Iggy

:DI agree- wish I had a neighbor who had all the lights, whistles and bells- so I can put up DITTO. I'll be lucky to be able to get to the box that has the Christmas window clings in it, before New Years!

You have been you- you are a very lovable person Elph, you are also a very likeable person too! Justice isn't the only one who loves you. He is just one of the MANY who do. I love you too

I'm with you MOE- cleavage has never been against modesty issues- exposing nearly all of the breast, now that is a modesty issue. dash- the women who told you that are nuts! I am blessed with an ample chest- as is every woman in my immeadiate family (three sisters and my mother). I learned from them to purchase the tops that are for the amply endowed- not so I can show more cleavage, but for comfort. The style of top that are for the smaller chested women, are dang uncomfortable for us larger women- they squash us and that hurts. I also purchase the fuller tops that are longer- I like to have my tops tucked into the bottoms by more than an inch. Again comfort is my reason. Just the thought that women do it for the showing of cleavage makes me laugh until I wet myself. What a stupid reason if it is true. ALL styles of tops are going to show cleavage- they were never made NOT to. Any woman with a B and larger cup is going to have cleavage. The only way to NOT show it is to wear turtle necks.

Elph, I and my husband went into inactivity- yet we never lost our testimony of the Gospel. We disliked the atmosphere of the ward AND the stake where we were. Our Bishop was a callous and hard man. He still is, he just isn't our Bishop anymore (thank goodness). When ever we did show up at Church, either Sunday or for a Ward funtion, we were treated awfully by our Bishop. I always received a visit from my VT- she I liked and respected. But for the RS- I never saw her, met her or heard from her in any way - shape- or form. As for my husband, he never heard from the HPQ Leader or any of his officers. the Bishop knew us- yet he never called, emailed, snail mailed, or visited us. Nor did any of his councilors. We hadn't even moved into this Branch in Oregon that my husband was called to meet with the HPQ Leader. Our records hadn't even been received here yet!!! He was given a HT Companion (which never happened in a Ward of 300 people), this Branch has only 60 active members!!!!!!! Two sundays ago, our records finally arrived and last Sunday Husband accepted his HT assignment gladly. If he wasn't given a priesthood holding companion he was going to refuse the assignment and request he be given one. In Casa Grande, he was NEVER given a priesthood holding campanion- he was told to take his wife with him. Well, his wife had to work, and had her own duties to do. We only had Sundays and Mondays together, and his assignments didn't want him to come on Sundays and Mondays. Here his companion has already set up their meetings with their families for the second Saturday in January!! They have already done their visiting for December. I have not been given a VT assignment. At least I don't think I have. One of the Sisters said she was my VT- but she mumbles so I am not sure exactly what she said. A quick email to my RS Pres will clear that up. OR I guess I should email her secretary instead. So, Elph- one can easily go inactive ( just like I had been inactive during my first marriage), but still keep a testimony of the gospel and of the Church. My oldest brother has been inactive for nearly 50 years, and he has no desire to ever be excommunicated or have his name be removed from the records of the Church. He has been blessed by having the same HT for 35 years too!

Hear, Hear! I totally agree with you. note:Just clicking on the Thanks button was just NOT enough.

Not going to find it. Camisoles, by their nature are lower necked, with spaghetti straps and were made to be worn under sheer blouses, dresses. Plus Size Clothing, Lingerie, Accessories & Wide Width Shoes for Women; Big & Tall Clothing for Men at OneStopPlus.comWhat your girlfriend is really looking for are Dickey's - DakotaMainStreet - shopkeeper to the HeartLand since 1852

you don't have to look for LDS specific- Lane Bryant, Blaire and Woman Within Plus Size new arrivals at WomanWithin.com offer plenty of modest, affordable clothes for the larger woman. Cleavage will only show if the neckline is lower. Stuff two balloons into a top that is too small and of course the top is going to get stretched. Too small of clothing is NOT modest. If his girlfriend is that large busted, she needs to wear tops that fit her and have a higher neckline. Showing a bit of cleavage is NOT immodest. Wearing tops that are too small and show the outlines of brassiers, and any bumps (moles, body fat, etc), body wrinkles and the label of the top is IMMODEST. As is showing the midriff and down to the belly button. Boobage? So you mean the shape of the breasts??? If that is what is bothering her, then she needs to wear shapeless tops. Lots of them out there. Austeego, why don't you have your girlfriend describe exactly what she is looking for in clothing, that way there is no misunderstandings and perhaps then we will be able to direct her to some stores that can provide the style of clothing that she is looking for. For what it is worth, I am a size 24(3-4X) when I purchase from Lane Bryant and Blaire and a size 2X from Woman Within. Some dresses I show a peek of cleavage, one dress I wear a scarf because it is too low in the neckline, but the rest of the dress is modest and oh so comfy. I have more problems with blouses/shirts not being long enough to reach my hips. That problem has been solved since I discovered Woman Within. Absolutly love their clothes, AND their prices.

