tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82173687045152875872024-03-14T00:28:00.464-07:00A blog nobody will read anywayArourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-58944393592001978932012-06-26T23:41:00.002-07:002012-06-26T23:41:53.409-07:00A new wonderful fantastic romance novel!I am not a huge romance novel reader, mainly because I think they can be pretty trashy, but I just read this amazing novel that just barely came out called <em>Uneasy Fortunes</em>. The sexual tension is beyond amazing and all you get is some great kissing. Click <a href="http://thecrookedword.blogspot.com/2012/06/uneasy-fortunes.html">here</a> to read my review at my other blog! You won't regret it!Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-64400219456755036692012-06-09T07:57:00.003-07:002012-06-24T22:40:23.995-07:00My dance photo shoot (a.k.a. the most self-indulgent thing I've ever done)My sister-in-law and I had planned on doing a dance photo shoot for a while and it finally happened. You should head over to her blog to witness her amzing talent! We weren't able to do a lot of the shots we had wanted to, but I think we still got some pretty great ones.<br />
<a href="http://chellebellephoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/sneak-peek-arouras-dance-session.html">http://chellebellephoto.blogspot.com/2012/06/sneak-peek-arouras-dance-session.html</a><br />
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I can't get it to show any peaks on here, but trust me, she has a great eye for framing, coloring, and editing. If you live in Utah, you should check her out!Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-47411867569926335982012-06-02T22:43:00.003-07:002012-06-02T22:43:54.346-07:00Did you know potatoes originated in Brazil?Check out my review of the fascinating <em>1493: Uncovering the World Columbus Created</em> over at the other blog I participate in, <a href="http://thecrookedword.blogspot.com/2012/06/1493-uncovering-new-world-columbus.html">The Crooked Word,</a> and learn even more interesting facts!Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-3530073224726259652012-05-27T17:35:00.002-07:002012-05-27T17:36:22.056-07:00Mother's Day GiftsYou can count this as 2 weeks late... or 50 weeks early! I'll go with the latter. :) <br />
So, for Mother's Day here is my present from my husband:<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sMvST47T93E/T8LC1MJCbNI/AAAAAAAAAqM/PrFCbIWWleM/s1600/DSCN5136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sMvST47T93E/T8LC1MJCbNI/AAAAAAAAAqM/PrFCbIWWleM/s320/DSCN5136.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Yep, that's right - I <em>asked</em> for this entry set for our front door (which my husband kindly painted red last year, but I didn't post pics then, because with our brass door knob, it looked like a shiny Christmas present). I told the cashier at Walmart, when she asked, that this was my present, and she said "Well, that's not a very good present." I was like, "No, you don't understand. I pulled this up on KSL and said, 'Look honey, that's what you're getting me for Mother's Day. Thanks!'" :)<br />
Here's a pic from farther away, so you can see the whole door in all of its cinnamon-y glory :)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dq4T-FAFczA/T8LDDud4a5I/AAAAAAAAAqU/Y43kSAybUDQ/s1600/DSCN5139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dq4T-FAFczA/T8LDDud4a5I/AAAAAAAAAqU/Y43kSAybUDQ/s320/DSCN5139.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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So, for my mom and mother-in-law, I had found a tutorial on these cute handprint trees (<a href="http://go.tipjunkie.com/md/296/cometogetherkids.blogspot.com/2011/04/handprint-trees-wrapped-canvas.html">click here)</a> and thought they'd be a perfect Mother's Day gift from the girls. Overall, for 2 of them, it only cost me $11. I found some ugly painting on board a little thicker than MDF and cut it in 2. Then stapled on some remnant fabric from Hobby Lobby. The handprints are from those table runners that are sticks with thread woven around them. I ironed it onto that cool fusable stuff before cutting them out (or they would have fallen apart) and then ironed it onto the blue fabric before I stapled it on. The flowers are cut from some scrap pink velvet I had laying around and the little middle parts of the flowers are old toille fabric from an old dress. Then I just used a brown very fine Sharpie to write on the text (Which is "Grandma: the charming gardener who makes our souls blossom)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bv30SiucP50/T8LDSEJP_jI/AAAAAAAAAqc/w5s55VNL8Tk/s1600/DSCN5141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bv30SiucP50/T8LDSEJP_jI/AAAAAAAAAqc/w5s55VNL8Tk/s320/DSCN5141.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Then, from me, I had an adventure in trying to find good essential oils, then a good balance. I ended up getting mine from <a href="http://www.puritan.com/">Puritan's Pride,</a> they were having a sale (buy one get two for free). I will just say this, if you ever use Cedarwood, only use a few drops! Otherwise it smells like you opened up a cedarwood chest that had been closed for hundreds of years!<br />
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Anyhow, I just added Cedarwood and Jasmine essential oils to some meltable soap from Hobby Lobby and some Epsom Salt for... well, you know... soap and bath salt. Then made a book mark from the aforementioned velvet material and put jewelry charms at the end (Hobby Lobby had them on sale), and some make-up remover that I had seen on Pinterest (1 C water, 1 1/2 T Baby Shampoo (no tear, obviously), and 1/3 T Olive oil). Included some little cotton pads for the remover, put all the stuff in some old bottles and jars that have been collectin dust under my craft table, and called it good. :)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jsbHLAMRMoI/T8LH8y3VdCI/AAAAAAAAAq4/1T5x9LgVDi4/s1600/DSCN5145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jsbHLAMRMoI/T8LH8y3VdCI/AAAAAAAAAq4/1T5x9LgVDi4/s320/DSCN5145.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Luckily, both of these things can easily be done for birthdays or Christmas. Which is how I talked myself into posting this despite it being weeks late :)Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-22016149909289721612012-04-29T00:43:00.001-07:002012-06-02T22:44:06.032-07:00Did Hell Freeze Over???Because I'm actually posting on here again after almost 3 months - oops. AND I finished a project (finally!). <br />
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I don't have any before pictures. Well, I used to until our hard drive crashed. >: /<br />
It was just a normal shadow box (without the front frame) with a medium stained wood on the sides and had a glass front and a black background. One day my then 3-year-old put her weight on the glass and shattered it. Instead of chucking it I set it aside and within months saw a shadow box "frame" at a store and immediately knew that's what I wanted to do. <br />
So, I went to Michael's and picked out some decorative molding that I thought would look the most like a frame and had my Dad cut it and attatch it to the front. It sounds simple, but he had to deal with my cheapness and had barely enought materials to get the job done without any room for mistake - so thanks Dad!!! :) And he put a shelf in there while he was at it. <br />
Then it sat in my office for months and months and months. I got Rustoleum dented copper spray paint and used almost the entire can. Then it sat again for a bit :) <br />
Then I took black acryllic paint and painted it on and wiped it off with a washcloth and proceeded to freak out more than a little inside! It was NOT what I was going for. The black wasn't coming off ver well, so there I sat outside, spitting on it and then wiping it off in an attempt to get more off :)<br />
Then I took the little that was left in the can and put it super close and VERY lightly and quickly sprayed random patterns and drops onto the frame. Then I mixed the black acryllic paint with LOTS of water, dipped my fingers into it and rubbed it on in small sections and then took a dry washcloth and in circular motions with varying pressure, rubbed it off some. Voila! The last thing I did was cover it in varnish to give it a little more shine (and protect the finish!)<br />
Here's a close up.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpHt7aZnYMg/T5ztB29IUSI/AAAAAAAAApo/OrWUdBQ9Bro/s1600/DSCN5062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpHt7aZnYMg/T5ztB29IUSI/AAAAAAAAApo/OrWUdBQ9Bro/s320/DSCN5062.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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For the background, I just took some leftover green canvas (ironed it, of course), then stapled it onto the original back. I could only do it on the corners, because as you can probably see in the above pic, my staples are slightly too big and stick through. But, again, cheapskate! I wasn't about to buy a whole new package of staples just for this. <br />
