I kinda think the Duggars are strange...

...so I enjoyed this MSN article on the parents (http://tv.msn.com/mom-pop-culture/what-the-duggars-are-doing-wrong/story/feature/?GT1=28137).

Can someone explain my cats?

There's fresh water in a clean dish for the cats. I exchange it regularly, I promise. Yet Abby really likes to drink from the faucet in the bathroom. In fact, here's her latest thing: When I wake up (early) in the morning to get ready for work, Abby appears and starts meowing at me, begging me to turn on the faucet so she can get a drink.

Anyway, I think this is too cute not to share... even if the only person who bothers to watch it is my mom:




Jack, who is bigger than his sister and better than her at almost everything, has been trying hard to mimick her skills at the bathroom sink. Alas, he's pathetic and unable:

Ah, babies.

Wondering when I was going to dive into the murky waters of blogging about baby talks? That post has arrived. (You betcha!)

All of you who heard about the recent Facebook "oops" already know this, but N8 and I are sorta talking about maybe trying to have kids someday. It's, like, a huge step forward. As soon as I mentioned it to my sister, she said I need to start taking prenatal vitamins (even though we're only kinda thinking about the possibility of the eventual future addition of a small-sized person, who grows, to our household). At her insistence and with her guidance -- and after accidentally over-exciting my mum -- I've started the obnoxious process of adding yet another something to my daily routine. A daily vitamin.

Really, it's not all bad. I could definitely use a multi-vitamin anyway. It just feels a tad weird to be ingesting a prental vitamin every morning when we're many months away from concievably converging on the concept of attempting conception.

(Have I mentioned that alliteration is one of my favorite literary devices? I'm a....... nerd.)

So now that I've rambled, THERE IS ACTUALLY A POINT TO THIS POST:
gDiapers (www.gdiapers.com)


I was reading Oregon Business Magazine for work today, and there is a lead article on a Portland-based business called gDiapers. The g stands for "green." If you groan at green, I agree. It's abused. But diapers are one of the few items where I think "going green" really, really, really matters. (Hey to the baby-makers, you could actually change the world.)

But it's not the eco-friendly angle that first attracted me. That's just a huge bonus. What's really got me hooked it that gDiapers has come up with a much cleaner, easier way to do cloth or disposable diapers.

For the disposable fans, less garbage piles up.
For the cloth lovers, it's quicker and easier to clean.

PLUS you could quite easily do both cloth and disposable. You don't have to own/pack a whole bunch of different stuff to make it work.

I already feel good about gDiapers, and I'm only maybe-kinda-sorta thinking about the possible possibility of perhaps trying to actualize the concept of kids. I love them so much, you can feel free to send me some inserts -- either kind.

www.gDiapers.com

My Testimony

For those of you who are not LDS, a quick note of explanation: In the LDS church, we often talk about our "testimony." Basically, it's a way to talk about the faith we have in things; having a testimony of something means to know of its truthfulness. For instance, if you believe in Jesus Christ, then you could say you have a testimony of Him. (Make sense?)

One more note of explanation: Once a month at church, on the first Sunday, our full congregational meeting is called a testimony meeting. There's about 45 minutes of open mic time, when people from the congregation can get up and share their testimony (i.e., talk about their faith).

Some background, briefly: As I was sitting in the testimony meeting in February, I realized that the anniversay of my baptism into the LDS church was at the end of the month. It got me to thinking about the last seven years of my life, and next thing I knew, I was scribbling notes about what I've experienced and what I've learned. I spent the rest of the meeting writing... and the rest of the week polishing my thoughts. I didn't know why, but I felt a very strong urge to write it down, and to write it well.

All last month, I wondered if I should share this written testimony at the March testimony meeting. I didn't feel a particular urge to share it, so I thought maybe writing it down was just meant to be an exercise for myself. Besides, people don't usually prepare anything for a testimony meeting, so it might be weird of me to share.

As I sat in the testimony meeting this month (March) and partook of the sacrament (also known as communion in many other churches), I pulled out the sheet of paper I had so carefully worked on. The sudden, terrifying pounding of my heart told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was suppose to get up and share it. Groan. Is there anything more terrifying than public speaking? I didn't want to get up.

And so I sat, wrestling with myself, knowing that after we finished the sacrament (communion), I had to make a decision. Would I get up and follow the very clear prompting of the Holy Spirit, or would I deny the Lord?

The choice was obvious. A few nice words of introduction were forming in my head; I scrambled to write them down on another spare sheet of paper.

Then, with trembling hands, I slowly rose and walked to the pulpit. The testimoy I delivered was something like what follows, although I didn't read it word for word...

And now, my testimony:
Seven years. Wow. It's hard to believe sometimes that it has been seven years since I joined the church -- since a very dear friend took my hand and led me into the waters of baptism; seven years since an Elder in Israel placed his hands on my head and confirmed me a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Seven years. It seems so long ago - almost like a different lifetime. Yet it also seems very short.

