Why isn't this being smeared across our TV's???

Watch this video. It's a report that was given on Fox News back in 2008 and I can't believe (actually I can) that we haven't heard more about this and that all the other news stations IGNORE this! It's because it is exonerating to Bush and incriminating to the liberal Democrats.

Bush started warning congress in 2001 about the economic crisis Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae could cause if nothing was done to regulate them. He warned again and again, but no one listened. He took the fall, since the crisis started the last few months of his presidency. Notice how he didn't point the finger and blame others. I have more respect for him, the more I get involed in politics. Sure, he made mistakes, but man, this is huge!

I do not blame the democrats. I do not blame the republicans. I blame them both. I just wish where were somewhere to get good information that explores BOTH sides of the spectrum.

Provo Tea Party

Lately, Brett and I have been worried about the direction our country is going. We are so far away from the principles our country was founded on. I do not think the Constitution is a living breathing thing that changes as the times change. It is absolute. It is what the people in our country should live by and the people who are leading our country should lead by.

So, I took a stand.

I want to do something about things, instead of just complaining about things.

This was my first ever protest. I was a little nervous about it, and especially to take the kids. But, I knew I could just leave if things go out of hand. So, we took a chance.

Wednesday morning, I had a good talk with the kids about the Boston Tea Party. When I first told them we were going to a tea party, they got all excited and asked what to wear! I felt a little bad about dashing their excitement for a tea party. But then I explained to them we were protesting the governing leaders in America. (And no, I'm not just talking about Obama and the democrats. There are plenty of republicans that I was protesting, too.) I taught them about the first tea party and why they were protesting back then. Then I told them our reasons for wanting to protest now. We talked about the debt we are incurring and how the Fed just pumped 1 trillion dollars into the system to buy debt from our treasury. What does that mean? How can you do that? We are borrowing money from ourselves to pay ourselves for programs we can't afford. They have lowered interest rates as low as they can and this was a last-ditch effort. The light bulb flicked on in Connor's head and he said, "Mom, if I wanted more money, I couldn't just go to the printer and print some for myself, right? That would be dishonest, right?" He got it. They created that money out of thin air...

I found a computer program online that will show you really how much 1 trillion is. The kids were shocked!!!

I am concerned about health care. I don't want socialized medicine. Other places have tried it and it doesn't work. Do you know what most public school systems are like? How about the post office? How about the DMV? Do you like going to any of these places? Do you try to avoid them at all costs, if you can? Government run places and programs really aren't that great and when it comes to my health and the health of my family, I want only the best. That is why people come to America for medical care. Seriously. Socializing medicine is not a good thing.

I want to be able to have a gun in my home. I want to be able to afford to buy bullets. I don't want to be taxed through the nose when buying bullets.

I don't want to pay more taxes. I know that hasn't happened yet, but I think it's coming. Why not have everyone pay a flat tax rate? Just like tithing? It works for Him, why not the government?

Speaking of our money that we earn, I don't want to be FORCED to give it to people. I choose to be charitable and to give generously. But, I do not want to be forced to give it to people. A lot of whom choose to not work, chose to buy things they cant afford and to waste the money they do have. I think giving money to people like that takes away their desire to work. It takes away the initiative; their drive; it takes away the drive to be better and do better. It takes away the drive to be the best. That leads to less innovation, less prosperity...it's just a downward spiral.

I made it very clear to the kids that this was not an anti-Obama protest. I don't care who the president is, if they were taking the country in this same direction, I'd feel the exact same way and be doing the exact same thing. No joke.

So, it's time to take a stand.

We made signs for each kid to hold. Some of our sayings were:

• Armed and dangerous...WITH MY VOTE!


• DC: The longer you stay, the less you remember about us


• 3 Simple Words: WE THE PEOPLE


• Debt is the problem; how can it be the solution, too?


• Don't spread my wealth; spread my work ethic


• Equal opportunity; not equal distribution


• Honest change for America: The Constitution
  

This is my brother's AWESOME sign. This is the essence of it all: WE THE PEOPLE!

It's funny. The media didn't really cover the tea parties fairly. I saw one lady from CNN interview a dad with a toddler and he stated why he was there. She cut him off and said, "This is anti-CNN, anti-Obama and this is just not family viewing...." It was ridiculous! A lot of the media said the campaigns were anti-Obama, even KSL said that. But they were not anti-Obama at all.

The main-stream media was very biased. The LA Times had an interesting article. It said, "If you want to know how to get ready for one of these tea parties, go by some glue and sniff it. They said those who were going were "Steeped in insanity". The Washington Post called me a "Nut-job."

