Iggy

Yep, does it. Nope, not my computer cause the other forums I am on, there is NO problem. It is faster for me to post, then exit out of lds.net, then log back in. What a total pain. Say, Pam, when is this going to get fixed?

I love to give talks in church. The Branch Presidency knows this, and they also know that I need at least 2 weeks to prepare. I also can not just make a few notes on a 3 x 5 card and get up there and wing it. I know practically everyone in the Branch, can talk to them and with them out in the foyer or at pot lucks - but when I get up at the podium, get the mic set just right, my thoughts do NOT come out of my mouth. So, I read my talk. To start out I explain that my talk is from my heart, if I am quoting something I acknowledge that and who said it originally. Then I dive into the talk. Say I am talking about fathers. I will begin by saying: My father was gentle, fair, loving, and oh so strict. The only time I feared him was when I had done wrong. Really wrong, Bad wrong. Like when I pushed in the button on the door - the one he specifically told me NOT to touch. I wasn't afraid of him punishing me, though I knew I certainly deserved it. I was afraid that I had let him down yet again. That I had disappointed him and that this act would be the last straw, and he would never trust and love me again. Well, it wasn't. It never would be. My mortal father was so like my heavenly father. OUR heavenly father. . . . . When I read a scripture, I have it typed up - I don't go hunting for it in my scriptures. Too often when a speaker does that, they lose their place where they were at in their talk. -

In my neck of the woods here on the central Oregon Coast it has been in the 60's- sunny skies with fat, pregnant fat, clouds. Some of the transplants here (church members from Texas, Calif. and Ariz.) are going to be planting tomatoes and lettuce starts tomorrow. They really need to wait a few more weeks - go ahead and put the starts out side for a few hours each day, to weather them. But winter really isn't over yet. I will be yanking up the dead plants from the pots on my railings, hauling that dirt inside to mix with equal parts of clean wet baby diaper innards. http://www.instructables.com/id/Diapers-Help-Your-Plants-Grow/ Am also re-potting all of my house plants with the same mixture. For the outdoor pots, I have seeds to plant. Nasturtiums, Forget-Me-Not, Sage, Purple Ruffles Basil, Gourmet Blend Basil, Lavender, Pansy's, Bachelor's Buttons, and Rosea & Covent Garden Baby's Breath. Last year I spent over $250.00 on potted plants . What overwintered are the snapdragons, rosemary, thyme, and columbines. Where I had the lobelia and impatiens which died out, I am now going to seed Wildflowers~Bee-Pollinator mix. I would love to do vegetables, but I just don't have the energy to make the chair height stands. On the phone yesterday with the hearing-aid people, the CSR told me he was in Minneapolis - and that it was 6 degrees when he got to work that morning. He had asked me how the weather was in Oregon. Since I had just gone past my outside temp gauge - I didn't have to guess. It was 62 outside at 1:00 PM. BUT spring isn't really here yet - I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop - 'er actually for the temp to drop and the rains to come down and the winds to whip the trees all about. Pam, this part of Oregon had a very, very mild winter too. Very, very dry one to boot.

Br. Elder is a Dr. and Sis Elder is his Nurse. Sister Younger is an accountant working for a water company. Sister Daughter is of course daughter to Dr and Nurse and hubby is State Cop. Dr & Nurse told kids (2 sons & 2 daughters) to NEVER become Dr's or Nurses. or Lawyers. Takes too long to get successful and takes too much money.