Then I printed off a graphic from The Graphics Fairy (<a href="http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/">www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com</a>). If I had projector paper, I could have just printed onto that. But, cheapskate :) I don't. So, I put the paper in a plastic sleeve and traced it onto that, cut it so it was only one layer, <em>then</em> put it on a projector and traced it onto the canvas.<br />
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Put it back together and what've you got? A great new place for knickknacks once I get the hubby to hang it above the dining room table :)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RqWaVomd1Cg/T5ztKsOONBI/AAAAAAAAApw/1V6ghYMQWRA/s1600/DSCN5061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RqWaVomd1Cg/T5ztKsOONBI/AAAAAAAAApw/1V6ghYMQWRA/s320/DSCN5061.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Linking up to:<br />
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<font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><a href="http://www.freckledlaundry.com"><img src="http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/JamiClune/NewPartyButton.png" alt="freckled laundry" width="125" height="125" /></a><br /> </font>Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-85736824311205753422012-02-05T22:19:00.000-08:002012-02-05T22:19:35.928-08:00Little lymericks for giftsWant to write a cute little poem to give with a gift to a girlfriend? I have two - one for friends with a sense of humor and one for friends you aren't sure if they do. :) Let me preface this by saying that my husband has long been suspicious of women's motivations for giving sugary fattening gifts to their friends. Sub-conscious (or conscious!) sabotage? I think the idea is wrong, but funny, so I wrote this one for a couple of my close friends I knew wouldn't be offended:<br />
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To thank you for being so sweet,<br />
I decided to bake you this treat.<br />
I'm glad that our friendship will last. <br />
Now, EAT! So you'll get a big...<br />
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It's so much classier if you don't actually write the word :) And if you didn't make it, you could just say "bought you this treat" instead! <br />
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If you aren't sure how they'll handle that, you could just put:<br />
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I always love to see you smile!<br />
You're one of a few with no guile.<br />
To thank you for being so sweet,<br />
I decided to bake you this treat!<br />
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Can you tell I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel just so I can have something to post on this little neglected blog of mine? :)Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-48166832863053964072012-01-11T15:33:00.000-08:002012-01-12T09:17:45.147-08:00What do "tolerance" and "persecution" really mean?A friend of mine recently posted a link to an article by an openly gay latter-day-saint man, click <a href="http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Commentary/Op-ed__Gays_and_Mormons,_Do_Unto_Others/">here</a> to read the article. Now, some of you may not know, I am a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. I also have friends who are gay. I believe the "gay issue" is and will become one of the most divisive issues in the Church's history, it already is in the world at large. For those who do not know, LDS members' views run the entire gamut from one end to the other. <br />
I'd like to just discuss some of the points Mitch Mayne brings up in his article and just air my thoughts on the matter. I am NOT a spokesperson for the Church, but I would like to express my perspective.<br />
On the whole, Mr. Mayne's article is refreshingly free of exaggerated denouncements, of mean spiritedness, and I appreciate that. His article got me thinking about some things, though, and I hope my thoughts can be expressed in the same level headed and noninflammatory way.<br />
Mr. Mayne pointed to the shared history of the LDS church and the homosexual communities having severe persecution resulting from narrowminded negative publicity. That those outside the community then based their opinion of said community on misinformed propaganda loosely based on a fringe percentage of participants. Up to this point, I agree with Mr. Mayne - and the atrocities committed in the name of defense against the "evilness" portrayed by those communities' antagonists are tragic. The church spokesman pointed this out <a href="http://newsroom.lds.org/article/church-mormon-responds-to-human-rights-campaign-petition-same-sex-attraction">here</a> in response to an HRC petition. None of the church's doctrines are ever meant to be used (and SHOULD NEVER BE USED) as grounds for bullying or mean spiritedness towards anyone else! Any member doing this is NOT in line with the teachings of the church.<br />
But, Mr. Mayne says that the LDS church "deserved the black eye it got" for its involvement in the Prop 8 debate in California. That it was among the "most un-Christlike" things we've done as a church. If you want to see what the church's official response was to the controversy surrounding its involvement, click <a href="http://newsroom.lds.org/article/church-responds-to-same-sex-marriage-votes">here.</a> You'll read in that article that the Church is NOT against same-sex couples having hospitalization rights and other rights as well. You may well scoff at us wanting to defend marriage, you might even point out that heterosexual marriages are not exactly doing well, on the whole, in reaffirming marriage as sacred. It is unfortunate that marriage, as an institution, is taken so lightly by some and is ruined by selfishness in many - but the Church speaks out against those issues as well in its meetings and conferences. <br />
The question here is: did the Church's involvement in Prop 8 constitute persecution of the homosexual community? The answer to that lies somewhat in what you believe.<br />
Obviously, if you believe the Church is NOT true in any way, the Church's stance is at best misguided by out of touch elderly men who are clearly stuck in another time, and at worst, a bigoted attempt to withhold something that doesn't personally affect them. <br />
If you are a believing member of the Church, it might feel a little more complicated, but it again comes down to what you believe regarding a different question:<br />
Do you believe the Church's doctrines and its stance on moral and ethical questions stem, or should stem, from the opinions and viewpoints of, not the majority of the world, but the majority of the Church's membership?<br />
Or, do you believe the doctrines and stances of the Church are revealed by revelation from God to its appointed leaders? Basically, do you sustain the General Authorities as prophets, seers, and revelators?<br />
Now, I do not mean the comments of any one General Authority on its own. We know from our own history that even those in "higher" callings in the church are subject to anything from apostacy to just being wrong about something. (I personally have serious disagreements with some of the stuff said by Bruce R McKonkie in "Mormon Doctrine.") But, when the governing officials of the Church come out with an OFFICIAL stance, united as a whole, where do you believe that stance originates?<br />
Let's say that you don't believe in the Church, or as a member you disagreed, is it still considered PERSECUTION? Persecutions endured by the early LDS members were: being driven out of their homes in the dead of winter, killed by mobs, illegally thrown in jail, raped, beaten, tarred and feathered, all while those elected to uphold the law and constitution remained silent or actively encouraged and participated in these activities.<br />
Homosexuals most assuredly have a shared history of persecution by that definition! Again, such conduct is unequivocally and strongly condemned by the Church! The marriage debate is not about kicking homosexuals out, or encouraging bullying and violence in any degree, it is not about ostracizing them - it is about protecting the ideal of marriage. Whatever your thoughts on the validity of that viewpoint, I think it important to understand the motivation is NOT bigotry or narrowmindedness.<br />
Which brings me to my last point - what does "tolerance" mean. I have long thought the meaning of "tolerance" today to mean something very different from what it used to mean. The actual definition of tolerate is: <br />
<div class="ans3"><div><div></div><ol class="sc_ol1"><li><b>permit something:</b> to be willing to allow something to happen or exist </li>
<li><b>endure something:</b> to withstand the unpleasant effects of something </li>
<li><b>accept existence of different views:</b> to recognize other people's right to have different beliefs or practices without attempting to suppress them</li>
</ol>Applied in these terms, I think it means that we are tolerant of people having differing viewpoints and perspectives, that we are still capable of being friends, or at least being civil, to that other person. <br />
