[Watching a rainstorm through the dining room window.] Caleb (7): Mom, I knew it was going to rain. Mom: You did? Caleb: Yes. Do you know how? Mom: How? Caleb: I have senses. … Caleb: I’ve had them since before I was born.
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Goal Projects
We spent the bulk of our Labor Day holiday, laboring over furniture choices. When we finally went home, we ended up with less cash in our wallets, but some great furniture bargains: 2 tan swivel gliders for the library 2 fabulous brown pillows for the library 1 leather cocktail ottoman with storage for the family [...]
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Every time Sam and I went to a home show (and we went to far more than he’d care to remember!), I looked at a booth displaying copper rain gutters and accessories. Watching rain run down a verdigrised chain, draping from the roof to the ground, was far more romantic than a rusty old downspout. [...]
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When we planned the Mormon wedding for our daughter, we selected an indoor venue with access to a garden area. Given the volatility of April weather — especially in this odd weather cycle — it was a good idea. We had gorgeous, slightly cool weather on her wedding day, but one day earlier, it snowed! [...]
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Logical Fallacy > Informal Fallacy > Ignoratio Elenchi > Argumentum Ad Populum Argumentum ad populum (appeal to the people, appeal to popularity) is an argument which concludes that a position must be true because many people believe it is true. Other Names for Argumentum Ad Populum Fallacy Argumentum Ad Numerum (appeal to the numbers) Consensus [...]
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Have you ever heard someone trying to prove a point — possibly in a political, scientific, or moral argument — that just seemed wrong, but you couldn’t explain why? Have you heard or read positions that your gut said didn’t make sense, but you couldn’t pinpoint the problem? Have you stopped challenging ideas you thought [...]
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Leaving your door unlocked at night — or even during the day — has become a thing of the past in most places in the country. Unfortunately, the general cultural understanding of respect for others’ property has been largely replaced by a take-what-you-can-get mindset. While I’d love to return to many of the valued of [...]
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When you design your own home, you can customize not just the placement of rooms and look of the architecture, but also the function of the home. Custom homes that are well-designed not only look good, but make your life more comfortable and productive due to the built-in efficiencies. One of the things we did [...]
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This post is far too late — as are a number of other posts reporting on the final steps of the build of our home. Our months-late move in was preceded by our daughter’s engagement — both of which left us with too much to do and too little time. To top it off I [...]
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A few weeks before the wedding, we selected the ceiling light package to decorate the reception venue. The winning bid came from Moon Light Holiday Lighting due to the owner’s presentation, enthusiasm, and very competitive package price. As promised, Nephi showed up on time and had the ceiling lighting completed before we arrived to [...]
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When people visit our new home, they are often surprised that we have concrete floors throughout the house. The main floor has polished concrete and the basement has acid washed concrete (the upstairs has dragon board (another post all together) and the stairs are stained/sealed wood). Given the popularity of wood, carpet, and tile, we [...]
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Finalizing the invitation for the wedding was, surprisingly, the most difficult part of the wedding planning. There are so many options with such cost variables that coming to a final decision was difficult for the bride and groom. (To be fair, the bride — with her graphic design minor — was by far the most [...]
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[Caleb sneaks up on his sister and spanks her.] Alana (17): Caleb! [Caleb laughs and runs out of arms' reach.] Alana: Caleb, why did you do that? Caleb (7): You’re just a girl who needs a spanking. Alana: Caleb, you don’t spank girls. In fact, if you spank a girl, she will probably slug you. [...]
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After castigating all potential partygoers for thinking RSVPs are just an old-fashioned, cultural artifact (they aren’t!), I have a public confession to make. Although I’m rather a student of formal etiquette (and an enormous fan of Judith Martin!), I don’t follow nearly all of it. In fact, sometimes I openly mock it. Yes, I said [...]
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One of the things we love about our wedding reception venue, is the movable ceiling grids. They can be decorated with lights, fabric, lanterns, or myriad combinations of things. Jessica really wanted to have a pretty ceiling decor package, and Noah’s has a subcontractor they work with, but the cost is prohibitive. Having married in [...]
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Having moved fairly frequently since we married 25 years ago, Sam and I don’t have long, trailing roots here in Lindon. Our friends our spread all over the country. So while the announcements will go out to about 400 people, we expect less than 150 at the actual reception. That’s a lot for a sit [...]
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A Mormon wedding differs from others in a number of ways, but there are many aspects that will be familiar to just about everyone. While there is really no “typical LDS wedding,” there are traditions that tend to surround them, even outside areas with lots of Mormons (like Utah, Idaho, California, Arizona, etc.). As you [...]
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Losing weight after pregnancy has been a quest beginning with my first pregnancy in 1987, continuing through my last pregnancy in 2003, and ruining my wardrobe today. I embarked on The 4-Hour Body on January 1st. I stuck to it religiously for over five weeks. And lost four pounds. Four. Do the math. That’s definitely [...]
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For those of you working on the Why Can’t I Sleep project with me — trying to develop better sleep habits and, perhaps, becoming an advanced early riser — I wanted to pass on Amazon’s Gold Box deal. Today only, the Philips Wake-up Light Plus is being offered for 30% off at Amazon! Instead of [...]
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Ever since I was a young(er) mom, running around Boca Raton with four daughters in tow, I’ve heard about what I had coming. Most times we were in public I heard shrieks — from senior citizens with strong New York accents — directed at our little estrogen-heavy clan of, “Oy! The weddings! The weddings!” At [...]
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