Just 4 Fun

You may remember from this that I have been helping the Young Women (specifically the Beehive age for those familiar) learn how to crochet. This past week we finished this up. The girls did great!
Here's what Karebear made.......

Through the course of preparing for this I have collected a lot of towels. I have give-a-ways on the brain so your in luck. It's kind of a thank you for those who read my ramblings.

If you would like a hand crochet towel here's your chance. You can even request a certain color or pattern on the towel, if you have a preference. You know just in case you may want to match your kitchen or if you have an aversion to certain things-say sunflowers.  All you have to do is leave a comment. Simple, easy. Your name will then go into a drawing.

Since I love to cook. You can increase your chances by leaving a family favorite recipe. Nothing fancy, just something your family loves(No, not everyone has to love it. Let's not attempt the impossible). So leave a recipe or if you choose post in it on your blog. Just link it back to here so I know you did it. You'll then get your name in the drawing twice.

I'll keep this open for one week. That means you have until midnight June 6.

Here's a family favorite recipe of ours to get you going. It originally came from a secretary at my kids school. We all love it! And have yet to bring it to a function and not get asked for the recipe.

Sunshine Salad

1 large package cook-n-serve lemon pudding

1 small package instant lemon or vanilla pudding

1 small package orange jello

1 cup milk

1 tub cool whip

1 (7&3/4) oz. can mandarin oranges (drained)

Make cook-n-serve lemon pudding according to the directions on the package. Dissolve orange jello in 2 cups boiling water; add to the pudding. Mix together and put into a 9X13 pan. Refrigerate to set. Mix small pudding with 1 cup milk, add cool whip and spread over top of set jello/pudding mixture. Top with mandarin oranges.

Recognition

One part of the Faith in God program is to have activities that allow the girls to be recognized for what they have learned and accomplished. In the past few years, our primary presidency has done this in the form of a talent show. They have included a table where the children can bring things to show along with the performing talents.

We now have a new presidency who is trying to figure out their callings along with many of them being pregnant. Thus we haven't had a recognition activity in awhile. Another great facet of this program is that we are supposed to plan activities that include the parents. The other ladies I work with came up with an idea to combine both of these. It was super easy and all seemed to enjoy it.

Mother/Daughter Awards Night 

Ahead of time we had the girls make an award for their mom.

And the moms fill out an award for their daughter.

That night we had the girls and their moms take took turns reading their awards to each other.












 
Followed by pictures together.

 (I'm lucky enough to have two girls this age)

 We ate and visited.

We had drawings for our table decorations.

These were gift boxes of things girls and moms traditionally both like to do (ie nail polish, baking cookies, movie and popcorn, scrapbooking).


As well as framed pictures of the temple.

At a recent training meeting they shared how one of the purposes of the Faith in God program is to help the girls get to the temple. The girls can go to the temple to do Baptisms for the Dead when they turn twelve. I hadn't made that connection before and loved it!

Our Story

Once upon a time there was a couple living in a state on the West coast. They were expecting a baby, their sixth child to be exact. They welcomed him into their lives near Thanksgiving. All 9lbs and as hairy as could be (so they say).






 
 





The father of this child worked as a social worker for the government and they traveled a lot-Nebraska, Virginia and then back to Nebraska. It was here that this child started school and that Fall celebrated his sixth birthday.

That same year in, other state many miles away. Another, much younger couple, welcomed their first child into this world. This little bundle weighing 6 lbs 3 ounces was brought home on Christmas Eve. During the first few years of her life this little family grew and finally settled for good in a home nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

Time passed and this kindergarten boy grew into a young man and once again his family moved to Oregon. It was here that he finished the rest of his elementary years in a small school where the 4-6th grades were in one classroom.

By the time this young man had turned into a teenager, his family had decided to continue to call Oregon home. He made many memories driving up and down the mountains to high school. Upon graduation this man left home to attend college and serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He grew to love the people of Nagoya, Japan.

During his mission his parents retired and when he returned he helped move his parents out to Utah. It was in Utah where he graduated from college with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and started working for Geneva Steel. All the while wondering if he would ever find someone to marry.

