Rickety

Mostly about Utah

Build an Arc Welder from Microwave Ovens

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Paul with his microwave ovens
Paul with his 33 microwave ovens to turn into one or more arc welders

Microwave Ovens

I came home from work to be greeted by Paul, “Hey dad, do you want to see my latest project?” He showed me his purchase of 33 microwave ovens that he will turn into an arc welder. He said that he only needs two microwave oven transformers for the arc welder. Some designs use eight, and besides, “I can always make more than one.” Great, Paul with an arc welder in each hand!

$5 A Pallet

Paul said that he got the microwaves from Tech Cycle that advertised the microwave ovens on Craigslist for $5 a pallet. Here is what the ad said:

Tech Cycle
801-886-6050
1499 So 700 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
.
Here is a deal of a lifetime. If you need a microwave, now is the time to buy. We are a business trying to make some room in are [sic] warehouse. We have a pallet of microwaves for 5.00 but here is the catch. YOU MUST TAKE THE WHOLE PALLET. If interested call me or come by.

It appears that Tech Cycle may be connected with Executive Recycling who don’t seem too particular where their electronic waste ends up. The Salt Lake address (1499 S. 700 W.) on their former website is the same as Tech Cycle’s. Some of the microwaves came from Deseret Industries. Anyway, Paul is going to recycle these microwaves into welders. He’s really cookin’ now so standby for updates.

External Articles

Build a Microwave Transformer Homemade Stick/Arc Welder Learn from the experts.
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Missionary Dan Email #19 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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Mongolian countryside.
Mongolian countryside

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s nineteenth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

The boating trip looked fun. Thanks for the pictures. They are always fun to look at.

Missionary Work

Missionary work here is moving right along. In the summer it slows down a bit because lots of people move to the countryside. My companion and I are doing the best we can. Yesterday was exciting with seven investigators that came to church. One of them my companion invited just once and he came. I like people that do things that they say they will. I’ve noticed a lot of the older Mongolian men keep to their word. It’s a good quality to have. Also church was refreshing. It was good to renew covenants and reflect on what the Savior did for me and all people.

Yesterday a 22 year old started talking to me. He read, “Book of Mormon” on my Book of Mormon. Normally people don’t talk to me first so I asked if we could meet with him later and he said yes. We went to his house that day and taught his family. It was a great experience. He said, “Please come. Please come” as we left indicating he wanted us to return.

There isn’t much more to say than that the stake was formed. Everything else is much the same and works just as normal as it did before. I know that soon they will get a Patriarch and he’ll be able to give blessings.

The Hike

Strange as it sounds hiking in Mongolia is like hiking in Utah. You start at the bottom of the mountain and walk up it. The faster you hike, the more exhausting it becomes and stopping to rest is always an option. I like to conquer the hill as quick as I can. Maybe there are some differences in hiking. I am on the other side of the world… so I’m hiking the opposite way I would be if I was in Utah. It doesn’t feel that way. It still seems like an upward direction to me. Anyway, it was great. The land was great to look at and it was relaxing to get out of the city for awhile. I really enjoyed it. I sent a few more pictures of the landscape.

To Mom

My companion is doing well. He is trying his best to learn English. We saw his sister in a mini bus while we were walking down the street. That is always exciting.

The picture of me in front of the city with the mountains in the background is my new area. All the way to up to the mountain and to the right. It’s big.


New Ulaanbataar area
Daniel’s new Ulaanbataar area

To Dad

Hey! Happy Fathers Day this Sunday. You are an awesome Dad and I love you a lot. I decided to give you pictures for Fathers Day (Mom probably likes them better). There should be 7 or so. Thanks for being so active in the church and honoring your priesthood. It is a great blessing for me to have a wonderful Dad like you.

Elder Caldwell (a couple missionary here) said you posted something on his blog. He found me at the fireside and said Hi. He said he had no clue how you found his blog. Not bad for being a little Rickety.

Love, Elder Willoughby

P.S. I think I got my mission call a year ago today.
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Missionary Dan Email #18 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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Baptism in Mongolia
Daniel holding a Mongolian Book of Mormon

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s eighteenth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Ulaanbaatar Mongolia West Stake

It was history in the making for Mongolia. The first stake was formed yesterday. I was happy to see how many members were there. What impressed me was when the Mongolians that accepted the new callings in the stake seemed like they had been members their whole lives. To have the Church already have a stake here shows to anyone that it really is true.

