On Commnets

There would be more comments on my blog (I check several times a day, because they really do make me happy, just like it says there on the comment-box.) if I'd put up a new post. Really. I find that new posts are much more comment-prone than old ones.

Sadly, I have nothing to say today.


Brains work better when you sleep.

I should have taken a nap with Monkey this afternoon.
Now it's too late.

Wildflowers!

Back in late March and early April, they were doing wildflowers at The Outdoor Hour and I was all excited about finding some of the early spring wildflowers that Barb was talking about. But in spite of several trips out looking for wildflowers, we never did find any. They're blooming now. I guess that Barb is considerably further south than we are. Also, I looked in some different places. We recently discovered a bike trail that leads right to our "big garden," avoiding nearly all of the traffic between here and there. As if that wasn't wonderful enough, it goes through the local tech collage grounds and they have some lovely grassy flowery stuff to ride through. Here are some of the things we saw on our most recent trip through our trail and to the big garden.


Tall grass with Queen Anne's Lace, or wild carrot.


Here's a close-up of the tiny blossoms that make up the flower head.


And this is the very striking flower bud.



Then there's this dainty little cluster, which I don't know the name of, though it's very common around here. Grows along the edges of all sorts of places.

And we've got some wild daisy-sunflower looking things. I haven't had a chance to look these up either, but it's on the agenda. Once I know what they're called, I can have a look at the Handbook of Nature Study and see if there's anything in there for any of our flowers.


Our new bike and trailer have been great for getting out there and finding the flowers. We would likely never have found the little nature spot at the Tech had we not had the bike. There's quite a bit to explore back there.

Already, I'm beginning to see how the awareness of nature is becoming a part of Monkey. When we got to the garden, I was tired, so we sat for a few minutes on the picnic table, and Monkey saw this feather underneath. It took several tries for him to communicate to me that there was something interesting under there that he wanted to show me, because when I looked I just didn't see it! But finally I found the tiny feather that had caught his interest, so we took a picture for his nature book.

One of the pleasures of the garden is the raspberry patch that is sort of a free-for-all patch. Monkey approves.





While we were there, Monkey showed me a cloud, so we took a picture for his book.

Parable of the Pickle

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Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

-John 3:5

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A pickle is a cucumber that has been transformed according to a specific recipe and series of steps. ... To summarize, a cucumber becomes a pickle as it is prepared and cleaned, immersed in and saturated with salt brine, and sealed in a sterilized container. This procedure requires time and cannot be hurried, and none of the essential steps can be ignored or avoided. ...

Just as a cucumber must be prepared and cleaned before it can be changed into a pickle, so you and I can be prepared with “the words of faith and of good doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6) and initially cleansed through the ordinances and covenants administered by the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood. ... Just as a cucumber is transformed into a pickle as it is immersed in and saturated with salt brine, so you and I are born again as we are absorbed by and in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A cucumber only becomes a pickle through steady, sustained, and complete immersion in salt brine. Significantly, salt is the key ingredient in the recipe. Salt frequently is used in the scriptures as a symbol both of a covenant and of a covenant people. And just as salt is essential in transforming a cucumber into a pickle, so covenants are central to our spiritual rebirth. ... Total immersion in and saturation with the Savior’s gospel are essential steps in the process of being born again. ...

Cured cucumbers are packed into sterilized jars and heat processed in order to remove impurities and to seal the containers from external contaminants. The boiling-water-bath procedure enables the pickles to be both protected and preserved over a long period of time. In a similar way, we progressively become purified and sanctified as you and I are washed in the blood of the Lamb, are born again, and receive the ordinances and honor the covenants that are administered by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood. ... Purifying and sealing by the Holy Spirit of Promise constitute the culminating steps in the process of being born again.

Read more...

Things He Says

Mom: Now, you are 2. But in September, you will be 3 years old.

Monkey: [Looks worried] No.

Mom: Why not? Don't you want to be 3?

Monkey: I don't want to be old!

It's Always Fun at Grandpa's House...

... at Grandpa's House, hurray!

Check out the mess we made this time! I was too busy trying to keep paint off of Monkey's clothes & everyone in paper, so I didn't take any pictures. But Grandpa did.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; ... is not easily provoked ...
-1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Book Winner!

There were seven entries, each assigned a number according to the order they entered, and, using Random.org, #5-Meg, is the winner! Congratulations! Leave me your contact information in the comments (I won't publish it) so that I can send you your book.

The rest of you, if you want to leave your email in the comments (I won't publish yours either), I'll help you get in contact with the author to purchase a copy. There is also one copy available at Amazon right now. Thanks for entering!

