Food Prices still rising?

So I read a short article today about how food prices are bound to continue to rise through this next year, especially if there's any natural disaster.

My first reaction to this article was: Whew! I'm so glad we have a prophet who warned us to prepare a food storage and learn how to live from it.

My second reaction, after reading some of these comments was: Everyone has a finger to point at a different problem, government, or corporation. Food price is an extremely complicated issue and "fixing" any one thing probably won't make a difference.

Here is a comment I found particularly amusing, pointing it's finger at government subsidization programs:

Want some fun proof of how good intentioned laws can be super stupid. We subsidise corn crops, for lots of reasons and we did even before ethanol technology. Because of this subsidization corn syrup is the cheapest form of sweetener, and soda is cheap to make as a result. Due to climbing obesity rates many states have passed a soda tax. Let me break this down, the government is artificially cheapening an ingredient it is now over taxing on the other end. Any one else see a problem with this or am I crazy?

It kind of made me laugh. Crazy crazy world. Just learn to live within your control, I guess.

I {heart} Jimmer

We love Jimmer Fredette. Really. Britta made these because I told her to. I {heart} Britta, too.

MLK

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction ... The chain reaction of evil — hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)

Hiding in the bathroom

Grace has been playing in the bathroom a lot more lately. She likes closing the door and telling me to "go, go, go" away. Then she squeals with laughter when I open the door to surprise her.

Then she closes it again in my face. She likes to climb on the toilet (which I definitely don't like), so we decided to get a toilet of her own to climb on. She loves it. It's her personal pedicure tub.

Thoughts of potty training are still far away, but at least she's getting used to the idea of a toilet... right?

A Soulful Christmas

For posterity's sake, I wanted to mention Grace's first Christmas that mattered to her (*ahem* us *ahem*). Scott and I were totally excited for her! Although Grace's enthusiasm was hardly apparent, we're sure her mellow chewing bag after bag of Nemo fruit snacks while we opened her presents for her was really a cover for the bubbling excitement within her that defines Christmas morning.
But seriously, she was such a happy baby. All we need in the future are fruit snacks and her Christmas is set. We spent most of the morning hanging out listening to Scott play the guitar and Grace playing whatever she could get her hands on.
While laying, sitting or standing in the guitar case.
I remember wanting to curl up in a guitar case but being shoed away. The fact that I remember that probably means I was WAY too old to be in a guitar case.

In 2011, I...

Will take more photos.

Will learn to control the angry beast that tries to burst out of me sometimes.

Want to make more puppets.

Will search for opportunities to serve people around me.

Want to feel closer to the Savior by studying the New Testament and reading Jesus The Christ by Talmage.

Won't create any lame-o blogs at the last minute because of promises I couldn't keep.

What are you going to do?