Alaskagain

On Animal blessings: My best friend (a Catholic) owned a cat which had been struck across the back with a 2x4. My friend called me in tears, saying the cat could not move its hind legs, and had struggled to get to a safe spot near the back door. My friend could not afford to pay a vet to put the animal down humanely. Could my husband and his friend come over to "take care of it" while she was at work that night? My husband and his friend took their trusty shotgun to the house out in the countryside. They found the injured cat by the back door. They looked at the cat, and they looked at each other, and they looked at the shotgun. They looked at each other, and they looked at the cat. They pulled out their keyring and gave the cat a blessing. My friend called me when she got home from work. The cat was walking, weakly, but walking, and able to eat from her food bowl. My friend was upset because the deed had not been done. I explained to my friend what had happened. She cried, if this cat gets worse, they have to come back with that shotgun! The next day, the cat was stronger, and by the end of the week was scampering around like normal. Besides strengthening our own testimonies, it provided a great example for my friend. Although she is still Catholic (no miraculous conversion story here). But it made the cat feel a whole lot beter.

We had to take out a bank loan last year when we took the grandkids, their dad, and their uncle to a movie. They all loaded up at the snack bar! But the bank failed, so we don't think we have to finish paying it back. So far we just covered about $5.00 and the rest has been interest. Generally, we only go to the movies once every 8 or 10 months. We get a soda and popcorn, but that's all. However, on any given day, I have a candy bar, peppermints, and butterscotch candies in my purse. And if my blood sugar just happens to drop during the movie, well, that's not my fault.

Cats usually do not tend to suffer from depression. If afflicted with any mental problems, it is more likely feline passive-aggressive personality disorder. If you have house plants, is she chewing on your most prized specimens? This is a sure sign of FPAPD. Obviously, someone in your house has shown the cat that they think the dog is more important. Obviously, that someone is your husband, for it is your husband's coat that the cat pulled down to sleep on, knowing that the dog would seek retribution. 1. You must make her a new bed. Something that the dog cannot reach. The top shelf of your closet might do, or the cabinet over the refrigerator. Cats like high places, where they can reign superior. King of the jungle and all that. Remember not to shut the closet/cabinet door. 2. You must not pay any attention to the dog. More importantly, your husband must not pay any attention to the dog. No talking to, no petting. No feeding. 3. You may have to stop paying attention to your husband and children as well, and devote all of your time to the cat. Cats need a lot of reassurance once they have been insulted. Well, it's not so much that they need reassurance. They just need to know you are sorry. 4. If you cannot convince the cat that you are most humbly sorrowful that you allowed someone in your house to offend her, a pet psychologist may be needed. Good luck.

Thanks for those great pictures and instructions, DeborahC! Beeswax should be melted in the top of a double-boiler, or in a can or smaller pan placed in a larger pan of water and heated, it doesn't have to actually come to a boil, as beeswax melts at about 140-145 degrees. Otherwise, the beeswax may scorch or even catch on fire if heated up too high or too rapidly. (The can or pan should not touch the bottom of the water pan, there should be enough water in it to float.) I don't work with such big batches, but the coffee percolator idea is a really good one! To keep a votive (paper-cup) mold from leaking, pour a teeny amount of the melted wax in it to cover the hole, or dip the bottom of the mold into melted wax for a light coating, and let it cool to solidify before filling the mold. I don't like to use paraffin, as it is derived from petroleum, but I have used it in the past and probably will again if needed. Beeswax is more expensive though, about $1 an ounce right now. But I do save my bacon grease and clarify it for tallow, which can be used alone or mixed with beeswax. If you are using a metal can for a candle mold, you can anchor the bottom of the wick with a magnet, just pull the magnet off the bottom of the candle once it has cooled. You can also use the tuna cans for molds for personal care products like soap or lotion bars. And of course, cans can be recycled into pencil cups, hardware or hobby-item sorters, paper-clip containers, etc. by smoothing sharp edges and painting, covering with construction paper creations by your children, or plastic contact paper, or simply attaching labels.

