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texascamps

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  1. We love visiting Las Vegas! My kids love walking the new strip. We took them to the Fremont Street experience thing. The Treasure Island show was cool although I've heard they've sexed it up. There are roller coasters on the strip, cool theme type restaurants. The volcano at .....that one hotel...wherever it is Walking around the Venetian, no really the kids thought it was awesome.. Try and find one of those living Statue people. Then......There is an awsome Children's museum......Oh and we always go west to Red Rocks and climb around and take hikes. We also always go to Mount Charleston and hike Mary Jane Falls..... There is the Air Force Base there with a museum. Scotty's castle which is outside of town, Hoover Dam.... We also got free tickets to a Magic show by sitting through a timeshare seminar. The magic show wouldn't have been that expensive. If you plan ahead you can get buy-one get-one free tickets to the Blue Man Group. You can buy the Entertainment coupon books for any city they service then you can pay like a local, not a tourist. You can get in all sorts of stuff cheap with that. There are so many interesting restaurants all over. Rent a car for sure!!!! Five days is about right to get Las Vegas done right.
  2. I use a combo of Velveeta and Cheddar in my grits and I used a mixture of Garlic powder and Garlic salt.
  3. We have a set of IKEA bunk beds with Ikea mattresses. We rearranged beds last week and big brother got a different mattress. He asked me a few days ago if he could have his old (IKEA) mattress back because he was more comfortable. We paid $99 for that mattress from IKEA and it is one of the most comfortable we have. But our other IKEA mattress has a simple old regular store bought mattress.
  4. Power of One (Willem Defoe) Incredible book, read the book first. Empire of the Sun (John Malkovich) Bridge on the River Kwai (Obi Wan Kenobi) October Sky The Man Who Would Be King Mountains of the Moon Schindlers's List Lawrence of Arabia Doctor Zhivago Hawaii
  5. The three beings are biblical, whether they are one, acting for one purpose, separate but equal, completely separate, is not. If it were, there would not have been a council to discuss and then vote on it. Yes, there are references inferring Jesus as Lord but there are more as Jesus the Son speaking as a son about his father, his doing the work of his father and then finally,in Matthew 27 on the cross "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me" as a very separate being. I don't think negating or supporting of the early church's definition of the Trinity does anything at all whatsoever to promote the validity of Christ, his mission, his sacrifice, or grace. It seems like such a non-issue. Most folks don't get it. I don't consider anything written by Martin Luther or those that followed as dissenters(protesters) as scripture, he did not profess to be a prophet. He was just an honest man standing up against big brother. By Luther's time the Trinity had already been defined. Luther and his ilk were writing as dissenters to the Catholic doctrine(more like their government) and control, not the bible. Luther was a fantastic movie.....don't know how true to life it was. SHeryl
  6. I just keep the radio on the Country station and I'm in tears.
  7. Look up Joseph Campbell on Amazon.com. He has many, many good books concerning Christianity as myth. They are pretty well written to get your point across, if I understand your motivation, and they usually have some good photos/illustrations. If you have young children then you will want to read from them, older kids will be able to get through them on their own. It does help to understand early church history though so I recommend the foundations presented in Story of the World. I'm kind of a SOTW nerd. After all the history of the world is basically a history of religion. Also, there is nothing like presenting the Birth of Christ right out of an illustrated Christmas story. The story is already presented in mythical proportion and unless you actually practice Christianity, the story/stories will read like myth. It is only if you have the Christian background does it have any meaning. I am a devout Christian/Mormon, but I wasn't always. Sheryl
  8. What great ideas! I'm writing some down. This year I am getting my daughter the Provocraft knitting rings. I got them at walmart. I'm also getting each one a ream of paper of their very own so they leave my printer paper alone. I love our FLYPEN! I bought it from Leapfrog online for a major discount last Christmas. if your child does not type yet, then this is amazing. My son writes novels. He used to ask me to type them up for him but I just don't have the time. You use it like a regular pen on their special paper and then when you are done writing or drawing, you plug it into the USB port on the computer and it converts it to a Word document for editing. Its amazing! I also buy my oldest son tickets to the Cowboy Poetry Festival here. Its an evening of varietal entertainment. I'm really down on toys right now. So, here is my tentative list Craft projects. bows and arrows Fencing lessons Flypen Tickets to entertaining events Ream of Paper maybe their own printer, bicycle Overnight trip to somewhere, anywhere. Gift Cards to McDonalds/ Burger King Kilt for my sons Hank the Cowdog on Audio We are planning on moving to some land with some acreage so we may get chickens or something stinky that lives and breathes. Sheryl
  9. Sears us often overlooked but I love their clothes. I bought my sons their polos on clearance for $1.50 each, church pants for $5 and some very attractive blouses for my daughter. I try Kohl's clearance sometimes. We also have a Children's Place outlet which has good clearance sales. Otherwise, I buy from garage sales or ebay. You can find really good clothes for next to nothing on ebay. Thrift stores are pretty good, as well. I usually don't buy new, unless I must. Emergency socks and the like.