However, it seems the word has a different connotation, it has become a word that means "acceptance." It isn't possible to live in a world that everyone "accepts" different viewpoints to be valid, okay, or unharmful. Many also seem to think that being "tolerant" means that there shouldn't be a debate about that person's beliefs. It means you don't try to suppress or eliminate their voice, not that you don't raise your own. <span style="color: red;">(Edit: Please note I am, of course, talking about acceptance of ideas and beliefs of other people. That's where I believe "tolerance" comes to play. When it comes to people, I don't just "tolerate" them. I care very deeply about all of my friends and my family despite disagreeing with all of them about one thing or another!)</span><br />
I believe both sides are trying to affect a society that they think will create the best environment and opportunities for individuals as well as best serve our society as a whole. They just disagree on how to get there.<br />
I firmly believe that no matter the viewpoint, everyone's voice deserves to be heard. NO ONE should feel pressured to remain silent. And that all of us are obligated and best served when we ARE tolerant of differing viewpoints, and we refrain from name-calling and definitely refrain from any violence or illegal acts against those of opposing views.<br />
So, there's my two cents.<br />
I welcome thoughts and questions, as long as they are devoid of mean spiritedness :)</div></div>Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-19362024079936992522011-12-04T15:14:00.000-08:002011-12-04T15:14:20.636-08:00"Breaking Dawn" parodied scriptI'll admit it, I am a bit of a "Twilight" fan. No, they're not great literature, and yes it is a guilty pleasure, but I still like them. <br />
Eric D Snider writes some of the funniest stuff on his "Snide Remarks" columns, but I always look forward to the "rejected" Twilight scripts. This last one is fantastic! Click <a href="http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/my-rejected-breaking-dawn-part-1-screenplay/">here</a> to read it. <br />
Some of my favorite parts:<br />
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"<strong>BELLA:</strong> So your big dark secret is that you, a vampire, have a history of drinking people's blood?"<br />
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"<strong>JACOB:</strong> Bella, he'll kill you! He'll kill you with sex!"<br />
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"<strong>BELLA:</strong> ... I'm pregnant.<br />
<strong>EDWARD:</strong> What?! That's impossible for several reasons! One, vampires are infertile. Two, it's only been a couple weeks. Three, you can't get pregnant on an island.<br />
<strong>BELLA:</strong> But it's -- wait, what? <br />
<strong>EDWARD:</strong> Sorry, the last time I took a high school health class was in 1932. Some of my information might be outdated. "<br />
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"<strong>JACOB:</strong> Listen, Cedric Diggory. I love her more than you do. At least I didn't beat her up with sex and put a devil baby in her!<br />
<strong>EDWARD:</strong> Whatever, Sharkboy! You're just jealous that you CAN'T do those things because you're all smooth and plastic down there, like a Ken doll."Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-44691735030186291972011-11-26T13:46:00.000-08:002011-11-26T13:46:28.796-08:00Need a gift for a boy 9-14 years old?If you are trying to find a gift for a boy late elementary to jr high age, check out my review of <em>Noah Zarc</em> by D Robert Pease over at <a href="http://thecrookedword.blogspot.com/2011/11/noah-zarc.html">The Crooked Word.</a> It's a space/time-traveling adventure and would be a perfect gift.Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-87995953197334659402011-11-22T16:55:00.000-08:002011-11-22T16:55:24.287-08:00Der...I have many moments where later I think, "Der! That was stupid." But, they are usually only a couple hours delay between the incident and the realization. This example brought to you by the letter "x" took a good 8 years.<br />
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I'm not going to announce my email address, but it is through xmission.com. Haven't heard of that? I'm sure you haven't, it's been my parent's isp for the last decade and I have kept it after moving out because, well because I'm lazy. So, here's my "Der" moment:<br />
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Realizing, for the first time, when giving my email address of dancer...@xmission.com to a cute clerk at a store that it kind of seems like a stripper email.... Oops.Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-16297258371200584062011-11-19T00:03:00.000-08:002011-11-19T00:03:05.877-08:00You SERIOUSLY have to check out this website...Or, maybe you've heard of it before? I'm always behind on this stuff. It's called "DearBlank, pleaseblank." It's funny, fictional short letters that anyone can post. Check it out <a href="http://dearblankpleaseblank.com/">here!</a><br />
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Here are some funny ones that I saw just looking at it for 5 minutes:<br />
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Dear neighbor, <br />
<div class="subtextplease"><div style="display: inline-block; text-align: left;"> You have curtains, use them. </div></div><div class="submittedby"> Sincerely, didn't need to see that. </div><br />
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Dear male teacher who gives detention for spending more than three minutes in the bathroom, <br />
<div class="subtextplease"><div style="display: inline-block; text-align: left;"> Have you ever timed yourself putting in a tampon and changing a pad? </div></div><div class="submittedby"> Sincerely, I didn't think so.</div><div class="submittedby"> </div><div class="submittedby">Dear teachers, <div class="subtextplease"><div style="display: inline-block; text-align: left;"> I wouldn't mind if you took points off of my paper, so long as you wrote in the margin, "TEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!" </div></div><div class="submittedby"> Sincerely, that's how they do it at Hogwarts...</div><div class="submittedby"> </div><div class="submittedby">Dear teachers, <div class="subtextplease"><div style="display: inline-block; text-align: left;"> I wouldn't mind if you took points off of my paper, so long as you wrote in the margin, "TEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!" </div></div><div class="submittedby"> Sincerely, that's how they do it at Hogwarts...</div><div class="submittedby"> </div><div class="submittedby">Dear crush, <div class="subtextplease"><div style="display: inline-block; text-align: left;"> Please get on Facebook more often. It's hard to creep on someone that doesn't update... </div></div><div class="submittedby"> Sincerely, anonymous.</div><div class="submittedby"> </div><div class="submittedby">Dear U.S. Government, <div class="subtextplease"><div style="display: inline-block; text-align: left;"> I don't care whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, I just want you to stop getting paid for fighting each other. </div></div><div class="submittedby"> Sincerely, shut up and compromise. </div><div class="submittedby"> </div><div class="submittedby">Go check it out!</div></div></div></div></div>Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-43966442295940671962011-11-12T14:32:00.000-08:002011-11-12T14:36:58.707-08:00Thank-you Mr. D.S. for the topic of a blog post rant :)One of the things I enjoy about facebook is the opportunity it affords to have interesting conversations with people of differing views regarding current events, politics, hot-button issues in general, etc. Maybe a friend posts a link to an article such as <a href="http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=18049992">this one,</a> which starts a little bit of a debate amongst the FB friends. Now, most of them, despite very different opinions, are able to present their arguments in a level-headed and perhaps slightly teasing manner. I enjoy these and find it refreshing to see smart people of different ideologies debate what they think about certain subjects and why.<br />
