To Read or Not to Read? That is the Question.

Alan thnks I read too much. How can that be? I know, I know, I have a pile of books and magazines by my bed and I think there should be a bookscase in every room of our house and my favorite store is Barnes & Noble. My favorite presents, Christmas, birthday, Mother's Day or any day, are books, and my favorite thing to do is sit down and read a book. I can't even go into the bathroom without reading material. Sometimes, if I haven't got a book in there, I resort to reading stupid things like soap ingredients. And that's why Alan thinks I read too much. I know that it gets in the way of other things, but on the other hand I find that I know a lot of things like . . . what's in soap, and I know how to do a lot of things because I'm a good reader. For example . . . . . . I can't think of anything right off the top of my head, but I know do. I thought it would be fun to find out if some of you are avid reader's like me and I thought a quiz on quotes from books would work to find out if you are. Now, I admit, all the quotes are from books I know about, so you might find this to be slightly girly, but Zack knew at least six of the quotes, and Zack doesn't read girly books! The quotes I have gathered are from all sorts of books; children's, YA, grown-ups, so don't feel like you won't know anything. Everyone will know some of them. Just read them and see if you know the book that it came from, and who said it. Have fun and enjoy.
1. “I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange?” (Technically not a book.)

2. “Clam chowder for lunch!”

3. “And my father dwelt in a tent.”

4. “You was always slow to see the point. If you fool with women you’ll get hit by a stove lid, sooner or later, whereas if you live with Mexicans you have to expect beans in your diet.”

5. “It’s all very well calling me, m’dear!, but odd’s life, I cannot come to you: those demmed frog-eaters have trussed me like a goose on a spit, and I am weak as a mouse . . . I cannot get away.”

6. “Hello again, and now do you like my hat?”

7. “I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one. Or at least as close as we’re going to get.

8. “Do not desert me, Gabriel!”

9. “Well, well,” said he, “do not make yourself unhappy. If you are a good girl for the next ten years, I will take you to a review at the end of them.”

10. “Why Charles Hamilton, you handsome old thing, you! I’ll bet you came all the way down here from Atlanta just to break my poor heart!”

11. “Oh please don’t go – we’ll eat you up – we love you so!” 12. “Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we’ll find the perfect match here somewhere – I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.”

13. “May I go out to my trough and see if I left any of my supper? I think I left just a tiny bit of mashed potato.”

14. “Thank you for my children, Arthur.”

15. “What is this meat that’s got the man?
It looks like Satan’s loose again.
How can we stand for what is true
When Satan tampers with our food?
I’ve got a burning deep inside,
But not from honor, truth, or pride.
This current burning isn’t great
Because it came from what I ate.
Because it came from what he aaaaaaaate.

16. “Compare these eyes with the red balls yonder – this face with that mask – this form with that bulk; then judge me, priest of the gospel and man of the law, and remember with what judgement ye judge ye shall be judged! Off with you now. I must shut up my prize.”

17. “Fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is ‘Never get involved in a land war in Asia,’ but only slightly less well known is this: ‘Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.”

18. “I daresay you’re wondering why I don’t put my arm round your waist,” said the Duchess after a pause; “the reason is, that I’m doubtful about the temper of your flamingo. Shall I try the experiment?”

19. “Stitch, stitch, stitch, went the secret in the kitchen.”

20. “The last time I saw her she had a red nose, but I hope that may not happen every day.”

So, Too hard? #19 is really hard and maybe #18. Please leave your answers with comments for me. In a few days I will put up all the answers and will notify you how you all did. HIT THE BOOKS!

Bad Mood + Funny Jokes = New Blog

Alan had carpl tunnl surgery on his left wrist today. He cannot lift anything heavy for several weeks. It shouldn't be too hard. Zack can put the wood in the fire and shovel snow and other things that need to be done. I went to the temple today. We were going to go together, but the chance for doing the surgery today came up, and if he didn't do it today, then it would be much later before he could get it done. The whole thing took much longer than we thought it would, and when we got home, we were both tired; Alan from the Anesthesia and me from sitting and dealing with rude people. I had to go into Wal-mart for Alan's perscription pain-killer. The girl who was waiting on me asked me for Alan's name. I said "B__m". Then she said "Birthdate." I couldn't think of his birthdate real fast and as I was giving her the birthdate, she said, "I need to see a driver's license." I told her the perscription was for my husband, and I didn't have his license. Then she looked at me like I was some kind of dimwit, and said in a very rude voice, "You're getting the perscription, I need to see your driver's license. I was shocked at her rudeness and before I knew what I was doing, I said, "That's fine, but you need to not be so snotty." For the rest of the time she was helping me, she really straightened up and became very helpful. The whole thing put me in a bad mood. When I got home, I picked up this joke book and laughed so hard at some of the jokes, I decided to put them out there for you.