No wonder you prefer Zombie things, and wear dark glasses during the day. Back when I worked I got up about 30 minutes before I had to leave the house. When I worked at the bank as a teller, I got up 1.5 hours early so I could put on the makeup, curl & style the hair and eat breakfast. When I owned my own Tavern (back when I was really inactive) I got up at 6:00 AM so I could clean the bar (mop, vacuum and then sanitize the bathrooms) before opening at 7 AM. Eight years later the Tavern is sold and I am now working at the local hardware store. I get up 45 minutes before work starts. Brush and pick my hair (it is short and permed), toss on the flannel men's shirt with the sleeves cut off and hemmed above the elbows, pull on the jeans, knee hi's and sturdy work shoes, grab a frozen 'entree' out of the freezer for lunch and get to the store at 7:50 AM. This is one of the dirtiest and physically challenging jobs I have ever had. I went to bed when I was so tired I could barely drag myself to the bedroom. Often I fell asleep on the sofa and woke to the dog barking because of my alarm clock going off. I set my alarm after we ate dinner to make sure it was set for morning. NOT as I got into bed. Now as a retired person, I go to bed when I am so tired I can barely drag myself to bed. OR when my feet, shins, fingers, hands, wrists quit spiking in pain AND I am tired. Often that is around 4 or 6 in the morning. Doesn't matter when I take the pill for the neuropathy - that, 3 Aleve and 10-20 minutes of massaging lotion into my feet and ankles is what will eventually stop the spiking long enough for me to get to sleep for about 3 hours. Then the intense heat in my feet and wrists wakes me up. So it is back to massaging my feet again. When we have to be at an appointment before noon - I give in and go to bed at 4 or 5 in the evening. That is when I really droop and fight it to stay awake UNLESS the sun has set already. We have an appointment next tuesday at 10 AM. Have to leave the house at 7:30 AM to get there on time. Won't eat until after the appointment! Bleh - am NOT looking forward to that one. At least traffic going there won't be so bad. The coming home will be bad, but we won't be on any got-to-be-there by a certain time schedule. I have always been more alert after the sun has gone down. I loved taking naps during the afternoon. Especially with the sun drenching me. Still do that on Sundays. Yet when I have had to get up around 6 or 7 AM, I have thoroughly enjoyed being outside before the neighbors have risen and disturbed everything with starting up the cars.

Ah, Anatess, how I would love it if you lived in my Branch!! Together with Sister Cebu Philippines the Elder (60 something plus) and Sister Cebu Philippines the younger (not related, 50 something plus) and the Elders daughter (30 if she is a day), our Branch would be overflowing with good common sense and an overabundance of humor.

Happy Birthday - may this coming year hold many wondrous things for you.

No you are not okay with it. The ONLY time I checked my husband's cell was to hopefully find a # that I had deleted by mistake off of my phone. I had failed to enter this number into my computer address and phone book. Good news, he had it. Bad news - he has NEVER deleted any of his in & out going calls. Took me hours to write down #'s that we needed, delete all calls and then bring his cell phone book up to date. My ex hubby was constantly going through my purse, wallet, letters and he would tear the house apart looking for my *journals* which I didn't have. Years later I learned why he was doing this - because he was the guilty one. In my marriage to Hubby #2, we went over what we are going to put into this eternal marriage. First of all - Elohim, Jehovah and the Holy Ghost are at the head of our marriage/house. Then we are next. There is no *pecking* order. We are equals. Second of all - our marriage, our relationship is (drum roll) Eternal. All of you who have spouses who are not trusting you. Who go through your private belongings in the hopes of *catching* you doing wrong and for those of you who do this to your spouse. STOP IT. Right now, STOP IT. It is disgusting what you are doing. It is wrong. It is soooooooo not Christ like. Bet you are not having any or all of these: Morning personal prayerMorning prayer with spouse -n-familyPersonal scripture studyFamily scripture studyEvening prayer with spouse -n- familyEvening personal prayerFamily Home EveningI have to fight the urge to grab Hubby #2's wallet - why? - because it is in such disarray. His bills are not all facing the same way or in descending order - -argh! His id, credit cards, insurance cards, ss card, business cards, etc. are every-which-a-ways - -ARGH!! Same with his desk - who am I kidding, desk!? It is his entire Den that is a disaster. Yet I prevent myself from tearing through it tossing the totally useless junk, organizing it. I do this NOT because I want to *catch* him doing bad things, but because it is in such a mess. BUT that wallet is his personal property. My purse is my personal property - as are the journals I now keep. My computer is my property. I don't forbid him access to my computer - heavens I need him to keep it free from bugs, virus's, mal & spy ware and he is the ONLY one who can resuscitate it when it crashes! But there are files that he doesn't even bother to go through.

How Do I Love Thee?Elder Holland gives a powerful talk about how you can better show love for your friends, family, dates or spouse by following the example of Jesus Christ. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-02-05-how-do-i-love-thee?category=mormon-messages%2Fmormon-messages-2009&cid=HPFR021315693〈=eng

