Sand Art

My mother sent me this and I really enjoyed watching it - fascinating.



If you'd like to see more sand art, go to Youtube.com and type in "Sand Art"
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3D Sidewalk Art

I used to fancy myself as an artist. I painted about 25 paintings a year for about 8 years (once the kids came along, it was impossible so I quit). But I never painted anything like this (actually, it isn't paint - it's chalk). I'd love to see some of this guy's work in person. How fun!

(to answer the comment - It has to be viewed from one side. To see an example of one viewed from the wrong side, and other examples of his work, go to the following website: http://www.rense.com/general67/street.htm
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We The People Stimulus Package

"It is time for Americans to take back America:

• Require all laws that apply to the people to be applied to congress as well.
• Balance the Federal Budget (and force congress to live within their budget).
• Limit congress to two terms
• Make congress get their own 401K plans (why should a congressman get his full salary for the rest of his life after only serving one term?)
• Make congress pay their own insurance premiums
• Throw out of office any congressman or congresswoman who didn't bother to read the biggest spending bill in history before voting for it.
• Make English the official language of the United States of America
• Stop rewarding illegal immigrants with your money
  

We have become cowering spectators while the world's biggest super power can't defend its borders, balance its budget, win its wars, manufacture its own products, or protect its own currency.

Are you tired of not having a voice? Get an envelope. Put a tea bag in it (remember the Boston Tea Party?) and send it to the congressman and senators that represent you. They'll get the point. (to find out who they are, go to http://www.house.gov/ and http://www.senate.gov/ ) "

Click on the video to hear it all.

The Kitchen Sink

I've been accused of writing about everything but the kitchen sink. So, I figure it's time to write about that too.
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After living in our home for twenty years, I figured it was time to do a little remodeling to update it. We replaced the floors (Mexican pavers) with Travertine stone, the kitchen tiles with granite and replaced the enamel sink with a stainless steel one. Hooray, I was now living in the 21st century.
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There was just one problem. Instead of making my life easier, I just added tons more work. Every new surface required twice as much time to get it looking good. Especially the stainless steel sink.
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I seriously think that if I'm still living here ten years from now, I'll "remodel" by turning everything back into the way it was in 1982.
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Crying Baby

Your infant is way smarter than you give him credit. Check out this video:

How Smart is Your Right Foot?

You have to try this.... it takes 2 seconds. I could not believe this!!! It is from an orthopedic surgeon. This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's pre-programmed in your brain!
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1. Without anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY......) and while sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
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2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction. I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

First Day of Spring

Actually, yesterday was the first day of spring, but I didn't want to detract from my husband's birthday - and since nothing else is going on today, I feel free to wax poetic about spring, showers, and flowers.

I'm assuming we won't be seeing too many showers this spring because we had an unusually wet winter. And because of that, I expect to see an abundance of flowers - which is great because I love, love, love flowers. All flowers. There isn't a flower I don't like. Okay, I lied. There is one flower I don't like - Anthuriums. But I still use those ugly buzzards in my exotic floral arrangements. I also use them sometimes in Valentine's Day arrangements because they are shaped like a heart. Oh, and I also don't like gladiolas. They are only good for one thing - funerals (but I told my kids if there are any gladiolas at my funeral I'll never speak to them again). .

There is one flower I really love, but you'll never see them in my house because I hate the smell of them - Star Gazer lilies.

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I have a confession to make. I used to live two blocks from the Huntington Library in San Marino and so there was a lot of traffic on our street. I always had about 12 pots of yellow tulips lining the steps up to our front door. Tourists would stop in front of our house to take photos on our steps. I was famous for how long my tulips bloomed. But I had a dirty little secret: once the real tulips wilted, I replaced the stems with fake ones! Since they were surrounded by the live plant material, no one noticed that they weren't real. (Feel free to steal my idea).

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Happy Birthday Alan!

