In Utah, most people have two enormous utility bills. In the winter, it’s the gas bill for heat and, in the summer, it’s the electric bill for the central air conditioning. I am not sure which bill is worse, but I can tell you that I’d much rather be cold (within reason) than hot. If [...]
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When we were kids we went camping every year. It was a highlight of the summer that we looked forward to with great anticipation. After all these years, I still see the two years we camped in Kamas, Utah, as some of the best vacations every. Our folks found a campground right on the river. [...]
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Mom: Boys, your sister is bringing a friend over after their date to watch a movie tonight. So please be polite and no teasing. OK? Samson (11): Like not saying things like “boyfriend” or “marriage”? Mom: Yes. Caleb (8): Or what about whistling the “in love” song from Sims?
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Over the past couple of months I’ve dropped ten pounds using a “slow carb” diet. But, once again, I’m kind of stuck. So I started looking into supplements — vitamins and minerals — that might often be deficient in those who have trouble losing weight. The vast numbers of potions and pills is overwhelming. I [...]
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There’s an old adage from my parent’s generation that too often seems to be forgotten in our disposable society. Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Or do without. Believe me, my parents lived this verse! When I cleaned out my dad’s house to sell last fall (he moved in with us after [...]
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For ten years we lived in the stereotypical retirement mecca called Boca Raton, Florida. the only problem was, we weren’t retired. In fact, I wasn’t even 30 years old when we moved there, so we were rather out of the median age range. At the time we joked about retirement communities called Leisureville, Century Village, [...]
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My husband, Sam, lived in American Samoa from the time he was eight until he was 11. His parents were teaching at a private school. Seven years later he went back across the sea and served a two-year religious mission in both American Samoa and Wester Samoa. Needless to say, we have a love for [...]
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When money is tight — as it is for so many in this lousy economy — everyone starts clamoring to find ways to pinch pennies. While this is natural and helpful, it often means we overlook savings of dollars, sometimes lots of dollars. After spending our college years clipping coupons, sending in rebates, and shopping [...]
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It’s fine. Really. I didn’t want April anyway. On August 6 (Saturday night, day before Easter), I took Samson to an after hours clinic. He’d come down with the flu Thursday evening, but seemed to be on the mend. When he started throwing up again, I wanted to have him checked out. The clinic referred [...]
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Years ago I had an acquaintance who was always trying to get me on her latest diet du jour. Forget the fact that I was slim and she was heavy. Forget the fact that I was healthy and she was not. No matter how I approached it, she was sure that she knew the cure [...]
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A “singing bowl” is a type of bell, classified as a “standing bell.” It sits on the floor or counter or shelf and the side and rims vibrate to product sounds. Why would you want a singing bowl your home? Well, they are used all around the world by those who practice meditation and many find [...]
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One year after our oldest daughter graduated from BYU, our son-in-law followed suit. Yesterday we watched him file in amongst the rest of the class of 2012 to Pomp and Circumstance and then, later, walk by the podium to receive his diploma. I sat thinking back about 25 years, when I receive my bachelor’s degree [...]
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Self-reliance is important in my neck of the woods. While we aren’t fanatics about emergency preparedness and self-sufficiency, we make an effort to be reasonably ready to deal with a moderate calamity. We have a one-year supply of food and water and a 72-hour kit for each person in our family. We are working on [...]
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My sophomore year in high school, I made a very odd commitment for the 1980s. I swore to never wear denim again. I also set a goal to never wear my hair the same way twice in a given month. The loftiness (or lack thereof) of my goals aside, I did attain them. And it [...]
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When I was a 12, I met a family from Sugar City, Idaho, who had survived the Teton damn break and resultant flooding. They came to Utah for a number of months to live with their cousins, who lived on my street. Hearing the things that caused the most stress and concern was a good life lesson. [...]
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The rock wall is no more! Just before the driveway was poured, we discussed possibly sharing a fence with our soon-to-be neighbor. Since they were just contemplating digging their foundation, he didn’t know how he wanted to manage it. But we were left with the problem of having the west side of our backyard several [...]
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One of the great features the city of Lindon, Utah, provides for homeowners is irrigation water. We had culinary water for cooking, drinking, and bathing, as usual, but we also have irrigation water that is used for yards and gardens. Because it requires less processing, the irrigation water is significantly less expensive, making yard and [...]
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Spring is here. Truly we didn’t have much winter to begin with — certainly an oddity in Utah — but after a winter with 300 percent of the typical snowfall, a dry winter was welcome to most of us. The city turned the water on this week and we’re ready to begin getting the yard [...]
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I wish someone had clued me in 25 years ago! All this time I should have been sipping cocoa and watching reality TV! Hilary Rosen, who has visited the Obama White House some 35 times (General Petraeus has visited nine times) and is a top democratic strategist, doesn’t like Mitt Romney. Shocking, I know. Today, [...]
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This post brought to you by Spartan Race. All opinions are 100% mine. Having lost 10.9 pounds in the last four weeks — yes, you can applaud now — on a “slow carb” diet, I’m enjoying my workouts more. (Not that I’ll ever really love working out, but it’s much less painful when you aren’t [...]
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