I was raised in Ballard in Seattle. Any moss on the sidewalks was picked away by the neighborhood kids. The only towering tree was our Sycamore in the back yard. BUT, it wasn't that far of a walk to the little neighborhood park where there were towering trees, flowering bushes and green, lush grass. We were inland there in Ballard - yet when the tide was out we easily smelled it. Dead fish and drying out seaweed. In the fall the smell of the fallen leaves, rich loamy soil and the crisp autumn air - ah - even the thought of it makes my heart flutter and brings back happy childhood moments. Mom would send us older kids to the fish/meat market in Ballard - about a 14 block walk from our house - each block was 14 house lots long and two house lots wide - to get her lutefisk for Dad, and red snapper for the rest of us. The Mom and Pop grocery three blocks away had kosher dills in a huge pickle barrel - they were $0.25 each and huge. I couldn't eat a whole one until I was in High School. Grandma and I would share one. She would give me the quarter, I would eat what I could, then she would finish it off. There was a tiny Mom & Pop store one block from our house on the way to the park. That is where we got little paper bags of penny candy and ice cream cones. The couple who owned it, lived in the back and upstairs of the store. In the back was their kitchen, bathroom and dining area. Upstairs were the bedrooms and *bed-sittng* room. That is what the Mrs. called it. Once a month, my older sisters would take myself and the two younger sibs to the Ballard Locks. If the boats were in, we would stand and watch and wave till our arms practically dropped off. Once the boats were on their way, we ran and played on the grass. I was never without a small spiral bound notebook and a pencil. I would write down the names of all of the trees and plants. Grandma saved all of my notebooks. I wrote down all the address of the houses I walked by, all of the license plates on the cars. I even wrote down the advertisements in the shop windows. As a tween and teen, I wore cut off jeans until the end of September. Mom would put them in the Summer Trunk after she washed them- otherwise I would continue to wear them year round. I also loved Keds tennis shoes, and those no show socks with the pom poms. Once the cut offs were stashed away, then I got out the knee hi socks and long pants. I really didn't like jeans - levi's. Since I wore my older brothers hand me down jeans - and he wore the 501's - ick- they hurt my hips, chaffed them. I only liked them as cutoffs. Back then girls were not allowed to wear jeans/pants to school. Had to be dresses and skirts and the hems had better be at or below the knees. Every year for winter rains we got new umbrellas. They only lasted about a month before the winds destroyed them. I always wanted one that covered the head and shoulders and had a clear window to see out of. I much preferred the Nor'Wester fisherman's hat and slicker. The hat had to be one size too big so it went past the neck in the back. I hated gloves and wore mittens. Grandma pinned a yarn braid onto the mittens, this was pinned to the inside collar of my coat or slicker so I wouldn't lose them. By the time I was in the 8th grade, the only mittens I had were odd ones. No longer had a matched set. Didn't bother me one bit. By then I was used to being the different one in school. Wore pinafore aprons over my dresses, my shoes were not the latest fashion but lace up oxfords or saddle shoes. Never wore the saddle shoes when they became the craze in High School!! Wore 'Old Lady Librarian Shoes' with the thick/wide 1.5" heels and lace up to boot. Then my junior and senior years I wore wooden clogs. Had to, my arches had fallen and the clogs kept the bones in place so I could stand AND walk. Again I was the odd person out and I loved it. The *Popular* girls were copying me. Only I wouldn't tell them where I got my shoes. Had them made to order. I worked those years and paid for my own everything. Dad took me to this tiny little hole in the wall shop in Lake City- where they took the impression my Podiatrist made along with his "Rx" - then my clogs were made in Denmark and shipped to the US. I was earning $1.25 an hour - those clogs cost me $36.00 for the plain ones with leather tops and $46.00 for the ones with heavy flannel tops. I much preferred the leather ones. Oh - this turned into a tome - sorry for the run-away post.

You are saying this tongue in cheek - -Right??? Seriously, NO it is NOT right! If she is going to a marriage counselor or a therapist, then it is okay to talk about it. To the OP - you either need to stop your girlfriends when they start to divulge Too Much Personal Intimate Info or get rid of them and find new friends who keep their personal stuff to themselves. Satan works in sly, sneaky ways and he has been pretty darn successful in your life working through your girlfriends. Time to banish him, and the Too Much Info from the {cough, cough} girlfriends. Try this: Before you and the friends commence with the visiting, you say a prayer and ask Father to banish the adversary, verbally invite the Holy Ghost to be with all of you and ask Father to help you all remember your covenants between Him and your husbands. See if any mention of porn or cheating is shared after that. If it is, then stop the person immediately and tell her THAT is just way more than I really want to know about you and your hubby. Now you need to get heavy into reading your scriptures, sharing the same with hubby and living and thinking in ways that INVITE the Holy Ghost, not drive Him out of your life.

