Just amusing

I just thought I would share a few videos from Youtube that make me smile.

Such as:

I enjoy the song, but I think there was someone mad at him when they made this video. Doesn't he look like a fool?

This song is ok. Once in a while I enjoy it.

Look at her hair. One day I realized that Phebe is in fact La Roux in hiding. Phebe constantly has hair similar to this. The line in this song that goes" I'm having fun, don't put me down" is Phebe's motto. There is no putting her down, on the floor that is.

The very first concert I ever attended was to see this band.  

I really enjoy their music. I even have all of their signatures, many pictures ( ok, of the lead singer) and a signed guitar pick. After a concert of being up against the stage and getting to meet everybody, it was kind of a reality shock to find out other bands don't usually do that.  Mambo Swing is also another very good song.

I LOVE this song. I love the music. I love the lyrics. I love the video. I love the message. It just makes me smile and dance around. So sweet, so fun.

When I was in high school and college ( my brief stint there) I went to a lot of shows and concerts. Finally during a Dropkick Murphy concert, while packed tightly against many sweaty strangers, trying not to get knocked over by the mosh pit and the stagejumpers, listening to music so loud it felt as if it were beating my heart for me, with the colored lights flashing around I realized I didn't like it. I didn't want to do this any more. I wasn't going to any more shows.

Pretty much I have stuck to that. There is one band that I have seen since then. Several times.

The Clarks. I love them. I have been to seem them about 7 times. Possibly more. We own 5 of their CDs. My kids can pick out Scott Blasey's voice anywhere. There are about 3 songs total that I skip when I listen to them.

Sadly, they don't really have any good music videos. So it is hard to pick which one to share with you.

Though, "Penny on the floor" and "Cigarette" are the true classics.... I just really enjoy this one, and about 40 other ones.

I am grateful for Youtube.

Living in the city

So my house is located in the "city". It isn't terribly large, but it is more densely populated than the areas around.  There are some advantages to living here. Such as: I can get nearly anywhere I need to during the day by walking there, thus we only need one car most of the time.  I also have close neighbors, most of which I get along with, or don't talk to.

Another advantage of living where I do is trash pick up. Oh, I know most of you probably have regular garbage removal. However, in the city I put out piles of stuff. Somethings incredibly large. Then I call the garbage company and... someone takes it away before the garbage men ever see it. Every time.
 
I am having my house re -roofed right now. That means there is a giant dumpster that I am paying for outside. So I decided to take advantage of that and just throw out some other random stuff that has been around my house.I had a dehumidifier in my basement for 7 years. SEVEN. It was dead the entire time. Due to the freon inside I could not simply throw it out in the garbage. I  decided to take a chance on putting it out on the curb.

Fast forward 5 hours. Grandfatherly looking man has his elementary school age children rummaging around in my dumpster. When they are done they grab my dehumidifier and are on their way.

Why on earth did I let that thing sit in my basement for SEVEN years?!

Sometimes living in the city is awesome. Oh collectors of my junk, I love you.

Living with kids.

Today it was aproximately 40 degress and rainy. This is the conversation that we had this morning.

N: Mom! I am getting my coat on so we can go to the park.
C: Yea, we too!
Me: We aren't going to the park.
N:What? Why not.
Me: It is raining, it is cold and I am not taking you to the park.
N: (thinking.....) How about a walk? Lets go for a walk!
C:Yay! A walk!
Me: No. We are not going for a walk.
N: I know! If we can't go for a walk, lets go for a jog!
C: Yay! lets go jogging!

I am such a party pooper. We never did go to the park, on a walk or jogging. Because I just don't want to.

Helping out

So I am a stay at home mom. I love it. My husband goes to work nearly each day to support us. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Some weeks my husband ends up working more hours than usual. Some days there are church responsibilities to deal with. Or a needy family member. Sometimes we just don't get to see him as much as we would like to.

I try to do what I can to help out during these times. I have tried random little things to ease the burden. In the end though, the best help I can be always comes back to the same thing.

Making sure I keep things running smoothly at home.

I like going out to visit people. I enjoy socialising. I like feeling helpful. Sometimes the best help I can be is right here in my home.

Tonight he has been called away to help someone else. Tomorrow is the same way. I am so grateful that he is willing to be there when needed.

