Dancing boy in the red shirt

Totally made my day :)

Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor
gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
and had breezed through the questions until I read
the last one:

'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank.. Just before class ended, one student asked if
The last question would count toward our quiz grade.

'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers,
you will meet many people. All are significant. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say 'hello.'

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:3 0 p.m., an older African American
woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway
trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had
broken down and she d esperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally
unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s'.. The man
took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his
address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a
knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a
giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached..

It read:
'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
the other night. The rain drenched not only my
clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
husband's bedside just before he passed away.. God
bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
others.'

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.

'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it.

'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient.

'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins .

'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress
came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had
to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
anyone would remove the huge rock Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been.. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacl e presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness.. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
deep breath an d saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will
save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,
seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his
face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
sister all of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.

Funeral Talk

My brother recently died, and I talked at his funeral. Here is the talk I gave:

We as a family have been so blessed this week. We may not be perfect, but we have felt a much closer bond during this hard time. I am grateful for this past week I’ve had to spend time with my family at my parents’ home. Another blessing I’ve seen is how my little brother,
Carey was and is loved by so many. Carey was everyone’s best friend and made friends easily. Carey had the biggest and best bear hugs around. He had a very fun, loving and contagious spirit about him. He always had a smile or a compliment for those he came in contact with. My mom was just saying last night how she’ll miss it when he would call her up and say, “hello, beautiful”.
These are some comments from various friends and loved ones about Carey:
• He was such a kind hearted person,
• I will always remember him watching out for me. He always protected me. He always had so much love and compassion for everyone around him. I was blessed to have him in my life.
• He was one of the funniest kids I knew, always had a smile on his face, I’m just glad I had the opportunity to be his friend. Carey, will be missed. He was one of the nicest kids I know. I always loved his genuine smile.
• I love you Carey! You’re the best friend anybody could ever ask for! I will miss you so much! You’re such a good person everybody you have ever met knows that.
• Carey, you touched people lives like no one ever could have done.
• He was certainly one of a kind. I will miss you with all my heart, care bear.
• I just hope God has a bike up there for you so you can cruise the long highways and never have an empty road to ride. You will be greatly missed and hope that one day we can ride the roads together and blaze our own trails
• And these are only a few of the comments made about Carey.

Russell M. Nelson said this: “In speaking at a funeral of a loved one, the Prophet Joseph Smith offered this admonition: “When we lose a near and dear friend, upon whom we have set our hearts, it should be a caution unto us. … Our affections should be placed upon God and His work, more intensely than upon our fellow beings.” Life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death. Prior to our birth, we dwelled as spirit children with our Father in Heaven. There we eagerly anticipated the possibility of coming to earth and obtaining a physical body. Knowingly we wanted the risks of mortality, which would allow the exercise of agency and accountability. “This life [was to become] a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God.” But we regarded the returning home as the best part of that long-awaited trip, just as we do now. Before embarking on any journey, we like to have some assurance of a round-trip ticket. Returning from earth to life in our heavenly home requires passage through—and not around—the doors of death. We were born to die, and we die to live. As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven.”

Our Savior, Jesus Christ said it best: “Be not afraid, only believe” as he told Jairus, a man who came to the Christ as his daughter was dying. Another example of Christ’s compassion was when sisters, Mary and Martha lost their brother, Lazurus. Their friends and neighbors tried to comfort them but failed. Their sorrow was so great that upon seeing them Christ was filled with compassion and wept with them. We can perhaps imagine how Martha felt when the Savior told her, “Thy brother shall rise again”. Her response reflected a certain understanding of the plan of salvation: “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day”. The Lord’s answer to Martha reassured her: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die”.

The Savior also gave these comforting words of heavenly companions: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
We may also ask ourselves: Do I believe Jesus’ words about immortality and eternal life? Do I believe in a happy reunion with my loved ones who have passed away? To the extent that we allow these truths to permeate our lives, we will also respond with great faith and a fortified testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Prior to His ascension from the Holy Land, the Savior pronounced a unique blessing: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”.