My dog was a mix of: Her mothers father was St. Bernard+ German Shepard, mother was Gordon Setter. Mama mated with a German Shepard mix from across the street. Lady was the runt of the litter. At her heaviest she weighed 70 pounds. She had the black ridge on her back, then layered with dark brown, golden brown, golden blond, then white on her entire underside. She had the setter feathers on the back of her legs and the white fluffy bib on her chest. Her tail was magnificent - hold it by the tip and it was feathered with the exact colors of her back and sides with the white on the underside. She also had the thick, fluffy pantaloons fur on her butt. Every summer I had to cut the pantaloons off. I left 3" - because there was no getting to skin. I used a curry comb to get all the packed fur out. Took me nearly four hours to groom her for summer. The fur I brushed off and cut off fit packed tight into a paper grocery bag. I gave it to a gal, and she would spin it into yarn. Lady had to get a bath every Wed. and Saturday. She went to work with hubby #1 - and he worked at the garbage dump. Lady took great delight in rolling around in the most grotesque, rotted, stinking gunk. Even knowing that she had to go home locked in the trunk of my Grand Prix - she still rolled in awful stuff. She loved her baths. I used the cheapest shampoo I could get diluted 1 part shampoo to 4 parts water. I diluted hair conditioner the same, poured it on her and worked it in good. All this in the bathtub and me using the personal shower with an added 6' hose attached. I would close the shower curtain and she would shake. Then I would grab her by the sides shake her and quickly close the shower curtain so she would shake again. Then it was drying time. Her bath towel was 4 old towels sewn together, as one towel. Before I ever let her in the house, I put beach towels on all the furniture so when she came out of the bathroom, she wouldn't get the sofa and chairs wet when she rubbed on them. I let her out of the bathroom, and then it was my turn to shower. By the time I was done she was well on her way to being dry, and more than ready to be brushed down. With her, I vacuumed every day, and swept the two vinyl floors every day also. But I also brushed her as we sat on the porch every day. Rain or shine, she got brushed. She was my best friend, and through grooming her I was comforted. It brought me peace. Husband was abusive. He wasn't around much. So during those times Lady and I comforted each other. Oh, another thing, every cat I have ever had was given baths. Only one cat was bathed in the bathroom sink. All the others ended up getting in the tub while I was trying to take my own bath. I started them all out bathing when they were kittens, and they ended up liking it. Never failed that they came to me dirty & infested with fleas. I have always used hair conditioner diluted 1 part conditioner to 4 parts water on all my cats and the dog. Seems to deter the ticks mostly, and the fleas some. But I am a great fan of Advantage. Good product.

Ethel gets drugged/drunk to the max on catnip - she drags herself into the bedroom and practically rolls under the bed. Fred doesn't like the stuff. I named the brother and sister duo, Fred and Ethel after The Mertz's of the I Love Lucy show. Ethel looked like a forlorn old lady at the ripe old age of 5 weeks. Fred had the most amazing eyes. They are huge, round and green. He looks like his tail got stuck in an electric socket. Fred has never grown into his eyes either. They turn 13 in October. The due diligence was because the Branch members knew they were my family and each one of them took their role seriously. They had all helped my move away from my abusive husband, taking only the bare necessities with me. With their help and generous donations I set up housekeeping in a small single wide trailer. The owners of the trailer park were friends of my then husband, but they were on my side. They protected me too. So when not quite a year after the divorce was FINALLY finalized, I *met* this guy online- - - well, my LDS family wanted to make sure I would be alright. So, no it is not a common occurrence. I wasn't looking for a husband. I had just rid myself of 280 pounds of mean, nasty, womanizing, alcoholic, abusive man. What I was looking for was a LDS man, single, strong in his testimony of the LDS gospel/doctrine, & temple worthy. I needed a friend. A righteous priesthood holder I could communicate with, ask questions regarding the church without being thought bad of. There was only one single male in the branch. He was in his 40's (I was 52) and didn't even have the Aaronic Priesthood yet. Even if he had that and the Melchizedek - I wouldn't be alone with him in the parking lot!!! There were questions I had that I just couldn't take to the married men, or even the Branch President. In my own family, my oldest brother was totally and blissfully [his description] inactive. My little brother was inactive too. In all of the communications with Hubby #2 - we were so open and honest with each other. He wasn't looking for another wife either - he wanted a friend. He was willing to be a long distance friend. Driving from AZ to OR for weekends, staying in a motel, and *dating*. But after my third temple trip to ask Father just what was His plans for us - I had no doubts what so ever that Father meant for us to get married and sealed. We have only been married 10 years, but it feels like we have always been together.