Monkey Got a Ride!

We went to our local tree store, the one where we buy our shrubs, and we bought a tree. We're getting a red maple, because they were all out of oaks and the ginko was too small. So maple it is. While Daddy went and payed for our new tree, Monkey and I went to check out the local Front End Loader.

They offered him a ride.





See that grin?! He was a happy boy!

Beautiful Flowers

Monochrome Weekly

Book Give-Away Ends Soon

Don't forget! You have to post and leave a comment by 11:55PM tomorrow! Here's a sample of what's in the A Glorious Standard:

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We all know that ... there has been an alarming increase in the abandoning of the ideals that constitute the foundation of the Constitution of the United States and of the American home, and you will agree with me that there is real cause for apprehension."
-David O. McKay (page 128)

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Now, how are the elders going to prepare for that mission? How are they going to know what the Constitution is so they will know when it is on the brink of ruin?
-Ezra Taft Benson (page 136)

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I council you, I urge you, I plead with you, never, so far as you have voice or influence, permit any departure from the principles of governments on which this nation was founded, or any disregard of the freedoms which, by the inspiration of God the Father, were written in the Constitution of the United States.
-Heber J. Grant (page73)

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Good luck to you in winning the whole book! It's been a great blessing to me; a huge eye-opener. I'm looking forward to sharing the love!

Cut N Paste

Mothering Quotes

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It is so obvious that the great good and the terrible evil in the world today are the sweet and the bitter fruits of the rearing of yesterday’s children. As we train a new generation, so will the world be in a few years. If you are worried about the future, then look to the upbringing of your children. Wisely did the writer of Proverbs declare, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
-Gordon B. Hinckley
Read more...

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“When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies.”
-E.T. Sullivan, quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley

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“Bring up your children in the love and fear of the Lord; study their dispositions and their temperaments, and deal with them accordingly, never allowing yourself to correct them in the heat of passion; teach them to love you rather than to fear you.”
-Brigham Young, quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley

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“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained … , only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; …

“Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

“That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death” -D&C 121:41, 43–44.

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How much more beautiful would be the world and the society in which we live if every father looked upon his children as the most precious of his assets, if he led them by the power of his example in kindness and love, and if in times of stress he blessed them by the authority of the holy priesthood; and if every mother regarded her children as the jewels of her life, as gifts from the God of heaven, who is their Eternal Father, and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.
-Gordon B. Hinckley
Read more...

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The calling of father or mother is sacred and carries with it great significance. One of the greatest privileges and responsibilities given to us is that of being a parent—helping to bring to earth a child of God and having the sacred responsibility to love, care, and guide children back to our Heavenly Father. In many ways earthly parents represent their Heavenly Father in the process of nurturing, loving, caring, and teaching children. Children naturally look to their parents to learn of the characteristics of their Heavenly Father. After they come to love, respect, and have confidence in their earthly parents, they often unknowingly develop the same feelings towards their Heavenly Father.
-Robert D. Hales
Read more...

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"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence. Too often the pressure for popularity, on children and teens, places an economic burden on the income of the father, so mother feels she must go to work to satisfy her children's needs. That decision can be most shortsighted. It is mother's influence during the crucial formative years that forms a child's basic character. Home is the place where a child learns faith, feels love, and thereby learns from mother's loving example to choose righteousness. How vital are mother's influence and teaching in the home-and how apparent when neglected!" -Ezra Taft Benson (Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 104)

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Do not trade your birthright as a mother for some bauble of passing value. Let your first interest be in your home. The baby you hold in your arms will grow quickly as the sunrise and sunset of the rushing days.
-Gordon B. Hinckley

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Charity suffereth long, and is kind; ... is not easily provoked ...
-1 Corinthians 13:4-5

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“In righteousness there is great simplicity. In every case that confronts us in life there is either a right way or a wrong way to proceed."
-William R. Bradford

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“Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.”
-The Proclimation on the Family

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President Hinckley has counseled parents: “Read to your children. Read the story of the Son of God. Read to them from the New Testament. Read to them from the Book of Mormon. It will take time, and you are very busy, but it will prove to be a great blessing in your lives as well as in their lives. And there will grow in their hearts a great love for the Savior of the world, the only perfect man who walked the earth. He will become to them a very real living being, and His great atoning sacrifice as they grow to manhood and womanhood, will take on a new and more glorious meaning in their lives” (quoted in Church News, 6 Dec. 1997, 2). Brothers and sisters, that glorious promise from our prophet can be ours if we read to our children from the scriptures.

