Melva Gifford

Well with such cold temperatures what a better topic to list today than how to handle/prevent frozen pipes.

-We would open all the faucets just a crack so they would drip.
-Pipe coil available at home centers that wrap around the pipes or pipe sleeve or heat tape.
-Use a hair dryer to thaw
-Close or block foundation vents. (Remember to open them again in the spring to prevent rot.
-Take an inventory of any damaged property or possessions
-Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
-Place a warm towel or rag around the pipe.
-Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.-Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night.
-Take proper precautions to avoid an electrical shock from being in or near standing water
-Always disconnect your water hose from your outdoor spigot in the winter, or before the temperature in your area drops below freezing.
-Locate your master water shut-off valve and test it. If a pipe does break, damage can be minimized if you stop the flow of water quickly.
-Remove insulation and wrap pipes in rags
-Caulk around incoming pipes.
-During extreme cold, keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night.
-Drain water from swimming pool and water sprinkler supply lines
-If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat set to a temperature no lower than 55ºF.
-Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located in unheated areas

http://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Frozen-Water-Pipes
http://seattletimes.com/html/theweatherbeat/2013495133_howtopreventfrozenpipes.html
http://www.everettwa.org/default.aspx?ID=1084
http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm/preventing-thawing-frozen-pipes
http://www.libertymutual.com/home-insurance/tools-resources/preventing-water-damage/preventing-frozen-pipes
http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&id=178&Itemid=1703

If you have some ideas that haven’t been listed here, please feel free to share them in the comment section of the blog. Thanks

Today’s topic for teaching embellishments is inspired by two other teachers. Each of them gave a wonderful illustration of the gospel principles and I want to share them here. The first one was from a delightful blog entry that I was introduced to through Facebook. See Friday’s blog for the link. She talked about Christ’s atonement. The second one was from a teacher who taught about the Holy Ghost during a woman’s organization meeting of the relief society.

For the atonement, a blogger gave an example of how she was teaching her students the principle of acts of goodness. She had her students give examples of a good act by dropping a single drop of water from an eye dropper into an empty cup. Each time each student recalled how they performed a good act in the past such as being a good neighbor or showing compassion they were to drop water into the cup.

Then she talked about the good acts of Christ, in particular, the enormous act of the atonement where Christ took upon himself the sins of the world through the atonement in the garden of Gethsemane. To illustrate the atonement she got a bucket of water and poured the whole bucket of water into the small cup and tell it overflowed the cup, poured onto the table and the floor. I thought this is an excellent illustration of the level of goodness Christ displayed through the atonement.

The second object lesson was displayed this Sunday when the teacher was talking about the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can prompt us in answering questions we may have about God and his gospel. It can be illustrated like the off/on switch of a flashlight. The Holy Spirit can visit us and give us answers to particular questions. Then she illustrated how the Holy Ghost is a constant companion and can be a constant influence. She turned on the flashlight and kept it on, to illustrate how the Holy Ghost can be constantly with us.

When I Learned about These Object Lessons I Found Them Both to Be Delightful.

Drops of Awesome

Today’s blog is just giving two brief examples of how two people have made an impact on others.

First is a web site that enables teenagers to find volunteer opportunities. Check out http://volunteen.com/.

The second is a very upbeat blog:

Drops of Awesome

Many people use the terms “ocean” and “sea” interchangeably when speaking about the ocean, but there is a difference between the two terms when speaking of geography (the study of the Earth’s surface). Seas are smaller than oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean meet. Typically, seas are partially enclosed by land

If you have some ideas of how tell the difference between similar objects, I invite you to share them in the comment section of this blog. It is amazing how many things I don’t know and I’m constantly learning. It’s downright scary. Until next time…

Greetings. It is my hope that today’s blog on lists can be helpful if you are going to buy shoes. Here are some things to consider. I found these off the internet and gave their sources..

-Short women may want to avoid T-straps and ankle straps because they can visually cut off the leg and make it look shorter. H
-Need to know what your return and exchange options are before buying.
-Always try on both shoes and walk around the store to check for comfort.
-An ankle strap can actually make thick ankles look narrower by adding coverage and definition.
-You should have a good idea of what you want when you walk into the store
-Need something you’ll be comfortable wearing (and being seen in) for at least a few years.
-Do not buy shoes that feel like they need to be broken in. Shoes should be comfortable immediately
-Thin heels are flattering. However, the thicker the heel, the more comfortable you’ll be and the more businesslike your overall look will be.
-For the best fit and selection, go to specialty sneaker and dress shoe stores.
-Shoe size of one brand does not match another.
-Women with large feet may want to avoid very pointy shoes.
-It’s vital that you get the right shoe size. Shoes should fit right the moment you buy them. If they don’t, you put yourself at risk for everything from bunions and corns to calluses and bone spurs.
-Pumps with oval-shaped toes or square toes are comfortable and will make larger feet appear smaller:
-For the best deals, visit department stores, wholesalers and outlet malls.
– Flats are the perfect footwear with narrow pants or cropped pants, with short skirts or long skirts. If you want to wear them with mid-length skirts, choose flats with a slight lift in the heel:
-If you are going to buy shoes online, a good trick is to try on the same pair in a store to ensure a comfortable fit, and then go online for the best deal.
-Sandals show more skin on your feet, making your legs look longer.
-Visit shoe stores on Sunday mornings, or late on weeknights. Chances are you will be the only customer in the store, and the salesperson will be able to give you his full attention
-Children’s feet should be measured every three months to monitor growth. It is not unusual for a child’s feet to grow two to three sizes in one year.
-The perfect shoes to wear with pants, oxfords and loafers both have a classic, menswear-inspired feeling
-Purchase shoes for running or walking at a running specialty store. These are highly specialized shoes and you need the help of a specialist to choose the correct shoes for you
-Choose heels that are two inches high or lower and opt for thick heels, like a stacked heel or a wedge heel.
-Natural materials breathe more than synthetics, and they are usually more flexible, too.
-Try to find out shipping charges before spending a lot of time adding items to your cart.
-If padding inside the shoe is important, you may want to buy a half size larger so you can add an insert
-Find out in advance whether or not you’ll have to pay the return shipping fees if you do need to make a return or exchange.
-Classic black leather shoes are a wardrobe essential
-Shop for brand names and designer shoes to find the latest trends.
-Measure your feet late in the day: They are a bit larger later in the evening, so you will ensure that your shoes will fit well. You should also wear the socks you plan to wear with your shoes:
-Measuring: Put a piece of paper on the floor; you can tape it in place if it slips. Have a friend trace your foot with a pen or pencil perpendicular to the floor. Measure the length of your foot in inches to the closest 16th of an inch. Then measure the width of your foot in inches. Repeat with the other foot and use whichever size is larger.
-Boots: For the most flattering boots, make sure they don’t cut off your leg at its thickest point.