I met my husband on lds.heart. Not only did I talk the talk, when he answered back - he knew what I was talking about. I asked for a copy of his temple recommend. His Bishop told him what to black out and then he sent me a picture. I did the same. My Branch President called and talked to his Bishop - verifying information. We were totally and brutally honest with each other. I went to the Temple three times before I proposed to him. Yep, I did the proposing. When I was typing it in to yahoo messenger chat - he was typing the same to me. BUT mine got to him first. From the day that we first responded to each other at lds.heart to when we got married, it was 13 (thirteen) days. We had not laid eyes on each other until one day before we got married. I told him that if my two cats did not like him, then he would have to turn around and leave, as I would never again NOT listen to my cats regarding any man that came into my life. He told me: I really don't like cats, they are too pushy for me. I chuckled and said: Not a problem - my cats are the farthest thing from pushy. I doubt you will even see them. They prefer being under the bed or in the corner of the closet under my long dresses. Within 10 minutes of him stepping into the house, both cats were all over him. Even Ethel, my most skittish, won't even come out for food cat, she was on the sofa next to him, leaning against him and wiping her face all over him. Little Traitor!! Knew right then Hubby was a keeper!!! Like I said I lived in Oregon along the central coast and he lived in AZ- in Phoenix. Now, 10 years later - we are certain that Heavenly Father directed us to each other. Ethel is his cat. She will sit on the floor and look at me, but only when the food or water dish is empty, or the litter pan is full. She goes to Hubby for her cuddling and pets. Oh, back to OP question ~ yep they work ~ but: talk the LDS talk and really pay attention to the responses. Ask for a copy of their Temple Recommend (with their membership # blacked out but NOT with their name blacked out). Ask what Ward/Stake they are in, then ask your Bishop to contact their Bishop and ask about them. I didn't limit my search area to just Oregon and just 55-60 year olds. I did a 1,000 mile radius and from 60-100 year olds. There were a lot - repeat LOT of men who claimed to be LDS, yet they didn't understand the talk. The LDS lingo. Then those who did, never responded when I asked for a copy of their recommend and/or their stake info. If they are from your town -or in the Temple area, then meet him at the Temple. There is nothing like going through a session that weeds out the good from the not so good and bad. BTW - I was 52 and hubby was 62. Perfect!!

Need to have a Penney store near you for that. Broke my heart when Penney's closed up here. The closest one in 53 miles from me. They were the only place close to purchase men's suits at an affordable price.

Give the baby the gift that you appreciated the most when it was given to your baby. I have done this with all gift giving. If it is an adult woman that I really don't know very well, then I will gift a book that I would enjoy reading, or do up a basket with pamper-the-mom items, or a cake pan with brownie mix, etc. When it is a childs birthday - then any learning type gift that is age appropriate. Coloring book and crayons, book that parent reads to child. For one baby shower I gave the mother a large sized book of nursery stories. The reason for the large book, the pictures were outstanding!! No one I know has had a 0-18 mo. old - so am out of the loop. Other than the soft books - dress yourself, etc. Soft sided building blocks. But I agree with all who say: It is the Child's birthday - not Mom's. Give the Mom a card, as it IS the 1 year anniversary of her giving birth. Starting at age 20, I sent my Mom a card thanking her for giving me life and loving me. I also sent one to Dad - he certainly helped!!!

That is one sick human to do that to their pets. The cat must be drugged and that poor dog is humiliated. Just look at its expression. Dr. T - if you still have pet hairs all over even after vacuuming, you just might need a new vacuum cleaner. Also ever consider brushing your pet? Do it outside and dispose of the accumulated hair/fur in a paper bag, then dispose of the hair/fur in a park so the birds can use it for nesting. Can't remember if you have a cat or dog. My dog loved to be vacuumed. Used the hose attachment and the small upholstery attachment - http://www.bissell.com/parts/?sc=part&partid=4380&kpid=203-6653&kpid=203-6653 similar to this one. I would brush her as we sat on the porch, then vacuum her. Brush some more and finish off with a thorough vacuuming. The two cats I had insisted they get brushed too. But they wouldn't sit still for the vacuuming. Always thought had I started them out as kittens, then it would have never been a problem.

