What We Have Forgotten

He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote 

its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man. We must not conclude merely upon a man's haranguing upon liberty, and using the charming sound, that he is fit to be trusted with the liberties of his country. It is not unfrequent to hear men declaim loudly upon liberty, who, if we may judge by the whole tenor of their actions, mean nothing else by it but their own liberty, — to oppress without control or the restraint of laws all who are poorer or weaker than themselves. ~ Samuel Adams (emphasis added)

I've been thinking about this quote a lot lately.  When people ask me - What has happened to our country? Why are we in such a mess? - I believe it boils down to just a few things our ancestors knew well, but we seem to have forgotten. 

After the Revolutionary War people were aware of the cost of freedom and diligently sought virtuous leaders to represent them in government.  They knew that a man's character mattered.  It mattered what he did in his home.  It mattered how he treated his wife and family.  It mattered that he was faithful and trustworthy. This is one area where we have gone astray.  Instead of virtue, we focus on how eloquently the person speaks, how good he looks on camera or how expensive her clothes are.  We say it doesn't matter what he does in private.  It doesn't matter that he cheats on his wife or lies, or gambles, or...  And that is why we are in the state we are.  If a person can't be trusted to do what is right in his own family, how can we trust him to do what is right on our behalf?  

Another reason we have such a mess in our country is that we have forgotten that "power corrupts."  Originally representatives in Washington (or any level) were to serve one or two terms only.  Then they were to return to their jobs and families and let other virtuous men take their place.  This allowed them to avoid the corruption of power (and lobbyists!).  Now we have "career politicians" (not representatives!).  The longer a person stays in Washington (or any office), the more likely he/she is to become corrupted and to lose their virtue.  

Finally, we are in this mess, because we have forgotten that it isn't the Federal Government's responsibility to fix our problems.  Their job is to provide an army and navy, ensure fair trade, coin money, make treaties, declare war and establish post offices - that's it!!!  (They do share a few things with the states - building roads, establishing courts, making and enforcing laws, borrowing money, chartering banks and unfortunately collecting taxes - thanks to the 16th amendment!)  Really that's ALL they are supposed to be doing.  We need to put our focus back on our local governments.  We need to give the power back to them.  After all, who in Washington really knows the needs of your community?  

If we want to "fix" the mess we have, then we must listen to Mr. Adams.  We must elect ONLY wise and virtuous men (and women) as our representatives and we must remind them that it is a TEMPORARY position.  I know it seems impossible, but we really can do this.  It starts in our local communities. If we put our focus back on our local governments we can do so much more to help individuals.  Start in your town/city.   Make sure that the people on your city council are wise and virtuous. Then make sure that your Mayor is wise and virtuous.   Then move to the county level, then move to the state level and finally to the federal level.  You can make a difference, but it all starts with your vote.  You can do this!

One Source of Happiness

I drive to church several times each week for all of the various activities and services.  One of the busy intersections on my way always has several homeless people standing on the median begging.  Usually these individuals are older gentlemen and if I have spare cash I usually give them something.  But lately there has been a young man, probably in his early 20's standing there.  I have to be honest and say my first reaction was rather judgmental - "You're young!  Why don't you get a job?"  But then I reminded myself that I was driving to church after all, and I should be more compassionate ;-).
It's obvious that this young man hasn't had a bath in a VERY long time and more than likely is an addict.  The more I thought about it, the more sadness I felt.  I wondered where is his family?  Does his mother know he is begging on the corner? (It would absolutely break my heart to know one of children was living on the streets.)  
That's when I realized once again, how blessed I truly am.  I know that there are many people who love me and care about me.  And although I have made many poor choices in my life, I have been spared from becoming addicted to something that destroys my ability to think and care for myself.  It only takes one bad decision to alter the course of our lives.
We are all searching for love and happiness.  But contrary to what the "world" would teach us, it can't be found in drugs, alcohol or sex. Just look at this young man.  He is a great example of that lie.  Is he happy?  Does he feel loved?  There is only one true source of happiness - Jesus Christ.  If this young man had known he was a child of God, would he have made the same choices?  If he had known that he could turn to God with any problem, would his life be different today?  I believe that it would be.  I hope that he realizes it is not too late.  He can change his life and God will be right there with him to help him through everything he faces.
His mother may not know where he is.  But This mother will be praying for him every day.

