Melva Gifford

Today’s blog is dedicated to painting walls. I don’t have any personal comments this round that have gathered some interesting websites that can give some great ideas.

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/home-improvement/painting/paint-wall-00000000002187/index.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSDUfPUjCoo
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20159698,00.html
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/painting-walls.htm
http://www.realtor.com/home-garden/painting/do-it-yourself-painting/preparing-walls-painting.aspx?source=web
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=Painting_Interior_Walls&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053
http://www.hgtv.com/topics/interior-painting/index.html

If you painted walls and has additional ideas besides what’s present in these webpages, I invite you to share your ideas in the comment section of this page. Thanks

I hope today’s blog will be of use to youth ministries family counselors, family devotionals, and family home evenings. There are many ways to teach important Christian principles and today’s efforts is gonna be to humor.

Joke: Face Lift
A 75-year-old woman went into life or death surgery, and she wasn’t sure she would make it through. During the surgery, she had a vision. She saw and spoke to God. She asked him, “How much time do I have to live?”

He said, “You have 35 years left.”

So that following year she had all kinds of cosmetic surgery. She a face lift, a tummy tuck, her nose reshaped, liposuction — she completely did herself over. She figured as long as she was going to live another 35 years, she was going to look young again. After all this was done and she was discharged from the hospital, she was hit by a cab and was killed instantly.

When she entered eternity she walked over to God and said, “What happened? I thought you said I had another 35 years. Why did you let that cab hit me?”

God replied, “I didn’t recognize you!”

Received from otchurch.

This is a cute joke to me because the woman altered herself so much that even God didn’t recognize her. But there are many ways we can improve ourselves besides by physical alterations. In our youth we can learn about the 10 Commandments and various wonderful stories in the Bible that teach us important principals and teachers of Christ. As each of us goes to school or learns from family and friends we begin to gain wisdom and knowledge. We also learn through trial and error and by the experience of others.
I have found that many promptings of the spirit can give me a hint of areas where I can improve as a person. Sometimes those perceptions might be how I interact with other people or when I’m not being charitable when I could be. The spirit might urge me to do a thoughtful act.
Today’s invitation is for each of us to not wait until the New Year, to think of new users resolutions. We can work toward a daily goal like the founding father Benjamin Franklin did. He had a list of traits and each day he would work on one particular trait. George Washington had a book that he liked that gave suggestions on how to act like a gentleman and how to interact with the people he associated with. We might access useful books one of them being the Scriptures, that can motivate us and inspire us to be our better selves.
As a class or family have each member discuss a time when someone has done something nice for them. Try to have each example be very specific and to include the feelings you had when you received that act of kindness. In support of self-improvement you might want to look at some scriptures that show where God has shown mercy and compassion the different times. This might range from examples we heal the sick offered comfort or taught gospel principles.
As a family you might want to discuss something with a family can improve as a family. It might be picking up toys and books after using them or perhaps organizing a planned act of compassion that the family could do for neighbor over someone that could use your help. Schedule some time for yourselves to plan out the designated task and then arrange a time to ask to perform the task. If there is a chance you can do the act of compassion in secret so that the person never knows you did it, that would even be better. After you perform the act of kindness discusses the family your feelings of how it felt to be nice if somebody else.
An act of improvement doesn’t have to be just on how we treat someone else but might be gaining knowledge for ourselves in a certain field that we are weak on. That might include doing something to make our bodies healthy or losing weight or altering what we eat.
The family could set a goal as a family and then each individual set a private goal of improving something about yourself and then you keep a private log of your success.
If you have a joke on object lesson that you would like to share that can help promote the theme of self-improvement, please feel free to contribute your idea in the comment section of this blog thanks.

An article that asks: Should Only Those Who Pay Taxes Should be Allowed to Vote?

http://conservativebyte.com/2012/11/should-only-those-who-pay-taxes-should-be-allowed-to-vote/

Today’s blog is dedicated to companies and software that provides fun was to learn about health. One such company is Keas.com. They have a variety of ways to share info and I recommend that companies check them out. Here is an example.

