I wanted to buy while "window shopping" online today. It's always nice to dream a little!

This darling beehive cake pan would be fun to use to make goodies.

Crown rings have been tempting me lately. This one is found here.

This skirt from Down East Basics. Yum!

Something new to read anyone? This would do.

Maybe a new DVD to watch for the weekend?

Scripture of the Day: Psalms 77:11

The Talk that Wasn't

Four weeks of preparation

Several hours of pulling notes together

Three conference talks quoted

Two and a half pages of notes

And...

Only two minutes of sacrament meeting left in which to give my 15 minute talk.

So I didn't give it.

Instead I just shared a brief personal exprience, bore testimony, and sat down. I know I made the right decision, so why do I feel such a let down?

Scripture of the Day: D&C 109:72

Saturday Morning Cartoons #43

Have a fun weekend!

Go Cougars!

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 1:3-7 

Book Review: Spare Change

Spare Change is a fun romance book by Aubrey Mace. You may recall that about a year ago I reviewed Mace's book Santa Maybe. Well, I enjoyed Santa Maybe so much I decided to try Spare Change--and Aubrey didn't let me down. She is talented at developing well-rounded characters who are endearing despite very real flaws. And she is not afraid to have multiple bumps for her characters on the road to romance.

From the back of the book:

Twenty-three and single, Riley thinks resolutions should be fun, not hard. Just before midnight, she vows to make the easiest resolution ever: save her pennies and at the end of the year, buy something nice for herself. Easy! ...Or is it? Working at a cancer treatment center can change one's perspective, and before long Riley decides to donate her extra money to cancer research rather than reward herself. At first her resolution is her own secret, but all too soon the nurses figure out her plan, and then things really begin to get out of hand! As people through the hospital, and then the town, begin to get involved, Riley finds herself at the front of the fund-raising campaign. She also finds herself face-to-face with Paul, the grouchy but cute bank teller. But can she overcome the memory of a failed relationship - and can he do the same? And who is the secret admirer who keeps leaving pennies and notes for her to find?

This is a cute read that will leave you smiling for several hours. I look forward to future books from Aubrey, hopefully in the near future.


Scripture of the Day: Alma 37:13-14 (yikes! my talk is in less than 48 hours. I had better get it finalized. I already have a cold sore on my lip from the stress of it.)

Writing Update

It's been a while since I have posted anything about what I am writing. Since I have several WIPs (works in progress) I will summarize each.

#1 WIP
This FHE book is completed and at the publisher; I am waiting to hear back if it is accepted. It is taking longer than I anticipated, which makes me wonder if the news will not be good. I tend to assume the worst so the let down isn't so bad.

#2 WIP
A book that be used as both an FHE aid or family scripture study aid. It is about 25% written, but I have a very clear sense of what needs to be done. The only thing holding me up here are the illustrations. I have decided to upgrade them (in comparison to my other books) by learning to use Illustrator, which requires I take a class... So this one will be a while.

#3 WIP
My first attempt at fiction. I currently have 7000 words written. It is a 1930s mystery/romance a la Emilie Loring, but based (loosely) on the lives of my husband's grandparents. I am enjoying the challenge of writing fiction, but find the mapping out process to be time consuming. I tend to think of multiple ways things could play out and then have a hard time deciding which I like best.

#4 WIP
A folder games book. I have made many folder games of my own design for my kids (which they have all outgrown now). This is actually just an idea that I know I want to put together, but first want to finish some of the above mentioned projects.

Labor Day

(Where I wanted to go on Labor Day.)

Yesterday was so nice to have a day off! I really enjoyed not having to teach--or do the prep work for it. I had wanted to drive up to the Grand Canyon and ride bikes along the rim trail they have; however, my DH decided it was too far a drive to do in one day. So I felt like Labor Day was off to lousy start. He decided to take us all the Fish Creek Canyon instead. I have to admit I pouted--it just was not what I wanted to do. But I got over it and we went.

Until Kitty got car sick and threw up by Canyon Lake (all over in the van). And then again just past Canyon Lake. And then again by Tortilla Flats, where we stopped to clean things up.

(Where we ended up instead--Tortilla Flats.)