There can be no greater joy than to know that our children love the Lord, no greater peace than that which comes when we feel of His love and understand the meaning of His atoning sacrifice. That spirit which comes when we share sacred things of the heart will bond us together as families. John expressed it well: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 Jn. 1:4).

-Gordon B. Hinckley, quoted by Anne G Worthlin, General Primary Presidency.

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I've come to the realization the past few months that my kids don't want new toys, perfect clothes, treats, movies, or shopping.

They want me to sit with them, hold them, talk to them, spend time with them. It doesn't matter much what we do, whether we snuggle up together on the couch to read a book or take a walk to the park or just sit down on the floor to play.

My kids want me.
-Mrs. Mordecai

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Do not try to control your children. Instead, listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them, and lead them toward eternal life. You are God’s agents in the care of children He has entrusted to you. Let His divine influence remain in your hearts as you teach and persuade.

-Russell M. Nelson
Read more...

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“When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens ...prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this.” -Neil A. Maxwell

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"It seems strange that women want to enter into professions and into work and into places in society on an equality with men, wanting to dress like men and carry on men's work. I don't deny the fact that women are capable of doing so, but as I read the scriptures, I find it hard to reconcile this with what the Lord has said about women---what he has said about the family, what he has said about children. It seems to me that in regard to men and women, even though they might be equal in many things, there is a differentiation between them that we fully understand. I hope the time never comes when women will be brought down to the level with men, although they seem to be making these demands in meetings held . . . all over the world"
-Howard W. Hunter (Teachings of Howard W.
Hunter, 150)

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“Motherhood is the ideal opportunity for lifelong learning. A mother’s learning grows as she nurtures the child in his or her development years. They are both learning and maturing together at a remarkable pace. It’s exponential, not linear. Just think of the learning process of a mother throughout the lifetime of her children. . . For example, in the process of rearing her children, a mother studies such topics as child development; nutrition; health care; physiology; psychology; nursing with medical research and care. . . The learning examples could continue endlessly. . . My point is, my dear sisters—as well as for the brethren, who I hope are listening carefully—a mother’s opportunity for lifelong learning and teaching is universal in nature.”
-Robert D. Hales

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Our Inspired Constitution

"I believe in the Constitution of the United States. I believe in the principles which that instrument promulgates - the freedom of mankind to do right, to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, freedom to pursue their way in peace and to observe and maintain their rights, their freedom, their liberties, and justly recognize and equally preserve and defend the rights freedom and liberty of their neighbors and of their fellow beings - and of all God's creatures. I believe that the Constitution was and still is and inspired instrument. The Lord God Almighty inspired the minds that framed it..."
-Joseph F. Smith
Quoted in A Glorious Standard page 30

My book giveaway ends in 2 days. Have you entered to win a copy of this book yet?

Masterly Inactivity in Action

Took a gander at the current Charlotte Mason Carnival, and found this:

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“Masterly inactivity,” an expression of Thomas Carlyle’s brought to life in detail by Mason, is the perfect balance between being a dictator and a doormat. It is a letting alone that is rooted in insight. A parent’s wise self-restraint is grounded in the authority and self-confidence of experience and knowledge, which the child lacks and needs.

“She must see without watching, know without telling, be on the alert always, yet never obviously, fussily, so,” Mason explains. “This open-eyed attitude must be sphinx-like in its repose.” ...

My kids went through a time when they would fill up on the main course and wouldn’t feel like eating a salad after it, as is the French custom. So I began to serve the salad first. I just got them to the table hungry and served the salad, while the main course was still cooking. I did not tell them, “I want you to eat salad. You must eat your salad. It’s good for you.” I knew what was going on but they didn’t need to know. They ate it and were happy.
Read more...

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John Adams Says

"If men through fear, fraud or mistake, should in terms renounce and give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the great end of society, would absolutely vacate such renunciation; the right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of Man to alienate this gift, and voluntarily become a slave."

--John Adams, Rights of the Colonists, 1772

Another Look at Laundry

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As I've grown older, I have realized that it is the number of piles that has become profound to me, as they have marked both the joyous and tragic occasions of my life. ... When I married my first love, Rob, twenty-years ago, I only had two piles - his and mine. Soon thereafter, our first little baby girl came into the world, and then there were three. ... The most heart-wrenching experience I had with piles of laundry was when Rob suddenly and unexpectedly passed away four years ago, leaving me a widow with six children, the youngest of whom was two years old. As I folded up the last of his dirty fatigues after his funeral, I was heart-broken to think that I would never have his pile on the coffee table again. We were down to just seven piles now - the kids' and mine.
Read more...