David Letterman: "There's turmoil in the Middle East. There's always turmoil in the Middle East and it's having an effect here in New York City. I'll tell you what I'm talking about. I'm coming to work this morning in my cab and my cab driver receives news that he is now the new leader of Hamas."

Doctor/Psychiatrist Jokes "I think I'm a moth."
"I think you need a psychiatrist."
"I know."
"So why did you come in here to the gas station?"
"The light was on."

"Sir, I'd give you maybe three minutes to live."
"Isn't there anything you can do for me, Doctor?"
"Well, would you like me to boil you an egg?"

"Mrs. Larson, you're not going deaf in your left ear. You seem to have a suppository stuck in there.
"Well, now I know what happened to my hearing aid!"

Men/Women Jokes

How do you get a man to do sit-ups?
Put the remote control between his toes.

Why do female black-widow spiders kill the males after mating?
To stop the snoring before it starts.

Man: Very few things upset my wife, and it makes me feel special to be one of them.

Woman: My husband is on a new diet, he's losing five pounds a week. In a year and a half, I'll be rid of him completely.

Do you take off your glasses because you think it makes you look better?
No, because it makes you look better.

Her: I look in the mirror and it is so depressing. My face is all wrinkled, my legs are fat, my arms are flabby, and my behind is hanging out.
Him: Well, at least there's nothing wrong with your eyesight.

Lightbulb jokes
How many pessimists does it take to change a lightbulb?
Never mind, no one would get the joke anyway.

How many 16 year-olds does it take to change a lightbulb?
WhatEVER.

How many women with PMS does it take to change a lightbulb?
Six.
Why?
It just does, okay?

And my personal favorites:
So this guy dies and goes to heaven and St. Peter takes him down the hall past a number of doors and then St. Peter stops and says, "You have to be very quiet going past that door. That's where the Mormons are, and they think they're the only ones here."

Woman: So give it to me straight,Doctor. I want to know the truth.
Doctor: Very well. Your husband is in terrible shape, and if you want him to live, you're going to have to make sure he's well fed and comfortable and happy at all times, and you're going to have to make love to him every day.
Woman: Every day?
Doctor: Everyday.
Husband: So what'd the doctor say?
Woman: He says you're going to die.

Well, anyway, They hit a funny spot in me.

Oh, If it Be to Choose and Call Thee Mine, Love, Thou Art Every Day My Valentine!

Here, on the farm, Valentine's day doesn't get very romantic. Sure, there's usually the giving of either mushy Love cards, or silly, funny cards, but not much full-blown romantic gushings. So, I'm offering a little tribute to the romantic in all of us and hope you enjoy along with my selection of romantic music and sayings. Bon Apetite!

The Big Smoocheroo

"You are my breath, my love, my very life." -- Unknown Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." --Robert Heinlein

Can You identify the smoochers and smoochees?

"Love is the greatest refreshment in Life."--Pablo Picasso


This one is supposed to be Hollywood's most famous kiss. Do you know who the kissers are, and what was the name of the movie?
A personal favorite. Pure Romance. Wouldn't you girls have liked to recieve one of these in your 3rd grade valentine box from a secret admirerer?

And now our last group: Famous Couples.

Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara
"You've been married to a boy and an old man. Why not try marrying a fine young man, who has a bad reputation and a way with women?" Rhett Butler - Gone With the Wind If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I couldwalk forever in my garden." --attributed to Claudia Ghandi
Cupid and Psyche See how she leans her cheek upon her hand. Oh that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek. --RomeoAnd Finally... Mr.Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett

"You must allow me to tell you how much I ardently love and admire you." .. Mr DarcyTakes My Breath Away

Happy Valentine's Day

The Temple is Dedicated

This morning we went to the stake center to see the 9:00 a.m. dedication of the Rexburg temple. We had our yellow tickets and white handkerchiefs. The session was supposed to start at 9:00. We waited and waited and waited. The music was playing and we were seeing pictures of the temple, but no President Monson in the Celestial room. I thought maybe they were having technical difficulties or something. Finally at 9:30, the session started. We found out later, that because of the thick fog in Rexburg and all through the valley, Pres. Monson's plane could not land in IF, but had to land in Pocatello, which made him very late. President Monson's first official duty as the President of the Church, was to dedicate the Rexburg temple. Elder Russell M. Nelson and Elder David A. Bednar were with him and President Eyring had to stay home because he broke his ankle on Tuesday. They also announced that Sister Faust had passed away. There were some talks (very good), some songs (very nice), the ceremonial mortaring of the cornerstone (very funny and cute), and then President Monson dedicated the temple. I started crying because the blessings pronounced upon the temple and the district were beautiful. Elder Bednar led us in the Hosanna Shout and we waved our handkerchiefs and shouted. "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna, to God and the Lamb! Amen, Amen, and Amen!

Then we came home had a little lunch and then headed down to Rexburg to the temple for the 2:00p.m. session. The temperatures were warming and the sun started to break through the clouds and it was so pretty up on the temple hill and my goodness, there were a lot of people in line. It also took us about 20 min to get from downtown Rexburg to the temple. That much traffic is unheard of in Rexburg. There were policemen at every intersection keeping the traffic flowing, or in our case, not flowing. This time we had blue tickets. As we entered the temple, first thing I noticed was that there were people seated in every nook and cranny of every room. They had taken all the beautiful furniture and stored it in the dressing rooms and other unused rooms and had filled up all that space with fold-up chairs. We went upstairs to one of the endowment rooms. The one below is where we sat and were able to watch it all on the big screen used for the endowment.

Elder Bednar conducted the session and Elder Nelson presided. When the choir sang, in the celestial room, we noticed that there were four members of our stake in it: Charlotte Hillam, Portia Loosli, Bill Baxter, and Matt Brady. That was neat to see them get to have that priveledge. Elder Nelson gave the dedicatory prayer, and Elder Bednar again led us in the Hosanna Shout. This time when we did the shout, Zack really waved his handkerchief high and the little man in back of me waved his handkerchief so hard he kept hitting the back of my head. I didn't think I was that close to him, or maybe he was being uber enthusiastic. I didn't mind, just thought it was a little funny. After the dedication, we went back outside and took some pictures of us in front of the temple. Hope you enjoy them. It was a very good day for us.

Looking up at the spire and the Angel Moroni

Angel Moroni

This is from the south parking lot. You can see how long the line was. We were toward the middle of the line. I was waving at Alan when he took this, but you probably can't see me. I was the one in the black dress.



A view of the temple from the southeast sidewalk


Zack and me in front of the temple after our 2:00 dedication session.


Alan and Zack in front of the temple


This is taken on the east side of the temple.

Alan Finally Says ENOUGH!!

Well, you've seen the pictures and it's all real. 3 feet and 10 inches is enough snow. Take out a measuring stick and see where that is on your body. We have been completely overwhelmed with the snowfall this month. Now it is getting scarey. Everyone is looking for someone to blow out their driveway or shovel off their roofs. Alan has had calls to please come and blow out a driveway so they can make a dentist appointment or get to a funeral (And that's another thing, we keep having funerals too!) About three days ago, Alan said he had enough snow. I've never heard those words come out of his mouth. Our friend had one of his cellars collapse with 20,000 sacks of potatoes inside. Our former bishop's machine shed fell in with all of his mchinery inside. Alan, Zack and Kent with others have been shoveling off all our buildings and they come inside exhausted after four or five hours. And its been snowing again today. So, what worries me also is that if it stays cold, 13 degrees today, this snow will not melt until May. If it warms up too fast, we will have flooding and ponding in our fields that will be hard to deal with. Really, we're not murmuring, just hoping that the snow will soon stop blessing our lives so much.

It just keeps piling up! Zack has been out of school for a week!

It's difficult now to throw the snow off to the side of the sidewalk



Our snow depth marker is now at 3 feet 10 inches



A night view of our back yard

We are now concerned of roofs caving in and busy shoveling, which puts a damper on Zack's days off from school. Drifting snow from one side of roof to the other can reach five to six feet deep.