Tough Grits

I am pretty sure this is a Loggerhead Shrike, though this one (in my opinion) is prettier than the one on Loggerhead Shrike, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology I did not take this picture with my Canon Powershot. I took this with my old Kodak Z740. Pretty good pic, considering that I was standing in my house taking pic through the glass of the window of this little bird sitting at the tippy-top of a tree that was at least 20-25 ft. away from the window.

I seriously LOVE all the birds I get to see a take pictures of every year. This picture is of an immature female cardinal (her beak has not turned orange yet). She would knock on my sliding glass door every morning. Strange, LOL.

Every year I get a male and female Towhee rummaging around my yard. According to Spotted Towhee, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology they are Spotted Towhees, though the one on the website has red eyes and my picture clearly shows the male has yellow eyes. The female is brown where the male is black.

Thank you very much. I truly appreciate your information. I love astronomy. I have so many books on our solar system and the universe, but when I get outside I am totally lost! LOL

Well, I had a "moment" in Church again today. UGH, but it really wasn't my fault. Speaker mentioned that "we" need to be prepared when we teach lessons. Then he corrected (actually, incorrected) himself, by saying something to the effect that only adult Sunday School teachers really needed to be prepared, that the youth and primary teachers could "wing it" without as much preparation. Immediately, without meaning to, I started shaking my head no. It might not have been a big deal, except that I sit in the front row. Still, nothing up to this point was really awful on my part, until he then turned and looked at me and called me by name and informed the whole congregation that I was not in agreement. He then said that maybe he was wrong and that those other teachers maybe should only be unprepared some of the time. Well, since he included me in his talk, I then shook my head no again and made an "o" with the fingers of one hand (meaning that none of the time should we be unprepared). Whatever. I am such a heathen without actually meaning to be. I can't help it though! How can I control my head when somebody says something completely false? By the way, I love this brother very much, and we treat each other as true brothers and sisters. So, there is no anger or resentment involved with either one of us. I do not condemn or judge him, I only object to that one small thing that was incorrect. Otherwise, he gave a good talk. I just hold teaching the gospel very sacred. For me, teaching includes talks, testimonies, lessons/classes, and our day-to-day actions. Maybe being Teacher Improvement Coordinator (back when that was still a calling) instilled a deeper awareness and testimony of the sacredness of teaching the gospel. I can't blame him if he doesn't have the same level of awareness and testimony, I just wish comments like that wouldn't be said in church, where other teachers might heed his words. Our ward teachers struggle enough as it is with attendance and activity, that they don't need to also think that not being prepared is an option just because they are a youth or primary teacher/leader. Feel free to throw stones at me. I have felt bad all afternoon about shaking my head during his talk. I keep waiting for the Bishop to call me or visit me (he lives next door). ~TG

Sounds like a realy cool Relief Society activity. Thanks for sharing that idea. :)

I told the kids the other night that I wanted to try taking a pic of a planet...but Dad will have to help me. I have no clue, when looking at the night sky, where the planets are.

Brother-in-law once used the "n" word (nesting) when I was talking about some projects I had made for the baby's room (my pregnancy with my daughter). I thought I was seriously going to scratch his eyes out, and the look I gave him probably withered him. I know I said something, but my mind has since blocked out what I said. SIGH Apparently I took exception to my creativity and hard work being slapped with a label. Sheesh. Women can be so difficult.

I have had a Canon Rebel on my wishlist FOREVER. Well, since it seems I will never have the $$ to afford one, I bought the Canon Powershot last Summer. I have to admit...I seriously disliked this camera at first. I have an obsession with taking close-up shots of my flowers. It sometimes gives me fits zooming in on the extreme close-ups. However, the zoom feature on this camera is SERIOUSLY awesome. I took a picture of a hummingbird on a telephone wire from yards away. Now that is awesome. I never even thought of a hummingbird sitting on a phone wire! I now LOVE this camera. It is perfect for a mom on the go, for amateur photographers, and for birdwatchers. I am going to use this thread to post some of the amazing shots I have taken. For me, taking pictures is a passion and a hobby, but it also allows me to marvel at the seriously amazing creations of Heavenly Father.

For YW Camp 2012 we encouraged the young women to bring their own rockets stoves, which lead to my husband and I Youtube'ing how to make a rocket stove using a #10 can and some regular cans. Well, hubby goes outside and applied the principal of the metal rocket stove to create his own type of rocket stove---one made of wood. It actually worked pretty good. You could get several uses out of it before it burned itself up. **That is our precious Molly in the pic, whom we had to put to sleep recently.**

I took this the other morning with my point-and-shoot (Canon Powershot) on the default setting. This one I took zoomed in as much as I could. I was leaving my house for work and in hurry, so I didn't even use a tripod. I can't beleive how much detail can be seen of the surface of the moon just from a point-and-shoot camera!!

Yes, that is a good idea. That way you can just focus on the baby when it arrives. However, don't over-do it. When you are tired, stop. Sometimes it helps to do a few small tasks a day, every day, than to try to do mega cleaning or organizing all in one day. But everybody is different. I am more of a "mega" cleaner. I usually do all my weekly chores on Saturday--which I usually pay for on Sunday morning when my body aches almost too much to get out of bed.