  10. What people who post the anti-mormon biblical posts forget is that for everyone that looks like it contradicts LDS theology, there are other biblical scriptures that support it. The whole argument of not adding or subracting scripture is an old one that folks who actually study since the bible was compiled and not written linearly. I sat through the best confirmation class ever and got the best rundown on how the bible was created and who was involved. My priest did not try and sugar coat any of it. Even at that young age I was amazed at how many human hands were involved in creating the Scriptures. Not Jesus, not God, not the Holy Spirit. Even more, I was amazed at how much discussion and debate on how God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit were going to be presented to lay people. There was certainly an agenda and there were certainly political pressures.The nature of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost was a vote pure and simple. It is not biblical decision. There is no biblical surety about it. Once again, for every scriptural positive reference there are references that seem to contradict. This is why people who are foreign to the ideas of Christianity find it a silly and backward religion after they read scripture. Someone reading from a new perspective sees contradiction and incomplete thoughts all the way through it. It is a religion of faith and cannot be proven, it can only be proven scientifically that it is untrue. That is where happiness and peace is found. It is only through faith that we can be assured that what we believe is true. This is why I feel bandying scriptural references pro and con are silly. Those of us who are Mormon have been seeing the same old arguments for forever and for every scripture you have against, there are those scriptures that are for. Those who are Catholic have been seeing the same old arguments against them for forever. Those who are Baptists have heard the same old arguments against them for forever, as well. And the poor Jews, well we all do them a disservice. When folks go looking to disprove a Christian religion, they really do more to just pick away at Christianity in general. The trinity? Really we want to argue about the trinity? My sister in law, a member of th Assembly of God, just told me after I tried to explain her Trinity vs. the Mormon Trinity that "No, her trinity is just the same." Remember, I had the same conversation with my mother. Even they don't understand the traditional trinity. The trinity is not in the bible. We learn about the trinity once we go to church. Chrisitianity has more problems than just the Trinity. No, We have the virgin birth. If you're a non-Christian studying Christianity, than you never make it to the Trinity, you're out the door at the virgin birth. You never make it out of the Canons. To see how others view our Christian scriptures, see this link http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Text/Canon/ The fall of Christianity and Judaism in this country will surely come from Christians who are bound and determined to maker sure their denomination comes out on top and not that our love for our Heavenly Father or our acceptance of the atonement of Christ prevails. Those in the secular world just sit back and laugh. There are no scriptures to disprove Mormonism. Period. Methodism, Episcopalianism, Catholicism, etc. We are all more alike than different. If you have a pastor who is perpetraiting lies and hate about others then I suggest you pray about it, because contention is not of the spirit. Jesus was not tolerant, but he wasn't a hate monger either. If you have a friend who believes in God, then you need to embrace that friend whether or not that friend drinks wine or water on Sunday or worships on Saturday or Sunday, whether that friend kneels or stands in prayer, or eats meat or fish on Fridays. I will paraphrase Brigham Young because I don't have my book here. Before I was a Mormon I read a quote from him. "Whether you are a Mormon or a Baptist