Then you come across a comment from someone (referenced in the title as DS) that says " <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">I just like the unbiased news sources like KSL and the desert news. They report about democrats all day, but when sh** that the republicans pull every second of everyday they commend the b*****ds. People like Gary Herbert can pull every disgusting deal under the sun but you won't hear about it from the mormon news media. Or Chris Butters, lets give the racist a**hole a standing ovation. The list goes on and on. That's the problem with the tithing funded conservative nonsense that goes on in this state and the mindless "followers of Christ" eat it up like the deseret news is preaching the word of god. What a load of sh**. Not only is the deseret news clearly biased and insulting to anyone's intelligence, its also poorly written." (* added by yours truly).</span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Okay, whatever. Some people get a little hot headed - especially when it comes to politics and religion where there is a predominant religion.</span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">My comment, verbatim right below his was "<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">That is more than disturbing! To try to use a fictitious pen name is one thing, but to use a picture of a real person! And, the fact that he hasn't even apologized is soooooooo typical of politicians! Republican and Democrat. I understand that he was trying to do something good, but that is at the top of a very slippery slope of comprimising ethics for the "greater good" that should be left untraveled. And, Mr. DS, let's face it, herd-minded mentality is found in any and all religious and secular groups, not just LDS. We don't come close to holding a monopoly on that corner!"</span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">I was tempted to add a disparaging comment, but chose to refrain (*pats herself on the back*) :)</span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Within minutes he replied (to my very restrained rebuff):</span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">"haha, that's laughable! I guess you are justifying your lack of decision making capabilities as an lds person then Ms. Aroura Wench Sh**(<span style="color: red;">Clever play on my last name, no</span>?)? At least you admit that you are unable to think on your own. Which I can't understand, because Joseph Smith said that God gave us brains to use for a reason? Mayor winder who I think is poor representative anyway, couldn't be tried for any criminal offense. Identity theft as a crime would require him to have stolen and used his identity for financial gain. He could be charged with libel, but unless some one is going to go after every fake profile in the social media universe, I highly doubt its worth the time, money and energy of the legal system."</span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Where's my lack of decision? I never said he should be criminally prosecuted, I said it was typical of politicians to not take responsibility for their own actions. And I never admitted I couldn't think on my own, I only conceded that though there are some LDS who follow the strongest voice, those kinds of people exist everywhere. </span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Now, let me say, this post would not exist if the personal attacks had ended here. I am not one for mocking others, but this previous comment was deleted by our mutual FB friend with a comment that rudeness and swearing would not be tolerated on her wall, though DS was more than welcome to repost his thoughts minus the personal attack.</span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Within A MINUTE of this occurence, I received the following message sent to me personally:</span></span><br />
<span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">"Somebody must have stolen your husbands identity. hope you get an apology.</span></span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JRVCG0_DQs0/Tr7zdF-0PRI/AAAAAAAAAoE/gG_WQ61WdkA/s1600/FBjerk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JRVCG0_DQs0/Tr7zdF-0PRI/AAAAAAAAAoE/gG_WQ61WdkA/s1600/FBjerk.jpg" /></a><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"><span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text"></span></span><br />
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Seriously? I felt it necessary to post a reply and with it I'll end, because I feel like it sums up my personal views on being able to have civil discussions with those of opposing views:<br />
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"Wow. The fact that you can't handle a very cordial disagreement with your philosophies in life shows a complete lack of intillectual integrity. Do you even believe in the validity of your own word vomit? Because I can see no other reason to be so incredibly hostile to a complete stranger who never insulted you. I wasn't implying you were of a herd-minded mentality. But, is this clarification wasted on someone who is looking for opportunity to take offense? I didn't know if this mayor was R or D. And YOU don't even know if I'm one or the other, either. Your arguments will never be given credence if you can't control your emotional diarrhea."Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-6178586656096015312011-11-05T09:45:00.000-07:002011-11-05T09:46:13.989-07:00A moving story of strength<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kiKNCwoeHtc/TrVn4zqgCsI/AAAAAAAAAn8/DiJIb_nkkx0/s1600/348225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kiKNCwoeHtc/TrVn4zqgCsI/AAAAAAAAAn8/DiJIb_nkkx0/s320/348225.jpg" width="204" /></a>Everyone I know who has read this book absolutely loves it! Go check out my review over at <a href="http://thecrookedword.blogspot.com/2011/11/friday-feature-these-is-my-words.html">The Crooked Word</a>!Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-90942342436409878842011-11-01T01:50:00.000-07:002011-11-01T01:50:44.573-07:00If I could only have this serenade every night...The song doesn't start until 3:15, just forward to there because Douglas Sills has an inhumanly good voice. mmmmmmm.... yum :)<br />
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<iframe width="400" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FKFnmNgzpI4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-72730774946124356892011-10-23T23:14:00.000-07:002011-10-23T23:14:00.935-07:00Epic series!<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/233649.The_Great_Hunt" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time, #2)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312031081m/233649.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/233649.The_Great_Hunt">The Great Hunt</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6252.Robert_Jordan">Robert Jordan</a><br />
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My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/226867270">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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4.5 stars is more accurate. <br />
Good grief! I had such a hard time putting this book down. Which didn't bode well for my sleep since it's almost 600 pages long. You wonder (at least I did) when you first start reading this series, knowing it's an epically long series - how can Jordan stretch this story out over that many novels and still make it interesting? By being inhumanly talented as an author and storyteller, that's how.<br />
The short of it? The plot thickens! Duh duh duh! :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1145048-aroura">View all my reviews</a>Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-48861923378665968862011-10-08T02:06:00.000-07:002011-10-08T02:06:35.027-07:00A powerful story of human connection<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159019.The_Only_Alien_on_the_Planet" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Only Alien on the Planet" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1308035804m/159019.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159019.The_Only_Alien_on_the_Planet">The Only Alien on the Planet</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/92179.Kristen_D_Randle">Kristen D. Randle</a><br />
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My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/191052866">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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This was published in 1996, so too long ago for "The Crooked Word" to review it. So I'll just post it here :)<br />
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This was a book club read. I thought at first it was going to be your normal high school drama, but was so pleasantly surprised that it pretty much ignored most of that. What a beautifully written story of.... how do I even describe it? It's a powerful story of human connections. There you go. And it is so perfectly realized! It slowly draws you in, and then before you know it, you cannot put it down until you find out what happens! But, even beyond wanting to know what will happen is just the desire to spend as much time with these characters as possible. They feel so real and fleshed out. <br />
I highly recommend this book to anyone!Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-79161934024282158222011-10-08T01:54:00.000-07:002011-10-08T01:54:41.125-07:00The Speed of DarkDoesn't the title alone intrigue you? It did me!Click <a href="http://thecrookedword.blogspot.com/2011/10/friday-feature-speed-of-dark.html">here</a> to read my review at "The Crooked Word" about this insightful and moving novel told from the point of view of a functionally autistic man offered a "cure."Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-19046699863654821362011-10-08T01:51:00.000-07:002011-10-08T01:51:52.975-07:00Can't decide what book to read next?Have you ever just picked up a book at the library or book store, hoping from the cover and summary you'll like it, and end up hating it?Well, lucky you! My good friend and author, Rebecca McKinnon, has started a book review blog and I'm one of a handful of reviewers on there! So, now my full reviews will be posted there, but I'll try to link up to it from here.<br />