It has been my personal experience that you can say No to callings. I have as has my husband. When the Bishop started in with the guilt laying, I asked him: When did the Church become a church of guilt? I know what I am capable of doing, and after conferencing with the Lord, I will then accept or reject the calling. If I say No, let it go or I will go to a different Ward/Branch. At my last Ward (in AZ) I turned down being a VT- why? Because it was all I could do to go to work during the day. It was so hot and miserable for me. I got off work at 10 pm and the temperature was tolerable during the spring & summer- but no one wanted me to come by at 10:30 PM. I went to work at noon, and I could only tolerate one exposure to the heat in leaving my car. So work was first. On my days off, I went grocery shopping starting at 5 am- got done at 9 am and husband had to put all the groceries away when I got home because I was a total wreck. Sunday's no one wants you to come visiting then. The Bishop and the RS Pres gave me nothing but grief over that - we ended up going to a different ward, and then became inactive because all the wards in our stake kept the AC at 85- I couldn't physically tolerate that. Why go to church just to end up with migraines, nausea, etc? Neither of us stopped believing in the doctrines of the Church, we just quit going to a building that was physically uncomfortable to us. Also, the building was new and I got sick from the fumes. New carpet and the stuff they saturated it with to stain proof it, and the wall paper- whew I could smell that no matter what seat I sat in. top it off it was 85 degrees in the building. Granted it was 100-120+ degrees outside, but it was still way too warm for me. Now that I am in the Pacific NW, in an older building (the phase 3 section is 6 years old), the Branch Pres and the Facilities Maint. Person keep the thermostat at 74 degrees. When the sisters are chilled, they put on sweaters and lap afghans. They also don't toss you out the door when you bring a floor fan (tower type) and have it blowing on just the sisters who are too warm. We sit off to the side and make sure the "breeze" isn't blowing on the 'freezing sisters'. I asked if I could do that at the last Ward and you would have thought I had asked to have near naked muscle men fanning me with ostrich feathers!! I was also asked to join the Choir- I love to sing, but I said no- why??? Because I cry when I sing hymns. For the last 9 years, there isn't a hymn I have sang that I don't cry. Oh, wait, I can sing the songs from the Children's Song Book- only a few of them make me cry. I know my limitations, I know what I can and can not do. Please have the decency and respect to accept that and leave off with the laying on of guilt.

I have watched the clip - a lot- and she just doesn't look real. She doesn't even blink! Me thinks this is a hoax.

Arizona governor vs. Phoenix Suns owner Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer trounces Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver Pesky Emotional Republican The owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, Robert Sarver, opposes AZ's new immigration laws. Arizona 's Governor, Jan Brewer, released the following statement in response to Sarver's criticism of the new law: "What if the owners of the Suns discovered that hordes of people were sneaking into games without paying? What if they had a good idea who the gate-crashers are, but the ushers and security personnel were not allowed to ask these folks to produce their ticket stubs, thus non-paying attendees couldn't be ejected. Furthermore, what if Suns' ownership was expected to provide those who sneaked in with complimentary eats and drink? And what if, on those days when a gate-crasher became ill or injured, the Suns had to provide free medical care and shelter?" - Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer

Or in 7th Grade Science class (in the mid 1960's), going to the storage room for Elbow Grease. Didn't work on me as my Grandmother had already pulled that one on me many years earlier. Bless her pea picking heart.

A hundred years ago <1980-1985> when I was really inactive, I owned a tavern. From 1985 to 1999 I worked cocktailing/bartending on holiday weekends and the rest of the time in a hardware store. All in the same town. Truck drivers, contractors, loggers, fishermen, gas station attendents/gas jockeys, etc. By and large the 'working' (as in manual, physical labor working ) people had a 'colorful' language. BFD was pretty much the only thing they did say in shorthand. The rest was sounded out, and used way too frequently. For the last five years I have been working for an independent Insurance Agent. Yeah, Beefche, the first time she left me a post-it note with "fu", I nearly broke down crying. I was alone in the office, hadn't been there for even a week, and I thought- "Oh My Lord--she cusses via posties."

Yes I Know- looked it up, please see my edited post.

I think you mean bfd. Big - - - - - - - deal. (edit) Nope you didn't, Bum - - - - egypt. Had a customer who said that all the time, not in initial form- I finally 86'd (banned) him forever. Got tired of his foul mouth.

