The WOES and WINS of life.

I am a big believer in moments of self evaluation! I believe that we would all do much better in our journey of progression in this life if we took the time every once in a while to step back and see where we are on this road. This past week I have spent a lot of time looking into myself and where I am at and came to a very important conclusion that is so important to me that I thought I would share with anyone who cares to read on!
During this "self evaluation", I was thinking about the hardships I have gone through in various times in my past. And more recently, how the worst kind of betrayal you can imagine and divorce have really made me hit rock bottom on so many levels that have just flushed the life out of me. Some words that come to mind are feeling broken, unwanted, unloved, stress,lonely, revengeful, anxiety, helpless, loss of friendships, loss of family, and so many other feelings that just cant be put into words. How, in my case, I would put on a happy smile so that the outside world wouldn't see my suffering as weakness as I wanted so badly to remain strong for my kids and others around me....not letting them in to see the reality. I have felt all of these emotions at one point or another in the past 8 years of my life. Sometimes when you are in this state of mind, it leaves you looking at others perfectly rosy lives and wondering why couldn't that be me. This reminds me of a conversations that I had with a woman from my previous ward while sitting in her living room visiting. She was explaining how she was feeling that her life couldn't be more perfect. She had a wonderful husband and kids and that there was no drama or hardship, just bliss. She explained that they have never really had to struggle and how how happy this has made her life. I have to admit that after our visit I got in my car and drove down the street a bit and had a good cry as I had only been divorced for 2 months. Hearing this was like pouring lemon juice into a freshly open wound.   I have often thought of this conversation when looking at the life that I have had. It sometimes made me yearn for such a perfect life and situation. How happy I could be if my life had turned out different. I don't understand that world any more than she understands mine. This conversation again came back into my mind this past week but this time it caused me to take a giant step in realizing what I should have known all along.....that my life IS perfect. I realize now that I can say that when my emotions have hit rock bottom and I feel as if I cant go another step, I have felt lifted by my "true" friends and family. I have been able to accomplish things in the past few years that I didn't know I had the strength to accomplish. I have had to dig deep into my spirit to be able to forgive the man I loved, who knelt across the alter from me in the Temple and made promises to me which were not kept and caused my life to turn upsidedown. I have always known that my Father in Heaven and Christ know me and love me and are mindful of the things I need and feel and want but never has this been so apparent as when I have been down on my knees crying my heart out for their help and that prayer being answered by immediately feeling their arms around me as if a warm blanket has been placed around my body which warmed me clear to my soul. My life is perfect because I have felt the promptings of the spirit many times as I have been raising my kids without the priesthood in our home. I have met lifelong friends along the way that have helped me to see my worth and have found out that family REALLY is everything no matter what it looks like from the outside looking in. I feel as if I am blessed beyond measure and can take these things and honestly say that my life is perfect. I have two beautiful children who are going through more than what most children have to go through and are teaching me just as much if not more than I am teaching them. And most importantly, I now know what if feels like to be in love and to be treated with the respect that my Father in Heaven wants his daughter to be treated. I have no idea what kind of life this dear sister has had but my life is every bit as perfect as hers. What a burden that has lifted to realize these things this past week. I feel as if I am on the right path  and have the strength to do the things I need to do to be a better person. I can now look at the list of words that I spoke of earlier and see those words as blessing now instead of sorrow. I have drank from the bitter cup...and it was good. My woes have truly turned into wins.

Merritt Scones Anyone?

Today is the first day of February and it is cold and rainy outside. I was trying to think of something warm and comforting to make for dinner and I got a bright idea to make scones! Nothing says comfort food like bread fried in oil topped with lots of sweet toppings. As I began to mix the dough, memories of my mom came flooding back into my mind. Dad didn't like the thought of fried foods poisoning our bodies so my mom would wait until he left town on business to fill our tummies with this yummy treat for dinner.  She would top them with butter and honey or cinnamon sugar or fruit and whipped cream.  My preference was butter and honey. No matter what i did, I  could not avoid the melted butter and honey from oozing down my fingers which only added to its goodness! Occasionally we would make the into a taco but we much preferred the sweet and sticky stuff on top. There is a little diner in Meridian, Idaho called Merrits where they are famous for their scones. They are the best around. The recipe has been handed down in their family and is now a crowd pleaser for anyone that walks through their doors. My mother would use their family recipe when making scones for our family. It wasn't until recently that I discovered that the recipe came from this little cafe or that Merrits was anything more that just part of the title on my moms recipe card. You will find the recipe below. There is an endless possibility of toppings to add to it to make it a family favorite. I have added a few pictures from Merrits website for extra temptation!

Merrits Scones 2 1/4 Packages of dry yeast 1/4 C. Warm water 1 qt. Buttermilk 2 T. Cooking oil 2 T. Sugar 1 T. Baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. Baking soda 2 Eggs 8 C. Flour (not pre-sifted) *Double the ingredients for large batch* Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix remaining ingredients together except for the flour. Add yeast mixture. Add flour a little at a time and mix thoroughly. Mixture will be sticky. Do not add more flour!!!! Cover and let rise until doubles in bulk. Punch down and let rise again. Dough can sit in refrigerator for up to 7 days. Gets better the longer it rises. The only thing is to keep it covered so it doesn't crust on top. Roll out or pinch off dough and stretch until thin. Drop in hot grease about 375º until golden brown on both sides. Serve with honey butter or whatever you want!