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I may never look at piles of laundry quite the same again.

Very Cool Scrapbook Blog

I ran across a very cool scrapbooking blog this evening, and I wasn't even looking for a scrapbook blog! Holly, of Scrap by Color, has quite a few layouts that are both simple and very nice. And what is very cool is that in addition to the pictures of the layouts that she has posted on the blog, she's got links to where you can download the files, and then open them up, put your own photos in there, and use them for digital scrapbooking! I've never tired digital scrapbooking, but I may have to see how it goes for me. She's got some very nice layouts, and it looks like it would be a lot of fun to play with my pictures in Photoshop like that!

Because It Makes Me Happy

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God - and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come - I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek Him, as well in times of old as in the time that He should manifest himself unto the children of men.

For He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto Him.

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
-1 Nephi 10:17-19
(Emphasis added.)

New Toy Tool

My hand mixer broke a few weeks ago. This hasn't been a huge problem, but I do have a bit of a project coming up: I'm making 200 cookies for my brother's wedding reception, and Mom, Maulbeere and I will be decorating them. When Andy heard me talk about who I might be able to borrow a mixer from, he took things into his own hands.





Monkey was very clear: he wanted to be there for the Opening Ceremonies. Not that he called them that.



First, we liberated the splash guard. Next, Monkey found the Owner's Manual.







We got it all unpacked and cleared a space for it on the counter.



Now the big question is, "What to cook first?" Monkey is excited to help, whatever it we decide to make!

Photo Hunt: Garbage

Sounds Yummy!

I browsed across this site this morning, and it's a fun site for using stored food. But the thing that really caught my attention is that they've got a recipe for making granola bars. I don't have any corn syrup, so I'll have to put it on the shopping list, but given the amount of granola that we go through, this recipe is definitely something that I'll be trying soon!

Garden Sunset

One of the great pleasures of gardening this summer is the chance to see all these sunsets. Like snowflakes, no two of these gifts from God are alike.

Our Divine Constitution

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"The Lord raised up the Founding Fathers. He it was who established the Constitution of this land - the greatest document of freedom ever written. This God-inspired Constitution is not outmoded. It is not an outdated "agrarian document." ... It was the Lord God who established the foundation of this nation; and woe be unto those - members of the Supreme Court and others - who would weaken this foundation."
-Ezra Taft Benson
Quoted in A Glorious Standard, page 51

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"To me ... that statement of the Lord, "I have established the Constitution of this land," puts the Constitution of the United States in the position in which it would be if it were written in the book of Doctrine and Covenants itself. This makes the Constitution the word of the Lord to us. That it was given, not by oral utterance, but by the operation of His mind and spirit upon the minds of men, inspiring them to the working out of this great document of human government, does not alter its authority..."
-J. Reuben Clark
Quoted in A Glorious Standard, page 42-43

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I'm giving away A Glorious Standard, so check out this post to enter!

Great Blog; Great Idea

I wandered across Imma Momma this afternoon, and right from the get-go I was loving Alicia's blog. It's bright, it's beautiful, but the WORDS on it really resonated.




That pretty much sums up how I feel about Mothering! She had my attention, so I started wandering around. I liked what I saw. She says that her goal for blogging is to help women be happy with where they are. She even calls one of her boys "Monkey Man," just like I do. He looks like a happy kid! She's got a photography event, which I'm thinking sounds like fun. Plus, a button for it, which, after making graphics for my own blog in every spare moment for the past 2 days, I really like!



She's also got a button for bloggers she's featured to grab and put on their own blogs, which was an idea that I love, so I'm borrowing her idea. And Alica, of Imma Momma, is my first featured blog! And I have a brand new button for the occasion:

The Apotheosis of Washington

Ran across something interesting today. First, the definition of apotheosis, because I had no idea:

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Apotheosis:

1. The act of elevating a mortal to the rank of, and placing him among, "the gods;" deification.

2. Glorification; exaltation.

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Then, a bit from the article:

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It’s not only the Mormons who have thoughts about the divinization of mankind, but such a theme is even portrayed of our most beloved Founding Father and first President of our country, George Washington, in no less than oculus of the rotunda of the Capitol Building of the United States of America. ...

This image of Washington, painted in 1865, reflects a vision of Washington that appealed to the American public just after his death. The “apotheosis” served as a powerful symbol of the immortalization of the country’s hero. Paintings and sculptures of Washington’s celestial rise were soon to be found in living rooms and civic halls across the country. The religious connotation was clear: here was a man so virtuous and beloved that he surely had ascended to heaven, escorted honorably by classical personifications of freedom and liberty.
Read more...