Here's something I thought you'd enjoy on your birthday (since you insist you know everything)

A Quiz for the person who knows everything
1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters 'dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'

Answers To Quiz:

1. Boxing

2. Niagara Falls (The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.)

3. Asparagus and rhubarb.

4. Strawberry.

5. It grew inside. (The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.)

6. Dwarf, dwell and dwindle .

7. Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.

8. Lettuce.

9. Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

So Alan, How did you do???? Yeah, I thought so. Now you know everything.

(and so do I. I feel smarter already)

Tacky, Tasteless, and Ridiculously Extravagant:

"Care to strut around with some real dead animals on your feet? Designer Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier not only thinks you do, but he's willing to bet that at least some of us are willing to pay through the nose for the privilege. The Dovima, as the shoe is known, is beautiful (and slightly creepy) thanks to the rose pink-dyed taxidermy birds perched delicately on each toe. Each stuffed bird also has a crystal-encrusted head and is further complemented by 24 ct gold-coated mesh, silk, ribbons, and crocodile-skin rosettes. Plus every pair comes with special protective crocodile or snakeskin platforms that attach before you wear them to keep the shoes from ever touching the ground. All for just $43,000 and three months of waiting after you order. "

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I copied this right off AOL ...unbelievable! I'm flabbergasted. But it got worse. They showed a diamond-encrusted pen that had over 30 carats of diamonds on a solid platinum barrel for just under $2 million and a Diamond iPhone surrounded by diamonds which featured a 6.6 carat diamond for $2.45 million! Oh and did I mention the 24 karat gold life- size statue of Kate Moss with her legs wrapped around her head for $2 million? (It was so disturbing I couldn't post the photo).

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Obama, if I were you, I'd be watching who buys this stuff and increase their taxes to 95% - apparently they would have no problem with that.

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Stock Market Crash > Net Worth

Buffet and Gates have lost half their net worth. Those of us who have put our money in the stock market are in that same boat. We've ALL lost half of our net worth - and it may not have hit bottom yet. But hey, it doesn't really matter. Seriously.

I don't know about you, but the bulk of our wealth was all "on paper" and what we will lose is all "on paper." Our actual standard of living isn't going to change all that much. Even if it did, I've come to realize that there are a lot of things more important than living the lifestyle of the Rich and Famous. Like what? Like being happy where ever you are, doing whatever you are doing. Like making those around you happy. Like enjoying good health. Like paying attention to life and participating in it instead of observing it. I can live with that.
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Happy Birthday Adam!

Since your birthday always falls on St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd share a little "green" joke with you (your grandfather emailed this to me. You are too young to think this is funny - but trust me, it's hilarious):

An 85-year old man is walking through the park. He hears, “Pssst!” The man looks down, and there’s a frog. The frog says, “If you pick me up and kiss me, I will turn into a beautiful young princess and make love to you whenever you want.” The old man bends down, picks up the frog, puts it in his pocket, and keeps walking. The frog says, “Hey, aren’t you gonna kiss me?” The old man says, “At my age? I’d rather have a talking frog.”

Food Trends

It is interesting how the food we eat has changed over the years.

1950’s – “Comfort Foods”: Fried Chicken, Meatloaf, Pot Roast, Pork chops and gravy, tuna casseroles, Stew, Lima beans and ham hocks. Salads were generally just a mix of iceberg, radishes, maybe some shredded carrot and Thousand Island, Blue Cheese or French Dressing. Jello salads were also popular. Desserts were: cakes, pies, Pudding, Ice cream sundaes, and Strawberry Shortcake. People rarely went out to dinner (and there were very few places to go even if you wanted to).

1970’s – Pizza and Chinese food were popular (because they delivered!). Women were more experimental in the kitchen: Swedish meatballs, Mexican casseroles, Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Curry, crepes, quiche, fondue (everyone had a fondue pot). Even salads got a new twist: Ceasar salad, Mexican salads, Chinese salads. Ranch Dressing reigned supreme. Desserts: Fruit tarts, Chocolate mousse, Caramel custards, Souffles, Bundt cakes, Cherries jubilee, Bananas Foster. People went out to dinner. Fast foods were extremely popular and Really good restaurants had plenty of loyal customers.