– Currents are usually narrow, and there are a couple things you can do to swim out of them. But first and foremost, remain calm. You don’t want to expend any extra energy. First try to swim parallel to the shore and see if you can sneak out of the current. If you find you’ve been paddling for a very long time, and don’t seem to be going anywhere, attempt to swim with the current, which will eventually weaken, and you should be able to swim out of it.

– Dehydration: Fatigue comes right on the heels of dehydration. A glass of water may be just the thing you need, to get through the rest of your day.

– The amount of calories in a potato can vary greatly. A half cup of mashed potatoes with gravy and butter has more than 3 times the calories of a baked sweet potato with a teaspoon of butter.

– Tradition: During the first month of marriage, the groom wears women’s clothes. This practice is meant to give the husband an understanding of the joys and hardships of being a woman.

– Four food groups: actual food groups are: Grains, Dairy, Meat/Beans, Fruit/Vegetables.

– Blanching is a good cooking tool if you want to cook something, but not cook it too much. The quick process of dropping it into boiling water briefly will give you a dish that is ever so slightly cooked, such as super crispy green beans. As for the other options, to baste is to moisten food with sauce to add flavor, to clarify is to remove solids from a liquid to make it clearer,

– Sleep is powerful! While we sleep, our brain processes what occurred during the day and creates memories. Researchers say that sleeping is what help makes a memory “stick” so that we can recall it in the future.

– High blood pressure damages blood vessels that supply blood to the brain causing memory loss while low blood pressure can help keep an individual’s memory sharp.

– There are many psychological and physical conditions that can cause memory problems in addition to aging. These include stress, poor nutrition, anxiety, and substance abuse.

– While forgetting someone’s name and where you put your keys are symptoms of mild memory loss, getting lost in a place you know well could be an indication of a serious health concern such as Alzheimer’s disease. If you notice that you are forgetting routine activities that you have done before, speak to a neurologist to get your concerns addressed. Being pro-active and acknowledging your forgetfulness is always key.

It is amazing the different words I am so good at misspelling and Easily is one of them. Here are two ways I hope to do better on this word. Think easy and the sound Ill but leave out the second l. so easILy.

Another way. It’s the last half of the word that messes me up so how about thinking silly.
eaSILY.

We’ll see how that goes eh?
What ideas do you have on this word?

I got this email from a friend. Thanks to Frantz Ostmann for making up this list. I thought this would be more useful to share this list for my Projects and Errands blog rather than present what I was originally going to do. This should be an informative read for all of us.

This may be of special interest to those people who say that those who have, shouldn’t have it, even though they worked for it. The people who complain about the resources of others, usually haven’t paid the price to be prepared. The complainers should remember that those who were prepared were able to share some of their possessions with others out of compassion and didn’t add additional stress to limited resources.

People with emergency supplies and preparation, sacrificed getting pleasant and fun toys to get emergency supplies and food instead. Kudos to them.

