“Let us realize that the privilege to work is a GIFT, 

that power to work is a BLESSING, 

and that love of work is SUCCESS!” Pres. David O. McKay

When my son Logan was 5 years old he was out in my parents yard watching his great grandfather, Howard Cloward, dig a big hole for a drainage system in the front yard.  This hole was deep enough that when grandpa stood in it you could only see his head and shoulders.  He needed a pencil, and decided to ask his little "helper."   

Grandpa Howard:  Logan, will you go get me a pencil?

Logan:  I don't have a pencil.

Grandpa Howard:  Will you go inside the house and get a pencil for me?

Logan:  I don't know where one is.

Grandpa Howard:  Ask your mom or your grandma where a pencil is.

Logan:  I don't know where they are.

Grandpa Howard:  I bet there is one in the phone drawer desk.

Logan:  I don't think there is one in there.

Grandpa Howard:  Could you please go find one for me so I don't have to climb out of this hole?

Logan:  I don't want to.

So, Grandpa Howard, who at the time was in his  70's, climbed out of that huge hole, walked in the house and got himself a pencil and went back in the hole to work.

    

 Mike, comes from a family of hard workers.  When he was young he worked from sun up to sun down, unless he could find a way to hide!  (Which he did one day.  His parents finally called the police after looking for him for hours and they couldn't find him.  They eventually found him sound asleep in his closet.)  So, you can imagine our embarrassment when Grandpa Howard told us this story! 

How do we teach our children today the importance of work? 

1.  Assign everyday chores :

      Make bed, straighten room, put away clean clothes, empty the garbage, empty                    the dishwasher, sweep the floor, vacuum, clear the table, load the dishwasher, dust the furniture, shake rugs. 

Weekend chores:  

        Change their sheets on their bed, dust bedroom, straighten drawers, clean out

closet.  ( When my daughter is watching tv, I will take out one of her drawers from her dresser and put it in front of her to organize - multi tasking!) Clean toilet, wipe up floors, mow the lawn, trim the grass, pull weeds, sweep out the garage, sweep gutters and driveway.  

2.  Pay by the job.  Don't just give them an allowance - they might think they are entitled to that money without having to work for it.  

3.  When you give them a chore for the first time, show them how you want it done. Stay with them, watch  while they are working so you can help or answer questions. Teach them to do the job right the first time so they don't have to go back and redo it.  

Make work fun by writing up the chores on papers and putting them in a jar.  They pick out of the jar one chore, after that one is done do the next one.  Put on some great tunes while they work!  

  

   Some of the best stories ever told start out with  "Once Upon a Time. . ."  this is one of those stories, so, that is how I will begin.

     Once upon a time, in the year 1307, in the beautiful country of Switzerland, there was a small Canton, (what we call a town) named Uri, where a man by the name of William Tell lived with his son.  William was known as a strong man, a mountain climber and an expert marksman with the bow and arrow.  Switzerland was under the control of Austria and  was ruled by a man named Albert Geisler.  To anger the people in the town of Uri, Albert had a pole erected in the middle of town square, placed his hat upon the pole and demanded that the townspeople bow down and worship his hat.  If anyone defied his order they were to be put to death! 

   On November 18,  as William tell and his son passed through the town square Tell refused to bow down and worship Albert's hat. He was immediately arrested, along with his young son.  Geisler, hearing of Tell's defiance, was outraged, but devised a cruel punishment.  Tell and his son's fate was death by hanging. But, Tell was told by Geisler that he would spare their lives if Tell could shoot an apple off the head of his son with his bow and arrow.  As difficult as this task would seem, William felt confident in his skills as an expert marksman.  He  chose his arrow, loaded his bow, pulled back,  and carefully aimed the tip of that arrow on the apple of his precious son's head and in one single shot let the arrow go! The arrow split the apple right in two!  They were given their freedom!

   Geisler noticed Tell had a second arrow in his quiver and asked what it was for, to which Tell heroically replied, "It was designed for you if I had killed my son."  

   When was the last time you summoned up the courage to stand  for something you believed in even though you knew you could be mocked or ridiculed or embarrassed? 

   Be ready to stand up for what is right. We bow down to no one but God!  And that, my friends, is how you can move towards having a "Happily Ever After."  

                                                        The END

    

AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!  

                                                                 
                                                           AN AMERICAN CLASSIC

You want the recipe?  You won't ever find a recipe on my blog - so, go to Crown Burger for an amazing hamburger and fries and then go to Corbin's  for their molten lava dessert!  
                       Both restaurants are in Layton, Utah!  
                           It saves messing up your kitchen!

Now, do I have your attention?

Below is a picture of  statues etched with sadness, misery and despair and they stand as a  reminder of "The Great Famine" that took place in Ireland. The single greatest disaster in Irish history to effect its people. The famine was caused by the failure of the potato crop in 1845 when it was ravaged by the potato blight.  The crop  failed again in 1846, at which stage people were dying in the tens of thousands, the potato crop did not fail in 1847 but the yield was very low and would remain low in the following years, never exceeding more than 50% of the 1844 yield. By 1851 over one million people had died and over one million had emigrated, scattered to the four corners of the world, never to see their homeland again, the population of the country was reduced from over 8 million before the famine to just 6 million by 1851.