The Van Heusen shirts are of better quality than the one other brand available. My Hubby buys white shirts ONLY from lds.org online store, and only buys Van Heusen. Never has anything gone wrong with them, and I wash his white shirts after each wearing. I also spray Zout on the collar and inside of the cuffs - no problems. Amazon sells the same for the same price, but unless you are a Prime customer, you pay shipping. At lds.org online- there is no shipping charges. Um, at least no shipping in the continental USA.

Met my now husband on an LDS based online dating site. We chatted via the site for about 4 messages each, then switched to yahoo messenger. He is a very slow typist, so he walked me through hooking up my microphone and we talked for several days. On the 5th day after we connected, I went on a Branch Temple Day - while there, I prayed about him and the crazy feelings & emotions I was going through. He was all I could think about. When I got home, I sent him my phone number and attached a picture of my temple recommend, with a few things blocked off. He sent me his phone number and temple recommend. Then he called me. We talked through the night - 10 hours. Without even going to bed, I called my HT- who was also the Branch Clerk - and had him meet me at Church. He checked him out for me. Yes he was a member, yes he had all the Melchizedek Priesthood and his recommend was valid. The Branch President then called future hubbies Bishop and asked about him. Future Hubby called me that night and asked if I had been talking to his Bishop. Not me, but my Branch President did. They both gave the go-ahead to pursue a relationship if we so wished it. From the first day that we sent messages to each other to the day we got married, was 13 DAYS! I ended up going to the Temple 3X's to get verification from Father. The 3rd time I got the voice in the ear: I Said He Is The One, quit asking and quit stalling! I practically skipped out of the Temple. Now, he needed to propose. I turned back to go back into the temple, when I heard - It is the 21st Century - YOU ask him! So I did! We got married 25 Aug 2004. We got sealed 12 May 2006 (had to wait for a sealing clearance). We are still going strong. Both are active in Church, we are brutally honest with each other. Which is something neither of us had in our previous marriages. He is 90% frugal, I am 99% frugal. He will eat anything I cook. Even when he doesn't like it. I have to ask him when I cook something new or different to find out if he likes it. Finally discovered that he DOES like coleslaw as long as it ISN'T made with the creamy (mayo) dressing. He likes SW Chipotle from Hidden Valley. He doesn't like tuna casserole, hamburger gravy or even country sausage gravy. He didn't like fish. In any way shape or form. Kept asking him questions and after a year found out that the fish wife #3 fed him made him go to the hospital ER. Same with chicken she cooked. Well, she was trying to poison him. He IS worth more $ dead than alive. I served him Atlantic Salmon - he ate 1/2 pound and wanted more. Fed him Ling Cod, Pollack, Real Cod and he was okay with them. They were bland he said. Marinated them in lemon herbs, baked, then served with lemon, herb butter sauce, tarter sauce and/or cocktail sauce. Liked the tarter (Skipper's brand). Flat will not even try the scallops I cook. Spent two weeks in the hospital with food poisoning after eating very bad scallops. After that incident, he took her off as beneficiary and put his son on. Now after 10 years of marriage, and not ONE of the meals I have fed him have made him ill, he trusts my home cooked chicken. I have a small Ferber Ware electric rotisserie that I can do a good sized chicken on. I wash and rinse well, thoroughly rub down with this rub: Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning): 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chateaubriand-for-two-recipe.html?oc=linkback. He has taught me by his own example; patience, compassion to other and finding the good while having to shovel through a lot of bad. I am so grateful that he is my eternal companion. I am eternally grateful that he puts God at the head our our marriage.

30 months ago we bought over $600.00 worth of Dehydrated/Freeze Dried foods from Emergency Essentials. One of those items was FD Asparagus bits. Both of us really like asparagus. What a disappointment. When rehydrated they were 95% tough, woody bits. Blah! I put the lid back on and shoved them to the back of the storage cupboard. The other day I figured I had better do something with them besides ignore them. So I got out my Nutri Bullet, using the grinder blade I turned those nasty bits into dust. A few nights later I was in need of filling comfort food. To me that is noodles under hamburger gravy. Hamburger gravy = scrambled and drained hamburger, can or two of cream of [your choice of: mushroom, celery, broccoli, tomato, etc.] soup. Mixed into the water [1/3 of each can of water, use a rubber spatula to get all of soup out] I put some of the asparagus dust. What I do is add water to the cans, scraping the inside of the cans with a thin, small rubber spatula then put the water into a 4 cup pyrex measuring cup. Nuke it to near boiling, then whisk the asparagus dust into it. I added about 1/4 of a cup of dust. Stir this into the hamburger and soup mixture, bring to a boil. Serve over whatever shape & flavor pasta you like. Sometimes I add chopped onions and celery if I have them. This time I also added diced carrots. If your burger gravy is too thick, add a splash or so of milk, making sure that it is mixed in well and gets good and hot. Hubby doesn't like this, so I fed him eggs, waffles and ham.