We traveled to the country side this preparation day. It was an adventure and took up most of the day so I can’t write much. The picture is of a hike we went on [Rickety note: It appears Daniel sent the wrong photograph]. It is similar to hiking in Utah. The sky is very blue here.

To Bryon:

Good luck! You’ll be great. There is granola cereal at the far left side of the cafeteria. I enjoyed that, Paul told me about it. I liked the very front of the bleachers for the firesides and devotionals. Careful though some of the seats are slightly broken and lean forward. Anyway you’ll figure it out. It will be great.

Love, Elder Willoughby

External Articles

The Ulaanbaatar West Stake! (Mike and Melba’s Mongolian blog)
First stake in Mongolia is organized (LDS Church News)
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A Balanced Budget Amendment Will Cut Federal Deficit Spending

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United States Constitution

Before discussing a Federal Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment let us first look at Utah’s constitution that has a section on public debt.

Utah Constitutional Balanced Budget

In Article 14, Section 1 of the Utah Constitution the state is allowed “To meet casual deficits or failures in revenue, and for necessary expenditures for public purposes” by “contract[ing] debts, not exceeding in the aggregate at any one time, an amount equal to one and one-half per centum of the value of the taxable property of the State.” The one and one-half percent can be exceeded only for the public defense as provided by the following:

Article XIV, Section 2.   [Debts for public defense.]
The State may contract debts to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or to defend the State in war, but the money arising from the contracting of such debts shall be applied solely to the purpose for which it was obtained.

Article 14 has working well for Utah (see the full text of Article 14). The state budgets conservatively because of the constitutional mandate to balance its budget every year. In times of lower state revenues very little money has to be diverted for debt servicing, hence reductions in services can be minimized. A requirement for a balanced budget has also resulted in the creation of a rainy day fund to mitigate the difficulties of revenue shortfalls.

Federal Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment

Many people baulk at a Federal balanced budget amendment because they feel that it would hobble the government in times of emergency, such as war or an economic depression. But just as the state of Utah makes provision for emergencies in its constitution so too would the federal government. For example, Representative Jason Chaffetz’s (R-Utah) co-sponsorship of a balanced budget amendment has these provisions in a section-by-section summary:

  • Section 1. Requires that total spending for any fiscal year not exceed total receipts.
  • Section 2. Requires a 3/5 vote for any increases in the debt limit.
  • Section 3. Requires that the President’s proposed budget to Congress be balanced each year.
  • Section 4. Requires that any legislation to increase revenue must be passed by a true majority of each chamber and not just a majority of those present and voting.
  • Section 5. Provides an exception to the balanced budget provisions in times of military conflicts that pose imminent and serious military threats to national security, as declared by Congress.
  • Section 6. Requires Congress to enforce this amendment through appropriate legislation.
  • Section 7. Stipulates that total outlays do not include repayment of debt and total receipts do not include those derived from borrowing.
  • Section 8. Provides the effective date of the amendment.

Representative Chaffetz has this to say about the Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment:

Washington obviously lacks the discipline to live within its means. We cannot be all things to all people. We are $10+ trillion in debt and the number is growing every day. This is unacceptable and unsustainable…. We cannot continue to run this country by putting more debt on a credit card. The State Constitution in Utah requires a balanced budget. This works well for Utah and will work well for our country.

As can been seen in Section 5, provision is made for exceptions in time of war. The debt limit can be raised by a 3/5 vote which should adequately cover emergencies. See the full text of the balanced budget amendment proposal with 166 co-sponsors.

Over the years there have been several attempts by Congress to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment. The closest was in 1995 when a Balanced Budget Amendment passed the House of Representatives and was one vote shy in the Senate.

The States and a Balanced Budget Amendment

Article V of the Constitution states in part:

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; …

Between 1975 and 1980, 30 different state legislatures submitted 34 petitions to Congress concerning a Balanced Budget Amendment. Those states were Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. Since 1980, Alaska and Missouri have petitioned Congress for a convention for a Balanced Budget Amendment. If two more additional states were to petition, then the required two-thirds majority of states would be reached (34 out of 50 states) and Congress would be required to call a convention to propose a Balanced Budget Amendment.