Another blow to our freedom

For those of you who don't watch the news or "aren't from around these parts" - there has been a huge recall election in Mesa.  Arizona has a silly clause in their constitution that allows a recall election to be demanded for ANY reason (and apparently by anyone!).  Well a few months ago, an organization from outside the state of Arizona - that's right, NOT the citizens of Mesa - collected enough signatures (mostly through deception from what I have learned - sigh) to get a recall election to remove the president of the Arizona senate from office.  (You may have heard of him - Russell Pearce.  That's right, the guy that wrote that immigration legislation that put the country in an uproar.)  Well, this is BAD!  I am all for the recall process to remove someone who has committed a crime, isn't doing his job, or has committed something worthy of being ousted.  But ONLY when demanded by the citizens of that district!    No one can say what Pearce has done wrong - other than write legislation that this "outside" group didn't like.  Then to make matters worse, this group convinced a former Stake President (leader in the LDS church - most of Mesa is LDS by the way), Jerry Lewis, to run.  
He's a good man.  Everyone likes him.  So what's the problem you ask?  Let me esplain Lucy... In a regular election you have primaries.  Each party has a "run off" to determine the best candidate to represent their party.  Then in the election all of the parties run against one another creating a "balance" of ideas (I know I get frustrated with our party system too, but it does serve a good purpose when used correctly.).  But in a recall election only one party runs.  In this case it was the Republican party.  So what did this "outside" organization do?  They picked a candidate that was a "Democrat in disguise" - (you know a "liberal" Republican), thus assuring that he would receive all the Democratic votes - stacking the deck so to speak.  
So how is that bad?  Mr. Lewis is still a "good" guy.  This is BAD because it sets a dangerous precedent.  A group of people NOT of the state of Arizona have just trumped the vote of the people of Mesa - remember, Pearce won a fair election.  Where will this stop?  Any group with enough power and money can come into any state (silly enough to have the same clause as Arizona - and there are a lot of them!) and remove any candidate they want.  This is BAD because, now our representatives are not accountable to the people in their district, but are now influenced by outside sources who can threaten to remove them from office.  This is BAD because a lot of time and money will be wasted trying to stop these outside organizations from negating our votes.  This is BAD because it creates a lot of divisiveness within a community (just look at what is happening in Mesa!).
This whole "mess" reminds me of a scripture - "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."  This recall is definitely an example of "wickedness in high places."  
In one of the "debates" I participated in yesterday, one individual said, "People don't have to be informed voters.  People have a right to be as informed or uniformed as they wish and still have their voice counted equally...You only have a moral responsibility to vote your conscience."  Yes, that is true.  But only when we become a nation of "informed" voters will we maintain our freedom.  Sadly, yesterday, we gave up another little piece of that freedom.

Is Satan Intelligent?