 

The statues were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor, Rowan Gillespie, and it is appropriate that they are located right on Custom House Quay in Ireland, as it was from there, on St. Patrick’s day in 1846, that one of the first voyages during the famine period was made taking survivors to America on the ship  Perseverance. The ship landed in New York on the 18th of May in 1864. 

They came to America!  I love the ship's name.  That is what America is all about!  We persevere through hard times, and  difficult times and we help others who struggle along the way.  We, the people, make America great by working hard every day for the food we put on the table. The next time you go to a grocery store and buy food or to a restaurant and order a burger and fries with hot fudge cake for dessert, stop and offer a prayer of thanks for the very jobs that pay us the money to buy the food God gives us - because he does give us all!

Thursday!

This is a story I wrote in my journal when my son Logan was on his mission and my daughter and her husband took my grandchildren out to Iowa for school!  I thought you'd get a kick out of this.  With only one child at home it is quiet and a huge adjustment!  Everyday my eyes pooled with tears!  So, it has been great to look back and realize I made it through a time I thought would last forever!
Here it is:  
My Journal Entry -
Just thought I would write to let you all know that I am officially depressed, thanks to Todd, my 8 year old nephew. Kate, my little sister, dropped him off with London, his 3 year old sister awhile ago because she and Corey are moving into their new office. I thought it would help her and we all know we are blessed when we help others! So, it all began as soon as Katie left. This is how our conversations went.
Todd: Marnie, so are you all alone all day?
Marnie: Yes. I am until Kylee and Mike get home.
Todd: So you were all alone until me and Lunbum came?
Marnie: Yes, Todd I was. I am glad you two came.
Todd: Are you alone everyday?
Marnie: Yes, Todd
Todd: Oh
That seemed to satisfy him for about 60 seconds. Then he walked past Logan's countdown chart that we keep on the magnet board.
Todd: What is this?
Marnie: THat is the countdown for Logan's mission. The colored in circles tells us how many days he has been gone.
Todd: (I knew this was coming before he even opened his mouth) So are all the white circles the days he has left until he comes home?
Marnie: Yes it is.
Todd: That's a lot of days til he comes home! Does Kylee color them or do you?
Marnie: Yes it is. Kylee colors them.
Todd: She has lots of coloring still to do.
Marnie: Yes she does.
That seemed to satisfy him until we started walking down the stairs. I knew he was going to say something as he was looking at a family picture of us taken about 6 years ago. The days right before Nate.
Todd: So, is this what your family was like when you were all together along time ago?
Marnie: Yes it is.
Todd: That was a long time ago that you were altogether, wasn't it?
Marnie: Yes Todd, it was.
Todd: I bet you really miss Logan don't you?
Marnie: Yes, I do.
Thought we were done for awhile with that conversation - I felt a little depressed, but pulled myself out of it. He sat on the couch trying to decide what he wanted to do. Then he got up and started walking toward our map on the wall downstairs. I knew his wheels were spinning.
Todd: Marnie?
Marnie: Yes, Todd?
Todd: Show me where Logan is on his mission.
Marnie: Right here, pointing to NC
Todd: Show me where Joni and Nate and Kennedi and McCord live.
Marnie: Right here, pointing to Iowa
Todd: Show me where we live.
Marnie: Right here, pointing to Utah.
Todd: Wow, they live far away huh?
Marnie: Yes they do Todd.
Todd: I bet you really miss them since they are gone.
Marnie: Yes, I do.
Todd: They will be gone for a long time. Can I play the wii?

I don't think I'll invite Todd over for awhile.
Marn

Two "THUMB's Up for Texting!"

 The 20th Century brought many wonderful inventions into the world, the car, airplane, vacuum cleaners, disposable razors, the microwave, television . . . I could go on and on. If you were to ask me what I thought was the BEST invention ever made in the 20th Century, I would have to say Cell Phones.

In May 1844, Samuel Morse (Morse Code) sent the first official telegram  over the line from Washington DC to Baltimore with the message: "What hath God wrought?" Do you think Samuel Morse realized then the significance of what he had invented? The first form of TEXTING!!!!  

Remember making phone calls and getting a busy signal?  I remember a Brady Bunch episode when the family phone was being used constantly so Mike installed a  pay phone for the family use.  They would deposit dimes for their minutes.  When the dimes ran out your phone time was over!  Remember that one?  It backfired!  

No matter the problem,  phones are critical to our communication today - now more than ever before.  

I am a mother of an 11 year old girl,who has just begun using her
IPOD for texting. She isn't my first child to text.  My other two children (who are 16 and 10 years older than her) didn't get phones until they were 16 because back in "those days" they were still a novelty.  When my son gave my 11 year old his used (3rd generation) IPOD Touch, she was thrilled and instantly downloaded a "texting app."     