Article XIV of the Utah Constitution

PUBLIC DEBT

Article XIV,  Section 1. [Fixing the limit of the state indebtedness — Exceptions.]
To meet casual deficits or failures in revenue, and for necessary expenditures for public purposes, including the erection of public buildings, and for the payment of all Territorial indebtedness assumed by the State, the State may contract debts, not exceeding in the aggregate at any one time, an amount equal to one and one-half per centum of the value of the taxable property of the State, as shown by the last assessment for State purposes, previous to the incurring of such indebtedness.  But the State shall never contract any indebtedness, except as provided in Article XIV, Section 2, in excess of such amount, and all monies arising from loans herein authorized, shall be applied solely to the purposes for which they were obtained.

Article XIV,  Section 2. [Debts for public defense.]
The State may contract debts to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or to defend the State in war, but the money arising from the contracting of such debts shall be applied solely to the purpose for which it was obtained.

Article XIV,  Section 3. [Certain debt of counties, cities, towns, school districts, and other political subdivisions not to exceed taxes — Exception — Debt may be incurred only for specified purposes.]
(1)  No debt issued by a county, city, town, school district, or other political subdivision of the State and directly payable from and secured by ad valorem property taxes levied by the issuer of the debt may be created in excess of the taxes for the current year unless the proposition to create the debt has been submitted to a vote of qualified voters at the time and in the manner provided by statute, and a majority of those voting thereon has voted in favor of incurring the debt.
(2)  No part of the indebtedness allowed in this section may be incurred for other than strictly county, city, town, school district, or other political subdivision purposes respectively.

Article XIV,  Section 4. [Limit of indebtedness of counties, cities, towns, and school districts — Larger indebtedness may be allowed.]
(1) (a)  If authorized to create indebtedness as provided in Section 3 of this Article, no county may become indebted to an amount, including existing indebtedness, exceeding two per centum of the value of taxable property in the county.
(b)  No city, town, school district, or other municipal corporation, may become indebted to an amount, including existing indebtedness, exceeding four per centum of the value of the taxable property therein.
(2)  For purposes of Subsection (1), the value of taxable property shall be ascertained by the last assessment for State and County purposes previous to the incurring of the indebtedness, except that in incorporated cities the assessment shall be taken from the last assessment for city purposes.
(3)  A city of the first or second class, if authorized as provided in Section 3 of this Article, may be allowed to incur a larger indebtedness, not to exceed four per centum, and any other city or town, not to exceed eight per centum additional, for supplying such city or town with water, artificial lights or sewers, if the works for supplying the water, light, and sewers are owned and controlled by the municipality.

Article XIV,  Section 5. [Borrowed money to be applied to authorized use.]
All moneys borrowed by, or on behalf of the State or any legal subdivision thereof, shall be used solely for the purpose specified in the law authorizing the loan.

Article XIV,  Section 6. [State not to assume county, city, town or school district debts — Exception.]
The State shall not assume the debt, or any part thereof, of any county, city, town or school district except as provided in Article X, Section 5.

Article XIV,  Section 7. [Existing indebtedness not impaired.]
Nothing in this article shall be so construed as to impair or add to the obligation of any debt heretofore contracted, in accordance with the laws of Utah Territory, by any county, city, town or school district, or to prevent the contracting of any debt, or the issuing of bonds therefor, in accordance with said laws, upon any proposition for that purpose, which, according to said laws, may have been submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of any county, city, town or school district before the day on which this Constitution takes effect.
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Missionary Dan Email #17 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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Baptism in Mongolia
Celebrating Ganbeleg’s birthday

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s seventeenth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Wow its crazy that Nathan is already home. Didn’t he just leave? It sounds like he had a very successful mission.

Daniel Singing in Mongolian


Daniel singing in Mongolia
Mongolian

On Mother’s Day Daniel spoke with the family and Jill recorded him singing in Mongolian.

Missionary Work

This week was definitely different from last week. It has been good to get to know my new companion. We celebrated his birthday in our apartment (see picture). Surprisingly I have almost met his entire family. One day his dad was on the bus in the city and his brother gave a ride another day. Mongolia is a small place so a lot of Mongolian missionaries here see their families.

