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If I received a letter like that I would so be wrapping everything, including myself, in aluminum foil.

We usually have pumpkin and apple. The last few years I've made a German Chocolate Pie that's sooooo good! I love pie.

I'm glad they're safe, it must have been terrifying.

Christmas Eve. We have a big dinner at my cousins house with all the family. Then the next day we stay in our pajamas all day.

Bikinis? Immodest trollops

If your grandpa loved John Wayne movies, never turned down a game of cribbage, took the utmost pride in his vegetable garden, and lived to go fishing then we probably are.

I agree that it's sad to see people act like this when someone they disagree with dies. Whatever Margaret Thatcher was she's dead now, she can no longer defend herself from attacks and it just feels wrong to see people take cheap shots at her. Personally while I don't exactly agree with all her politics I still think she was a very admirable and strong woman and I'm sorry she is gone.

Very cool, congrats Heather!

Very cool pictures, thanks for sharing.

I've been feeling nostalgic so this weekend I watched some of the really hold movies I used to watch with my grandpa, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Trouble with Angels, The Quiet Man, McLintock, and Operation Petticoat. I love those old films.

I can say for me I was in no way ready in my early 20s to get married and looking back at myself I am so glad I didn't. I wasn't in any way to mature enough and with the combination of health issues, faith crises, and family issues that cropped up these last few years it would have put significant strain on a marriage. So I agree with Godless, it really does depend on when you are ready.

Why would you want to eat peeps when it's so much funner to stick them in the microwave and have a peep war.

I'm torn between amusing thoughts of Jesus reaching out like elastigirl from The Incredibles to catch her if she doesn't make it and thinking that if she does reach Him, she's gonna knock them both off that pillar, looks really unstable there.

Odd, usually utilities aren't immediately shut off for just one missed payment. The article said they had money in savings to pay the utilities when they got back, why didn't they just use the money in savings to pay for their vacation and then replace the money when they got their refund. That way they would have had money in their account when their automatic payments came out. Either way I don't blame H&R for this at all, it's inconvenient that they had a systems issue but it's your job to make sure you have money in your account to cover your bills.

I know what you mean. I still remember how much sorry I felt when President Hinkley and Elder Faust passed away. Such wonderful men.

This definitely made me happy and more than a little teary eyed. It's from the new Popes inaugural mass.

I finally baked a loaf of bread that is actually edible. Last week I got a craving for homemade bread and pulled out my moms old cookbook and tried to make some. The result was so dense and heavy and the crust was so hard that it was more suitable as a weapon than a food item. But I tried again today and produced bread that was actually you know soft and bread like and edible. Yay me.

I can't find the link now but a Vatican spokesman confirmed that it was St Francis of Assisi. A Jesuit superior that was interviewed said that the Pope has always admired St Francis for his devotion to the poor, and his efforts to rebuild the Church in his time.

Yeah the majority of those are never going to happen. I personally hope the new Pope is a champion for the poor and works on improving Catholic catechism. I also hope he continues the previous Popes work of restoring reverence to the liturgy. The more I learn about him though the more I like him so I'm sure he'll do an amazing job no matter what his priorities are.

I was surprised by it too. Here is an article that I found on MSNBC about it. Pope Francis breaks another barrier as first Jesuit pontiff - World News

From what I've gathered so far reading about him, he is humble, very devoted to social justice and the poor, lives in a simple apartment rather than the palatial Cardinal estate, and is doctrinally conservative. Seems like a good choice overall. He is the first Jesuit Pope and the first South American Pope, very exciting.

I'm surprised by how excited I was by this and how happy I am that the new Pope has been elected. While I'm considered converting to Catholicism, I'm still far from certain but when the white smoke went up I was surprised by how much joy filled my heart, even before they announced who the new Pope was. I'm very happy right now, reading about this new Pope, he seems to be a very good choice. :)

What a tragic story. Surrogate offered $10,000 to abort baby - CNN.com

Speaking of hanging onto mementos forever, my grandma had this white enamel pan that she loved but everyone else hated because that thing burned everything you cooked in it. After she died mom and I couldn't bring ourselves to throw the pan away because it was hers, we kept that stupid thing for years. We tried to use it a few times but that pan could burn water. I finally tossed it last year and then felt guilty about it for a month. I am going to be so bad if I ever have kids, I just know I'll hang on to every drawing and art project forever, I feel guilty when I throw sentimental things away. Wouldn't surprise me if I ended up on hoarders someday.

What a beautiful story. Now I'm all teary eyed.