I know Carey had a lot of trials in this lifetime. I know he is at peace now, and I pray for those that are struggling at this time that you can turn to the Savior and find the peace you are searching for. Our Savior is there and will comfort you in time of need.

dark and quiet theater

I really need to go to a movie. And not just any movie, a real tear-jerker movie. And I really need to go by myself. I want to sit in a dark, quiet, empty, theater with no one I know and watch a movie all by myself. I've decided I'm going to do that in the next couple of days. My friend, Kara, does that a lot. She loves to go to the movie theater by herself and I never understood why until I had my own kids. I am just finishing the book, "My Sister's Keeper" and I am going to go see it on the big screen. I've already been told that it doesn't follow the book, but it is still good. I always try and read books before the movies come out, just for that reason, unless it's the Harry Potter series, and that in itself is one big jumbled up mess to me, anyway. Sometimes, it's just nice to get away and have some time for yourself. I also had some nice time by myself on Monday while I went and got the tires rotated and balanced and the oil changed on my car. Oh, and I made a quick stop to use my birthday gift card for a pedicure. It was fabulous to go by myself, leave the kids at home with my sister and just have my alone time. Fabulous. Sometimes that's all we need is a little regrouping and time alone. Ok, very random thoughts from me. :)

Book of Mormon Chart

"May we all be faithful in doing the day to day ordinary things that prove our worthiness, for they will lead us to and qualify us for great things."
--James E. Faust, "Some Great Thing", Ensign, Nov. 2001, 46

I've been a huge slacker when it comes to reading my scriptures. I decided last night, that I needed to show a little more faith and so I am going to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. I went online and did a search for a reading chart and found this great site: www.bookofmormonchart.com. I added my start and finish date and it calculated how many verses I needed to read daily. And then, it lets me read them online and keeps a tally on my progress. LOVE IT!!!

5 days of ups and downs!

Yesterday I finished up my last day of the Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet. I heard many times that it wouldn't be easy and that was the truth. Physically, mentally and emotionally you are drained, yet changed. I can now see how people can become emotionally connected to food. And I also have a testimony of how important eating fruits and vegetables and right foods is to our bodies. I crave those good foods and I think not eating for 5 days has really showed me how important I need to treat my body better. I can say I am glad I did it.

3rd day is the hardest day....

which I agree with. Today has been a rough day. I don't have much energy in the morning to work out and I've been grumpy today. Michelle is also doing this with me and she has been a fabulous support today. We met up at Sunflower Market to get more lemons and syrup. She was very positive, which I need. My husband has also been a great support for me and has juiced the lemons for me every morning. I realized that the one good thing about this crazy adventure... I don't have to make dinner for my family, now! I'm down three pounds. Let's hope tomorrow is a better day... I think once I get through the weekend, then I'll start feeling better about the whole thing.

2nd Day

I'm on my second day and I'm not hungry. I did dream about food this morning, though. And my husband ate a bag of popcorn last night while we watched American Idol, which was torture. But, overall I'm doing ok. I have had a headache since yesterday and I'm not sure if that is from not having any real food since yesterday or from being in the sun too long yesterday. Anyway, I'm feeling ok, but hopefully, I'll feel much better tomorrow. I didn't get to go out and excersice today, which I was bummed about, but I know that my energy will return and that I won't need to be near a toilet as much. I did the salt cleanse today and that really threw my body for a loop. I really don't like that part at all! Well, off to the store, where I can hopefully get my mind off food.

Lemonade Diet Day 1

Day 1

Started the Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet today. This will be interesting.... can't wait to see how the day goes.

Happy Life

I found this on another blog and I loved the meaning behind it.

Recipes for the week...

Can't wait to try these recipes this week! I love finding recipes like this...I should give credit where credit is due... but I forgot which site I got these off of. Now I just need to find the vinaigrette dressing that Bajio makes to top off my Bajio salad for tonight!

Macaroni Grill Bread
1 Tbsp SAF yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 Tbsp fresh)
Topping:
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 Tbsp fresh)
Coarse salt
Mix yeast, sugar, and water till frothy. Add 2 cups of the flour, salt, oil and rosemary and mix till smooth. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Form into a round loaf and place on a lightly greased pan. (I used my stoneware pan, so I didn't need to grease it.) Brush the loaf with butter using a pastry brush. It will be really wet. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt. Let rise till doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake in a 450 oven for about 20-25 minutes. Serve with balsamic vinegar and olive oil if desired.