(A friend from Oregon sent this to me beginning with the following words)…
I’m sending this on to EVERYONE. I’m thankful that I was sent this list so I’ll be better prepared. Please read it, and take it to heart. They weren’t expecting this to happen to them anymore than we expect it to happen to us.
Living through Sandy – (hurricane)
46 things you’ll want to know
by Frantz Ostmann on Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 7:13 am
1. The excitement and coolness wears off around day 3
2. You are never really prepared to go weeks without power, heat, water etc. Never!
3. Yes it can happen to you.
4. Just because your generator runs like a top, does not mean its producing electricity.
5. If you do not have water stored up you are in trouble.
a. A couple of cases of bottled water is “NOT” water storage
6. Should have as much fuel as water
a. Propane
b. Gas
c. Kerosene
d. Firewood
e. Fire starter, (kindling, paper, etc)
7. Even the smallest little thing that you get from the store should be stocked up.. (spark plug for the generator, BBQ lighter, etc)
8. If you are not working, chances are nobody else is either.
9. I was surprised how quickly normal social behavior goes out the window. I am not talking about someone cutting in line at the grocery store.
a. 3 people were killed at gas stations within 50 miles of my home.
b. I did not say 3 fights broke out, 3 people were killed.
10. Cash is king (all the money in your savings means nothing)
11. Stored water can taste nasty.
12. You eat a lot more food when you are cold
13. You need more food than you think if your kids are out of school for 2 weeks
14. Kids do not like washing their face in cold water.
15. Your 1972 Honda civic gets to the grocery store as well as your 2012 Escapade… but the Honda allows money left over for heat, food, water, a generator, fire wood, a backup water pump, you get the idea..
16. The electrical grid is way more fragile than I thought.
17. Think of the things that are your comfort, your escape, a cup of hot chocolate, a glass of milk and a ding dong before bed, etc. Stock up on those too. You will need that comfort after day 3.
18. You quickly become the guy in the neighborhood who knows how to wire a generator to the electrical panel, directly wire the furnace to a small generator, or get the well pump up and running on inverter power or you are the guy whose Master’s degree in Accounting suddenly means nothing. (Love you Steve!)
19. A woman who can cook a fine meal by candle light over the BBQ or open fire is worth her weight in gold. And women, whose weight in gold, would not add up to much, usually die off first. Sorry skinny women.
20. It takes a lot of firewood to keep a fire going all day and into the evening for heat.
21. All the food storage in the world means nothing if your kids won’t eat it.
22. You might be prepared to take care of your children and their needs, but what about when the neighborhood children start to show up at your door?
23. Some people shut down in an emergency. There is nothing that you can do about that.
24. Your town, no matter how small is entirely dependent on outside sources of everything.
a. If supply trucks stop rolling in due to road damage, gas shortages or anything else you could be without for a long time.
25. In an emergency Men stock up on food, Women stock up on toilet paper.
26. I was surprised how many things run on electricity!
27. You can never have enough matches.
28. Although neighbors can be a great resource, they can also be a huge drain on your emergency storage. You need to know how you are going to handle that. It is really easy to be Bob the guy who shares on Day 3, not so easy on Day 11. This is just reality speaking.
29. Give a man a fish he eats for that day, teach a man to fish and he will never be hungry again.. Now I get it.
30. All of the expensive clothes in the closet mean nothing if they don’t keep you warm.
31. Same goes for shoes… Love you Honey!!!!
32. You cannot believe the utility companies. They are run by politicians!! Or so it seems,
33. Anything that you depend on someone else for is not avail anymore.
34. Quote “A man with a chainsaw that knows how to use it is a thing of beauty” lol
35. Most folks don’t have any emergency storage. They run to Wal-Mart and get water and batteries and then fill their tubs with water. That is it. A lucky few will get a case of ramen and a box of pop tarts. That will be your neighbors supply. (Especially if you live outside of Utah)
36. Fathers, all the money you have ever made means nothing if you can’t keep your kids warm.
37. Mothers, everything you have ever done for your kids is forgotten if your kids are hungry.
38. You really do not want to be the “Unprepared Parents” The kids turn on you pretty quick.
39. Small solar charging gadgets will keep you in touch. Most work pretty well it seems.
40. Most things don’t take much power to operate.
a. Computers,
b. Phones
c. Radios
d. TV
e. lights
41. Some things take a ton of power to operate.
a. Fridge
b. Toaster
c. Freezer
d. Hot plate
e. Microwave
42. When it gets dark at 4:30 pm the nights are really long without power.
43. Getting out of the house is very important, even if it is cold outside. Make your home the semi warm place to come home to, and not the cold prison that you are stuck in.
44. Someone in your family must play or learn to play guitar.
45. Things that disappeared never to be seen again for a very long time.
a. Fuel, of all kinds
b. Matches, lighters of any kind etc.
c. Toilet paper
d. Paper plates, plastic forks and knives
e. Batteries, didn’t really see a need for them. (How about flashlights??? I guess)
f. Milk
g. Charcoal
h. Spark plugs (generators)
i. 2 stroke motor oil, (chainsaws)
j. Anything that could be used to wire a generator to the house.
k. Extension cords
l. Medicines (Tylenol, Advil, cold medicine etc)
46. There was a strange peace to knowing all I had to do each day was keep my family safe, warm, and fed, but my peace was someone else’s panic.