1990’s –Healthy foods were in the forefront: Pizzas with sundried tomato, feta cheese and basil; low fat, reduced fat, spa cuisine. More exotic foods started appearing: White chili, Southwestern cuisine, Cajun, roasted garlic, balsamic vinegar, cilantro (ugh – still hoping that goes away). Gourmet everything. Everyone went out to dinner… a lot. Plenty of family dining, take out, drive throughs, etc. , and celebrity chefs opened high priced gourmet restaurants in every major city.

2000’s – Low carbs are key. Chipotle, Panini sandwiches, sandwich wraps, Lettuce wraps, flavored martinis, etc. are "Good Things." (I woudn't call cupcakes a good thing, but they are taking over the dessert category in a big way). The Food Network and Food Channel have gotten women in the kitchen again cooking up a storm. The food critics praise foods that are “sweet and savory” have a blend of exotic flavors and aromas, and have “crunch.” Health food markets are taking over (with an emphasis on tofu, soy products, and organically grown foods ). When you dine in an expensive restaurant, you expect to see a “stack” of something, and the portions are much smaller than what you got in the 70’s and 80’s.

Going out to dinner has become so much a part of our culture that we spend less and less time in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the economy has forced the closure of many good restaurants because people can’t afford to go out right now.

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As a side note, it seems very odd to me that the healthier our trends tend to get, the fatter the children get. Back in the 50's when we were eating fried foods, potatoes, and apple pie, there was only one fat kid in our elementary school. Today, when mom's are eating tofu and veggies, the kids are eating fast food and Cheetos and one 1 out of 3 elementary kids are obese.

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(for the Food Channel's top 10 food trends for 2009, click here)

American Idol

The official start of the show was this week - with the top 13 performing. A lot of people don't even watch the show until it gets to the 12 (this year 13) who made the cut. I'm not one of those. I watch from day one. I like to learn about the contestants and do my own pick of who I think should be on the show. I watched ALL the auditions and I picked my winner the minute I saw his audition. The rest of you saw him perform Tuesday night and even without all the hype, I'm sure you recognized him as not just a forerunner, but the clear winner. They might as well end the show now. Congratulations Adam Lambert!

I know, the rumors are flying about him being gay. Is he? Isn't he? So what? He’s a rock star – and he’s going to be the biggest star American Idol has ever launched. Trust me.

The only question is: Who else will be in the top four (the most likely to record hits, star on Broadway, ...or headline cruise ship entertainment – just kidding – or not). My picks are:
Lil Rounds, Danny Gokey, and Allison Iraheta (not necessarily in that order)
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Walking

I grow weary of all the hype about walking. Every couple of months there’s a feature article on AOL encouraging people to walk. Emails abound extolling the virtues of walking. But I’m not buying into it.

I kinda/sorta thought about walking when I read that walking 30 minutes per day burns waist fat and shrinks the waist first –even before we lose weight (because keeping waist size down reduces your risk of diabetes by 58% and diabetes is one thing I really don’t want because there is no way I could ever give up Reisens and red licorice).

I prefer the Emails that mock walking:

Walking can add minutes to your life.
This enables you, at 85 years old,
to spend an additional 5 months
in a nursing home at $7000 per month.

My grandpa started walking five miles
a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old
and we don't know where he is.

The only reason I would take up walking
is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

To avoid becoming a total couch potato, I do make an effort to walk at least once a week…through the mall a few times. Shopping, after all, is my favorite exercise.

Exercise

I wrote a whole blog about exercise last year, but obviously my friends never read it because they keep trying to get me to join them at Curves.

Been there, done that. I joined a health club several years ago, spent about 400 bucks and never lost a pound. ( Apparently you have to go there. )

My favorite quote about exercise is:

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise,'
I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

My husband’s favorite quote is:

I get my exercise being a pall bearer at the funerals
of my friends who exercise.

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Yes, I’m overweight - But no more so than a woman of my age has been throughout history. We’re supposed to look matronly. That’s part of God’s plan – and who am I to try to change that?