Most of the time I can understand what my companion says, which is an amazing blessing from the Lord. Sometimes we get out the Oxford dictionary and attempt to say things to each other. It is a good experience. He is trying really hard to learn English and thanks me for teaching him. I am not the best teacher but the Lord is helping him learn.

The Branches

The new branch is great. I am doing my best to get to know them. I am able to talk to one member a lot that likes to try and speak English. Most of the time I can understand what he is trying to say. The branch missionaries are really good to come with us when we teach lessons and they are good teachers.


Helping to convert to a summer ger
Helping to convert to a summer ger

Yesterday made me very happy. There was a fireside being held at my old branch and we were able to attend. When I got there my old district all said, “Elder Willoughby!” I couldn’t help but smile. They all gave me hugs and when I say that the Sisters are excluded. I also got to see Mongon od and Erdenmuhx. As I was talking with Erdenmuhx she said she was looking for me when she received the Holy Ghost. She recited to me, “Where is Elder Willoughby?” I said I really wanted to be there but when the president says to move, we move. She understood and was happy to see me. Mongon Od also volunteered at the fireside to read a scripture. Elder Altangerel said to me, “That’s our new member. :)” We gave each other high fives.

I was also greeted warmly from the Branch President, his counselors, and the other members in the branch. It made all the hard efforts worth it. It made me so happy to see my new members there going strong.

Weather

It is warm mornings, kind of hot in the afternoon, and great temperatures the rest of the day. It is much just like the weather in Utah.

To Mom:

I am very grateful that you are my mom. You were and still are my favorite mom. I love you for who you are and you mean a lot to me. I’d be no where without you.
The backpack I got from the MTC works great for my mission. It was 30 dollars. I bought a carry-on in addition to my backpack at the MTC as well which was even cheaper. It worked great and I had no problems. Every mission is different. The apartment is nicer than the last one. It’s very comfortable. Thanks for taking care of Mikey. :)

To Dad:

I have to say that for how old you are, sleeping in church should be part of your routine, but I am grateful for your example of always making the effort to fulfill your callings. I am not really sure where Ehxtaban is… The stake was delayed because of presidential elections here. Nothing bad happened, they were just being cautions I think. When I learn more I’ll tell you about it.

To Byron:

You’ll be great. Work hard in the MTC and it will be a blessing your whole mission. I absolutely loved the MTC, even after 13 weeks there I would have stayed (well, maybe). Don’t let anyone mess up your thinking of what you can become. The possibilities are endless. The Lord has great things in store for you. I am excited for you to serve along with me. I don’t want you at my homecoming but I want to be at yours.

To Steven:

Thanks for the pictures. Its fun to get to look at them.

Love, Elder Willoughby
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Missionary Dan Email #16 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s sixteenth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.


Ehxtaban Branch
Ehxtaban Branch, Mongolia. Daniel is 4th from right, back row. Click to enlarge (2 MB)

Daniel Speaking Mongolian


Daniel Speaking in Mongolia
Mongolian

On Mother’s Day Daniel spoke with the family and Jill recorded him speaking in Mongolian. Next week I will post Daniel singing in Mongolian.

Thanks

Wow! Thanks for all the pictures. Everything looks so different. Why did you move the couch? The pictures look very good. Arches national park is very pretty, I liked going there. Aurora looks great, does she already know how to use GIMP? That’d be nice… it took me forever to figure things out in that.

Thanks also for the great writings. I’ll share what I can with the people here. It is amazing how the Lord always help those people that put Him first.

Missionary Work

We were very excited for ErdenMuhx to be baptized this Friday. The branch also was excited too. Our branch president baptized her and the relief society president welcomed her. I was happy to see her fit in with the ward members so well. She brought both of her children to the baptism. She bore a good testimony after her baptism as well. She has done a lot of things to change her life and become a member of the church.


Baptism in Mongolia
Baptism. Daniel on right.

Speaking of change a lot has changed. We had half-transfers on Saturday. I didn’t get to see ErdenMuhx confirmed but the change has been good for me. I have a Mongolian companion that is learning English and knows very little. His name is Ganbeleg. He is full of energy and does good work. My new area is still in the city, actually it’s just right next to my old one. The branch is great and we have a newer building to meet in. I am humbled that I am now going to use my Mongolian a lot more to communicate. With Altangerel it was half English, half Mongolian. It was sad to leave him because we had become great friends. Now I get to develop my listening comprehension and speaking ability at a much quicker pace.