I love to read books that make me think.  One of the books I was reading last week (yes, I read more than one at a time!),  said something that has really made me ponder.  The author claims that God created two things - things to act and things to be acted upon (2 Ne 2:14).  He then states that the ability to act of one's own free will is also called intelligence.  And things that are acted upon are called inanimate matter. (He further states that only intelligence and matter have existed for all eternity (DC 93:33)).  He believes that Satan does not have the power to act, but only the power to react.  And because he cannot act of his own accord, he therefore has no intelligence.  In DC 93:29 it says that intelligence is the light of truth.  Since Satan has no light (he is the prince of darkness) or truth (he is the father of lies), then he cannot have intelligence.
Do I agree???  Hmm... It is interesting, but I'm not sure.  First, can Satan really only react?  I know that he doesn't have the power to create.  For example, when Moses performed the miracles before Pharaoh, Satan only copied the miracles.  He didn't perform anything original. If he had the power to create, why wouldn't he have done some stunning new miracle to show his power?  When he tempted Eve in the garden, it was only after God had given the commandment not to eat.  So is that an action or reaction (Satan reacting in opposition to God's commandment)?  The scriptures teach that there must be opposition in all things.  So we know that Satan is the opposition to God, but as the opposition does Satan have the power to act of his own accord?
Then there is the question of intelligence itself.  What is intelligence?  Is it only the ability to act for oneself?  According to the dictionary Intelligence = understanding; skill.  Intelligence also means a spiritual being.  Satan is a spiritual being, so therefore he would be an intelligence.  But is he an intelligent intelligence?  I think Satan does have understanding and skill.  He is able to think and reason.  I think he is intelligent.
So according to the author Satan is nothing more than matter. (If there are only two things intelligence and matter and he is not intelligence, then he must be matter.)  But matter doesn't have the ability to think or reason.  Matter doesn't have understanding or skill.
Therefore I have to say I disagree.  If Satan can only react, how could he then be held accountable for his actions?  How could God justly punish him in the end?  God never forces any of His children to do anything.  I do not believe Satan is forced to behave as he does.  And if he can act then he would have intelligence.
Now if we only go with the definition of intelligence from D&C, that intelligence is the light of truth.  Then I would agree.  Satan does not have the light of truth (or the light of Christ) in him and would therefore not be intelligent.
I guess it depends on the definition.  What do you think?

Too much excitement

Well, July was certainly not a dull month!  The first two weeks we were on vacation.  We spent a few days in Colorado.  We had a great time and then went on to Omaha to visit family and attend a wedding.  It was so good to see all the family, but sad that I didn't get a chance to see everyone (especially my friends!).
Then at the end of the month we went camping.  We went to our favorite spot at the Blue Ridge Reservoir.  This was the first time we brought the dog.  He wasn't real excited about always being chained up.  But at least he wasn't alone in the back yard or running away!  We always seem to have some adventure while camping.  This time we met a rattle snake - yikes!  It was hiding under our cooler.  Thank you Heavenly Father for watching over us and not letting it bite anyone!
Then when we got home from camping, I opened the freezer to put the ice packs back and a frozen 2-liter bottle of water fell on my foot - breaking my toe - ouch!!!  So after hobbling around for a week on crutches, I am now hobbling around in a wooden shoe.  It is highly fashionable - ha!
Why do I freeze a bottle of water you ask?  It's all the chickens fault!!  It gets really hot here in the summer (I know that's hard to believe!), so to keep my girls cool, I put a frozen bottle in their water each morning. - yes, they are spoiled!
So as you can see there has been just too much excitement in our house for one month!!

My Garden

My garden this year has done fabulous!!  It only took three years ;-).  

My beets and cucumbers

(I can't keep up with that nasty Bermuda grass!)

The "chicken garden" in the front - all the veggies the chickens like to eat,

 but I don't -ha! (kale, swiss chard, and green beans)

Onions in the middle (the carrots have been picked already)

and corn in the back

the lime tree in front

tomatoes in back

there are peppers there too 

but hard to distinguish in front of the tomatoes

strawberries

they are my experiment in the desert

the leaves are a bit yellow - iron deficiency

but they should look better in a couple weeks

if they survive the heat!

my citrus trees

grapefruit (2), orange, and clementine

peach (the "half" tree), apple, plum and apricot

the yellow one way in the back is a pomegranate

(it has iron deficiency too - but should look better soon)

the apple tree before I picked it this week

my grapes 

sweet potatoes and garlic

(all the "green" you see in between is dill!

I let the last batch go to seed to collect the seeds

for herbal remedies and boy did it go to seed!)

my pumpkins, butternut squash and broccoli

(also going to seed - I use non-hybrid seeds and 

then collect them for next year)

There is a watermelon too, but forgot to get a picture of  that - oops!

So far my garden has produced:

5 qts apple sauce

(+1 apple pie ;-)

15 qts tomatoes

4 qts grape juice

7 qts pickles

4 qts tomato salsa

6 batches green salsa (I freeze that)

10 pints carrots

10 pints beets

5 pumpkins

2 butternut squash

YUM!!!