I disagree with hankpac who said, "and since you will never solve your problems based on what advise you get on a forum" Excuse me, but I have solved a few problems by reading about similar circumstances on a forum board, in particular, lds.net! And the influence of the Holy Spirit can solve a lot more problems (and in kinder ways) than someone with a professional counseling degree who is without benefit of that influence. Yes, there is a place for professional counseling, and an LDS professional counselor for an LDS member who has problems would be the best way to go -- I have seen a lot of problems caused when non-member counselors do not respect our beliefs. old proverb: "It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward, only to stumble backward." small steps in what jolee posted : he stopped about 2-1/2 weeks ago (belittling?) he's doing his best he went to priesthood last Sunday Jolee keeps the stress level down. Sounds like steps in the right direction to me. Jolee, I just want to encourage you to continue in what you are doing to improve your marriage. The more you emphasize the positive, the more you will see the improvements. I don't know if I will be back on here until after the holidays, so I wish you a Merry Christmas!

From what I have been able to deduce from the blogosphere, and we all know we have to pick through to hopefully glean some facts . . . . . This did not involve an "agricultural cooperative", which is required to be licensed, and there are no Ohio laws requiring licensure for a "food cooperative", or "grocery co-op" or "buyers' club" that I could find. Although the Manna Storehouse website does mention a "retail store" run by the Stowers family, I think the intent of that "retail store" is not to sell to the general public, but only to the members of the co-op, accumulating orders for food from its members, and providing a place for short term storage of the items until they were picked up by the buyers. Not unlike a group bulk food order in our ward. But maybe this membership rule is what got the Ohio Department of Agriculture's dander up: "Members agree that by joining Manna Storehouse you state that you are not an employee of any federal, state or local government agency. Any transaction, communication or observations by you and/or anyone with you cannot be reported or communicated in any way to any federal, state or local government agency; nor used in a court of law against Manna Storehouse or any member of the Stowers family. "

Jolee, I just want to thank you for posting this thread. It helped me very much to write my responses. It has been one of those months, where everytime I turn around, it has been, "Something ELSE that I have to take care of!" And because of this, yesterday, when a new Something Else came up, I turned to him and nicely said "Here, YOU can take care of this. I have to go run some errands." I gave him the phone number and told him who to ask for and what questions to ask, and you know what? He looked very confused for a minute, but then HE took care of it! I'm going to start doing that more often!

It has been reported that yes, their personal food supply was taken, not just co-op supplies. I'm concerned about the apparent over-reaction of a government agency, using a SWAT team in this instance. If I want to buy or barter eggs from my neighbor (or a co-op) who has free-range chickens, or unpasteurized milk from my other neighbor (or a co-op) who has a cow, and I am willing to assume the health risks, weighing it against the health risks of chemicals added to chicken feed and milk, why shouldn't I and the neighbors (or a co-op) be able to do that? How far should the government go in protecting us from the products we raise and consume ourselves?

Didn't know whether to put this in the Preparedness section or here, but it is a current event, so here it is. Local food cooperative searched by state Morning Journal: Serving Lorain, Erie, Huron and western Cuyahoga counties Local Food Cooperative Searched by State This happened in Ohio, and the article fails to report what appears in the blogosphere - that a full-scale armed SWAT team held the family (including children and infants) in the living room of their home while it was searched, for several hours. And, included in the material seized, the family's one-year supply of personal food storage. (They are not LDS, by the way.) And this, the result of an inquiry from the Ohio Department of Agriculture? What is this country coming to? I just don't see this kind of military-style response being necessary for a standard licensing/inspection matter. Unless maybe they were gun-runners or stashing packets of cocaine in the grain containers, which there is no mention of ATF or DEA officials being involved, so I rather suspect that is NOT the case. Do any of you belong to food co-ops? Or order from them? Or participate in group bulk food orders from similar organic distributors? Should we be worried? Will our canneries be next on the "raid" list?