I have been very blessed with all the success the Lord gave to me and my old companion. I am happy to get to know my new one. Transfers are always a little crazy. :)

To Dad

Thanks for all you do with your blog and letting me able to be a post every week. I haven’t heard much about what the new stake has done for my new branch I am in. I know that my old branch was going to become a ward. Its exciting for the Mongolians to be progressing in the church so quickly.

To Beny

The Mongolians truly have a lot of faith and have really embraced the gospel and the Book of Mormon. The Lord has prepared them to be taught. It’s exciting to be a part of it. :)

To Steven

Thanks for the pictures. You have a great talent for taking gorgeous pictures. Some of them I thought you bought at the gift shop and edited yourself with GIMP. It looks like your new little family is doing great.

To Jake

Thanks for the great feedback. You’re a great brother, keep up the great work. I need to continue to study PMG and make sure I become something and not just do missionary things. I’ve put a lot of effort into my mission so far and I will continue to do so. We are still waiting for General Conference… Hmm maybe they are still translating it.

Love, Elder Willoughby
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Installing a PermaStone Modular Vinyl Tile Floor

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We needed new carpet and linoleum on the ground floor of our home. In April we called in Henry’s of Bountiful to do the work. This post is not meant as a tutorial on how to install PermaStone vinyl tile. It will however show you how the installation progressed, what it cost, and how well the finished product looks.

Click on the photographs below to see enlarged versions.

Moving Out

Except for the front room, everything on the ground floor was moved into the garage. The green stuff on the right is what is left of the old carpet underlay. Installing the carpet and vinyl was going to take two days.

Fishing Trip

Even the fish had to move. This bucket was their temporary home for a few days. One of the fish jumped out on to the floor but Jake scooped him back up. I bet he felt like a fish out of water. We put a book over the top of the bucket to prevent any more escapes.

Midnight Snacks

Not long ago the front room had been carpeted so it was useful for storing items that were too big or heavy to move to the garage.

Our king size bed was too large to get into the basement so we threw the mattress down in the front room. We borrowed a neighbor’s dolly to move the refrigerator. The plan was to put it in the garage. The dolly wasn’t strong enough to take the refrigerator down the steps so we stored it in the front room. This turned out to be very handy. During the night when I wanted a snack, the refrigerator was right by my bedside. It was surprisingly quiet and didn’t disturb our sleep.

That is my son Paul laying on the bed.

Out With The Old

We tore out the old carpet and underlay. The linoleum stayed and the vinyl tiles will be installed on top. The hallway carpet was to be replaced with the tile. Here I am pulling up the old carpet fastening strips. I left the carpet strips in place in the bedrooms. The kitchen linoleum was scrubbed with bleach to remove any grease.

In With The New

This pile of boxes contains part of the new floor. At the Nafco website you can see the three sizes of tile that are in the box. The flooring has a natural texture and subtle coloration. The tiles come in three different sizes that fit seamlessly into stylish modular units. Each modular unit is comprised of two 16″x16″, three 8″x8″, and two 8″x16″ tiles.

Stick To It

The kitchen and dining area were the first to get a coat of adhesive. That’s the white stuff on the floor.

The installers had difficulty finding my home so had a late start. Nevertheless they finished the vinyl and started on the carpet. They stuck to the job until 8pm but couldn’t quite get finished. They completed the installation the next day.

A Pattern Emerges

Once the first tiles were laid the rest of the tiles were installed very quickly. This is perhaps a job I could do myself but the first time around I was content to watch how it was done. These two men worked hard all day and into the evening.

Henry’s

Here the installer is building upon the first few tiles that were laid in the center of the floor.

Henry’s was recommended to us by a friend. Here is Henry’s Floor Coverings blog. Henry Smith started the company in 1953 and it is now owned by his grandson, Nick Berry. Nick is the one who helped us select PermaStone for our floor.

A Module Unit Emerges

Do you recall the module units mentioned in In With The New? Here you can see the units emerging made up of two large squares, two rectangles, and three small squares. Then they repeat. You can clearly see two full modular units that are not covered by equipment.