I don't understand 98% of the IM chat text speak- so I googled it, came up with the link and am using that as my guidline. At my age - 58 - I am not going to use the abbreviations on a full time basis- I DO NOT DO CHAT OR TEXT because I, personally, feel that it is rude to do so. If you know how to type on a computer keyboard, then I feel, again my personal feelings here, that it does NOT slow you down to spell the words out. I do however admit that in text and chat situations, space is at a premium, thus the need for abbreviations. ALSO, my personal feelings here, yet again, the bulk of the chat/text users are elementary to jr. high school age, and have yet to learn proper grammer and context.

According to the site linked in my OP, B/F = Boy friend.

I have read on facebook on two different profiles the person labeling the person they are pictured with, or have gone to lunch/dinner/concert with as BFF. According to this site: Text Messaging, Chat Abbreviations and Smiley Faces - Webopedia that means Best Friends Forever. Why not just use BF? or BFE (Best Friend EVER)?? I can understand if the person using BFF is under the age of 15- but both people were well over the age of 30, and gramatically knew better. Best Friend Ever- would be more appropriate. Guess I am just dumb when it comes to text speak.

I used to use them, until they made them so cheaply- the bottom seam is not as secure as they were a couple of years ago, there is always a hole smack in the middle! Getting $.05 back per bag BROUGHT IN TO USE helps too. May not seem like a lot- .05 X18 = $0.90 off the grocery bill at the first store. Add it all up over a years time, it helps with the budget. Plus not having all those plastic bags ending up in the landfill! I almost ended up in a nasty car accident because the plastic bags of groceries slid around on the back seat, oranges & some large cans of Ready-To-Eat soup rolled out and got wedged under my brake pedal. I ended up driving on the sidewalk and really SLAMMING on the brakes- squished the orange and exploded the soup. This was before the Green Bags. I got plastic totes to hold the plastic bags of groceries. Made it a lot easier to haul in the groceries. Another reason I quit with the plastic bags is a kitten I had nearly suffocated when she got tangled up in one. By the time I got to her and untangled her, she had peed & pooped all over herself and the bag/floor and was traumatized by the crinkle of plastic bags for the remainder of her life. I still use the plastic totes. Smallish ones for the heavy canned goods, larger ones for every thing else. If I am going to get a lot of frozen goods I also have several ice chests to use, though now that I am not in Arizona- I won't need the ice chests.

WooHoo- way to go. Does Sis Canuck like it as much as you? I like Dodge's too. Have a 2008 Caliber- it is silver though.

Sounds like you had a busy day too Bini.

For our branch's RS Birthday dinner, we have ONE receipt that gets made - NO alterations or substitutions. IF someone doesn't have all the ingredients she is to tell the RS Sec, and she will get the ingredients to you. A sister is selected to bring plates, flatware, tablecloth, centerpiece for a table. Hence for 10 tables, that would be 10 different sisters, bringing service for 6 plus the decorations. We did Lasagna one year- followed the receipt - boy was it good. The foil pans were given to each sister, that way they could be tossed and not washed. The salad was made by receipt too- then the garlic bread bought at one store. We have a small branch- so it worked out that each sister made or brought or decorated just one item. One year we did Chili, then another pot roast. With the roast- the RS bought the roasts and gave them to the sister who was going to cook it. Actually we did Chuck Roast, put in a casserole dish, take one envelope mix of onion soup mix and one envelope of water, mix, then pour over the chuck roast.The roasts were approximately 2 lbs each. Cook at 300 degrees for 2 hours. The RS also bought the potatoes, mini carrots, celery and doled out to sisters to roast in a pan with 1 envelope mix + water and cook covered. Then they all were to make gravy from the drippings. I have done the table one time, roast another, dessert yet another time. When you do the sign up sheet, indicate how many tables need decorating/service, how many salads (receipt provided), main dishes (receipt & ingredients provided), desserts (receipt provided. The RS should then provide the dinner rolls, butter or indicate the brand & from what store. You could do Stouffer's family size Chicken Enchilada's or Lasagna. Or make your own receipt for Lasagna- just write it down and make sure the sisters know to NOT alter it, or substitute, or deviate from the receipt. I prefer to not pre cook the noodles, to use cottage cheese not ricotta (WAY cheaper) and to use jar spaghetti sauce with extra ground meat added and 1/2 cup water added to the empty jar(I use two jars, so that is just 1/4 cup water for both), shake and add to the sauce. As for who(m) should serve at each table - tape a star on the back of just one chair, whomever sits in that chair (with the exception of any child 13 and under) is the server.