My father was agnostic. I was an atheist. My mother was Mormon (although I didn't know that until I joined the Church). My Cuban grandparents were Catholic. My American grandparents were Mormon. Does that clarify anything?

Can you re-word your question? I am not sure I know exactly what you are asking me. Sorry!

In our Church, nothing can be worse than to have a true testimony and knowledge, and then turn against that sure knowledge. Denying the Holy Ghost once a sure knowledge and testimony of the Holy Ghost has been gained is something members are taught is the unpardonable sin. Is this sin solely LDS? Or do other Christians also believe that denying the Holy Ghost is the unpardonable sin? I don't know, as I was an atheist before becoming a member. So wouldn't it be a kindness for members to suggest (if anybody actually has suggested it) that you didn't truly have a testimony? Anyway, maybe I am wrong, but I don't remember reading a post in which anybody said you weren't devoted when you were a member. Peace, ~TG

Yes, I see that it says "Atheist" now. That will keep others from further confusion too!

My opinion, of course, is just an opinion. I am not trying to tell you what to think or feel. I am only suggesting that maybe a different perspective can/should be taken in rereading Just_A_Guy's post. But that is entirely up to you. Peace, ~TG

james12 was rightfully confused, as in the upper right corner of your posts it says Mormon/LDS/Christian. ~TG

I think you are being unfair and unfounded in your harsh stance and words with Just_A_Guy. He, in my opinion, has not been rude or insulting to you in any way.

Holy cow! It just amazes me the creative stuff people can come up with! Thanks for sharing. By the way, I found hair "mascara" on Amazon. I haven't bought it, but I put it on my wishlist. :)

We are all on different spiritual levels, and individually we have principles and doctrines that we have a stronger testimony of than other priciples/doctrines. For me, I have a testimony of fasting...but it is a testimony that is in it's infancy. For me, the difficulty isn't going without food/drink, it is the purpose behind the fast. I understand the "mechanics" of fasting, I just need to build up my understanding of the spiritual purpose of fasting. I know that this is something that I need to research, ponder, pray about, and practice. Maybe reading testimonies and thoughts on fasting will help me understand the spiritual purpose of fasting better in addition to the "diligently seeking/searching" that I need to do on my own.

By the way, I am not working hard inside or outside today! LOL I cleaned last night and it is too cold to mess with anything outside, so I am going to "play" on the computer today and not feel guilty!!!!

Eventhough I am a neat-freak, I totally agree with chores and cleaning taking a back-seat when a body/mind/spirit needs rest. On the weekends, no matter how hard I am working in my house or outside in my yard, I always try to make sure I come in and take a nap. I never used to be a napper, but now I realize that it just does my body, mind, and spirit good. It allows me to take that time to put everything in the backseat and relax. I even trained my children to nap with me, or at the same time as me. Now that they are older I don't require them to take naps any more, but I do tell them that during my nap time the entire house needs to be under "Quiet Time". They can read, draw, or pay quietly in their rooms. No technology of any kind and no going outside while I am napping. My daughter (12) usually snuggles with me for a nap, while my son (10) plays quietly or draws. But more often than not, I find him sleeping on the couch when I get up from my nap. :) Naps aren't for everybody, but it is what works for me. The point, which has been made throughout this thread, is to not run faster than you are able, or faster than Heavenly Father would require. Do what works for you and don't compare yourself to anybody else. We are all different, so what works for us is likely to be different too.

Grandma's Roast Beef 2 cans Golden Mushroom 2 cans Créme of Mushroom 4 cups of water 1 Bottom Round Roast Various seasonings Olive Oil (or Vegetable Oil) Prepare roast by poking all sides w/ long fork several times and seasoning to taste. In a large pot, pour olive oil in a thin layer, coating the bottom of pot. When oil is hot, sear roast on all sides, until brown on all sides. Add all four cans of mushroom sauce, and the two cans of water. Simmer roast, turning constantly. Keep tight lid on pot when not turning roast. Cook on low for several hours. Meat is done when it nearly falls apart in pot. Also, add whole baby carrots, small potatoes, and pearl onions an hour before removing from heat if desired. This recipe originally called for 1 can of each (golden mushroom, créme of mushroom, and water), but I like ALOT of gravy...so I doubled it. I have even multiplied the recipe by 4 in order to have plenty of gravy. There can never be too much for me!! But, if this makes too much gravy for your individual taste, reduce all cans back down to one! ~Enjoy

No-Fat Cinnamon Chips 1 pkg. flour tortillas cooking spray (butter-flavored is best) sugar & cinnamon (mixed to taste) Place desired amount of tortillas on cookie sheet. Spray each tortilla with cooking spray. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Cut each tortilla into wedges (like a pizza). Bake at 400' for 8-10 minutes. Cool. ~Enjoy *** My cousin mentioned eating these same chips at a Mexican restaurant, where they served them with a honey glaze on top. So, we experimented with some hot honey, and poured it over the chips. They tasted great.