The best thing is that all the reviewers have different tastes and so at one stop you can see what's come out recently (we try to keep it to books published withing the last few years), and if it's any good. Then every friday one of us will highlight a book that's been out for a while, but is worth checking out. <br />
So, head on over to <a href="http://www.thecrookedword.blogspot.com/">www.thecrookedword.blogspot.com</a> and check us out!Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-23237014586010032262011-10-01T15:57:00.000-07:002011-11-02T00:42:37.877-07:001st attempt at reupholstery and some helpful hints!Well, I've finally completed it! I was hoping to post the before picks (I did actually take them), but our hard drive crashed and now they're gone :( My hubby is slowly getting pics off the old hard drive, but I wanted to put this up without waiting too long.<br />
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Anyhow, it was a pretty ambitious project, I have to say, for a first attempt. And although there are things that are a little shoddy, I've learned from them, and you can't see them right away either. <br />
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I got this material a while ago at a design fabric store that was closing their location and I lucked out and only paid 30% of the price. Not 30% off, I paid 30%! Don't we all live for deals like that? :) I was originally going to paint it to look like grain sacks, but then I thought, what if I hate that in 5/10 years? So, I'm going to put the more trendy stuff on the pillow I'll be doing next. If I could easily afford another chair, I would just go for it, but for us cheapskates ... :)<br />
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Anyhow, here's the final product - Voila!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5mzyA4sR4E/ToeG7LZHOEI/AAAAAAAAAlg/1_7iaWims6s/s1600/DSCN4506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5mzyA4sR4E/ToeG7LZHOEI/AAAAAAAAAlg/1_7iaWims6s/s320/DSCN4506.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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I did manage to get a picture of a piece of fabric that came off it (just imagine the whole thing in this with really shiny legs):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gv5oLFeOFCc/ToeGyij8N_I/AAAAAAAAAlc/NeZNpuipAU0/s1600/DSCN4501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gv5oLFeOFCc/ToeGyij8N_I/AAAAAAAAAlc/NeZNpuipAU0/s320/DSCN4501.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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And, yes, the whole thing was that dirty. <br />
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So, there are a lot of tutorials on this topic out there in blogland. The gist of it is take lots of pics/videos/notes and pay attention while you're taking it apart.<br />
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But, here are some things I learned (from many mistakes) that I haven't really seen in a lot of tutorials that I've read....<br />
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1. So you're using the old pieces as patterns to cut out the new ones? Good for you - make sure to cut them AT LEAST an inch bigger! Especially if there are curves on your chair. You can (and will) cut off excess after it's stapled on. <br />
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2. Along the same lines, if there are little cutouts in the old material, wait to cut them out until you start putting it on the chair and you can see EXACTLY where it should go.<br />
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3. Be careful with larger weave material, it's going to fray a LOT easier! Just plan that and maybe cut just a little more than that extra inch. And get some seam sealer!<br />
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4. Even if you think the seams will not show (when sewing the welting or cushion), don't use contrasting thread. It sounds super obvious, but I didn't think it would show, that's what was in my sewing machine and I lazily didn't want to change it. But, when I sit it pulls the material away just enough to see the black thread. Classy :)<br />
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5. To take the staples out, I ended up using a phillips screwdriver and needlenose plyers. I loosened them with the screwdriver first (as many in a row as I could), then went along with the plyers.<br />
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6. Number the pieces as they come off and write on the old material. Also, draw which direction faces up, front, etc.<br />
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7. If you decide to do nailhead trim - way to be ambitious! :) These are actually not to bad (not nearly the love/hate relationship I had with the curve-ease). If you start hammering it in and the head isn't exactly in line, you can gently hammer at an angle until it is in line. I didn't use a marker (I didn't want it to show up), but if you have one of those fabric markers that dissapear, just draw a straight line. <br />
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The bottom line wasn't too hard, but if you do a second one, or the first one isn't directly along the bottom, here's what I did:<br />
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Measure between the two lines, then go out 8-10 spaces and measure the height difference and put that in, then you can visually check the line as you further along.<br />
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But, you do have to be willing to take them out if it isn't working. Like, when I looked at the left-hand side and realized I actually wanted the right hand side,<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And end up with a pile of unusable brads like this</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MjOgteHFdXo/ToeGfpJvKxI/AAAAAAAAAlU/cfOw05Bmjag/s1600/DSCN4493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MjOgteHFdXo/ToeGfpJvKxI/AAAAAAAAAlU/cfOw05Bmjag/s320/DSCN4493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To end up with the end-goal you want.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the arms, they had used finishing nails or something to attach it (you have to put the material around the little insert and then connect it to the front of the chair. I didn't have access to one. So, I just used the brads to hold it in place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wanted to do the second row along the bottom to do something a little differently (I was inspired by a chair on Restoration Hardware). Plus, because that first row was right in line with the bottom, you couldn't really tell. Here's a close up of the nailhead trim:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-exAevHZmLIs/ToeHEcmcdPI/AAAAAAAAAlk/NADQmE4mAL4/s1600/DSCN4497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-exAevHZmLIs/ToeHEcmcdPI/AAAAAAAAAlk/NADQmE4mAL4/s320/DSCN4497.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You also get a good look at the legs. I just sanded off the old stuff and got a sample-size paint at Home Depot (paint for $2.50? sure!) Then distressed it with sandpaper. Then lightly sanded over the rest of the paint as well to kind of blend it all together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Overall, I'd say it turned out pretty darn good for a first attempt and all those blasted curves!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I knew for sure it was pretty good when my hubby (whom I married because I loved his willingness to be honest even when it would be easier to offer noncommital placations) tried to claim it as only his to sit on! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Linking up to:<br />
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<a href="http://www.freckledlaundry.com/"><img alt="freckled laundry" height="125" src="http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/JamiClune/PartyButton.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://threeboys-home.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/littlebluedeer/button-69.png" border="0" alt="three boys" /></a>Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-51566537130925463452011-09-17T15:30:00.000-07:002011-09-17T15:30:48.886-07:00What to do with all those zucchinis and tomatoes...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Garden Minestrone Soup</u></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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If you're like, well, anyone with a garden, you have many many zucchinis and tomatoes. I have just the recipe for you! Truly yummy Garden Minestrone Soup. Even my husband (whose philosophy is that soup is how a woman tricks a man out of a real meal) liked it!<br />
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Garden Minestrone<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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2 t olive oil<br />
1 c chopped onion<br />
2 t chopped fresh oregano<br />
4 garlic cloves, minced<br />
3 c chopped yellow squash<br />
3 c chopped zucchini<br />
1 c chopped carrot<br />
1 c fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)<br />