or a Hindu, you need to strive to be the best Mormon, Baptist or Hindu you can." I'm paraphrasing, but it is one of the first things by Brigham Young I read. We are all brothers and sisters and children of our Heavenly Father. For those of you that like theological study, like me, I thought I wanted to be a priest once..... There is a translation of the New Testament from the Greek by Richard Lattimore. We love his translation of the Iliad and Odyssey. If you like study in the Classical tradition, they are musts. If you like memorization then they are so poetic. The New Testament is not poetic but fresh. Now if you are an over achiever, then you can get it in Greek! Remember, there is no good reason a happy, unmedicated, and content educated cynic with adequate funds, like myself, would choose to give up coffee, cigarettes, LaRoche Vineyards Pinot Noir and 10% of my income to take on the ridicule that comes from being a Mormon Christian... Sheryl
  11. I remember going to a fundraiser for my husbands firm for a new Christian High School in Houston. Big gala, black tie and everything. We donated some $ and bought some stuff at the auction. We sat with one of the schools benefactors who went on and on about how Mormons weren't Christian (very rude anyway) and we found out LDS kids were not allowed in that school or other Christian schools. I think Catholics were excluded as well. We were not allowed to be part of some organizations (like homeschooling orgs.) that required signing a faith statement on the trinity. There was an organization that started called the American Heritage Girls which I was all excited about because it started out as inclusive, yet God based, then they required a signed faith statement on the trinity. I was very disappointed. I will never put down another's religion unless it is perpetrating violence or genocide. In my view, we are all in this together. All God loving folks should work together because the secular world is closing in fast and trying to divide those who love God. Doing my part, I also try not to tell people what other people believe. If you want to know what a Methodist believes, you'll get better information from a Methodist and not so much for me. Because I have experienced the strangest kind of discrimination, I tend to be very sensitive about other folk's religion. Constantly hearing folks tell me what I believe (even when I have no clue what they are talking about) makes me realize that people are questioning their own faith so much they have to bash others to help them build up their own. Although I felt the denomination of my youth was lacking, I don't question the altruism of the people that follow it. I still go to my sister's church when I visit, even though they sell anti-Catholic, anti-Mormon literature in the lobby, I still go and try to feel the spirit that my sister feels there. I think its important to learn about other religions which is one reason I love Story of the World. I think we get a great lesson on religion as they move through time. Oh, I've got one funny one. In the 70's a new Catholic church went up and they put those wind mills up on the lot. (yes, very progressive and ahead of their time.) I had some girlfriends who said it was because they were cultists ( the word everyone used before "New Age" came out a few years later.) Imagine a windfarm being cultish? Any religion is welcome in my home and in my circle of friends and I'm always curious to know more. Faith is what moves us all. Have a groovy Day/Night sisters! Sheryl
  12. We can specify certain areas for our money to go if we wish. Being raised in a different faith, I know that the money at that church was pooled or one could specify certain projects and hope it gets there. However, at my sister's old church they found out their church was donating to Planned Parenthood and she was mortified and left the church. This donation decision was not made by the congregation but by the local leaders. I think most churches have a committee that oversee fund distribution.
