Most Important

The most important issues to me in this election are:

Abortion & gay marriage.

The other issues - health insurance, the economy, energy... they're too complex to really understand whose plan means what and what is best. I don't think anybody REALLY knows what to do. They're all just blowing smoke trying to get elected. At least with abortion and marriage I know exactly where I stand and where they stand. I cannot in good conscience vote for someone who has a better energy plan yet advocates abortion, gay marriage, and increasing awareness of emergency contraception.

What is most important to you?

Directly from McCain's website:

"John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned,...
...However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. "

"John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation."


Directly from Obama's website:

"Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case."

"Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims."

I could not find a direct statement on Obama's website regarding gay marriage but here is a clip of Biden on Ellen talking about it... (thanks A)



And check out "America's Choice Now" for a short clip of interviews of both McCain and Obama on where they stand on abortion. Quite a powerful ending...
(thanks Fran)

There are enough women...

I love this thought from the Visiting Teaching message this month.

“Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. … We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.”
-Margaret D. Nadauld, former Young Women general president

'The Story' by Brandi Carlile

I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE IT!!!

Couldn't get the stinkin' video off of youtube. All the embeds were disabled (copyright?). I like the video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq-ZmAYLeB8

How did I discover it? It was played during the ESPN highlight for Joe Paterno for the Penn State - Ohio game. Makes ya love ESPN.

Marcia Lynn McClure

SOMEONE (Alyssa) introduced me to a book by the name of Shackles of Honor by Marcia Lynn McClure. That was 5 weeks ago. Since then I have read every Marcia Lynn McClure book in print. (that would be 15 total... in 5 weeks). Let's just say... I enjoyed them very much. I ravished them, if you will. We're pretending we're laying in a meadow in this picture...
Macia Lynn McClure is a member of the Clean Romance Club. Can we not just get wholesome, clean, ooey gooey, slobbery kissy, "he touched my ankle (gasp)" romance? Quite so. They do exist...

Here are all 15 books...

I suggest Shackles of Honor or Fragrance of Her Name first. My other favorites were Touch of Sage, Vision of Ransom Lake, & Dusty Britches.

Nervous

Today at the grocery store I began to feel it... Nervous!

I don't watch the news. I don't read the newspaper. I try to stay as isolated as possible in my tiny little Rainbow Brite fairy land (jk). But now that I've done a little research, I'm nervous. Are they gonna take away my right to buy a gun? Not that I particularly want a gun, but I sure as he__ want the right. Are diapers gonna cost twice as much in 3 months? I'll tell ya what I want to do. I want to be a little bit irrational and go buy a gun (take a safety course, of course), buy the entire food section of Walmart, buy the entire Toddler section of Target, plant a garden, double my cash stash, and go hold a picket sign out on main straight saying "Vote for Mitt Romney" (jk). No, it would say, "I don't know about the other guy, but DON'T vote for Obama". -he makes me nervous.

Of course I won't overeact. I will vote and I will pray and I will go buy a gun (jk, no gun).

A Lesson in Mattress Buying

I feel duped. I hate being duped. It makes me want to run in and demand a full refund. Reason? Spite!

We bought a mattress from The Denver Mattress Company this last June. A nice, King size, fluffy bunny mattress. Well, it happens to be too fluffy and is giving my back and neck problems. As I have just discovered, mattresses usually have a warranty for this very purpose. So I call to 'inquire' and this is the rundown I get...

"Hi, ma'am, yes, I see you bought a mattress from us for a grand total of $899.43, unfortunately $350 of that was accessories, tax, and delivery and so we can only give you $550 credit towards the exchange of another mattress."

WHAT???? (An appropriate reaction, don't you think?)

Well, apparently when we bought the mattress it was on clearance for 30% off.... BUT.... (and here's the catch) if you bought the whole package (mattress cover, 2 pillows, and the 'clean care system') then you got 40% off. Our kind-hearted salesman (who had the customer's best interests in mind *sas*) explains to us that this would only be $30 more.

What he REALLY meant to say (and didn't) was that in essence we'd be spending an additional $200 on non-returnable accessories to get the extra 10% off. He also meant to explain (but didn't) that if we ever wanted to take advantage of the warranty (as people who buy 'fluffy bunnies' often do) that we would only get credit for the mattress part of the sale and not the 'whole deal'.

Hm!