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Book Give-Away

Or, it could be called, "He Told Me So." Because Andy told me that the holiday weekend was a rotten time to be giving things away: folks are doing things on holidays, rather than playing with their blogs. So, as there were no entries, I'm offering the book again.

Up For Grabs:

One copy of A Glorious Standard: For All Mankind, by Christopher S. Bentley, with an inscription by the author.

A little about the book: It is a compilation of quotes and commentary about the Constitution and government, made by prophets such as Isaiah, Jacob, and Moroni, as well as modern prophets and apostles such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, Ezra Taft Benson, and many more. These quotes have been compiled by the author from a variety of sources ranging from many General Conference reports and Journals of Discourses, as well as church magazines, messages of the First Presidency, and the History of the Church, among others. Bentley has gathered them up and organized them along the lines of four different themes:

1. "First, the Lord Himself has stated unequivocally that He is the Constitution's Author. Indeed, almost all of the latter-day prophets have declared that the Constitution is a document created through the inspiration of the Spirit." (Page 1)

2. [A]lmost every prophet in this dispensation has emphasized the vital importance of defending, upholding and adhering to the Constitution." (Page 2)

3. [S]everal prophets have warned that we have apostatized in various ways from the Constitution... (Page 2)

4. [T]he Constitution's role goes beyond providing a free nation in which the gospel and true Church could be restored to the earth once again. ... The principles of that great charter will eventually spread over the whole world, and all who are living [during the Millennium] will abide by them. (Page 2)

These four themes become the basis of the four sections of the book, with an amazing variety of quotes from Joseph Smith's time to Gordon B. Hinckley, who was President of the Church at the time the book was published, as well as quotes from the scriptures referencing things that ancient prophets said.

This book is a major factor in my own awakening to the vital importance of the Constitution, and I highly recommend it!

Check back for a sampling of the quotes in the book, as I'll post a few between now and when the giveaway is done.


How to Enter:

Post about the give-away on your blog, then leave a link in the comments section, so I can visit you.

Deadline:

All posts must be up, and comments left, by 11:55pm on Saturday 18 July 2009.

New Look

I've been playing with my blog, and I've got a new look! It's a fun process, but one that takes a good deal of time. I'm not finished yet, but the overall idea is in place, I think. It's a fun process, at least partly because I get to learn lots of new things, not just about the programming, but also about Photoshop. This is the first time I've been able to make my own graphics! Here are some of the tools that I've used so far in my redecorating:

Blogger Buster's 3 Column Layout

Once I had the new sidebar, it became clear that I badly needed to add some margins and padding, which Blogger Buster also had a tutorial for.

I'm trying Link Within, though I'm not convinced that I love it. What do you think?

Blogger Buster also helped me remove the "nofollow" tags from my template, allowing the big search engines to follow the links to my friends.

I didn't end up using this Photoshop tutorial for overlapping text, but it looks good, and I'd like to in the future.

The new header is from a photo that I took and used this halftone border tutorial on it.

Anyway, it's not finished, but I'm happy with it so far.

Male Bonding

Sunday Scripture

...I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto gall those who diligently seek him, as well in times of hold as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.

For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
-1 Nephi 10:17-19

Happy Independence Day!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
-Declaration of Independence

Patriotic Thought

"May we pledge anew that the divine principles embodied in the inspired documents that govern our country be written on the tablets of our own hearts. I pray that our eyes might be single to the will of God, that we might thereby bless our families and our country and that we shall, with increased devotion, work for less government, more individual responsibility, and, with God's help, a better world."
--Ezra Taft Benson, quoted in A Glorious Standard, page 103. See my give-away for a free copy of the book.

Mystery Solved

This cute little bunny told me something I've been wondering about.



Turns out the spot in my flower bed is a bunny-shaped spot. I'd thought I got those flowers moved out far enough that the roof shouldn't be pounded down by the rain.

Feeling Patriotic

Knowing as we do that God set up this Constitution of ours and that He declared it "should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles" (D&C 101:77), it is the duty of every member of the Church to protect and defend the Constitution against any attack. In this country our lawful political allegiance runs not to any man, not to any party, not to any "ism," but to the Constitution of the United States and to the free institutions set up under it. There can be no tampering with the "just and holy principles" in the Constitution. No true Latter-day Saint can or will do other than reverence the Constitution; each will do all in his power to save it from pollution or destruction. -J. Reuben Clark.
(April 1941, General Conference. Quoted in "A Glorious Standard" page 90. See my give-away for a free copy.)