Baby Steps

Monkey Got a Ride!

2009-07-18T16:21:00.005-05:00

We went to our local tree store, the one where we buy our shrubs, and we bought a tree. We're getting a red maple, because they were all out of oaks and the ginko was too small. So maple it is. While Daddy went and payed for our new tree, Monkey and I went to check out the local Front End Loader.

They offered him a ride.

See that grin?! He was a happy boy!

Beautiful Flowers

2009-07-18T16:16:00.002-05:00

Monochrome Weekly

2009-07-17T15:11:00.004-05:00

Book Give-Away Ends Soon

2009-07-16T23:48:00.004-05:00

Don't forget! You have to post and leave a comment by 11:55PM tomorrow! Here's a sample of what's in the A Glorious Standard:

We all know that ... there has been an alarming increase in the abandoning of the ideals that constitute the foundation of the Constitution of the United States and of the American home, and you will agree with me that there is real cause for apprehension."
-David O. McKay (page 128)

Now, how are the elders going to prepare for that mission? How are they going to know what the Constitution is so they will know when it is on the brink of ruin?
-Ezra Taft Benson (page 136)

I council you, I urge you, I plead with you, never, so far as you have voice or influence, permit any departure from the principles of governments on which this nation was founded, or any disregard of the freedoms which, by the inspiration of God the Father, were written in the Constitution of the United States.
-Heber J. Grant (page73)

Good luck to you in winning the whole book! It's been a great blessing to me; a huge eye-opener. I'm looking forward to sharing the love!

Cut N Paste

2009-07-16T17:55:00.003-05:00

Mothering Quotes

2009-07-15T14:53:00.004-05:00

It is so obvious that the great good and the terrible evil in the world today are the sweet and the bitter fruits of the rearing of yesterday’s children. As we train a new generation, so will the world be in a few years. If you are worried about the future, then look to the upbringing of your children. Wisely did the writer of Proverbs declare, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
-Gordon B. Hinckley
Read more...

“When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies.”
-E.T. Sullivan, quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley

“Bring up your children in the love and fear of the Lord; study their dispositions and their temperaments, and deal with them accordingly, never allowing yourself to correct them in the heat of passion; teach them to love you rather than to fear you.”
-Brigham Young, quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained … , only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; …

“Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

“That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death” (D&C 121:41, 43–44).

How much more beautiful would be the world and the society in which we live if every father looked upon his children as the most precious of his assets, if he led them by the power of his example in kindness and love, and if in times of stress he blessed them by the authority of the holy priesthood; and if every mother regarded her children as the jewels of her life, as gifts from the God of heaven, who is their Eternal Father, and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.
-Gordon B. Hinckley
Read more...

The calling of father or mother is sacred and carries with it great significance. One of the greatest privileges and responsibilities given to us is that of being a parent—helping to bring to earth a child of God and having the sacred responsibility to love, care, and guide children back to our Heavenly Father. In many ways earthly parents represent their Heavenly Father in the process of nurturing, loving, caring, and teaching children. Children naturally look to their parents to learn of the characteristics of their Heavenly Father. After they come to love, respect, and have confidence in their earthly parents, they often unknowingly develop the same feelings towards their Heavenly Father.
-Robert D. Hales
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"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence. Too often the pressure for popularity, on children and teens, places an economic burden on the income of the father, so mother feels she must go to work to satisfy her children's needs. That decision can be most shortsighted. It is mother's influence during the crucial formative years that forms a child's basic character. Home is the place where a child learns faith, feels love, and thereby learns from mother's loving example to choose righteousness. How vital are mother's influence and teaching in the home-and how apparent when neglected!" -Ezra Taft Benson (Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 104)

Our Inspired Constitution

2009-07-15T09:22:00.002-05:00

"I believe in the Constitution of the United States. I believe in the principles which that instrument promulgates - the freedom of mankind to do right, to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, freedom to pursue their way in peace and to observe and maintain their rights, their freedom, their liberties, and justly recognize and equally preserve and defend the rights freedom and liberty of their neighbors and of their fellow beings - and of all God's creatures. I believe that the Constitution was and still is and inspired instrument. The Lord God Almighty inspired the minds that framed it..."
-Joseph F. Smith
Quoted in A Glorious Standard page 30

My book giveaway ends in 2 days. Have you entered to win a copy of this book yet?

Masterly Inactivity in Action

2009-07-13T23:06:00.003-05:00

Took a gander at the current Charlotte Mason Carnival, and found this:

“Masterly inactivity,” an expression of Thomas Carlyle’s brought to life in detail by Mason, is the perfect balance between being a dictator and a doormat. It is a letting alone that is rooted in insight. A parent’s wise self-restraint is grounded in the authority and self-confidence of experience and knowledge, which the child lacks and needs.

“She must see without watching, know without telling, be on the alert always, yet never obviously, fussily, so,” Mason explains. “This open-eyed attitude must be sphinx-like in its repose.” ...