  13. I loved it and went on to read other Pearl S Buck novels. However, I felt that toward the end when the emphasis on main character, as he gets old, that he can only find pleasure from girls who are younger and younger, I think the description was too graphic for children it was a little unnerving to me. Plus there are many references to sex and the mistress. I think I would feel better giving it too a teenager of 17 or so. I would feel nervouse about introducing such negative sexual attitudes/encounters to a younger adult. There are Amy Tan stories and books that are cleaner that might be better if you are looking for an Asian influence. My mind is a blank but I know I read a bunch of Amy Tan and some of it was very tame but informative... and then I'd go eat chinese food. I'm sure there are some more similar books and authors out there that maybe some other folks can suggest. That's just my take. Sheryl
  14. If you are still on record and you haven't requested being removed then they are probably assuming you want to be included. Fast offering slips are often delivered once a month on fast Sunday the first Sunday of the month and I think the are delivered go to those who cannot make it to church or choose not to go or families who like the visit. Some folks who do not tithe pay an offering. Your fast offerings go directly 100%, to the poor for food and care. We paid fast offerings for years, being leary of paying tithing, knowing it went to people who really needed it. This seemed a good option for us, wanting to be charitable but not knowing where to turn, because during this time the big scandals about the large charities paying their CEOS millions of dollars came out in the public. At least we knew the church would get all of it to those who needed it. Only until we truly knew our money wasn't being wasted did we pay tithing, and it took a good while. We worked at the LDS cannery and peanut butter packing plants and watched food being sent off all over the world. The food given away isn't even marked LDS church. Its marked Welfare services. We discuss where tithing goes in church once a year and they are out in the open about where it goes. It does go to maintaining buildings, among many other things, but if you've seen an LDS church you know there ain't much to maintain. And remember, there is no passing of a collection plate. If you pay anything, its between you and the bishop. No one else except the clerk has a clue. Sheryl
  15. I was going to post a request today for a list of books, especially historical fiction/non fiction books suited for a 6th grader. I have not seen the Rod and Staff lit books for older grades. What kind of stuff is in them?
  16. When I was growing up in Texas, if you visited a Christian bookstore, there was the "hate" section. It contained anti- Catholic, Orthodox, Mormon and Jehovah's Witness section (often Islam was stuck in with the Occult section) Now, over the years, most "Christian" bookstores now stick to the anti-Mormon, Orthodox and Jehovah's Witness and Islam sections and have accepted the Catholic as a customer. I joined the LDS faith 10 years ago after many years of religious cynicism/ atheism/ agnosticism, leary of any faith where some ONE is making money for preaching. I heard all my life that Mormons were not Christian. Of course, that came from pastors of churches who should know better. When I moved to Salt Lake on a fluke, I knew all sorts of stuff about Mormons that my relatives had told me as told to them by websites and pastors of their churches. I was so excited to live among folk as strange as I was told. I couldn't wait for the weirdness to ensue. Of course, the "facts" from the relatives and pastors were lies. Yes, lies. The craziest people in Salt Lake were the vehement anti-Mormons who would wax on and on about how crazy the Mormons were. We waited and waited with our cups of coffee and beer, to meet crazy Mormons and all we met were crazy anti-Mormons who loved to warn us about the Mormons. So over the years we watched our anti-Mormon neighbors get arrested, get divorced, have fistfights in the lawn, seek our home for safety after domestic abuse issues, do drugs, steal cars, and get evicted, all the while telling us that Mormons were nutty. The truth came home when my husband was diagnosed with cancer and word got out in the law school where he was going. Within hours there were phone calls from people I didn't know offering service. Of course I poo-pooed any help or charity because I was proud. But over the weeks of surgery and radiation, people showed up with food, took care of our dog, did lawn work, helped my husband keep up with school and left messages of inspiration, and dropped off funny movies to keep up his spirits. Never once wanting us to go to church or accepting anything in return. When the crisis was over, they didn't linger with their hand out. Our non-Mormon friends said to us "We'll let you handle this in private" and disappeared never to be heard from again. Yes, Mormons are crazy, we thought. They did all this for us wanting nothing in return. We didn't even know some of their names to send Thank Yous. With the birth of our first child we felt some religious foundation was in order. He didn't much want to go to the church of his youth