Zuppa Tuscana Soup

1# pork sausage
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 slices bacon (optional)—I didn’t add it
6 cups chicken broth (I used homemade broth and chicken bouillon with water)
4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 cups chopped kale
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 cup cream
pepper to taste

Brown sausage with onion (add garlic the last couple of minutes. Drain if needed. Cook potatoes and kale in broth till tender. Add sausage, Italian seasoning, and cream and heat through. Add pepper to taste.
Notes:
-They didn't use the bacon and thought it was fine without it. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups cream, but she only had one, so that's all she used.
-If you use chicken bouillon instead of the broth, use 2 Tbsp for the 6 cups of water. She recommend using only 1 Tbsp bouillon and 3 cups water and the other 3 cups either homemade or canned broth. If you use all bouillon/water, the soup is quite salty.
-Make sure you chop the kale into small pieces.
-If you have small children, it is easier for them to eat if you cut the slices of potato into halves or fourths.
-This soup is thin, like broth. If you want it thicker, you could whisk some flour into the cream before you add it.


Awesome Bajio Style Chicken

5 chicken breasts
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 4oz can diced green chilies
6oz Sprite (1/2 can)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and cook 1 more hour. Serve with flour tortillas, lettuce, cheese, black beans, and whatever other taco fixin's your family likes.
Notes:
-This chicken is not real spicy, so you could add some extra green chilies if you like your food with a little more kick.
-It has a lot of juice, so serve it with a slotted spoon.
-Bajio serves the chicken with caramelized onions.

Better Than Bundt Cake

I got this recipe today at our neighborhood recipe club and fell in love with it. I hope my friend doesn't care that I am sharing it on here. Can't wait to make it for Sunday dinner in a couple of weeks. Moist and yummy.

1 pkg. devil food cake
5.9 oz. pkg. choc. instant pudding
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup veg. oil
4 eggs
1 pkg. semi sweet c.c.
add all ingredients except chips and mix for 4-5 min. Then stir in chips and pour into greased bundt pan. cook at 350 for 50-55 min. Yum!

Seriously?

I guess ABC is really getting a good laugh now. Sorry that it had to be at the expense of some nice people. I think this show needs a break...too many heartbreaks, not enough love going around. And I still can't believe the stunt Jason pulled on Melissa last night. Again, ABC knows what they are doing and they got their high ratings. I hope Melissa can find happiness. And good thing Jillian didn't end up with Jason, she deserves better. Ok, there are my thoughts on the subject. I'm still mad, though.

5 a day

5 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES DAILY
NO DAIRY
NO SWEETS

4 days later: the pounds are coming off! I love keeping track of my intake daily and seeing the results!

Dear Frankie

I've had this movie in my Netflix queue for awhile now. We finally watched it last night and I really enjoyed it. It is a little slow at first, but the music, the acting, and the scenes were wonderful. It is a great love story, and I don't mean romantic love. I had never heard of the movie before because it is Scottish, but I highly recommend it. It has been awhile since I have seen a clean, feel good show like this one.

To Mothers...

“To mothers, daughters, and women everywhere, let me stress the fact that because of your great potential and influence for good in the lives of all of us, Satan is determined to destroy you. You cannot compromise with him. Your must have the courage, the strength, the desire, and the determination to live as the Lord would have you live- good clean lives. Girls, keep yourselves virtuous and worthy of fine young man who has likewise kept himself clean, so that together you can go to the House of the Lord to be sealed in the holy bonds of matrimony for time and all eternity, and prepare a home where God will be pleased to send his spirit children.”

President N. Eldon Tanner

Some of my favorite quotes...

"Marriage is a joint quest for the good, the beautiful, and the divine."
James E. Faust

"If you love the Lord, spend time with him. Meditate on his words, take his yoke upon you. ... When we love the Lord, obedience ceases to be a burden. Our love for the Lord deepens our minds."
Elder Wirthlin

"Love Makes the world go round. But laughter helps us from getting dizzy."

"Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels."

"Happiness is a grateful heart"

"we could learn a lot from crayons... some are sharp, some are
pretty, and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are
different colors, but they all have to live in the same box."

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Eleanor Roosevelt

"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be
seen or touched; they must be felt with the heart."
~Helen Keller

Wheat is for man. D&C 89:19
Chocolate is for woman. M&M 24:7

"A woman is like a tea bag: You never know her strength until you drop her in hot water."
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Feeling the Love of the Lord...

Feeling the Love of the Lord Daily in our lives

“True gratitude is the ability to humbly see, feel, and even receive love. Gratitude is a form of returning love to God. Recognize His hand, tell Him so, express your love to Him. As you come to truly know the Lord, you will find an intimate, sacred relationship built on trust. You will come to know He understands your anguish and will, in compassion, always respond to you in love.”

Elder Gene R. Cook

Small and Simple Things...