4 c chopped tomatoes, divided<br />
6 c chicken broth (= 3 cans, preferrably fat-free, less sodium)<br />
1-2 c uncooked macaroni <br />
2 (15.5 oz) cans Garbanzo Beans<br />
6 oz baby spinach<br />
1 t salt<br />
1/2 t freshly ground pepper<br />
1 c grated Asiago cheese<br />
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I would chop everything first and have it ready by your stove<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uysLPhvn0Zw/TnUdmIChIzI/AAAAAAAAAko/QCpQD_0BR2w/s1600/DSCN4478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uysLPhvn0Zw/TnUdmIChIzI/AAAAAAAAAko/QCpQD_0BR2w/s320/DSCN4478.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Directions:<br />
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1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions to pan and sautee 3 minutes or until softened.<br />
2. Add garlic and oregano and sautee for 1 minute.<br />
3. Stir in squash, zucchini, carrot, and corn; sautee 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.<br />
4. Meanwhile combine tomatoes and 1 can broth in a blender and process until smooth. (You can keep some of the tomatoes to put in the soup if you'd like, but the texture bugs me, so I blend all of them)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-616sIGFThUw/TnUdvyjjXBI/AAAAAAAAAks/6_fvV7w4L30/s1600/DSCN4479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-616sIGFThUw/TnUdvyjjXBI/AAAAAAAAAks/6_fvV7w4L30/s320/DSCN4479.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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5. Add tomatoe mix and remaining 2 cans broth to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.<br />
6. Add pasta and beans to pan; cook 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occassionally.<br />
7. Remove from heat, stir in spinach, salt, and 1/2 t pepper. <br />
8. Ladle soup into individual bowls and top with cheese (if desired).<br />
9. Enjoy!<br />
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The total cooking time may seem long, but while your soup is simmering, you can clean up the prep mess:<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIEHJX0AEp0/TnUd5DqwK2I/AAAAAAAAAkw/scZiUbciWtY/s1600/DSCN4481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mIEHJX0AEp0/TnUd5DqwK2I/AAAAAAAAAkw/scZiUbciWtY/s320/DSCN4481.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Then after you eat, you only have the pan and bowls to clean, nothing else.Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-72106671030778176292011-09-09T23:27:00.001-07:002011-09-09T23:27:38.708-07:00What the heck?!Why does my google account not "have access to view" the blogs I follow? I can still see them, but can't comment on them?! Grrrr.Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-6560275390670913672011-08-27T00:28:00.000-07:002011-08-27T00:31:05.122-07:00Random thought of the day: Chivalry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MrhnUiArx4M/TlidD_28b9I/AAAAAAAAAkc/n68nTfqKwHA/s1600/valentines-romantic-graphicsfairy009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MrhnUiArx4M/TlidD_28b9I/AAAAAAAAAkc/n68nTfqKwHA/s320/valentines-romantic-graphicsfairy009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Firstly, this post is NOT inspired by anything my husband does/or does not do! :) His actions go above and beyond mere chivalry. I'm, of course, alluding to the fact that I pass out when I vomit. Which is really fun for him to check on me and make sure I'm okay when I have one of those illnesses that make your visits to the bathroom multi-purpose. :)<br />
I just thought I'd say - Listen up guys - just because women decline your chivalry doesn't mean we want you to stop offering. Is that selfish and silly? Perhaps.<br />
But, I think of all those times I lugged around my double-bass (you know, the "really big fiddle" in the back of the orchestra (As all the old men used to call it when talking to me and thinking they were so clever and funny)?), and the stool I would use to sit, AND a music stand, and guys would pass by and.... not offer to carry anything. Now, had they, I would have maybe let them carry my music stand or stool, if I didn't outright decline (I'm NOT entrusting an instrument that cost thousands of dollars to anyone else!), but still, the offering lets you feel important.<br />
Like the time I was assistant manager at an apartment complex and was called to go snake some resident's backed-up toilet. (The maintenance guys didn't work weekends unless it was an emergency). I walk into the lady's apartment and am greeted by her boyfriend. Now, does this man, seeing a gal of 22 years of age, in office attire, carrying a large metal pole that will shortly be used to mash up the "material" blocking the water from draining out of the toilet, offer to have me show him how to use it so he can risk getting splashed by what is probably his stuff? Of course not! Would I have accepted his hypothetical offer? No. But, come on! You don't even offer?<br />
Or, all the males at the apartment office who, though my official title was Assistant Manager and I was accountable for all pertaining responsibilities, thought of me as a glorified secretary (being the only female there). And, thus when I was hugely 8 months pregnant and in risk of hypertension, thought nothing of letting me pass out 256 flyers to the residents, when only 2 apartments were on each of the 3 floors in a stairwell. So for every 6 apartments I had to walk up 2 1/2 flights of stairs and also down those 2 1/2 flights of stairs. Now, would I have accepted their hypothetical offer? N..... You bet your sweet non-bloated ankles I would! I'm not bitter . . . really, I'm not. ;)<br />
Chivalry.<br />
Like Nike says - just do it!Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-79002894276710716892011-08-16T23:46:00.000-07:002011-08-16T23:46:55.379-07:00SYTYCD has ended... now what to do with my Wednesday nights?A (mostly) brilliant season of SYTYCD has ended and now my children will be able to play outside on Wednesday and Thursday nights instead of being ushered inside so mommy can "watch her show." :) So very many memorable dances this season (and some seriously silly and amateur ones as well)! Perhaps I'll bother you with some YouTube vids of my faves another day when I have time :) But, for now, a link to an editorial I couldn't agree with more about the guest judges: <a href="http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2011-08-11.shtml">http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2011-08-11.shtml</a><br />
Yes, I know, it's written by Orson Scott Card. I promise, I don't always agree with him. But, this is almost the exact article I would write (if I could think straight when I have time to blog) about the differences in approaching guest judging between Christina Applegate (charming, interested in the contestants, helpful) and Lady Gaga (I can't think of phrases to aptly describe the wretchedly horrific, attention-greedy antics). <br />
Just scroll past the review of <em>The Rise of the Planet of the Apes</em> if you want.Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-31121482515843898772011-08-15T23:56:00.000-07:002011-08-15T23:56:42.035-07:00Current state of undressEvery time I complete a stage on my first attempt at re-upholstery I get unduly excited.<br />
Here's where I'm at now... <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zeM5CRABBsQ/TkoUb6j1ezI/AAAAAAAAAkY/pC4ts5I3hrI/s1600/DSCN4364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zeM5CRABBsQ/TkoUb6j1ezI/AAAAAAAAAkY/pC4ts5I3hrI/s320/DSCN4364.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Actually, now that I'm finally posting this, I do have the legs painted. But, you'll just have to wait to see that :)<br />
Now, comes the hard part - making the new material look good.<br />
Wish me luck!<br />
Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217368704515287587.post-55779903600189344312011-08-07T00:34:00.000-07:002011-08-07T15:00:17.840-07:00Q&A with Orson Scott CardAnyone who has ever talked to me about books probably knows I have a slight obsession with the author Orson Scott Card. When my husband and I were first married he suggested I might like some of Card's books. I started with <em>Stone Tables</em>, a fictionalized recounting of Moses and the Ten Commandments. I was hooked. From there, I devoured every book of his I could get my hands on and have since read almost every novel, numerous short stories, and regularly read his reviews and political rants on his website (<a href="http://www.hatrack.com/">www.hatrack.com</a>). Ever since I read his novel <em>Saints, </em>it immediately became one of my all-time favorite novels. It cozily socializes with the likes of <em>Gone With the Wind</em>, <em>The House of Mirth,</em> and <em>Anna Karennina</em> in terms of epicness, heart-aching beauty, variety and breadth of character, and an honesty of storytelling that is requisite in any truly great story. <br />