BUMP: Discovered Prego Creamy Cheddar Sauce. Got it on sale along with a coupon for $1.50 off two jars. So paid $0.99 each. Printed out two coupons, then had two of my neighbors print off two each. When I use the Great Value cheese in a jar, I add some whole milk and a dallop of real butter - makes it go a bit farther. Also I cook the pasta in canned beet juice and canned green bean juice plus enough water to make 4 cups. A few Saturdays ago I fed the missionaries. Roasted the Turducken my BIL sent us for Christmas. Served instant mashed potatoes [three packets of Idahoan potatoes] using 1part half n half and 2 parts water including the remaining broccoli water from making the gravy, steamed fresh broccoli. Saved the water from the broccoli and used that to make the gravy with. Gravy was two envelopes of McCormick Turkey Gravy mix and two cans of Safeway brand turkey gravy. There was 5 cups of gravy. 5 people were eating and NO gravy or potatoes were left over! One of our dinner guests was our kitty-corner neighbor - a great cook in her own rights. She raved about the gravy. I am not stingy with recipes - so I told her I cheated and used pre-mixed gravy.

During the berry & fruit seasons we would have them for dinner only. Strawberry shortcake [Grandma's version was baking powder biscuits with added sugar] with whipped cream (from scratch) or cream. Blackberry cobbler. Apple cobbler (we had two very prolific trees in our back yard), Raspberry, blueberry cobblers. Pear w/ rhubarb pie. Come to think of it, when Mom canned, jammed and preserved the fruit and berries, that is the night we would have the shortcakes, cobblers or pie. The *Cooks* were too pooped to cook up dinner for all of us. Mom would fix Daddy something more substantial - like thick slice ham, boiled potatoes and veggies for dinner. But the rest of us (6 kids, Mom and Grandma) we would have dessert.

Anatess, I say this with the utmost respect. The Church's stance takes priority over a cultural stance. Also, let's say that you go ahead and have the proxy work done for your father. How much would this hurt your Mother? Wouldn't she feel disrespected by you for doing this knowing how much she does not want you to? Are you the eldest child in the family? If yes, then why not wait a year after your mother passes, then you go with your children and do the proxy work for both of your parents. Baptism, Confirmation, Initiatory, Endowment and Sealing together as husband and wife, and you sealed to them. The order of who gives permission: Parent, sibling, spouse takes precedent over sibling and parent, eldest living child is at the bottom rung. It is my understanding that within the Church when you marry you become one with your spouse. Since the sealing ceremony is not a written-to-take-away ceremony, one has to do as many couple sealings as is necessary to remember what the Officiator says. But it seems to me that it is along the lines of now you are as one entity in the eyes of the Lord rather as two entities as in the eyes of the land. I had my own sealing, and have only gone to two more. So I am only giving the gist (feeling) of what was said.