It wasn't long until I came to recognize the musical chime when a text came in for her to read, which after time came frequently.  A few weeks into this new found freedom I noticed I wasn't hearing that musical chime as much anymore.  I asked her why and she told me she just gets sick of texting.  It's a waste of time because we aren't really saying anything.     
   At that moment I realized for the first time that my 11 year old might have some self-discipline and some common sense.

So, my daughter and I had a brainstorming session!  Here are some fun ideas we came up with to text about:

1. Text a Compliment -  You are kind 
2.     Text a one question quiz - Whats the capital of Florida?
3.     Text a quote and pass it on- "Believe that you can do it- what ever it is                                          
        that you set your heart on."
4.  Text positive gossip. Did you hear that Jen has a pretty smile?! Pass it on! 
5.   Text a nice scripture- " Mosiah 2: 41"
6.    Text an invite! - Invite a friend to say: "Mom, I love u!"
7.    Text an  "I am thankful for... "
8.    Text a good, clean joke!- "What did the hungry Dalmation say when he had a meal?"
        That hit the spots!  ha ha
9.    Text "A word of the day."  - ask for the definition. like "mishap"
10. Text a service idea. Set the table without being asked.

There you have it!  Cell phones are a wonderful invention. Let's just use them for good!
         And that's an idea for the day! 
                                                 PASS IT ON!!
  

New Day!

"I was born ready for this! No I wasn't, but I'm ready now." Who said that? Hint - it's a tv show. In my family we love movies. We are hooked on quotes from movies.
My 2nd day on the job entailed a bit more responsibility. I got to sort the mail. I realized that every job is important. What if you put the wrong mail in someone's box?
I'm waiting for my daughter to get home from school. The other day I washed her coat according to the manufactures instructions. Wash in cold, tumble dry low. Well, it melted the fur that is around the collar. So I took it back to Old Navy - which they were so good about returning it for me - and thought I would be able to find a coat on clearance. NO one has coats right now! There were a few out there that were still expensive at 60% off. So my daughter is coatless right now. I am praying for better weather! She actually does have a white coat that is a little too small - she won't wear it because she says she looks like a marshmellow in it! Nothing wrong with marshmellows!
I learned today how important it is to take vitamins! Did you know that you need 1000 - 2000 mg of Vitamin D3 everyday! I guess we don't get enough sunlight, since we use sunblocks and sunglasses. I am now taking that plus some iron. I am a firm believer in eating healthy foods - I just don't do it myself. I have got to change!! If there is a dessert available I would rather eat that! I am going to work on that - starting right after I eat the Snicker bar I have in the fridge!
I learned today on Studio 5 that carnations have turned over a chic new leaf! Check them out on Studio5.ksl.com. Pretty little flowers! I love flowers!

Welcome to March!

Wake up everyone! Look lively! The sun is out resplendent in all it's glory!! This is my very first ever blog and post. My goal is to entertain and inform.
Today was quite eventful for me. I had to renew my drivers license. It expires in 12 days. I am really pleased with the Utah Driver's License Division in Farmington, Utah. I looked online to see their operation of hours and they had a list of exactly what forms I would need. You can even make an appointment, even though it isn't required. I walked in and was greeted very pleasantly by a woman and a man. My only complaint was that I wasn't able to look at my picture after it was taken. When I did look at it on paper one side of my hair is quite a bit more poofy than the other side! Oh well, guess I'll have to live with it! I was efficiently run through the system and on my way with a temporary license in hand. I was in and out in a matter of 20 minutes! Seriously.
Have any of you ever been fingerprinted? I was hired yesterday for a school district job. Did you know they have to have your fingerprints? Well, apparently my fingerprints are difficult to detect and had to rub some special oil on my hands to help the computer out. What happened to the good 'ol black ink? I think I would have liked that better!
I showed up for my new job. I was able to monitor the lunch room at a junior high. It was fun! I watched 1200 plus kids run in and stand in line to get their lunch. Very effecient process. It felt like I was at home bossing my kids around! Make sure you throw that away. Don't push, don't butt in line - really good kids! They all wondered what I was doing there! New face in the crowd to watch over them. Teenagers are great!
I love talk radio! My favorite new radio show is "The Browser." It is on from 12 - 3 every Monday through Friday. They surf the net for you and give you great new ideas! Check it out!
I just found out on Good Things Utah that the name Jr. Miss was changed to Distinguished Young Women of Utah! Good change.
distinguishedyw.org.
Here's a new fab idea!! Go Justin! He asked everyone to donate $17, since today was his 17th b-day, to his favorite charity!
Bieber is raising cash for Charity: Water, a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Good Boy!! He raised over $32,000.
It's easy to ask people to donate a dollar amount that is under 20 bucks! What about people who are my age? That is a scary amount to ask for!
My son-in-law asked me today who I want voted in as President of the US for 2012. Good question! Exciting to think about and a lot to look into!