1970 - Year of My Birth

I thought it would be interesting to look back at the events of the year I was born. Here is what I found.

1970 Music continues to make significant impact with the largest ever rock festival held on the Isle of Wight with 600,000 people attending, including some of the biggest name in music including Jimi Hendrix and The Who. This is also the year The Concord makes it's first its first supersonic flight. Another significant change is the age of voting is now lowered to 18 in the US.

Cost of Living 1970

How Much things cost in 1970
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 5.84%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 5.9%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 838
Average Cost of new house $23,450.00
Average Income per year $9,400.00
Average Monthly Rent $140.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 36 cents
Shaefer Pen $9.95
United States postage Stamp 6 cents
Sports Illustrated 15 cents
Mans Westclox Watch $18.00
AMC Gremlin $1879
Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling
Average House Price 4,975
Gallon of Petrol 0.125

What Events Happened in 1970

Bangladesh

• Cyclone in Bangladesh kills 500,000

Peru

• Earthquake in Peru kills 67,000

World

• The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations

UK

• Paul McCartney announces that the Beatles have disbanded

Space

• Apollo 13 mission to moon abandoned

Japan

• Japan becomes the worlds “fourth space power”, after the Soviet Union (1957), the United States (1958), and France (1965).

U.S.

• First Earth Day celebrated

U.S.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ) begins operation

U.S.

• US increases import duty taxes to protect American Jobs

Egypt

• President Abdel Nasser of Egypt dies and 5 million turn out to honour him

UK

• The Liberian registered tanker Pacific Glory spills up to 100,000 gallons of crude oil on October 25th into the English Channel creating a huge oil slick and an environmental disaster

U.S.

• Boeing 747 makes its first commercial passenger trip to London

Australia

• South Australia suffers it's worst number of fires killing at least 75 people and had injured another 800.

• US Invades Cambodia

U.S.

• 100,000 people demonstrate in Washington DC against the Vietnam War

Turkey

• Cholera epidemic in Istanbul.

UK

• Edward Heath and the Conservative Party wins the British general elections.

World

• The Worlds Population reaches 3.63 billion

U.S.

• The US Population reaches 205 million

U.S.

• The US has 85 people per sq mile

U.S.

• Hurricane Celia makes landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas leaving 15 dead and nearly $400 million in damages,

Northern Ireland

• Reverend Ian Paisley has won a seat in parliament

France

• A fire at a nightclub near Grenoble, traps night clubbers leaving 142 mostly teenagers dead

Japan

• Japan has 1,083 People per sq mile

U.S.

• The US and the UK lowers the voting age to 18 from 21

U.S.

• California becomes the first US State to adopt "No Fault" Divorce law.

U.S.

• Controlled Substance Act passed part of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.

Vietnam

• Large floods in Vietnam , kills 293, leaves 200,000 homeless

Egypt

• The Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed

U.S.

• Chicago Seven defendants found guilty of intent to incite a riot in 1968 ( later overturned by Court of Appeal )

U.S.

• Dow Jones drops to 631

U.S.

• National Guards fire on and kill 4 protesters on May 4th at Kent State University

Brazil

• Brazil wins their third world cup with Pele as the captain




Popular Culture

• The Isle of Wight Festival takes place . 600,000 people attend the largest rock festival of all time. Artists include Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Chicago, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Jethro Tull.
• Jimi Hendrix dies of barbiturate overdose in London
• Janis Joplin dies in a cheap motel from a heroin overdose
• The first New York marathon is run in New York
• Simon and Garfunkel release their final album together, Bridge Over Troubled Water. The Title Track won the Grammy for song of the year.


Popular Films

• M*A*S*H,
• Patton
• Woodstock
• Hello, Dolly!
• Catch-22
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Popular Music and songs
The Beatles with " Let it Be "
The Jackson 5 with " ABC and I want you back "
Edwin Starr with " War "

Born This Year 1970

Chavo Guerrero, Jr

Naomi Campbell

Tina Fey

Kelly Ripa






Technology 1970

• First Jumbo Jet goes into service



• Concorde makes its first supersonic flight (700 mph/1127 km/h).



• The Soviet Moon Rover becomes the first remote-controlled robot to travel on the moon's surface



• The First Computer Chess Tournament takes Place



• IBM announces the successors to the IBM System/360 family the IBM System/370 with improved multi processor support.



• After many years of court battles damages awarded to Thalidomide victims







Major World Political Leaders 1970

Australia Prime Minister John Gorton

Brazil President Emilio Medici

Canada Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau

China Chairman of the People's Republic of China Song Qingling

France President Georges Pompidou

Germany Chancellor Willy Brandt

India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

Italy Prime Minister Mariano Rumor Till 6 August
Italy Prime Minister Emilio Colombo From 6 August

Japan Prime Minister Eisaku Sato

Mexico President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Till 30 November
Mexico President Luis Echeverría From 30 November

Russia / Soviet Union
First Secretary of the CPSU Leonid Brezhnev

South Africa Prime Minister Balthazar Johannes Vorster

United States President Richard Nixon

United Kingdom Prime Minister Harold Wilson Till 19 June
United Kingdom Prime Minister Edward Heath From 19 June



Political Elections


British General Election 1970 Edward Heath ( Conservative ) defeats Harold Wilson ( Labour ) and Jeremy Thorpe ( Liberal )