One of my favorite web sites is snopes.com. They explore and research urban legends and myths. I came across a very interesting posting a few weeks ago and would like to share it. I will just give you brief summary and it you want to know more you can do your own research. Recently a 98 year old woman named Irena Sendler died of pneumonia in Warsaw, Poland. She has been referred to as "the female Oskar Schindler" for her daring and ingenuity in saving the lives or more than 2500 Jews (most of them children) in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The story conflicts a little. One says that she was a plumber/sewer specialist and smuggled infants out in the bottom of her tool box. Another version said that she passed herself off as a nurse. Irena Sendler was a candidate for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize but Al Gore won it for is efforts on global warming. Anyway, I was fascinated by the story. If you want to read more go to www.snopes.com/politics/war/sendler.asp or http://www.irenasendler.org/ Somebody needs to write a book. This photo is Irena at age 91.

Picture of Dad/Grandpa/Great-Grandpa

Here's a nice picture of Dad (and Julie Rabe) taken by the George Washington Taggart headstone in the South Morgan Cemetery.  Dad's lookin' good.  I wish I were that trim.  

But if I were (that trim), who would keep Hostess in business?  My corpulence is really an important part of our economic viability.  I'm just not willing to let my vanity stand in the way of supporting a fine American company and further erode a dwindling consumer confidence portrayed by the liberal media.

But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators:  "I'm not eating this Twinkie to seek their good opinion -- I'm eating this Twinkie to serve the people of this country."

[Kids, this is what happens when you mix polysorbate 60, hydrogenated shortening, high fructose corn syrup, FD&C yellow no. 5 and 16 straight hours of C-Span]

I'm not sure who the other gentlemen are, but I assure you that since they are with Dad and Julie, they must indeed be gentlemen.  The source of the picture is a blog titled "Update on Joseph Taggart.  The link is:  http://josephtaggart.blogspot.com/2008/09/fair-state-state-fair-and-fine-state-of.html

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

This makes a deliciously moist cake that doesn't taste a bit like a vegetable. I took this cake to Grandpa's house a while ago and Alan asked for the recipe so I'm sharing it with you all. By the way if you need Zucchini I have plenty. I've also had a bumper crop of tomatoes and peppers so if you want to come visit me you can take all you can pick.

1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 Tb vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini (I peel mine)
1 recipe Chocolate Butter Frosting

In a large bowl combine oil, sugar, and eggs In a separate bowl sift dry ingredients; add to first mixture. Add milk and mix well. Melt baking chocolate in the microwave for 20 - seconds intervals, until just melted. Blend chocolate and vanilla into batter. Stir in zucchini. Bake in greased 9x13-inch baking pan at 350 degrees F. for 35 to 40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool and frost with Chocolate Butter Frosting.


Chocolate Butter Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
2 (1-oz) squares unsweetend baking chocolate, melted
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan bring butter and milk to a boil. Remove from heat. Add melted chocolate, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Photos of Greg...

Chris and I were going through some boxes this weekend and found many old photos. Chris asked me to post the photos we have of Greg for all to enjoy. Feel free to copy and paste them to your computers. (Sorry about the quality of some of them, I said they were old.)

HOPE

Emily Dickinson wrote:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops - at all.

People often say, " I hope I do well on my exam" or "I hope I have enough money left at the end of the month to make my car payment". There is nothing wrong with hoping, unfortunately, that kind of hope is not a plan. Hope without action almost has negative value.

Our greatest hope comes through the Savior's atonement. Elder Neal A. Maxwell gives us the following insights on hope.

"Unsurprisingly the triad of faith, hope, and charity, which brings us to Christ, has strong and converging linkage: faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, hope is in His atonement, and charity is the "pure love of Christ"! Each of these attributes qualifies us for the celestial kingdom. Each, first of all, requires us to be meek and lowly.

Faith and hope are constantly interactive, and may not always be precisely distinguished or sequenced. Though not perfect knowledge either, hope's enlivened expectations are "with surety" true. In the geometry of restored theology, hope has a greater circumference than faith. If faith increases, the perimeter of hope stretches correspondingly." Nov '94 Ensign, Brightness of Hope

The Taggart's immigrated to the United States from Ireland. The family crest is shown above. The family motto is Dum Spiro spero or While I breathe, I hope. I am grateful for my heritage. In addition to family, hope in Christ's atonement is what sustains me.

New Book Club Pick

Well I hope the new book club pick isn't coming too soon. I know my dad and I have finished Huckleberry Finn. It wasn't as captivating as I remember as a young girl however it reinforced my thoughts on it's pioneering efforts in satirical American literature.

That said, lets push on. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, another classic in American literature. The novel chronicles an era that Fitzgerald himself dubbed the "Jazz Age." Following the shock and chaos of World War I, American society enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity during the "roaring" 1920s as the economy soared. At the same time, Prohibition, the ban on the sale and manufacture of alcohol as mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment, made millionaires out of bootleggers and led to an increase in organized crime. Although Fitzgerald, like Nick Carraway in his novel, idolized the riches and glamor of the age, he was uncomfortable with the unrestrained materialism and the lack of morality that went with it.

The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published on April 10, 1925, it is set in Long Island's North Shore and New York City during the summer of 1922.

So get excited and start reading! I will start a new discussion thread on the Book Club Discussion link.

Stephenie Meyer...the Twilight Series

So, I started this series thinking it would be a decent read. The YW and some of the leaders I worked with said it was so good. And my niece loves the series. So, I bought the first book and got addicted. Twilight took me about 4-5 chapters to really get into, but then it got really good. The final book Breaking Dawn came out last Saturday. It is a 750 page book and despite my hectic schedule, I've managed to find enough time to almost finish it.

They have all been really great and I love the storyline as well as the characters. Stephenie has such an imagination. Some of it seemed a little ridiculous to me because we all have an idea in our minds of vampires and how they "work", but they I just allowed myself to imagine and enjoy. I do have to say that Breaking Dawn is by FAR the best!

This series was originally geared toward the teen scene, as Harry Potter. However, this is one of the best series I have ever read. I highly recommend it to all of you! And the story of how she came to write the series is really cool. If you want to learn more about it, her website is on this link: STEPHENIE MEYER.