where much of the anti-Mormon lies had come from plus he was teetering on atheism. I thought my church only preached what people wanted to hear to get donations. So we started going to the Mormon church because they had been the best example of what we thought Christ would want and never openly asked for money. When they explained the trinity, where all the beings are separate, I didn't flinch. I thought this was what I was always taught. I always though Jesus and God were separate. When I later began reading the anti-mormon literature, they tried to explain that mainstream churches believe a different trinity where they are all one. I tried to explain this to my mother, the difference and she said no, my old church believes in the trinity as the Mormons believe. I tried to tell her no, that's one of the main reasons regular Christians don't like them. She said that I must be mistaken, she'd been a member of her protestant faith all her life and there was no way they believed in a trinity of all one. I gave up. Even she doesn't understand it. One other thing, no one gets paid in the Mormon Chruch. The bishop is a volunteer, the Stake President, the nursery worker, etc. We even clean our own churches. No one is getting rich being a Mormon church leader. I think this angers traditional religious leaders because they depend on their congregation to make a living. I know my tithing isn't spent on pizza parties. Its sent to do good all over the world, quietly without pomp and headlines. Another thing, I tried so hard to get those silly Salt Lake Mormons to say something bad about other religions and I couldn't get them to do it. I tried and tried. They would say "they just need to get to know us, I guess." Grrr. They'll never say anyone is going to hell (like other faiths love to do) They're getting a bad rap in California right now but Mormons will never say a Homosexual is going to hell, that is not our place to judge. We are constantly being reminded to love and be understanding and supporting of our homosexual brothers and sister. Very biblical. I've read all the anti-mormon literature, because before I was baptized into the church I wanted to know all that was out there. The anti- stuff just doesn't hold up. Its obvious slant and distortion and taking what was said out of context. So just like many years ago when even the Catholics were considered evil and their words taken out of context by mainstream protestants it continues on with the Mormons. The best place to get real information is from the source, not from people who have an agenda. I was truly disappointed not to find a city full of crazy, evil, silly Mormons that I could enjoy making fun of, but picked up faith instead. Sheryl
  17. Actually, Obama's desire to not only have women sign up for selective service but also serve beside the men in combat, yes combat, was on our news last week. I was outraged! Women are not equal to men. You think they are? When was the last time a woman stopped to help you when you were stranded on the side of the road? Probably never. The next time a woman stops on the side of the road and says "Hey, I'll help block your car with my car while I help change your tire." or "I'll stay here 'til the towtruck gets here," Maybe, I'll change the way I think. I think women volunteering for the service is awesome, more power to them. There are a lot of physically tough women out there. But there are more physically untough women out there. To top it off there are more mentally untough women out there than untough men. Case in point.....how many men really spend any time online on blogs discussing relationships, homeschooling, feelings towards Wal-mart. We worry about our children in ways the fathers cannot fathom. We worry about nutrition, weight gain, poor children in Africa, etc., until we go to sleep. The majority of men do not. In fact, if you listen to the feminists, the only reason we have war is because of men. If they believe that, then why are they so anxious to have women engage in it, just because men do? That's silly, just another bit of evidence of the knee jerk reactions of the feminist movement. I would start my own movement of "Practical Feminism" if the domain namer weren't already taken. Women are constantly being sold cheap goods in the form of ideas in the name of "equality". Personally, I'm not that gullible to fall for "everything" that's good for a man is good enough for a woman. Puleeeze. You never hear the men begging for equality for women. Its okay to have "Just for women." on websites and in magazines and to have "women's clubs." Men's clubs are a no-no nowadays Now I'm the most liberated woman I can think of, I installed my garbage disposal, I change my oil, I fixed the heating element on my dryer, I landscaped my lawn, I mow, I paint, I installed the new sinks in my master, I laid the tile in my bathrooms, I installed my sprinkler system, I climbed a 14err last week and for three years straight I made more money than my husband in the IT (a man's world) industry. But by golly, war movies bore me, strategy games are tiresome, and if I could get the dirt and grease from under my nails I might bother getting a manicure, I would love laser hair removal and a tan and some really big blond hair and bigger boobs. But for