Let us labor to enter into His rest

I believe that God created the world on which we live and it is a BEAUTIFUL place.  But I've never really pondered much about HOW he did it.  Maybe I've been influenced too much by the stories of the Greek and Roman Gods, but I've always kind of pictured God resting on a lounge chair and just casually waving his hands and commanding the elements and "voila" the earth was created.  (I told you I've never really thought about it!)  

But this morning as I was reading Hebrews 4 it suddenly dawned on me that creating the world must have been A LOT of work.  After all, when God was finished He needed to "rest".  That doesn't sound like He was just casually waving a hand or two.  It sounds like he worked  for 6 LONG days and didn't stop until everything was finished and pronounced "good".  

I believe that He wants me to do the same.  My time here on earth is in reality VERY short (only 2 1/2 hours in God's time!).  I need to work diligently and tirelessly until my mission is finished and "pronounced good".  And to remind me of His infinite mercy He allows me to follow his pattern:  I work six LONG days and then rest - not "lounging" on the couch" but spending the seventh day totally focused on Him; renewing my spirit and strengthening my soul.

As Paul reminds us..."Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest..." Heb 4:11. 

It's Finished! (well almost)

The chickens (and rabbits) have a home!  My wonderful hubby has finished  the chicken coop (well except for the nesting boxes - but we don't need those yet anyway).

Here's the second batch of chickens (after the cat ate 2 of the first batch)

 - they are a few days old here

The fluffy yellow one (Angel) didn't survive my active children or the dog

 - who decided to "unbury" it and use it as a toy for a few hours before eating it

- can you say GROSS! 

Framing the coop

the (almost) finished coop

I had more pics of the stages in between,

but my kids deleted them off the camera (grrr!)

Here are the "ladies" now.  The speckled and light brown are the

survivors from first batch, the dark ones are from the second batch

(there's another hiding behind Georgina on the block)

And here's our latest addition to the "farm" - two rabbits George and Lily

 (I can't tell them apart!)

I wasn't sure about puting them with the chickens,

but they seem to get along great

(well at least I think so, but since the rabbits are trying to

dig their way out, maybe they would say otherwise :-)

The inside of the coop

 A picture from a distance - and to show off my corn

(and tomatoes on the left)

 (ignore the weeds in the onion patch - I'm still trying to catch up

from 2 weeks of no weeding - and its HOT!!)

And here's Chester (acting all innocent and cute!)

AHHHHH - I need another day!

Well...things have NOT gone as planned this week.  I leave for Girl's camp on Saturday, t-minus 1 day!!!  And I have nothing ready -do you hear me nothing!!  Why you ask?  Because someone (and boy are you lucky I don't know who you are!) shared a NASTY virus with me.  I have been in bed for 2 days - count them - 2 WHOLE days!  I didn't have time to be in bed for 2 days.  Now how am I going to get 3 days worth of - shopping, packing, shopping, finding the gazillion items stored SOMEWHERE in the garage that we just HAVE to have (you know hammer, nails, tape, string), more shopping, and then preparing food for my wonderful hubby who went to college but can't read a recipe - all so that my other beautiful children don't starve while I'm gone - done in ONE day???  (deep breath)
But on the plus side, I have lost 8 pounds!!  Who knew - just stop eating, spend every other hour in the bathroom and voila - easy (not painless) weight loss!  (NOT highly recommended!)
So now that I can actually lift my head off the pillow, I better figure out what I need to pack...

a need for "constructions"