<em>Saints</em> follows the Kirkham family through their fall into poverty in Manchester, England in the early 1800's, their subsequent trials and struggle to rise above all that is thrown at them, their introduction to the Latter-Day Saint missionaries, and their moving to and settling in Nauvoo, Illinois where even more heartache and drama are thrown at them. Now, this book was not written for an LDS (Mormon) audience - Card has stated it was written specifically for a non-LDS audience. It deals very bluntly (moreso than any other fictional story I've read) with polygamy, but does not apologize for, explain, nor justify. It merely explores what some people's experiences with that practice may have been. But not even polygamy is the central topic - it's background. It's part of the setting. <br />
What sets <em>Saints </em>apart from the above-mentioned novels, I believe, is a strength of character that rarely occurs within fiction. Most of the characters in <em>Wind, Karennina, </em>and <em>Mirth</em> are barely hanging on through their trials, bitter, and/or completely engulfed by the ravenous waves of their misfortunes. While <em>Saints</em> certainly has its share of weaker characters, Dinah Kirkham and several others are streched beyond what almost anyone can endure and they endure it. Are they perfect? No! But, that's what helps them be even stronger characters. You don't empathize with perfection. You empathize with a human with foibles and follies who struggles to cope and endeavors to grow from their trials and heartaches. <br />
It took a few years for me to recommend this for our neighborhood book club. Firstly, it's over 600 pages long. Secondly, I did worry that some would be offended by a humanized characterization of the LDS prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. I was very relieved to hear they had the same reaction I did - it only increased their love and respect for these amazing men!<br />
In preparation for leading the discussions, I tried in vain to find a Q&A with Card that was <em>Saints-</em>centric. Failing at that, I contacted him through his assistant on his website to see if it would be possible to submit some questions from the ladies in my book club that he could answer in time to discuss when we met. Despite his many other writing obligations, he consented. I would obviously like to thank him for his generosity! Everyone was very impressed that he took the time to answer our questions! <br />
Before I copy his answers, I would urge you to go purchase this novel, or get a copy from the library. The cover of my copy says, "An epic of independence and devotion, of hardship and fulfillment . . . of a woman so strong that knowing her could change your life." In my case, that absolutely turned out to be the truth. This story of strength and struggle has become a part of me and my perspective in life. It isn't religious fiction - it's historical fiction! Don't not read it simply because the characters in the book believed in a different theology than you! Don't cheat yourself out of reading an inspiring tale of people who sacrificed when they discovered what they believed to be truth!<br />
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There are some spoilers in these questions and answers, so if you want to go into the story fresh, don't read this until after you finish the novel. <br />
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Here's the Q&A unedited:<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. What inspired you to write this story? Do you have ancestors that came from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region> or that lived in early Nauvoo ?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">None of these characters is based on my own ancestors — I’m a great great grandson of Brigham Young and Zina Diantha Huntington, but they appear in the book as themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I wanted to do a story very loosely based on the life of William Clayton — my father-in-law, noted LDS historian James B. Allen, wrote a biography of Clayton (writer of “Come, Come Ye Saints” and the scribe who recorded Section 132 and followed JS into plural marriage), and I have used many incidents from his life to provide the core of the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dinah is my own invention, but everything that happened to her happened to somebody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a way, though, EVERY Mormon gets adopted into the great pioneer heritage, and what so many Mormons don’t remember is that a large portion of the Mormon pioneers weren’t Americans!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They began their lives as urban English people in the heart of the industrial revolution, so crossing the plains and founding <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Salt</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place> was far more radical to them than to the American converts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all are their heirs, whether our genealogy traces to them or not.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. I’m interested to know if Dinah giving up her children was based on a true story — did that come from a journal for example?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I read several journal accounts like this — several women were faced with that wretched choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But remember that in that era, children legally belonged to the father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If women left their husbands for any reason, there was no chance of their taking their children with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a wrenching choice!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Why did you have Porter Rockwell say to Dinah that she was Joseph’s Rachel? I wanted Dinah to be truly happy but this didn’t sit well with me when Joseph chose Emma. What was the character/or you thinking at this point?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Joseph Smith, from all accounts, loved his plural wives and regarded them as real marriages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But his relationship with Emma always came first, if only because they had been through so much together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because he believed that the Lord required him to set the example in plural marriage did not change the fact that it was terribly painful to do something that he knew would hurt Emma so badly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So from one day to the next, I imagine that different feelings dominated in JS’s heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get this idea sometimes that people in the past must have had only one attitude or one set of feelings, but human beings have many feelings and attitudes, often contradictory ones, and we are rarely able to sort them out in any rational way.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. In your mind did Mary, Hyrum’s wife, know about plural marriage or was she strictly thinking she was helping convince Dinah to teach when she suggested that John Kirkham walk her to the neighbors so that Hyrum and Dinah could talk?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I just don’t remember what I had in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it isn’t clear in the text, I can’t help you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote this more than 25 years ago!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. I’ve heard the story of Heber being willing to give Vilate to Joseph and I’m wondering if there is any account of this in a journal that you’ve read or if it’s just Mormon myth (as far as you know). Likewise, the story of Emma getting angry with one of Joseph’s wives and her falling down the stairs. Is there any truth to this?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I read the account in a fairly authoritative source based on Heber’s own account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want, I’ll try to find the original source on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I got all the research material from my father-in-law who was, at the time, Assistant Church Historian.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember, though, that just because something has a source doesn’t mean it’s accurate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Memory changes, people notice different things, and stories bend to fit present needs.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The falling-down-the-stairs story is more mythic than the Heber/Vilate account, which is definitely accepted by the family as true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fall down the stairs is part of the folklore attached to Eliza R. Snow, but she herself never said any such thing to anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Eliza was considerably older than Dinah — she may simply have had a miscarriage and other people came up with a story that blamed Emma.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. What was the concept behind John Kirkham coming back and claiming he wanted redemption just to sin with a prostitue? When it seemed that toward the end of the novel he had given up that life for good. What do you feel the turning point was for him? Was it when Dr. Bennett hurt Dinah? Did he truly turn his life around?