That is great to hear! You are turning that corner. We all get tired. You are not alone in this. Get some rest. That may mean physical rest - if you are doing too much, slow down and do less, make sure you get enough sleep. It may mean emotional rest - if you are finding yourself living with inner turmoil, do things that bring you peace. A few moments of quiet private time in prayer, meditation, or self-affirming thoughts may help. And please remember WHY. If he doesn't have an opinion on anything else in the world, isn't his opinion of YOU the most important one that he holds? And you are wondering if he really loves you, because of his lackadaisical personality, then consider this. He told you, if you are not happy, then why don't you leave? Maybe he wonders if you really love him, because after all, you actually are thinking about leaving. So now that you have committed yourself to continuing to push forward, let him know that you are not going to leave and that you do love him, you just get frustrated or overwhelmed or whatever other thing you are feeling. Sit down with your photo albums or just remember the day you married your husband (both times). Remember how you felt. Call upon those feelings to be with you now. You stated that the second time was 'for the kids'. That shows how important your children and family are to you -and to him. You didn't just remarry him. He remarried you. [by the way, how did the granite tiles turn out? I bet they look fantastic!]

If you are both working at becoming more active and living church standards, then you are walking in the right direction. Your husband deserves praise for giving up his addiction to pot. You have stuck it out this long, why give up now? Is it not true that when you grow the most weary, you are closest to a great reward? You may find great joy just around the corner. Having a husband who likes to read and watch movies a lot, and thinks very little about temporal/maintenance type issues, and recently becoming empty-nesters, this is very familiar to me. He forgets my birthday. One year, I just didn't mention it at all. The kids were old enough to keep a secret, and the next day, I baked myself a small cake and we had it at lunch. By the time he got a slice of it for that night's dessert, it was just a cake, and then two weeks later, he realized he had forgot. About the 10th day, I did start getting a bit upset, but still kept silent. I just wanted to see how long it would take. I have to tell him it's time to change the furnace filter, or add salt to the water softener, or that the back step needs repaired or whatever else should be obvious or routine maintenance. He never puts the lawn mower back. But in all these things, I just mention it once, in a normal voice, in a regular conversation - oh, it's time to add salt, etc. I do not nag. If he hasn't done something by the third day, I just do it myself. If it's something I can't do by myself, I will ask him to help me. And I figure if it's something I can't do myself, then he probably can't either, so when he says "Oh, I was supposed to do that!", I hang around the vicinity to see if I can assist. I hang around to help, not to see if he is doing the task. So when yours is reading, what is he reading? Mystery novels or church magazines? What kind of movies does he watch? How about a church video or DVD? Reading wholesome books and watching good movies will strengthen his resolve to live church standards. Try making a snack or popcorn, and sit down with him to watch a movie, even if it is not church related, it lets him know you want to spend some time with him. Try reading scriptures out loud together. Or read scriptures yourself at night, and (when he is not in the middle of a movie) say "Listen to this, it made me feel awesome", and then read out loud your favorite scripture and see if he will turn it into a conversation. Maybe he won't, but at least you have vocalized a spiritual thought with him, and will help bring you closer to each other. Mine spends a lot of time taking missionaries out. And that helps me accept a lot of his "faults". So I would encourage both of you to assist your local missionaries in whatever capacity you can - it brings great blessings to your home life. It's like I have to be the one to take care of all the temporal stuff, make the plans, be the secretary, maintenance overseer, travel agent, and manager, etc, but he does the spiritual work. (Not that I don't do my personal scripture study, etc.) I hope some of this is helpful to you, and pray for blessings of comfort for you! I know it is not easy.

I really miss our old "Homemaking Meetings", which often involved, but were certainly not limited to, mini-classes on basic house management topics. Now that I have expressed that thought, I suppose I will have to be the one to start a Home Economics Relief Society sub-group in our ward.

Au contraire, O Captain! I refer the reader to Muphry's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Muphry's Law -- Not to be confused with Murphy's law ).

Not that often that we have a car full of kids. Mostly, I listen to conference tapes, MoTab, and conservative talk radio. We are old and boring. That is what I listen to. But sometimes what I hear is screeching brakes, and horns honking. Depends on who is driving.

It is harder to be nice if you don't feel well, and if your grandfather suddenly started being rude to people in that last year, maybe he was in pain or suffering other effects of disease. And then, some older people figure that they have done stuff for other people all their lives and now it is time for them to do and say exactly what they want, when they want, regardless of whether it is considered rude. I am often tempted to issue a quick retort, and in working on that I started gritting my teeth instead of speaking, as if actually holding in physical objects instead of words. That little habit prevented me from saying things that would not have been very nice, even if some of them were actually hysterically clever, but it did some expensive damage to dental work. Not a good solution. I considered keeping duct tape in my pocket, to plaster across my face at the appropriate time, but that would require keeping something sharp to cut it with, and that might be even more dangerous. Now I just look away from my intended victim. Breaking the eye contact helps give me a moment to draw in a breath and rethink. And I don't think there is a "mean gene".

thats y'alll. sheesh.