now I'll listen to my sons give me inch my inch detail of their Transformer battles, and listen to my daughters tell me how to accessorize better. "Mom are you really wearing your greasy sweats to the store? Maybe I shouldn't worry, there is no way my daughters would make it through basic training, unless camos were pink and they could ride horses and the men didn't cuss. I've heard comments from real servicemen and women, and I haven't heard one say they thought it was a good idea. The biggest comment I've heard is that instinctually the men would be more likely to try to keep their fellow woman soldier safe than to successfully fulfill the mission. Whether its sexist or not, that's what I've heard. Also, from the women servicemen concerning combat. Although it would be an honor to serve in combat next to the men, how does it make sense that when the men can't even bathe for weeks at a time and how toilet paper is scarece or non-existent that they would have a woman menstruate in the field. Are feminine products going to be a higher priority than toilet paper. How many days without a shower does it take for our odor to permeate square miles? How is that going to fly? Plus there is going to be the vulnerability of rape which is undeniable. Are they going to prescribe IUDs to prevent menses and pregnancy? I see logistical problems and nightmares that will cost millions to figure out and millions more in lawsuits. Sheryl
  18. Firstly, I'm in favor of uniforms for public schools. Even though my daughters are little fashion divas, I would love for their school to enact a uniform policy. Secondly, I am a McCain supporter. However, I don't think its out of line for a school to have dress codes for what can be on a t-shirt. Most dress codes prohibit advertising illegal substances or gang affiliations. Political parties are pretty much "gang" affiliations. I wouldn't get to peaved. Personally, I don't allow my kids to wear t-shirts to school, period. I also think that children are children and shouldn't have "ALL" the freedoms we expect as adults. I also think there is a difference between regulation and censorship. Sheryl
  19. My neighbor (who moved on) works as a Project Manager for oil companies and works all over the world. He said that OPEC/Middle Eastern countries basically set the price for oil like a drug dealer sets a price for a drug. The other providers will follow suit because they can. Iran would love to see us move out of Iraq because they have that desire for control and a newborn democracy is easy prey to move in and promote their extreme islamic views. I heard today that OPEC was threatening to increas oil prices. The problem I see with that is that its still a supply and demand thing. Because China and India's economy is linked to ours and they are other big oil users, if their markets are as sour as ours, then all of those new cars they've added in the last 7 years won't be used either. Their bicycles may be dusted off and the new car put away therefore using less oil. Still, just the threat of increasing oil prices will probably cause prices to go up artificially because speculators will start buying. I "dabble" in the stock market and my favorite stocks are energy stocks. I've been watching and playing with them for a while. As soon as the offshore drilling ban expired oil prices dropped dramatically, OPECS fear we might actually do something to get our own resources. As soon as they know Obama will be president, oil prices will go up because they know he won't allow more drilling. But, if we just SAID we were going to drill in the ANWR or offshore and started the process, prices would drop like crazy. We could even take our time drilling and work on other technologies at the same time. I think its naive misunderstanding that makes people think we can just "get off" oil. Sheryl
  20. Okay, To make gravy, if you don't have some kind of fat from sausage or bacon. Mix equal parts of butter to flour start with 2 tablespoons of each(Melt butter then add flour) in skillet over medium heat. (snobby cooks will tell you to do it on low and let it take ten minutes but I don't agree) Cook the flour and melted butter mixture over the heat until the mixture is no longer WHITE, as this eliminates the raw flour taste. Then with a whisk slowly add your milk to eliminate lumps. Start with two cups of milk. Stir this until it thickens. You can also mix in broths of your choice in lieu of milk. Now at this point it will not be all that flavorful unless you started with drippings from sausage, bacon,pork roast, beef roast, etc. There are things you can add to make it more flavorful, mix and match. Add to taste, salt, pepper, tiny bit of sugar, tiny bit of chocolate syrup (really, just a little to add richness, not enough to taste chocolate, people will notice a "richness" but won't be able to guess chocolate) small amounts of chicken or beef bouillon and paprika. What if you get lumps? Well, in the old days our grandmas would have started over. However, in this day and age, if I should get lumps because I was distracted or in too much of a hurry, I grab the old hand blender and run it quickly around the gravy to eliminate lumps. You will become a gravy making master! SHeryl
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