In my little corner of Heaven on Earth (central Oregon Coast)- Husband and I got up at 4 am to head out for Fred Meyer in Newport, OR (opened at 5 am)to get an oil filled portable heater for $29.99 ( normally $59.99), ottoman for $14.99 (normally $30+). They had folding bookcases for $19.99 that are normally $39.99- but they are too small for me. I would have to buy 12 to start with. Had no problem at all getting into FM- finding what we wanted and then checking out. Next stop was Staples. They opened at 6 AM. We had 45 minutes to wait, so we went to Burger King for a quickie breakfast. I d o n o t k n o w w h y I order the muffin/egg/sausage thing. The muffin is as dry as flour, the sausage is old, greasy, and guarenteed to induce heart burn. Husband loves them- wish I had gotten their smallest hamburger and a coke. At least the Apple juice was good. Oh, yeah, their hashbrown buttons were okay too. Staples opened at 6 AM- they would only let in 4 to 5 people at a time. They waited one to three minutes inbetween each group. Then they had aisles blocked without marking out which aisles were open. They also did not have very many employees on duty. I wanted a desk. Z-Line desk. Husband and I both have bad backs, and to top it off Husband fell in the Bi-Mart parking lot two days earlier and his ribs and right side are bruised and SORE. I moved stuff to get through aisles (I was wet, cold and really ticked off by what the manager said to me as we came through the door- what a jerk, believe me I will be telling Staples Corporate via email what I think of their manager!!), and then I took charge of a handcart to move the boxed up desk to the register. Took us 48 minutes to get out of that store. Husband and I humped that boxed desk into our pickup, and then up our front steps. OK- now to add- it is a stormy day. The Newport bridge had Gale Warning lights flashing, the rain was coming down in sheets. Not a real nice morning to be standing outside waiting for a store to open. The customers at both stores that we encountered were friendly, helpful, and funny. We joked and teased with high school seniors at Staples. They let us go in before them since we were Grandpa/ma age. I could have just hugged them they were so cute. They were getting laptops, printer cart and general school supplies for when they go to college next year. They couldn't believe that I moved stacked items out of my way- they told us they 'had our backs' and to hurry so they could put everything back, for me. They were still waiting in the "Laptop to the register line" when we checked out. The last time I went 'Black Friday' shopping, was about 8 years ago in Seattle. My sister & I went, got to the store about 10 minutes after they opened and everything she wanted they had sold out of. We tried one more store, could not get a parking space and she decided to go home. Don't know if she has ever gone again.

Dravin, I jut read your profile and see that you grew up in Alaska, and are now living in Utah. Before you start poking fun you really should do a little research. FYI, I moved to Waldport in 1978. In Jan of 1979 they go their first snow of 20 years. Snow that stuck to the beach right up to the water line, and snow that packed down and became black ice. The schools closed, most business' closed. The two gas stations, and the two grocery stores stayed open. The bank stayed open too. Evey one else stayed home- it just wasn't safe to drive. Most people live on hills, and the county just didn't sand up side streets. That snow lasted two weeks, then it warmed up and stayed warm enough for the black ice to thaw, then the rains hit. The next bout of snow we got was in 1999. that snow lasted three weeks. I was snowed in- 5 miles inland and two steep hills from hwy 101. I also didn't have water for two months, nor did I have electricity- snow brought down the power line. The power company had it's hands full of teen age vandalism for most of that time. Once they caught the stinking brats, they fixed our pole and transformer. I moved away in 2004 for 6 years so I don't know if there was snow after I left or not. Why should the county or cities invest in snow plows? When it only snows a couple of measly inches every 10 to 20 to 50 years??? The black ice is the killer here. Our roads are shaded by towering evergreen trees, if the sun can't thaw out the ice, then it is just going to stay frozen until the temps rise and the rain falls. The county road crews do sand the hwy- You are right, depends on the location- check out the map and see exactly where Waldport OR is. You can't go swimming in our part of the ocean at any time of the year- yet when it does snow, seldom does the snow stick to the beach at the water line! I for one do not like snow. It is pretty, but it is also such a nuisance. I am going to enjoy this snow fall though. It is much better than the weather and temps I just moved away from - Casa Grande AZ. though the winter temps are nice, after being raised in the Pacific NW- I prefer autumn temps of 35-55 degrees during the day. (You do the research, Grasshopper, and learn some humility & compassion.) E]

Yes schools are closed- snow on the coast is very rare! Dravin, this is the pacific coast- Waldport is right on the ocean- the roads are mostly shaded and only higher temps and rain will melt the snow and get rid of the black ice. Right now it is 31 degrees out. Not even warm enough to melt the snow or thaw the black ice. Prospect Mom - you are 287 miles east and south of Waldport - smack dab in the Willamette National Forest. Of course your schools don't close for snow, other wise they would be closed for most of the winter.

Pics from my front porch, taken at 7:30 am. Big, BIG change from Arizona!!