I feel like a complete ignoramus. I feel like running in there and saying, "Hi, I'm Mrs. Stupid and I want a full refund purely out of spite".

I would then take that money and go straight to Costco and get a memory foam.

(sigh)

Lyman Family Disneyland Trip

Disneyland IS the happiest place on earth (except on Fridays). Avoid Fridays at all costs. In fact, I've heard the Monday after Thanksgiving is the slowest day of the year. I've made it my personal goal to go on that day.

My favorite part was, and always is, the Horseshoe Review with Billy & the Hill Billies. It's so FUNNY I can hardly stand it. If you haven't seen it you are missin' out. Especially that part where he gets the bow stuck up his nose. HAHAHA!Here's the whole crew at the Jazz Kitchen. What a crew. I highly recommend the Lobster Ravioli!Does Bryson not look just yummy in this next picture? He definitely has nibble-chin.
ANd here is Bry & Bo, Unc Jo, Unc Ben & Bryson waiting to go into Goofy's kitchen. Goofy himself cooked our food as well as led us in the Macarena. Who could ask for more.
This is Bo's new funny face. He makes it when he's by himself thinking nobody's watching. I think he's reenacting a cartoon in his head or something. Anyway, Really funny and I finally got a picture of it. Patiently folding his arms waiting to get into the Park. What a sweetheart.
I am in love with THIS boy...
Nothing like "homemade, dragged through security and flown on the airplane with you" muffins. Trying to avoid the $8 Disneyland muffins.
Grammy Nannie! Jill came with us to watch Bryson. She was the best Grammy Nannie you could ever have.
Group picture everyone. If you're under two, do NOT look at the camera.
We miss Dan & Riki & Emerson & Libby and Bridger. Other than that we are whole.
And here is Bryson the little flirt. Everytime a princess would come to say hi he'd just roll his eyes at them. (Nevermind half-dressed Jasmine.)

Glenn Beck

Have you heard Glenn Beck's explanation of how we got in this economic crisis? Very Interesting.

I tried to give you a run down in my own words but could see that I was just botching it.

Check it out!

His also: What's coming and How to prepare.

Faith. Life. Family.

Powerful!



Don't tell me you're not crying.
Pride.
Duty.
Protect Marriage.
Protect Life. Faith. Family.

Thanks Lauren

New Niece - Emerson

Dan and Riki had their first baby girl about a month ago and I was finally able to meet her last week. She is absolutely YUMMY! So cute. I mean, like really cute for a tiny little baby. Sometimes tiny little babies are not cute (really, don't deny it) but she is DANG CUTE.

And then there's Bo with his shirt off - again. I've trained him well, huh ladies? (McClure joke - more on that later)

Great Foody Ideas

SUPER easy and SUPER delicious.
Just buy a Ceasar Salad Mix (mix it together with dressing and croutons), add cooked, cubed chicken and wrap it in a blanket of tortilla. This tortilla is a Costco uncooked tortilla that I grilled right before serving (highly recommended).Next up are tiny, itsy, bitsy chicken salad croissants. Just buy refrigerated Pillsbury crescent rolls and cut each crescent dough piece into three triangles and roll into littly tiny croissants. So cute, huh? Stuff with chicken salad.
And lastly, Heidi's Best Ever sausage stars that I have been trying to get a picture of for years, it seems (just always forget) and finally I remembered even though disappointingly they are on a not-so-square, not-so-uniformly-white plate. Can't always be perfect.

A Tag

I have a hard time passing up a tag. I think they're fun. I was tagged by Amanda E.
And I'm not following any of the rules. I'm making up my own rules which are... say anything that's on your mind.

• Pumpkin Spice Hershey's kisses - you MUST try one.
  
• Ever heard of Brandt Masterson, Ransom Lake, Rebel Lee Mitchell, Mason Carlisle? Soon, my friend. Soon, I shall introduce you to them.
  
• Do YOU hate to clean? Just wondering.
• I secretly want to spend a lot of money on a big red tutu and be a ladybug for Halloween.
• I want to skip Christmas this year and buy a yard. You can call me Mrs. Krank.
  