My kids went through a time when they would fill up on the main course and wouldn’t feel like eating a salad after it, as is the French custom. So I began to serve the salad first. I just got them to the table hungry and served the salad, while the main course was still cooking. I did not tell them, “I want you to eat salad. You must eat your salad. It’s good for you.” I knew what was going on but they didn’t need to know. They ate it and were happy.
Read more...

John Adams Says

2009-07-13T21:29:00.000-05:00

"If men through fear, fraud or mistake, should in terms renounce and give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the great end of society, would absolutely vacate such renunciation; the right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of Man to alienate this gift, and voluntarily become a slave."

--John Adams, Rights of the Colonists, 1772

Another Look at Laundry

2009-07-13T11:36:00.002-05:00

As I've grown older, I have realized that it is the number of piles that has become profound to me, as they have marked both the joyous and tragic occasions of my life. ... When I married my first love, Rob, twenty-years ago, I only had two piles - his and mine. Soon thereafter, our first little baby girl came into the world, and then there were three. ... The most heart-wrenching experience I had with piles of laundry was when Rob suddenly and unexpectedly passed away four years ago, leaving me a widow with six children, the youngest of whom was two years old. As I folded up the last of his dirty fatigues after his funeral, I was heart-broken to think that I would never have his pile on the coffee table again. We were down to just seven piles now - the kids' and mine.
Read more...

I may never look at piles of laundry quite the same again.

Very Cool Scrapbook Blog

2009-07-12T23:19:00.002-05:00

I ran across a very cool scrapbooking blog this evening, and I wasn't even looking for a scrapbook blog! Holly, of Scrap by Color, has quite a few layouts that are both simple and very nice. And what is very cool is that in addition to the pictures of the layouts that she has posted on the blog, she's got links to where you can download the files, and then open them up, put your own photos in there, and use them for digital scrapbooking! I've never tired digital scrapbooking, but I may have to see how it goes for me. She's got some very nice layouts, and it looks like it would be a lot of fun to play with my pictures in Photoshop like that!

Because It Makes Me Happy

2009-07-12T16:42:00.000-05:00

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

2009-07-12T00:18:00.005-05:00

And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God - and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come - I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek Him, as well in times of old as in the time that He should manifest himself unto the children of men.

For He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto Him.

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
-1 Nephi 10:17-19
(Emphasis added.)

New Toy Tool

2009-07-11T21:32:00.010-05:00

My hand mixer broke a few weeks ago. This hasn't been a huge problem, but I do have a bit of a project coming up: I'm making 200 cookies for my brother's wedding reception, and Mom, Maulbeere and I will be decorating them. When Andy heard me talk about who I might be able to borrow a mixer from, he took things into his own hands.

Monkey was very clear: he wanted to be there for the Opening Ceremonies. Not that he called them that.

First, we liberated the splash guard. Next, Monkey found the Owner's Manual.

We got it all unpacked and cleared a space for it on the counter.

Now the big question is, "What to cook first?" Monkey is excited to help, whatever it we decide to make!

Photo Hunt: Garbage

2009-07-11T16:03:00.002-05:00

Sounds Yummy!

2009-07-11T10:04:00.003-05:00

I browsed across this site this morning, and it's a fun site for using stored food. But the thing that really caught my attention is that they've got a recipe for making granola bars. I don't have any corn syrup, so I'll have to put it on the shopping list, but given the amount of granola that we go through, this recipe is definitely something that I'll be trying soon!

Garden Sunset

2009-07-10T16:11:00.002-05:00

One of the great pleasures of gardening this summer is the chance to see all these sunsets. Like snowflakes, no two of these gifts from God are alike.

Our Divine Constitution

2009-07-10T12:30:00.004-05:00

"The Lord raised up the Founding Fathers. He it was who established the Constitution of this land - the greatest document of freedom ever written. This God-inspired Constitution is not outmoded. It is not an outdated "agrarian document." ... It was the Lord God who established the foundation of this nation; and woe be unto those - members of the Supreme Court and others - who would weaken this foundation."
-Ezra Taft Benson
Quoted in A Glorious Standard, page 51

"To me ... that statement of the Lord, "I have established the Constitution of this land," puts the Constitution of the United States in the position in which it would be if it were written in the book of Doctrine and Covenants itself. This makes the Constitution the word of the Lord to us. That it was given, not by oral utterance, but by the operation of His mind and spirit upon the minds of men, inspiring them to the working out of this great document of human government, does not alter its authority..."
-J. Reuben Clark
Quoted in A Glorious Standard, page 42-43

I'm giving away A Glorious Standard, so check out this post to enter!

Great Blog; Great Idea

2009-07-09T22:03:00.004-05:00

I wandered across Imma Momma this afternoon, and right from the get-go I was loving Alicia's blog. It's bright, it's beautiful, but the WORDS on it really resonated.