Little did he know that his bride to be was still growing up. While he was being schooled in the Japanese culture, she was graduating from 6th grade. Then onto junior high, high school and then college. She chose to stay at home while studying nursing and teaching piano to 17 students. It was during this time that she was called as the Stake Young Single Adult Representative and asked to head a training meeting for the ward Young Single Adult Representative.



After many years of attending various Single wards, our bachelor decided he would give his parents ward a try; since he was living at home. Wouldn't you know he was given the calling of Young Single Adult Representative for his ward and told of an upcoming training meeting. As he entered this meeting, he noticed the young woman conducting and was impressed. She, however, doesn't remember him at all. It wasn't until later at an activity when they officially met. She ended up in the back seat of his car.

Another young women got the front seat, a woman wearing cowboy boots. On the radio the current station was country. It looked like these two had something in common. Maybe a date would come out of this(ever the planner this Stake YSA rep. was). It was much to her surprise when a few days later this young man called her up for a date.

They went to a local comedy club, had fun and she didn't hear again from him.




Not for two months (his family jokes they knew this girl was special for how fast he asked for a second date). Timing must have been right for they hit it off and starting dating regularly. Six weeks later they were engaged. Five months later they were married and lived happily ever after.

 

Well, at least for fourteen years 

and they are looking forward to ever after.

Being a Mother

Do you ever feel like time just rushes by and it's all you can do just to keep your wits about as you go from one task to the next? My life truly feels like that and today is the first day in awhile I have even felt like I could take a break. Here's a little of what we have been up to....

Homework,school projects and test preparation. It is that time of year.

Planning and then re-planning our summer vacation (thanks to scheduling challenges with our Yellowstone cabin)

Calendaring upcoming activity days and planning our mother/daughter recognition night.

The never ending housework which included lots of laundry. Yes! our wash room tile is done and the walls painted.

Some yard work. I was excited for one of my mother's day gifts which was to have our garden tilled and the Christmas lights taken down (yes, you read that right). Now if it will just warm up enough to plant the garden.

The Young Women must have taken the idea,  find a skill of one of the mother's and have them teach it to heart. They asked me to help them learn how to crochet.   I know how to crochet, thanks to my Grandmother,  but I have never taught any one (well, my husband claims I taught him and he made a washcloth, but I have no recollection of that). Since I got married I have made a few Barbie doll clothes but pretty much this is the only thing I know how to do.

Unfortunately, I pretty much make it up and don't have a consistent way of doing it. Thus, I have spent the last few days coming up with a pattern for this is what they requested I show them how to do.

Jolly J participated in Hope of America.
Last week I popped onto the computer to post some videos.
Tried my usual way.
Wouldn't work.
Tried again later.
No success.
Researched a little.


Decided I just don't have the time right now.
Put that on my list of things to learn-How and what to do to install longer videos.

This will have to suffice. 

We enjoyed watched this living flag sing patriotic songs, 

sign, rock, do the wave and light up the dark. 

I'm now looking forward to the
Fourth of July-It's a big deal around here.

This past weekend I helped my husband get together a mother's day gift to pass out to the sisters of our ward. (In years past I haven't gotten involved but this year was different for a variety of reasons). As part of this I was searching through some quotes so he could pick one to include with some chocolates. I came across these quotes:

"We live in a world that is filled with options. If we are not careful, we will find every minute jammed with social events, classes, exercise time, book clubs, scrapbooking, Church callings, music, sports, the Internet, and our favorite TV shows. One mother told me of a time that her children had 29 scheduled commitments every week: music lessons, scouts, dance, Little League, day camps, soccer, art, and so forth. She felt like a taxi driver. Finally, she called a family meeting and announced, 'Something has to go; we have no time to ourselves and no time for each other.' Families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together."

M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 109-110

"What can . . . young mother[s] [do] . . . to reduce the pressure [of raising young children] and enjoy [their families] more? . . .

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . 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 [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. 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 such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less' (Loud and Clear [1004], 10-11)."

M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 109

 

This pretty much sums up what else has kept me busy and the focus I want to have more in my life. I need to be a mother and not have as much emphasis on completing the never ending tasks.