Much has happened in seven years...

I finished high school. I went to and graduated from college. I got married and started a "career" and bought a house.

Three of my siblings graduated from college. Two got married. One had a baby. Two went back to school.

My neice moved to Ohio, and moved back. My dad's Parkinson's got much worse. My grandfather died.

In seven years I've lived in three different cities. I've moved six times. I've been in six different wards.I drive the same car I did seven years ago, but I've added about 50,000 miles to it.

Thankfully, my car is not the only thing that has endured the last seven years. My testimony has endured, and grown. I still love my Heavenly Father, and I love my Savior. I have come to understand, perhaps not fully but certainly very deeply, how valuable it is to be a member of the Lord's True Church. Knowing the Gospel -- the Good News of Christ -- is one of the most important gifts in life.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that I deserve the blessings that Heavenly Father gives me -- that the Almighty God; the Father; the Ruler over all Creation, could love little old me, one simple person, among His billions or perhaps trillions of children.

Yet He does love me. The Lord knows me by name, and despite all of my faults and my mistakes, He loves me. Every day He shows me that love through His manifold blessings. Every day of the last seven years He has shown me His love.

I am grateful for that knowledge. I am grateful for my testimony. I know that Christ lives; that He atoned for our sins; that the Church is true; and that the Book of Mormon is true scripture. That knowledge has been the most important thing in my life these last seven years, and I pray that it ever will be,
in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I dedicate this post to an old friend of mine. I figured, for once, I should be the one sending a nice message in honor of my bbday. To RNC: Thanks for everything.

Big fat cat and some journals

Cats
My mom requested a picture of the cats, since they've grown a bunch. So here's one of Jack:

He's definitely not a kitten anymore. Not even a kattin. Pretty much, he's just a cat. Don't get me wrong; I still love him! He's great for company. But he's not an adorable little snuggly buddy anymore. He's a fattening lap dominator.

I'd love to produce a picture of Abby for you, but she's been difficult the past few weeks. I think she knows I want her picture and she's not going to let me have it. Whatever, fussy cat.

Journals
Okay, this is actually pretty cool. For Mutual (that's what our weekly Youth Group activities are called) a couple of months ago, the young women made "church journals." They each got a composition notebook and then had a ton of fabric they could use to decorate it.

Well, since I'm addicted to paper, I thought, "What if I decorated mine with paper, instead?"

So I took mine home and did just that:

(It has my contact information on the cover in case I leave it somewhere, but I blotted that out of the picture for obvious reasons.)

Well, there were a couple of extra notebooks. Since we were missing some of the girls that night, I figured I might as well decorate the extras and then everyone could have a cute notebook. So I did:

I'm pretty proud of myself for the crazy awesome craftyness that I created!

Follow Up: Bag Bill Dropped

For those of you who read my post (i.e. rant) about the bill on plastic bags that was proposed in the Oregon legislature this month: An article in the Oregonian today confirmed that rep. Hass dropped the legislation.
(www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/02/oregon_state_senator_drops_att.html)

So.... no worries! (For now.)

This is Just Riddiculous

I'm a big supporter of the environment and I have serious concerns about global climate change, but sometimes, I think some things qualify as "going too far.”

I was reading an article in the Oregonian today. Apparently, for consideration during February's 1-month special session of the Oregon legislature, Representative Mark Hass of Beaverton has introduced a bill to ban the use of plastic grocery bags in Oregon.

Talk about ridiculous!

Much as I hate plastic bags,
And I wish that stores would stop using them,
I don't want legislation on the use of plastic bags!

In my mind, this kind of thing goes well beyond the purview of government. To borrow a phrase from N8 -- a phrase that usually irritates me -- I don't wants to live in a "Nanny State". I don't need my government to protect me from the evils of plastic bags! I am an informed citizen, and I know how bad the bags are for the environment, and I choose not to use them. I would love it if other individuals would also choose not to use them, and if stores would choose not to supply them.

Ideally, I'd love it if stores went to a European system and charged people for each bag they use. (They already do this at Ikea stores here in the U.S. It's another to LOVE Ikea.)

For now, I think we have a great system in place. People have the option to choose paper, or plastic, or re-use a bag. And MOST STORES give you a DISCOUNT for each bag you re-use. Some stores will also give you a discount if you don't use a bag at all and just carry out your items. I think it's a great incentive-based system. It leaves people the freedom to choose, and keeps government out of areas that, frankly, I just don't think are in their domain.

Now, in all reality, the bill probably won't pass. The legislature doesn't have time in their short session to get into the whole plastic bag issue. But I still don't like that that our government, that my government, thinks it is okay to legislate my grocery bags, even though I hate plastic bags.