We get heavier as we get older because there's a lot more information in our heads.That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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3-Ingredient Chicken Recipes

Here are my three favorite chicken recipes:

For these three recipes, you can use the chicken leg and thigh (attached) or a boneless breast (preferably skin on): You drizzle the oil over the chicken (or you can "paint" it on with a basting brush), then sprinkle the seasoning. Broil, skin side up until skin bubbles and starts to turn black then lower the heat and cook for about 40 minutes, or until there is no pink juice running out when you pierce it with a knife. Serve with Rice a Roni and your favorite vegetable (I like corn).

Chicken Recipe #1, olive oil, dried tarragon. Broil, then reduce heat to 300

Chicken Recipe #2, olive oil, Knorr’s dry onion soup mix. Bake at 350

Chicken Recipe #3, olive oil, ground dry ginger, dried onion. Broil then reduce heat to 300
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Middle Name Pride Day

Apparently, today is "Middle Name Pride Day." Who knew? Fortunately, my middle name is quite normal - "Lynn." Oh, but wait, that's not really my middle name. I don't actually have a middle name. My first name is Jeri-Lynn (which was meant to be one name). So I guess I have nothing to celebrate.

Okay then, I'll celebrate my father's middle name, "Thurman." Now there's a name. His first name is James so he lucked out. His parents, siblings and my cousins weren't so lucky. His father's name was Horatio and his mother's name was Easter Belle. He had a brother named "J" (yes, just the letter). He had three sisters, Wanda, Vinita, and Exie (What kind of name is "Exie" anyway?). Wanda married a guy named Marion and Exie married a guy named "Slim" (which kinda took the sting out of her name). My cousins were Rayfield and his sister Adelya; Claydine and her brother Jody, etc..

Bottom line is that with all the weird names in my family, "Jeri-Lynn" almost sounds like a normal name. I think I'll celebrate that.
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Thought for the Day...

There's a lot of truth to this statement - at least in MY house. I spend waaaaay too much time on the web (my daughters call be spider woman). Is there a 12-step program for computeraholics?
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What to Say When...

I'm giving a talk tonight at the Rio Grande ward's enrichment meeting (Henderson, Nevada) and I thought I'd share an important thought with you all.

We all want to help our friends in crisis, but we often wonder how to go about it.

There are three steps to working through a crisis (death in the family, diagnosis of a serious disease, etc.). The person needs to:

Talk about what happened
Talk about how he/she feels about what happened
Talk about what he/she plans to do about what happened

Notice I said, Talk, Talk, Talk. What does that tell you about your role as a friend? You must Listen, Listen, Listen! God gave you two ears and one mouth. Use them proportionately.

Listen even if it's the same story over and over. Don't avoid your friend because you don't want to hear anymore. The fact that they are still talking about it means they still NEED to talk about it.

What people want is just to know that someone cares. Your role is not to solve your friend's problems. What is needed from you is a sympathetic ear and small acts of kindness.

(for how to help with specific problems, go to my free online book: helpingothers.ws )

Spring Cleaning

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I finally found out how to clean my garage. I’ve been trying to clean it for years by grabbing a large garbage bag and a garbage can and sifting through the pile of boxes looking for things to throw away or give away. But I never seemed to be able to make a dent.

My son-in-law said, “It’s time to clean out your garage.” I said, “Yeah, I’ll just change my clothes and meet you out there.” By the time I got to the garage, he had taken everything out – and I mean EVERYTHING! We vacuumed the floor, washed the cupboards then started bringing things in that I actually wanted. The rest was sorted into four piles: throw away, give away, come and get it (for my kids to go through to see if they wanted it), and garage sale (which ended up at Deseret Industries because I just didn’t want to go to all the work of a garage sale)

There is a huge difference between trying to sort through stuff to find things you don’t want, and only putting what you do want back in. All of a sudden I had a clean garage. And I was forced to complete the task in a reasonable length of time because all my junk was piled in the driveway and I couldn’t put my car in until the pile was gone. Genius!