Sources:
-http://www.oprah.com/style/How-to-Buy-Shoes-That-Dont-Hurt-Comfortable-Fashion
-http://www.indypodiatry.com/tips-for-buying-shoes.php
-http://shoes.about.com/od/shoes_store/a/shoe_stores.htm
-http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip_250/250_fashion_advice.html
-http://www.overstock.com/guides/womens-shoes-buying-guide

If you have some advice, please feel free to share it, in the comment section. Thanks

I hope today’s lesson will be of use to parents for preparing their family devotionals and family home evenings. Last week at church we received some training as an entire congregation on how to become better teachers at church and in the home. And I got some wonderful suggestions that I wanted to include in today’s blog.

The church is going to implement an entirely new way to teach lessons. More responsibility is being put upon the teacher to pray and study on a lesson for the class and to provide time for self-reflection on the teacher’s behalf to know what to teach their students. The training discussed how important it is for the ability to listen to the students and thus the teacher will be better inspired to know what topics to teach their students.

The training touched upon how Christ provided such a good example of being a teacher. How Christ addressed the Pharisees was different than how he addressed the Samaritans. The training gave an example of how Christ listened to Nicodemus and in turn responded to his specific questions. Often many of Christ lessons involved a dialogue between himself and the person he was teaching.

This training reminds me of how different parents will involve their kids to help contribute to a family devotional or family home evening. I have several memories of my own childhood where my single parent, my mother, made sure we had a weekly family home evening. My sisters and brother took turns in being involved.

I remember when I was a teenager when the church started having some of the youth preform leadership responsibilities. While there were adults in the room I and others who were members of various presidencies by age group and were given the responsibility to conduct a meeting. There were times when we as members of the presidency would direct the meeting that encompass the entire collection of youth of the congregation. That was both scary and educational for me in gaining new skills as a teenager.

The training emphasize the importance of listening to the youth as that can influence what topics a teacher may teach their class. If they know what concerns the students have, they can touch upon topics that the students are really interested in. It also helps to initiate a dialogue between the teacher and student.

The biggest observation I have on this new curriculum is that teachers and students rely more heavily upon the promptings of the spirit in addition to self-study. Hummm if we don’t watch it we might learn how to use the promptings of the Spirit in our daily lives as well.

Today’s training was very educational. If you have some ideas on this topic, I invite you to share them in the comment section of this blog. If you also happen to have a personal website please feel free to share it. Thanks.

It is always fun to learn about something new. And I have several sources that are providing interesting information. I used to subscribe to our newsletter that would give useful suggestions every day. At work I participate in a health program where employees can take quizzes and learn information about health. I also have learned a lot of useful points of information the radio show called the browser. Those are just some of my sources of information

Since I would like to remember a lot of this material I’ve been putting some of it on a master list. At some time in the future I hope to post a lot of it up on my webpage in case others may want to have something interesting to read.

Here are a few interesting things I’ve recently learned:

Peach = Although any puree works, peach puree tastes especially good when baking spice cakes or muffins. In order to successfully use a puree in place of shortening, butter or oil, you should half the amount of oil, shortening or butter and use the puree for the other half. For instance, if a recipe calls for one cup of shortening, you should use one-half cup of shortening and one-half cup of puree.

Cookies = chocolate chip cooks use a chopped semi sweet chocolate and the little slivers of chocolates makes it look and taste better use chopped instead of chips or chunks.

Cookies = if butter too thin orsoft get pancakes not cookies.

Frosting = Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Garlic = Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Pizza = Reheat Pizza. Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.

Reheating Refrigerated Bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Snickers bars = Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simple chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream.

I’ll be adding more to the list as it grows and if you have some wonderful suggestions to add, please feel welcome to include them them in the comment section of this blog, thank you

It is always nice to have useful info and here is something I learned about peppers.

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

If you eat a lot of vegetables and fruits do you have some ideas of how to tell the difference between them? I would specially be interested in knowing the difference between mushrooms. Please share your observations in the comment section of the blog.