• my fingernails will soon be pink and life will be so much more exciting.
• My white shorts were clean for about 2 seconds today and instead of changing them I went around all day with dirty white shorts. Where's Megan E. when I need her.
• I LOVE going to the park with my friends. They are a HOOT!!! And yes, Kari, certain subjects really should be talked about on a lower decibel level - I am certain.
• Homemade egg rolls, shrimp dip, pumpkin spice cookies, sausage stars... seriously, don't have your babies yet and come hungry tomorrow. (sorry, directed at a specific audience)
• I'm totally on a dinner strike. What has gotten into me?
• I miss Fran and Addi and Meg.... and Jake, too. I haven't seen you guys for like 6 whole days.
• I haven't had the air on in our house for 2 days. I LOVE St. George.
• I LOVE ST. GEORGE!!!
  

• A little scary.

Bo's 1st Day of Preschool

(This is an extra close-up to catch the gorgeous green eyes he inherited from his Daddy)

(See the resemblance?)
Mm mm! I do!

"Watch Me Grow" Preschool had a drop-out (little girl that couldn't stop crying - poor girl). So quickly I whipped out my checkbook and said, "Where do I sign?"
And here we are... in the land of "Quick eat your breakfast. We're going to be late for school." Why do I get the feeling I'll be repeating that phrase every day for the rest of my life?

Here is Bowen's 'About Me' poster.His favorite things to do are:

• Count numbers
• Go swimming
• Watch football with Daddy
• Play with Bernie & Bonsie (Grandma Jill's dogs)

His favorite foods are:

• Goldfish
• Chocolate milk
• Ramen noodles

He wants to be Tebow when he grows up. ( ;
His favorite colors are orange and blue.

Prom Picture

Um, I don't know about you but.............

Uncle Mike's Gourmet Spaghetti

Want to go gourmet with your spaghetti? Try adding fresh mushrooms, olives, homemade meatballs, and 8 cloves of garlic. ( ;

Dear Uncle Mike, will you be my personal chef?

P.S. The meatballs in this recipe are good enough to eat by themselves. Just ask Bryan.

Dipped Ginger Snaps

I put these in the best-ever category.

The Dear Pretender

I've become a reading fool and over Conference weekend I finished my book and was lost without another one. So I went to my Aunt Lisa and told her I needed a book and this is what she gave me... The Dear Pretender by Alice Ross Colver. Published in 1924. Purchased by my Great Great Grandfather, George E. Finlinson. As you can see from the picture below it was then read by...

• my Great Great Grandmother, Mary C. Finlinson in 1924
  
• her daughter, Lucy Finlinson
• Clisbee, Alvin, Martha, & Alda Lovell (who I'm sure are related in some fashion)
• Great Grandmother Angie Finlinson Lyman
• My mom, Klyn Lyman in 1988
• My Aunt Lisa Nielson in 1989
• Aunt Mary C. Landreth in 2001
• Aunt Pam Holmes in 2001
• Great Aunt Mary L. Smith in 2002
  
• Doreen, Sherilyn & Jayne (who are all Oak City women I assume) in 2005
  
• and now Me in 2008. What a fabulous little keepsake. I will guard it with my life and return it safely to Oak City where it belongs.

General Conference in Oak City

Want to know what goes on during General Conference weekend in Oak City?

And I quote directly from Mark's blog...

"And Oak City in general was perfect. We played some Rook, we talked about who is dumb enough to name their product Grey Poupon, we marveled at Phil's beard, I got to ride on Jake's dirtbike and in his nice truck, Aunt Lisa made the most amazing homemade bread, Mom brought mouth-watering homemade salsa, the kids played in the freezing ditch, the little girls had tea-parties with Addy and Meg, Rooker showed the girls the wonders of worms, the kids got paid to pick up walnuts - and then we ran to the Oak City store to spend it immediately, Uncle Jeff had a foosball tournament, Joe showed everyone the wonders of his iPhone, Lavelle showed us the 5 or 6 places to instantly kill a man, Cody complained about the internet, Jenna found out that Amy is pregnant, everyone got a turn riding the new zero-turn lawn-mower, and eventually we all said good-bye to a wonderful weekend."

Something that I took...

...from General Conference last weekend...

"He's not asking us to walk across a continent. He's asking us to walk across the street."
-Elder M. Russell Ballard

"Meekness is not considered a weakness but the badge of Christian courage."
-Elder M. Russell Ballard

"Get on the path and never ever give up. You just keep on going. You don't quit and you will make it".
-Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge

Have you checked out the new media player used to watch Conference online? It's fabulous.
Just turn it on and let it run.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Definitely a Best Ever!
Recipe here.