A little over a year ago, I was called as the Young Women's president in my ward (for my non-mormon friends - that means I get to work with the amazing youth (ages 12-18) in my church).  One of my favorite parts of Young Women is Personal Progress (PP).  PP helps the girls develop talents, skills and abilities that will help them become great moms, wives and leaders.  The program is based on the 8 values that help the girls understand their divine identity and ultimately lead them closer to their saviour, Jesus Christ.  It is an amazing program.  I want each of my girls to achieve their Personal Progress award, so that means I need to complete the program too. 
So for the past month I have been working on my "good works" project.  It all started with my desire to teach my children how to cook.  (That was something I was not taught in my youth - which made the first couple years of marriage VERY stressful!) At first I started with just showing them how to prepare a couple simple meals.  I thought it went well.  But then when I asked them to try to do it on their own, they were really frustrated and couldn't do it.  That was when I realized that they needed the "constructions" (my son's word for instructions ;-) - they needed the recipes!  duh!! 
Oh, but therein was the problem.  I don't have recipes for most of the foods I make.  Well, what could I do?  I could just have them make the dish over and over until they have it memorized.  But that would take a long time and quite frankly I don't want to eat the same food that many times in a row!  Rats!  That meant that I had to actually make recipes for my "creations".  (Maybe that's why my Mom never taught me to cook!)
It has been quite the project.   But I now have a "recipe" for everything on my menu - woohoo!!  My kids love it and I do too.  And the best part is they will each have their own recipe book to take with them when they leave home.

Once a farm girl...

As I have mentioned before, I spent about half of my childhood living on a farm. We had all kinds of animals: dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, horses, etc. Needless to say I have a love for those critters and a yearning to return to the "farm". My wonderful husband on the other hand is a "city-boy". He has ALWAYS lived in the city and has absolutely NO desire for anything farm related - including animals.

In April, we celebrated 17 wonderful years together and I think he is finally starting to soften - hee-hee. A couple months ago I talked him into letting me get chickens. I suggested we just buy a chicken coop, but he has decided to build one instead. (This is where his perfectionism comes in.) You see, we can't have just "any" chicken coop, we have to have a coop that will be the envy of chicken owners everywhere! (He reminds me so much of my dad ;-) Well, needless to say, it takes a LONG time to build a "castle" instead of a coop - :-). So far we have a foundation (this coop will probably outlast the house in a storm!) and piles of wood. Meanwhile the chickens are growing and it is getting harder to keep them in a box! But he promises me that it will be done soon - after all the foundation is the hardest part.

As the saying goes, once you get your foot in the door...well, we couldn't just stop at chickens now could we? Of course not! So today we also got a dog. Some friends were looking for a home for their Lab/German-shorthair puppy (well, he's 2, but that's still a puppy to me!) and I saw my opportunity. We brought him home (after much coaxing and pushing to get him in the car - he is a STRONG puppy!) and the adventures have begun. He has terrorized the chickens - I think he just wants to play, but the poor chickens don't believe him; jumped into the pool at least a dozen times; staked his territory - he has already growled at the neighbors peaking over the fence; and coaxed my children into throwing a tennis ball a couple of gazillion times!

And so my "little farm" has begun. Sorry honey...once a farm girl, always a farm girl :-)

Another great year

I am grateful for the opportunity I have had this past year to teach two classes at our Commonwealth School. I can't believe they are already finished. Time truly does fly when one is having fun!

In the fall I taught a class entitled Sword of Freedom. It is a continuation of the class I taught last year (Key of Liberty). Last year the kids studied the founding of our wonderful country and development of our amazing Constitution. In Sword of Freedom we focused on the Civil War: the first great test of our nation and the constitution. I was amazed to learn that the Civil War was not about slavery, at least not in the beginning. It was a fight about States' rights (why wasn't I taught that in school?). The southern states did not want the Federal Government telling them what to do (hmm...sound familiar...history really does repeat itself). I have to say that I am glad that our country was able to stay united, but I can really appreciate the sentiments of those southern states and their desire to remain free from so much governmental control.

This spring I taught Pyramid Project. This is the coolest math and science class ever! During this class we learned the seven habits of a scientist and how to use our scriptures as our main math and science text. It is amazing how much math is in the scriptures. My favorite is Rev. 16:21- "And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent..." Can you imagine a hail stone weighing a talent? No...what is a talent you ask? Well it was a unit of measurement weighing 75 pounds! - OUCH! (puts a whole different picture in your head, doesn't it!) It is so much fun to read the original works of great scientists and mathematicians. And the coolest thing - it really isn't that hard. After reading Einstein's theories in his own words, who would ever want to read a boring textbook again?