There were also many things that were not learned from hurricane Sandy, but reinforced. Those things were the importance of my family and their love and support, especially my lovely wife, that my Heavenly Father is really in charge, period, and finally that I am very thankful for the upbringing and experiences that have taught me and brought me to where I am .. Wherever that is…lol God Bless!!!

I’m taking a different slant on teaching techniques by showing how humor might be used to teach serious topics. I hope this lesson will be of use to youth ministries, family devotionals, Family counselors, and family home evening.

Joke: made bed

My wife and I are teachers, and our jobs often spill over into our family life. One morning as our eight-year-old Maggie was getting ready for school, I peeked into her room to be sure she had tidied it up.

“You call THAT a made bed?” I asked.

“No, Dad,” Maggie replied. “It’s just a rough draft.” Received from Andychap.

I think this is a delightful joke and it teaches is a very important principle. We may never realize who is watching us or when they’re watching; us particularly when it comes to kids. In this joke the daughter is repeating a phrase frequently used by her parents. Kids can also learn of our prejudices, our concerns and even who we admire by what we do and say.

If we want children to be the best that they can be, then we adults need to be the best that we can be to be their example. I’m always amused by the phrase ‘do what I say not what I do’. It is from the day to day lifestyle at home that kids learn morals, perseverance and work ethic. If they see us cheat in taxes they will learn that’s okay to cheat. If they see us lie for our convenience or to achieve a goal they will feel justified in lying to someone else, even if that someone else is their parents.

At church I’ve heard numerous stories of people talking about the caliber of person their parents are and how much they admire them because of the quality of person they are. Their parents didn’t preach by mouth but by example. I grew up with a single parent. She raised seven children by herself. When I think of perseverance and a strong work ethic, she is on the top of my list of an excellent example.

I’ve admired my mother when she would us wake up early in the morning for family prayer before she went to work. I also admired how she would have the family meet together for family home evening. I’ve seen on display wonderful attributes from family members, friends, and even with peers from my various jobs.

If you had a choice of what you want to teach others by your example what would it be? When you die and people attend your funeral what would you like to have said about you? We can each began to be our best selves starting today. It’s my hope that we can each achieve the goals to be the type of people we really want to be with great success.

If you have an example of someone who you admire for a very specific trait, please feel free to give an example of that person. Maybe share a particular experience in the comment section of this blog thank you.

Today’s blog is dedicated to my first impressions of the software Dragon Naturally Speaking. This software gives me the ability to speak into the microphone and it will type what I say. This blog is being typed as I speak into my mic. It is my hope that my fiction writing and nonfiction writing will speed up when I can speak text instead of typing text. Since I’m notoriously bad on spelling and typos, it is my hope that the computer will type the correct spelling and prevent typos.

I’m told I’m told that when one speaks it sounds more natural than when one types. So we will see if my writing can improve by me stating the text rather than typing the text. I always jokingly tell people that it’s hard to talk and think at the same time and here I have software that can require me to do both. We’ll see if I can survive the experience.

I’ve already started rewriting a new scene in my Pursued book and it feels very strange to be speaking the scene out. There is some nice functionality on this software that will give me the ability to move around the page of typed text more efficiently.

Another nice thing about the software is that it will let me open up other applications and will let me do commands in other software such as websites and word processors. If I get good at this software, it is my hope that I will become much more productive in my writing.

Well this is a short review of the software Dragon naturally speaking.

Some people might think people are born stubborn and some of them with a double dose of it. So I think Stub- born. Born with to does or double Bs.

What ideas do you have to spell this word?