Entranceway Under Construction

Here the carpet had to be lifted to install the tile. There was also a small area where the floor had settled. This was no problem for vinyl tile because of its flexibility. If I had chosen ceramic tile I may have had to level out the floor.

An interesting feature of these tiles is GroutFit that is only on two sides of the tile. When they are fitted together, you see a seamless floor. According to Erica Hubbard, the director of marketing for Nafco by Tarkett, “the grout feels amazingly real” without the headaches of real grout.

Hallway Under Construction

This is the hallway that originally was carpeted. Now it is tiled all the way to the three bedrooms. This is a better solution to reduce wear and tear that was very visible on our old carpet. On the subject of tears, consider how easy it is to replace a tile:

It is inevitable that a tile is going to be damaged during the lifetime of the floor. Perhaps it happens while redecorating, or moving furniture from room to room. Replacement takes just a few minutes. Using a heat gun and a utility knife, remove the damaged tile. Then apply adhesive to a new tile and replace it.

For this purpose I purchased an extra box of tiles to use as replacements.

PermaStone Closeup

This photograph shows the “grouting” in more detail. It looks like the real thing. Click on the photograph to get an enlarged view.

The pattern we chose is called Natural Slate (PMR-660) with the Dune color. There are other colors in the slate, namely Flint and River Rock. Of course there are several other patterns and colors to choose from.

Cornered

The corners had a great fit as you can see here. We retained the original baseboards. The tiles were fitted right up to them and a small amount of grout (real this time) finished the job. Perhaps it isn’t grout but something similar. Anyway the results are perfect.

Cut Around The Wires

The space behind my refrigerator is where I feed wires from the attic through to the basement. The installers neatly went around the wires. This part is always hidden from view once the refrigerator is returned.

Coving

The kitchen had 36 feet of coving that needed to be replaced. This was achieved by using the tile itself. I like how it came out. For the coving there was an additional $99 charge for labor which was in the original quote. I tore out the existing coving but it was not very difficult. Tearing things out is so much easier than putting stuff in!

Finished Entranceway

All done. It looks just like brand new. The carpet is back in place and the refrigerator has been moved back into the kitchen. No more midnight snacks without getting out of bed. You can see the modular units in the flooring except this time they are vertically oriented.

Finished Dining Area

There is my spare box of tiles that I hope I never have to use. This dining area looks clean enough to eat off. However, we did bring the dining table back in to the house. By the tile box is a roll of our new carpet that was installed.

Finished Kitchen

Now that is a fine looking kitchen floor. After 26 years the linoleum was finally replaced. And about time Jill said. So my wife is happy, so I’m happy, Henry’s is happy (they got paid) — even the fish are happy. It’s enough to make you want to smile.

Cost

I am always asked in the comments, “How much did it cost you?” So here goes:

$1,520.00 — PermaStone Vinyl Tile PMR-660 Dune (380 square feet @ $4.00)
…$718.20 — Labor (380 square feet @ $1.89)
…..$99.00 — Extra Labor Charge, Vinyl Coving (36 feet @ $2.74)
—————–
$2,337.20

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Missionary Dan Email #15 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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Altangerel, Mongon Od, and Daniel at church
Altangerel, Mongon Od, and Daniel at church

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s fifteenth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Thanks for the great letters. It was fun to read what everyone is up to. It honestly feels like a month has passed by since last preparation day. It’s the benefit of waking up early and going to bed early. We accomplish so much in one day. Thanks Annie and Marci for the great letters. Happy birthday Paul! Are you really 24? Wow.

There are some hamburgers at this one store, but they tend to be expensive. Some missionaries go and buy raw cow meat from the market and fry up some hamburgers. I haven’t bothered to do that I am content with rice and noodles.

Missionary Work

Our investigator Erdenmohx passed her baptismal interview and will be baptized this Friday. Yesterday I was talking to her about her interview she would be having today. I asked, “Do you have to work tomorrow?” She said jokingly, “Work doesn’t matter, Church is first.” We both laughed and I could tell it relieved some of her stress. She has made great sacrifices to qualify for baptism, while working to pay for her daughter’s school and turning down her friend’s requests to go to parties. I have truly seen the power the Book of Mormon has to change lives. We are so blessed from Heavenly Father to have such a good investigator and are very excited for her. I have learned that the Lord provides a way for anyone that is willing to put forth the effort. Everyone has great potential to become something great.