It has been a great year! As usual I have learned way more than my students. Although, I do have amazing students and with all this knowledge at their age, I can't wait to see what they will accomplish - watch out world!

I just have to say NO

I had the most wonderful roommate in college.  She led me to the gospel, was patient with all my short comings and was truly a great friend.  She however, had one weakness. She could never say no (to good things of course!).  Whenever anyone needed help she would be there; she volunteered to help with everything and basically tried to do it all.  While on the outside, everything seemed fine, in reality, she was an emotional wreck.  While it is good to help others, it is important to remember that we cannot do everything and there is a time and a place to say no. 
In homeschooling my kids, I follow the principles of Leadership Education.  One of the important concepts in this method is the "6 Month No".  Every six months you are encouraged to make a list of all your responsibilities and tasks.  Then after careful evaluation and prayer you need to remove some (if not most) of those items from your list.  In doing this you free your schedule to do those things that are not just "good", but the Best.
Well...it is time for confessions.  I have not done a "6 Month No" in a couple of years - **gasp**   I have had many responsibilities added to my "plate" in the last year, but I have not made room for them by getting rid of the "good".  And I have realized I have become my roommate. On the outside, things look great, but I am an emotional wreck!  I constantly feel stressed and discouraged.  I find myself overeating (cuz we all know chocolate makes us feel better!), snapping at my kids, and just generally not behaving as I would like. 
So...this afternoon, I will create my list and with a great big, fat marker I am going to hash away at it.  This may effect some of you, so consider this a warning :-).  I still love you all, but I have to say NO!

The Grass is Greener on the Other Side of the Chicken Wire

Well, it has been an interesting week.  Tuesday we came home to chicks running all over the yard.  After rounding them up, it was discovered that Minnie was missing.  We searched everywhere and then found a pile of feathers behind the fence.  Today when arriving home we saw that Bubbles had managed to squeaze beneath the fence.  Unfortunately, she too became kitty food. 
It has been a sad couple of days at our house.  However, it did lead to a great discussion.  I asked the kids why they thought the chicks kept trying to escape.  They suggested that maybe they wanted to eat the grass on the outside of the pen.  Maybe they thought there was something more interesting or fun on the other side of the chicken wire. 
Chickens aren't so different from us.  We too are always looking at what we can't have or wishing we were somewhere else.  We put the chicks in a pen to protect them from the mean kitty.  Heavenly Father has done the same for us.  We aren't in a pen, but He has lovingly set up boundaries (commandments) for us in order to protect us.  When we are obedient (stay within the boundaries), we are blessed and safe.  Heavenly Father provides for us and protects us.  When we escape (disobey the commandments) we become vulnerable to the dangers around us; we open ourselves up to be eaten by the mean kitty (Satan).
My kids decided that maybe "staying in the pen" isn't so bad after all ;-).

Not of a "frenzied" mind

In preparing for mutual this week I have been reading about Korihor.  Korihor is one of only a handful of people in the scriptures that is actually called the "anti-christ."  It has been enlightening to study his teachings.  He is very skillful at taking the truth and just twisting it a tiny bit.  The things he preaches all sound "good."  As he says, they are "pleasing to the carnal mind."  And he is very successful; the people love his message.
What amazed me as I read this passage, was that the arguments Korihor used to deny or attack the Gospel are the very SAME ones used today.  (Korihor lived around 74 BC.)  Satan is totally unoriginal!!  My favorite is when he says that only those with a "frenzied" mind can believe in God.  In other words he is saying that for someone to believe in God they must be insane.  How many of us have heard that on our college campuses? 
This passage was a great reminder to me of the importance of studying the scriptures.  Satan knows the scriptures very well too.  He knows exactly how to twist the truth to lead people away from Christ.  If I want to remain faithful, I need to know the truth so well, that I cannot be fooled by his "pleasing" words.  And that will require a lot of study!