I want alll of you to know how much I apreciate prisonchaplain fore starting this thread. Alll afternoon at work, I had it on my mind, and alll the correspondence I typed contained misteaks, and alll of it had to be printed twice. It is amzaing to me that such a subtle suggestion could effect one's psyche so profoundly and produce alll these results, for he did not say "Alll of you go forth and see how many words you can spell the wrong way today." He merely unintentionally (I think) planted the idea. And just look at alll of the unintentionall errors that have appeared in the posts of this thread. And so, I am planting the idea that the word alll is spelled correctly, and if we alll consistently spell it that way in the future, it will inevitably appear in the next revision of Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. Thank you again, prisonchaplain.

definitely OC:lol: (but then, I'm someone who has alll the keys turned the same way on the ring, and the spices alphabetically lined up in the cabinet) YIKES! THERE it is! You see .........^ the TYPO! AAARRRGHGGHGH!!!!

Muphry's Law, paraphrased,states that when offering a criticism of anyone's writings, the criticizer's statement will contain at least one grammatical, spelling, or typing error. Gracious tolerance of mistakes is its own reward.

Congratulations! --->Your plan is working already!

Wow, Dr T! When I saw the title, I thought maybe you were counting children at your table. . . .

Thanks for all the answers so far. I cannot imagine being in that position. Mostly, because I generally abide by the law - but my religion asks me to do that. What if a tenet of the LDS church suddenly became illegal? I found this address given by J. Brent Walker at the Congress on Religious Liberty held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is entitled "Church and State in the USA: Promises and Challenges” and was given on April 28, 2008. It is a very good statement (MO), and the organization to which he belongs is the: Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty "The first sixteen words of the First Amendment provide: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” These two clauses require government to be neutral towards religion—neither helping nor hurting religion, but turning it loose to allow people of faith to practice their religion—or not-- as they see fit, not as government wants them to." (emphasis added) Now, this is not a court decision, so it has not legal weight. This is one man's opinion. I am still poring through lds.net gospel library for statements by the authorities regarding this. Most results for a search of "first amendment" seem to deal with the no prayer in schools court decision and separation of church and state. (Anybody else know of a talk that would apply? Other than the obvious statements of abiding by the laws of the land.)

The issue is: Can the state require a person to disavow their religious beliefs? If the government told you to disavow your belief system or lose your family, what would you do? Would you sign a piece of paper promising not to uphold the tenets of your religion in your home so that you could get your kids back? And if so, would you live by that promise, or would you pretend to live by that promise? (And if off topic answers are posted, I invite the Moderators to close this thread.)

Aphrodite said: "The particular drug I would be trialling is one to help arthritis-it could save so many people years of agony and inactivity." You don't say that it is something that could help you be free from years of agony and inactivity. Is it safe for us to assume that you do currently suffer from arthritis? Or is this just the next clinical trial on schedule? I know, I sound silly, why would you consider taking a drug for something you don't have? Just want to make sure of the facts. Aphrodite said ". . . its my body and such an easy way to make money." Where have I heard that line before?

There is one adult woman of 30 or so, who stated she was 13 when she got married, in another state. There were two pregnant wives, both of whom have given birth. Both of legal age. There remains one girl who is suspected to be pregnant, her age has not been released. She has refused to submit to a pregnancy test by the state. No specific information has been released on how many young ladies under the age of 17 are mothers. I applaud action by the state against child abusers when it is based on fact and the rules of due process are observed. However, those items are not for discussion here. Board administrators have requested "When another thread is starting, I encourage you to present a fact or report or something concrete about the FLDS CPS raid and then discussion should remain on topic for that particular presentation." The issue is: Can the state require a person to disavow their religious beliefs? I imagine the FLDS will have to dissect the difference between their official doctrine, and mere counsel by religious authority. And where does personal revelation come in? If the government told you to disavow your belief system or lose your family, what would you do? Is there room for compromise? As always, the LDS church is not affiliated in any way with the FLDS.