That pretty much sums up how I feel about Mothering! She had my attention, so I started wandering around. I liked what I saw. She says that her goal for blogging is to help women be happy with where they are. She even calls one of her boys "Monkey Man," just like I do. He looks like a happy kid! She's got a photography event, which I'm thinking sounds like fun. Plus, a button for it, which, after making graphics for my own blog in every spare moment for the past 2 days, I really like!

She's also got a button for bloggers she's featured to grab and put on their own blogs, which was an idea that I love, so I'm borrowing her idea. And Alica, of Imma Momma, is my first featured blog! And I have a brand new button for the occasion:

The Apotheosis of Washington

2009-07-09T18:44:00.003-05:00

Ran across something interesting today. First, the definition of apotheosis, because I had no idea:

Apotheosis:

1. The act of elevating a mortal to the rank of, and placing him among, "the gods;" deification.

2. Glorification; exaltation.

Then, a bit from the article:

It’s not only the Mormons who have thoughts about the divinization of mankind, but such a theme is even portrayed of our most beloved Founding Father and first President of our country, George Washington, in no less than oculus of the rotunda of the Capitol Building of the United States of America. ...

This image of Washington, painted in 1865, reflects a vision of Washington that appealed to the American public just after his death. The “apotheosis” served as a powerful symbol of the immortalization of the country’s hero. Paintings and sculptures of Washington’s celestial rise were soon to be found in living rooms and civic halls across the country. The religious connotation was clear: here was a man so virtuous and beloved that he surely had ascended to heaven, escorted honorably by classical personifications of freedom and liberty.
Read more...

Book Give-Away

2009-07-09T17:04:00.003-05:00

Or, it could be called, "He Told Me So." Because Andy told me that the holiday weekend was a rotten time to be giving things away: folks are doing things on holidays, rather than playing with their blogs. So, as there were no entries, I'm offering the book again.

Up For Grabs:

One copy of A Glorious Standard: For All Mankind, by Christopher S. Bentley, with an inscription by the author.

A little about the book: It is a compilation of quotes and commentary about the Constitution and government, made by prophets such as Isaiah, Jacob, and Moroni, as well as modern prophets and apostles such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, Ezra Taft Benson, and many more. These quotes have been compiled by the author from a variety of sources ranging from many General Conference reports and Journals of Discourses, as well as church magazines, messages of the First Presidency, and the History of the Church, among others. Bentley has gathered them up and organized them along the lines of four different themes:

1. "First, the Lord Himself has stated unequivocally that He is the Constitution's Author. Indeed, almost all of the latter-day prophets have declared that the Constitution is a document created through the inspiration of the Spirit." (Page 1)

2. [A]lmost every prophet in this dispensation has emphasized the vital importance of defending, upholding and adhering to the Constitution." (Page 2)

3. [S]everal prophets have warned that we have apostatized in various ways from the Constitution... (Page 2)

4. [T]he Constitution's role goes beyond providing a free nation in which the gospel and true Church could be restored to the earth once again. ... The principles of that great charter will eventually spread over the whole world, and all who are living [during the Millennium] will abide by them. (Page 2)

These four themes become the basis of the four sections of the book, with an amazing variety of quotes from Joseph Smith's time to Gordon B. Hinckley, who was President of the Church at the time the book was published, as well as quotes from the scriptures referencing things that ancient prophets said.

This book is a major factor in my own awakening to the vital importance of the Constitution, and I highly recommend it!

Check back for a sampling of the quotes in the book, as I'll post a few between now and when the giveaway is done.

How to Enter:

Post about the give-away on your blog, then leave a link in the comments section, so I can visit you.

Deadline:

All posts must be up, and comments left, by 11:55pm on Saturday 18 July 2009.

New Look

2009-07-09T09:22:00.003-05:00

I've been playing with my blog, and I've got a new look! It's a fun process, but one that takes a good deal of time. I'm not finished yet, but the overall idea is in place, I think. It's a fun process, at least partly because I get to learn lots of new things, not just about the programming, but also about Photoshop. This is the first time I've been able to make my own graphics! Here are some of the tools that I've used so far in my redecorating:

Blogger Buster's 3 Column Layout

Once I had the new sidebar, it became clear that I badly needed to add some margins and padding, which Blogger Buster also had a tutorial for.

I'm trying Link Within, though I'm not convinced that I love it. What do you think?

Blogger Buster also helped me remove the "nofollow" tags from my template, allowing the big search engines to follow the links to my friends.

I didn't end up using this Photoshop tutorial for overlapping text, but it looks good, and I'd like to in the future.

The new header is from a photo that I took and used this halftone border tutorial on it.

Anyway, it's not finished, but I'm happy with it so far.

Male Bonding

2009-07-07T08:44:00.000-05:00

Sunday Scripture

2009-07-05T21:44:00.005-05:00

...I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto gall those who diligently seek him, as well in times of hold as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.

For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
-1 Nephi 10:17-19

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T09:16:00.001-05:00

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
-Declaration of Independence