Aren't these beautiful?

One of our returned missionaries is earning money by selling art work. You send him a picture of a temple, and he creates and original chalk pastel for you. I don't know all the details, but we love him and love his work. You can click on the link above for a website with a little more information.

Dog and Cat diary

Family, Zone conference was neat. I got to pretend to be a bad leader and I got half the zone believing that I was serious with my unclear questions, partly untucked shirt, distracted gaze, wavering attention, etc. Afterwards, Sis. Johnstun said that I was a really good actor, she, too, believed part of it. Also, we used one of my favorit sports (Bop-It)to teach about the importance of listening to the Spirit. We had fun. I did not recieve any mail this conference. Also, I had asked Pres. Johnstun for a Priesthood Blessing afterwards to help me out with some guidance. In the blessing, it was said to me that thinking and making plans about life after the mission is not a sin, and He recommended that I take time on mondays to search and write down ideas and plans. And that I get permission from my mission president to sign up for classes at BYU-I when time comes. He blessed me with the ability to set a good example of hard work and obedience for my fellow missionaries here and for my brothers and sisters, so that I could have a smooth transition into life after the mission. He said a few things more, but I´ll talk about that later. I dont have alot of time now. I love you all. Mom, please get in touch with Ben Burke, Sarah will know how, and confirm that he still wants to live in Somerset. Somerset is part of a big housing business called Rexburg Housing. You might try checking for that to find Somerset. Tell Josh and Ben that I dont think I am going to find out anything about the Baja 1000 race, but I know a bunch of people who fight chickens, if they´re interested in that at all. hehe. I thought I looked good in the photo. I love you all! -Elder Tolman

Somebody -help

Here's a recipe from a friend in Scotland. Somebody needs to try this and convince me that it's not fantastic so I won't get hooked and have my diet side tracked. Please. I have no will power. The only thing keeping me from making them right now is the thought of going to the grocery store to get everything and cleaning it up. Wow, am I lazy today or what? Who knew slothfulness had it's up side?

10-15 years ago, if I wanted to research something, locate an address, contact a friend, do some genealogy, pay a bill... my first impulse wouldn't be to go to my computer. Wow-have things changed. The Internet provides so many advantages, but along with that come disadvantages.

For example, one of the things that people do after first meeting with the missionaries, is to search for more information about it. So many critics present false and/or negative information, but video clips like the one above ensure that search engines also pull out some of the positive and correct information from the church itself. Visiting, posting and sharing correct information with family and friends strengthens a links likelihood to pop out on a search engine. With all the questions about our temples, this is an inspirational and informative response to what we believe and not about what others say about us. So share it!

Deliciously Clean Reads

Intriguing title right? I remember Raina commenting on wanting to find reliable book reviews. My sister Emy introduced me to DCR, which has now moved to Homespun Light. She has lots of great reviews specifically geared toward weeding out bad language, violence and adult content. You'll appreciate the theme and background. The host, Emily, is currently reviewing a new book that might interest your your kids. She's also giving away one copy. Have (our) Emily and Meagan check it out!