I want to be there when needed. I just happen to be needed here right now. Getting kids dinner. Getting scriptures read and teeth brushed. Tucking in and reading stories. That is how I help. That is how I lift that burden.

Some days you get to be the actor out on stage. You enjoy the light and the applause.

Some days you get to be stage crew. Making sure that everything goes well for your actor.

A miracle

Pretty much no matter what I make there will be at least one compliant stating that for some reason or another this dinner is unacceptable. On occasion we might have something along the lines of tator tots, fish sticks, chicken nuggets etc. I have few problems those nights. However I just can't feel good about feeding my kids that stuff all the time. ( Even if I occasionally enjoy it.)

Tonight I tried a new dish.  Beef potpie. I took my chicken potpie recipe and dumped canned beef in in place of the chicken. Pure culinary genius, I know.

Bracing myself for the barrage of disgust, I sat down to eat. There were minimal comments on what we were having. Toward the end of the meal we had a conversation that went something like this:

V: I love potpie mom!
N: Yea! It is so good! It is my favorite!
V: I love the crust best!
N: The crust is really really yummy.
Me: Thanks guys, I am glad you like it. I try to make things you like.
N: Mom you are a really good cook!
( At this point I am so happy. I am an alright cook, but my kids don't seem to realize it most of the time.
V: Yea, you are really good at cooking, but I bet Mrs. Hilliard is better ( his teacher at school.)

Um... thanks guys.

At least we didn't have a fight over whether or not they actually had to EAT any of it.

If you didn't know...

If you didn't know....




I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. If you were unaware that is the official name of the "Mormon" church. Thus making me Mormon.

Now when it comes up in conversation what religion I affiliate myself with there are some rather standard issues that come up. One of which I would like to address in this post.

"You're a Mormon? Don't they do polygamy?"

Polygamy, also known as plural marriages can be found in Mormon history.

History, as in over. No longer.


An official declaration was issued in October of 1890 abolishing the practice church wide. Did you read that year correctly? 1890.


That means it has been 121 YEARS since the practice was used!


Here is an excerpt from the official declaration. You can read it for yourself-

"...We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice, and I deny that either forty or any other number of plural marriages have during that period been solemnized in our Temples or in any other place in the Territory...


Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise.


There is nothing in my teachings to the Church or in those of my associates, during the time specified, which can be reasonably construed to inculcate or encourage polygamy; and when any Elder of the Church has used language which appeared to convey any such teaching, he has been promptly reproved. And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land."

~Wilford Woodruff~
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


Now that we have established it is no longer going on in the official Mormon church I would like to briefly touch on the fleeting time period when it was in deed practiced.

The revelation to Joseph Smith, the prophet who restored the gospel, or if you like better "founded the Mormon church", mentions it is to "multiply and replenish the earth."

If you do research on the subject you will find that most of the men involved didn't actually like the idea. However, it then boils down to " Is God real? Does he actually issue commandments?" If you don't think that God is really there or that he doesn't actually care what you are doing, than it doesn't matter much what goes on in your life. On the other hand though, if God tells me to do something I'd like to end up on his side when the dust settles.

Polygamy was a test of faith. It was not popular and actually not even that widely practiced. Only certain men were asked to become polygamists. It was not something just anyone could do because it sounded fun.


Gordon B Hinckely, LDS prophet from 1995-2008 said,

“This Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church.... If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church.

In this dispensation, the Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. Church leaders regulated the practice. Those entering into it had to be authorized to do so, and the marriages had to be performed through the sealing power of the priesthood. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff received a revelation that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage (Official Declaration 1).”

So let's move past the polygamy, whatever your opinion on the topic may happen to be. Let's move to issues and events happening now!
I am going to try harder to set a great example.That way when people hear "Mormon" they will think of something more like "She was so honest, or generous. So firmly committed to Christ."

Pictures from momhood

This is Naomi's rendition of a family get-together.

Things like this totally make being a mom worth it.

Victor wrote this last year as a letter to my brother serving a mission in Idaho.

 Doesn't he just melt your heart?

But then, sometimes you find things like this....

A marshmallow impaled on the spool holder of my sewing machine. Oh, and some Chuck-e-cheese tickets. Where else would one but such items but in mom's sewing machine?