At that point we decided to nix the Fish Creek Canyon trip and turned around and went home. And Kitty threw up several more times, as well as Sweetie Peach.

So by late afternoon we were home again with not much to do. I decided to watch Young Victoria on Netflix (two thumbs up, by the way) and baked some pumpkin cookies. When the end had come and the evening was done and it was time to go to bed I decided it wasn't such a bad Labor Day after all.

Scripture of the Day: Ezekiel 16:61

Saturday Morning Cartoons #42

(This is about as much as I know about car engines, too.)

Have a great

Labor Day

weekend!

Scripture of the Day: 2 Nephi 9:39-41

Self Disclosure

On Wednesday I had to teach about self disclosure and perception in my Com 100 class. We had a fun time at the end of class applying what was learned from the textbook by evaluating some real personal ads my DH pulled of the internet for me the night before. Some of them are just too funny not to share here. Let me know in a comment if you feel they disclosed enough, too much, or not enough. Would you go out on a date with any of them? (Note: names have been changed, but I have not edited their writing.)

I'm [John Doe] from California Modesto speak English and a little German. I consider my appearance to be very good looking. I am 6’1” tall with an average build.

I'm [Jane Doe]. My personality traits are: purposeful, persistent, responsible, elegant, optimistic, romantic I like these kinds of music: pop I usually read: classics, detectives I like to go out to/and: cinema, exhibitions, disco, meeting with friends My favorite cuisine: Ask me I like these physical activities: dancing, swimming, travelling, volleyball, billiard More about me: I am vivid American lady and I like to make surprised for other persons, I like to make smile on faces of people. I am happy for every day, especially for free days with my partner:)

well i suppose there is no reason to beat around the bush here my name is [joe] and i am a single father of three children i have been divorced for allmost 3 years now and have never done as well as i am now im not rich in fact i make less money now than ever before but i make ends meet and am quite happy with my life but that i am missing one thing that one thing is what has drawn me to this site i dont have the money to pay for other dating sites and i dont have the time or a babbysitter to allow me to go out to meet people so here i am looking for the love of my life on the internet so i hope this gets someones attention waiting to hear from you [joe]

My name is [Jaxx], which has given me lots of nicknames. They call me Dos Equis(Dos XX)my favorite, Dos, Pimp Daddy Jaxx, MaddJaxx, and to many more to list. I'm young, open-minded, and very idealistic. I'm sweet (sweetest you will ever meet) and nice. I know myself very well. I know what I want(except for women, haven't figure them out) and where I want to go in my life. I Love the snow, but want to move to where its warm. Thats why I live in the Colorado mountains. I love to snowboard in the winter. So when it snows 15 inches, I'm a very very happy man. :-). I also love to read. Mostly history and environmental issues. Trying to save the Earth, is a big part of my life. I love music, blues and Jazz mostly Muddy Waters Howlin Wolf, Mississippi Joe Hurt, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and many more. I also like 60's and 70's rock, mondern rock, classical, rap, and many other type of music. I don't have one clue on how to be romantic, but I REALLY want to be. If give a little time to learn. In the end I will -->try<-- to make you the happiest woman alive. You must remember I'm a guy!  

Scripture of the Day: Helaman 5:12

PS, The theme for scriptures this month is "remember." I have to speak in sacrament meeting on this topic in a few weeks, so I thought I would do a little prep work here!

Happy 17th Anniversary David!

As some of you might recall, I have been a fan of David Letterman's Top Ten lists over the years. I have eve occasionally posted some of them here on this blog. Well, I read earlier today that last night marked the 17th anniversary of the Top Ten lists! Congrats to the Late Night show. Following is the Top Ten list they featured to celebrate the occasion. I have no idea who Tom Herrman is, though!

10. Get to chat with memorable celebrities like whoever the heck (edited ;-) was on last night

9. No one listens to me anywhere else

8. CBS nurse not stingy with demerol

7. To date have helped bring over 1,500 fugitives to justice

6. It helped me meet Justin Bieber -- OMG!

5. At my age, marquee with my name on it helps me remember where I work

4. I get to work with the great Tom Herrmann (shot of Tom)

3. It still beats a Chinese traffic jam

2. I love wearing makeup

1. Conan tells me to just be thankful I have a show