I am starting to understand people better. I am working hard to learn the language. At times it is very difficult, but instead of getting frustrated I pray and ask for help. I keep a positive attitude about all things and know that if I rely on the Lord He will help me. What I have learned so far has been a blessing from Heavenly Father. He has increased many of my abilities and continues to teach me.

Our branch decided to try and start home teaching again. They got really excited and started assigning companions. I realized that missionary work is exactly what home teaching is, but instead of teaching members we teach non members. It says that in Preach My Gospel somewhere. We had a lot of Mongolians attend the fireside again. Along with them come Hyrbek and Erdenmohx. I was happy that they came with us.

I know that this church is true and Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today. I know that God loves us. He sent His son because He loved us. I have felt His love through the power of the Holy Ghost. Christ has suffered for all of our sins and I know that through His atonement we all can live peacefully and happily for all eternity.

To Mom:

I’d like to have the letter from Mikey Fong. Did you give him the non-pouch address? The two letters from Steven came quickly that weren’t sent in the pouch. Mikey Fong is one of my greatest friends. Did you treat him well when he stopped by? :) Thanks for everything you do Mom, I love you.

To Dad:

Sister Andersen talked to me about your blog. She said someone who was traveling to Mongolia got their information from there and contacted her. I think he is now in Mongolia and investigating the church. I don’t know the full story but it sounds like your blog is doing great things.

The best way to describe what the hole is for is “a small house with the word out in front of it.”

Love, Elder Willoughby


The hole that Daniel helped dig for a part-member family
The hole that Daniel helped dig for a part-member family

Rickety signature

Rewards Checking: First State Bank

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Less than a week after updating my list of banks offering Rewards Checking I was applying to some of those same banks to open an account. Deseret First Credit Union had dropped their rate from 5% to 3% but Coulee Bank still maintains 5% (now 4%) on their rewards checking. I am now short one bank so I go in search of a better return. Join me in my over six week long odyssey as I attempt to sign-up with out of state banks in search of rewards.

Choosing a Bank

Looking over the list of banks, which has changed from a few weeks ago, I had eleven to choose from that were open to out of state residents:

  1. AmericaNet Bank
  2. Bank of Asheville
  3. Coulee Bank
  4. Evantage Bank
  5. First State Bank of Kansas City (eligibility recently restricted)
  6. Franklin Bank & Trust Company
  7. Heartland Community Bank
  8. Malvern Federal Savings Bank
  9. Noblebank & Trust, NA
  10. Union State Bank
  11. Valley Bank

I eliminated AmericaNet Bank and Evantage Bank because their high yield rate was only paid up to $10,000. This is much too low of a maximum so they are the first to be crossed off my list. Heartland Community Bank, Malvern Federal Savings Bank, and Union State Bank were put on hold because they have an additional requirement of one account access per month. This slight inconvenience could be offset by two of these banks’ higher maximums on which the first tier interest is paid. I already have an account with Coulee Bank with which I am receiving a decent rate, so strike them off the list. Franklin Bank & Trust Company, Noblebank & Trust, NA, and Valley Bank all require twelve transactions per month. This is a major disadvantage so they are out of the running.

Rewards checking at First State Bank

Rewards checking at First State Bank


Of the two remaining banks, First State Bank of Kansas City (eligibility recently restricted) Bank of Asheville both have, or appeared to have, confusing sign-up web pages. I decide to go with the former as it seems to be a tad clearer. Later I found the sign-up page at First State to be clearly posted, I just missed it the first time around.

Applying On-line

The worst part of Rewards Checking is that in many cases you are dealing with a small bank that is new to signing up out-of-state customers over the Internet. As an example of a drawn out process read about Lee County Bank and Trust.

The time to sign up can be from two to four weeks, or even longer. With these small banks I found the process is very similar. If the bank does not drop its interest rate, it can be well worth the effort. If you have not gone through the process of opening an account with a small out-of-state bank, perhaps the best way for me to describe it is to keep a daily log. That way you can get a flavor of what to expect. I started with First State, then switched to Heartland, and then switched back to First State. While I have a 43 day log, the time from start to finish with First State was three weeks, which is about average. Enough said, here is my log:

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