Cheater Stir Fry. Empty a bag or two of frozen: Stir Fry veggies or Vegetable Mix [ broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. Santa Fe. Or a hand full of every kind of frozen vegetable there is <--- this is what I do] Put into a casserole dish that has a lid and add two handfuls of frozen, cooked, diced chicken per person. A 16 oz bag of frozen veggies will make 3 serving, so you want six Iggy sized hand fulls of chicken - I wear a size 6.5 glove. If you like you can add a 4 oz can of mushrooms stems & pieces drained real well. Add three tablespoons of water, put the lid on and nuke for 6 minutes. Stir really well. Nuke for 6 minutes. Stir really well. Nuke a final time for 3.5 to 5 minutes more. The frozen, cooked & diced chicken I prefer is Kroger brand. It is $2.00 to $4.00 Depending if it is on sale or not. cheaper per bag than Tyson's AND there is no gristle or fat on it. Also it doesn't smell like it has been soaked in ammonia like Tyson's does. While the veggies & meat are cooking, put some rice on in the rice cooker. Serve with Soy Vey Stir Fry sauce. Or Kikkoman Sweet & Sour sauce. If you eat rice a lot, it is well worth the money to buy an electric rice cooker. Since 1979 I have bought two cookers. The first one I gave back to my ex-husband when we divorced. It was a 12 cup size and I just didn't need one that large. Note: Mix up your own wild rice blend. Equal parts of: Forbidden Rice, Lunden's Wild Rice Blend, Organics Basmati Brown Rice. I buy all of these when they are on sale so it doesn't cost so much. I have nearly 15 pounds of each in my cupboard. Then I put 1 C of rice and 1.5 cups of water in the rice cooker. Turn it on and sit in the kitchen and watch the stir fry cooking in the microwave. Have to stir it three times, so might as well stay put and be comfortable. Lemon Balm and Ginger tea [herbal] goes really well with this dinner. Hubby likes it almost hot and I like it iced. Cheater taco's= ground hamburger cooked till it is barely pink. Drain all the fat from it. Before you put the meat back in the skillet add one envelope mix of taco seasoning per pound of ground beef, then add nearly one envelope of water for each envelope you use. Mix really well and allow to simmer a bit. Then add two cans of refried beans per envelope mix and stir well. Add the meat and let get good and hot. Remove from burner when hot. I only use Rosarita's refried beans. I also add a can or two of black beans, rinsed and drained. Plus I also add chopped onions and celery when I scramble up the hamburger. Use bagged salad that you have chopped up more or a bag of shredded lettuce mixed with a bag of shredded cabbage. Serve grape tomatoes, chopped onions, black olives slices, OR Pico De Gallo, shredded cheddar cheese along with sour cream and/or your favorite dressing(s). I greatly dislike crisp taco shells, so I serve this with Santita's Tortilla Chips. I do my plate with: meat bean mixture first, then sour cream, raw onions, shredded lettuce & cabbage, more raw onions, cherry tomatoes, black olives, shredded cheese and then more sour cream. Hubby does the same minus the sour cream and olives and tops it with pico do gallo and hot sauce. Another quickie I do after church is: Cook up some corkscrew tri-color pasta, when it is el dente drain and rinse with hot tap water. Drain. Put back into sauce pan and add Prego Creamy Cheddar sauce. Heat till hot. While your pasta is cooking you can cook beef hot dogs, or open a can or two (I would do two) of tuna in water, drain well then add to the pasta-n-cheese mixture. Add a can of cream of celery, or cream of mushroom, or cream of broccoli soup (no liquids added) if you like. Serve with coleslaw or salad. I no longer buy boxed mac & cheese. It is easier to cook up the desired pasta, then add the jarred cheese sauce. Prego is pretty tasty and doesn't smell nasty. If you are going to serve canned vegetables, drain the liquid into the sauce pan you will be cooking the pasta in. You are going to nuke the veggies anyway, and you certainly don't need all that liquid for that. Add more water to the saucepan so there is at least 4 cups liquid to 2.5 - 3 cups of dry pasta. Don't need milk and butter/margarine to reconstitute the cheese powder either. Cheater spaghetti: Per jar of spaghetti sauce fry up one pound of ground beef with diced celery & onions. Drain all fat off, add jar of sauce heat through till hot. Serve with spaghetti noodles, egg noodles, corkscrew or farfelle pasta and coleslaw or garden salad.

Per the Church's stance, this is not allowed. When my Mom did the work for Daddy, she also did the proxy work for his parents and grandparents as Daddy was the last of the living children. My husband is doing the Temple work for his Dad, Grandpa's and I am doing the work for the deceased women. Hubby is the eldest living child, and his two brothers are in agreement with the work being done even though they are not LDS. My little sister submitted the names of our mothers deceased siblings WITHOUT the permission of their living spouse and living children. I saw this on FamilySearch, contacted the Church and finally they have contacted her and told her she has to provide the paper proof that the nearest living relative approves. They have put a block on all of the ones she has submitted. It took me two decades to get this branch of the family to talk to me. My older sisters had alienated Mom's brothers with their over zealousness. My Uncles families are extremely anti-LDS. Not to the point of physical harm, or publicly denouncing us - but if they ever found out what Lil' Sis did, they would hit the media in retaliation against the church. Jane_Doe, I agree with your statement about the I have permission button. Somehow there needs to be a better way. I have asked my Eldest Brother AND his wife for permission to do the work for their son who passed in 2004. Brother says yes, BUT wife says ABSOLUTELY NOT. I choose to listen to my SIL and not do it. I will wait until she passes, then 1 year later do not only my nephews work, but his mothers as well.