Also, I just learned that last Tuesday night I went to bed a stay-at-home-mom, and woke up Wednesday morning as an extremist. The Department of Homeland Security put out a report on Right Wing Extremists. This would include people who are against abortion, against gay marriage, for the right to bear arms. I think if this were the other way around, and those who were pro-choice and for gay marriage were classified as extremists, the ACLU would have already filed a suit against the government and we'd still be hearing about it today!

Actually, the tea party was really a great experience. It was very inspiring and uplifting. There was no shouting or yelling (except the chanting of U - S - A, U - S - A !!!!!). There were no 'crazies' there (which I was grateful for). The speakers were very uplifting and kind. The people who were there were just normal, everyday people like me and all very nice. I was very impressed.

I am so glad I went. I look forward to attending more in the future. I want to make a difference and teach my children that little efforts by normal people can change the world.

My New, Old Table

I've had this table for about 11 years. My parents gave it to us when we got married becuase they didn't use it anymore. Well, when we lived in the Village, we had a spot for this table and it was fine to use in that apartment. But, there wasn't really a spot for the table in our new home, and let's face it: It's totally 80's. Not really the style of my house now.

It's been sitting down in our unfinished basement for almost 3 years now. I haven't even thought about it in 3 years.

Then, one day, I saw it and a bolt of creativity hit me! I knew what to do with that table: I was going to paint it RED! When we first moved into our home, I knew I wanted red couches. After much shopping around, we found the perfect couches, in the perfect color. I also knew I wanted me kitchen red. The red from our kitchen also matches the red from the couches in the living room. I love it. We had some red paint left over from our kitchen and I knew that was to be the color!

Before

I started off by sanding the wood veneer off. That, in itself took FOREVER! I wondered what I was getting myself into. But, I could imagine the end product and that drove me to keep going.

Those square areas once had glass panels, wrapped in gold in them! Very, very 80's!

Look at that nice 80's wicker!

After

Coats of Red paint= 2

Coats of poly-urithane= 4

Number of times glazed= close to 5

In place of the ugly glass paneling, I had Brett cut some bead board to put in place of it.

I think it really looks great there.

The Final Touches

I had so much fun doing this and I was reminded of Elder Uchtdorf's talk from the General Relief Society meeting last September. All women do have the need to create and creating is what makes us happy. I truly felt a sense of fulfillment after completing this project and I loved working on it. Now I look around the house at all our furniture, wondering what I can refinish!

Thanks to my wonderful, fabulous sister-in-law, Kim, for all her help!!

He is Risen!

I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter. Ours was truly amazing and wonderful. We decided to do all the secular part of Easter yesterday so we could focus more as a family on the Savior today. We had a big candy hunt with Brett's extended family and then went out to dinner. We came home and got ready for bed and gave the kids their Easter outfits and a little gift. Then we got out some special Easter eggs that mom gave me. These eggs have a little slip of paper that gives a scriptural account of the Easter story and a little trinket to represent what they're talking about. Each egg has a number and you're supposed to open one each day before Easter. We decided to do it all in one night. It was awesome. Reading about the crucifixion of the Savior and His Ressurection really set the stage nicely. The spirit was in our home and we were ready for a wonderful day of worship. Our church service was wonderful. The choir did a program that had speakers interspersed into it. I was just in love with the songs we sang. I was so excited to be singing them this morning. The results were incredible. The spirit in our meeting was so strong; it was beautiful. It is amazing how the spirit can help a ward choir and help the audience be touched. We had an investigator there along with the full-time missionaries. We were so excited about that. It was the perfect day for her and her daughter to come. The spirit really was strong.

As I came home from church, I opened my email to write to my brother and sister, who are both serving missions. I was hit with the headlines of the day and all the frustration and turmoil of the world came rushing to my mind. It made me realize how much I need the Sabbath day and how grateful I am for the Sabbath. It truly is a day to rest from the cares of the world, if we let it be. That is the trick. We have to be disciplined enough to not get into all the same things we do during the week, and then the Sabbath truly is a day of rest, a different day to rejuvenate, inspire, and to focus on those things that are at the center of our dwelling: Christ and the Gospel. How truly blessed I feel to have the gospel in it's fullness in our lives.

Here is a vidoe clip set to picture and music from Elder Holland's talk from General Conference last week.

Mormon Messages

Have you guys heard of "Mormon Messages"?

Mormon Messages is an official channel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Each week, Mormon Messages provides short video segments about the Church's basic beliefs, as well as inspiring stories and messages of hope. Watch these gospel-centered videos and then share them with family, friends and those of other faiths.

We all know of the filth that is on the internet, but also the great and wonderful blessings that come with this amazing technology. This youtube channel is one of those technological blessings.

My mom sent me this clip of Elder Uchtdorf's talk that he gave September 2008 to the women of the Relief Society. This talk gave me hope and comfort as I prepare for my upcoming Women's Conference talk at BYU. I hope you enjoy it.