...but the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three on them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. Anna Quindlen


By small and simple things will great things come to pass…

As Latter-day Saint Women...

“The only place Latter-day Saint women will learn the whole and complete truth about their indispensable role in the plan of happiness is in this Church and its doctrine. We know that in the great premortal conflict we sided with our Savior, Jesus Christ, to preserve our potential to belong to eternal families. We know we are daughters of God, and we know what we are to do. Women find true happiness when they understand and delight in their unique role within the plan of salvation. The things women can and should do very best are championed and taught without apology here. We believe in the formation of eternal families. That means we believe in getting married. We know that the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. That means we believe in having children. We have faith that with the Lord’s help we can be successful in rearing and teaching children. These are vital responsibilities in the plan of happiness, and when women embrace those roles with all their hearts, they are happy! Knowing and defending the truth about families is the privilege of every sister in this Church." Sister Julie Beck

Women of God

Women of God can never be like women of the world.
The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.
There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.
There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.
We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.
We have enough greed; we need more goodness.
We have enough vanity; we need more virtue.
We have enough popularity; we need more purity.

Margaret D. Nadauld
YW General President
The Joy of Womenhood

Guidelines for discerning when you do
or when do not have the Spirit of God with you


Positive

When you have the Spirit:
You feel happy and calm.
You feel full of light.
Your mind is clear.
Your bosom burns.
You feel generous.
Nobody can offend you.
You feel confident in everything you do.
You wouldn’t mind everybody seeing what you are doing.
You feel outgoing.
You love to be with people.
You are glad when others succeed.
You want to make others happy.
You bring out the best and say the best of others.
You gladly and willingly perform church ordinances.
You’d like to be in the temple for a while every day.
You feel you can magnify your church calling.
You feel like praying.
You wish you could keep all of the Lord’s commandments.
You feel you have control of your appetites and emotions.
You eat and sleep in moderation.
You are generally just glad to be alive.



Negative

When you do not have the Spirit:
You feel unhappy, depressed, confused or frustrated.
You feel heavy and full of darkness.
Your mind is muddled.
You feel empty, hollow, cold inside.
You feel selfish, possessive, self-centered.
Everything anyone does bothers you.
You are always on the defensive.
You are easily discouraged.
You become secretive, sneaky, and evasive.
You want to be alone.
You avoid other people, especially family members.
You are envious of what others do and of what they have.
You are critical of others, especially of family members and of authority.
You feel hesitant, unworthy to perform church ordinances.
You don’t want to go to the temple.
You wish you had another church job or no job at all.
You don’t want to pray.
You get mad when others want to pray.
You find the commandments bothersome, restricting or senseless.
You become a slave to your appetites.
Your emotions become passionate and extreme with wide mood swings.
You wonder if life is really worth it.




Effect of the Holy Ghost on the individual

“An intelligent being in the image of God, possesses every organ, attribute, sense, sympathy, affection of will, wisdom, love, power and gift which is possessed by God himself.”

But these are possessed by man in his rudimental state in a subordinate sense of the word. Or, in other words, these attributes are in embryo, and are to be gradually developed. They resemble a bud, a germ, which gradually develops into bloom, and then, by progress, produces the mature fruit after its own kind.

The gift of the Holy Spirit adapts itself to all these organs or attributes.


 It quickens all the intellectual faculties,

 increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them by the gift of wisdom to their lawful use.

 It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature.

 It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity.

 It develops beauty of person, form and features.

 It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling.

 It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man.

 It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves.


In short, it is, as it were,
Marrow to the bone,
Joy to the heart
Light to the eyes,
Music to the ears,
And Life to the whole being.


(found in Appendix 8- Articles of Faith by James E. Talmage, page 487).

Ideas for handouts for youth

"Don't be a Butterfinger, keep your goals within your grasp"


"Be a Life Saver and read the scriptures both Now and Later"


"Reading the scriptures can bring excite-mint into your life"


"Let the scriptures Krackel and pop into your life"


"We all look at the world the same, but see it a little differently" You can use cut outs for this one.


"Go the Extra mile, read your scriptures"

Hugs

I've always loved this handout I received as a Young Woman. It talks about hugs and the types of hugs out there. I think this would be a great handout for Young Women, because everyone needs a hug!

Relief Society Survial Kit

I found this cute handout that I've been holding on for years... What a cute idea to share as Visiting Teachers, Enrichment Leaders or as a Relief Society Presidency.