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everything I had to say about that is in the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I created these characters as believably as I could, making them behave in ways that real people behave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in general terms, I don’t think people have many “turning points” in their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are who we are, and while we might deceive ourselves sometimes about our motives or intentions, your core nature will come out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re a deeply good person, you’ll eventually overcome your pride and selfishness; if you’re truly strong, you’ll overcome temptations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you’re not so good, or not so strong, then that, too, will surface, because your commitments fade in the face of attractive opportunities to sin.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. When you are doing research for this kind of novel, how do you know what sources are trustworthy?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You make your own measured judgment based on what you know about human nature and the other behavior of both the source and the people the source is talking about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, in fiction I have a lot more wiggle room than a historian would have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Readers aren’t supposed to take my speculations about motive as “the truth” — merely as one author’s best guesses.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. You have said people are bothered most by things that actually occurred — can you give a few examples of those?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The idea has been around for years that Joseph’s plural marriages were all spiritual — he never actually consummated them physically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was regarded as very important in the early days of polygamy to affirm that JS did in fact have real marriages with these women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emma’s supporters who did not embrace polygamy liked to put it about that JS was never really married to anyone but her, so there are conference talks and many testimonies by early brethren that polygamy wasn’t just preached by JS, but also practiced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many people want to deify JS and put him on some lofty plane where he doesn’t touch real life — but that’s simply wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>JS was a real person, with foibles and quirks, and he had a physical life as well as, and along with, his spiritual one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deifying our prophets is actually the opposite of what we should do — it puts them out of reach, as if they were not participants in human life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gives people the idea that we ordinary people can never attain their spiritual level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth is the other way: They are real people and prone to mistakes like the rest of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They face all the same temptations and have all the same pleasures and pains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if we don’t match their spirituality, it’s not because we CAN’T, but because we haven’t chosen to do so — spirituality, like repentance, is equally within the reach of all of us.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9. Do you think Dinah’s children grow up hating her? Did they ever forgive her?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always wanted to write their story, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think their reactions would have been different, and vary over time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When young, they would have been angry and severely hurt; older, having experienced life, some of them would have come to understand her, while others never would.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think if you get a chance, you should look at Kim Catrall’s experience on the tv show Who Do You Think You Are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her great grandfather abandoned the family when her grandmother was little, and she tracks him down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What he was thinking simply can’t be known — but the responses of the children are fascinatingly diverse.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Do you feel Robert was a bad brother because he tried to control others’ lives? Or, was he just misguided, though well intentioned?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some people think they know best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They truly believe they’re helping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And sometimes they really are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But often it’s also pride and the evil desire to control others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, it’s up to God to judge our motives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there’s anybody who has NEVER tried to force someone else to do “the right thing,” raise your hand!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, if you raised your hand, you’re just delusional, because you HAVE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You just didn’t admit it to yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you withhold information from someone “for their own good,” you’re forcing them, deciding for them in ways they might not have decided for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And nobody’s motives for such a thing are pure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might think you know best; you might be right! — but you’re still keeping someone else from making their own decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I don’t really think of whether Robert was good or bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He simply believed he had the responsibility and the right to decide for other people, and under law and custom at the time, he did!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not as if he had Section 121 to guide him in exercising his stewardship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the nature and disposition of almost all men ...<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">11. Did you have O. Kirkham say Dinah and Charlie’s hymns and poems are mediocre to show his characters critical view? Or because you didn’t want to seem to be basically touting poetry that you essentially wrote?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t actually like O. Kirkham that much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know a lot of people like him, and it’s very important to them that people realize that they’re “superior people.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’ve heard a lot of people speak with contempt of Eliza R. Snow and other early Mormon writers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they do, they merely reveal their ignorance of the period and of literature, and their arrogance and their hunger for the high regard of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The poems I wrote are of the kind that the Church’s best poets were writing at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fashions have changed — but what gets praised today by people like O. Kirkham is actually quite wretched, in my opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most people who take pride in being intellectuals are merely entrenched in their ignorance.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">12. The short blurbs on the title pages of each section, are those the view of O. Kirkham of the events? Or yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">O. Kirkham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not me.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">13. Is there any documentation that Joseph ever have any children by<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>any of his plural wives?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">None whatsoever. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were claims in the 1850s and 1860s that there was one child born to someone, but these are pious rumors and there is no believable claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He may have slept with his plural wives, but NOT OFTEN — his life was too confused, and he was in hiding too much of the time, plus he had to conceal polygamy from the public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it’s not really a surprise that JS didn’t father other children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The Eliza-falling-down-the-stairs story may have been invented simply to explain why he didn’t have children by his most famous plural wife.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</div>Arourahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12599967701369851990noreply@blogger.com1