Project Party at the church tonight!

I'm going from memory here, so you may want to confirm the time before you head over...

At the church at 6:30 anyone who wants to meet to help finish up some humanitarian aid projects is welcome. This evening is being hosted by the Humanitarian Committee: Val Stoutsenberger, Brooke Palmer, Janet Dustin And Tonya Campbell.

It sounds like fun!

MAX & CHEESE!!!!!!

Playgroup this week will be on
FRIDAY

September 26, 2008
11:30 AM
at
MAX and CHEESE!!!
1631 North State Street, Orem UT 84057

I've still never been there but it looks really cute and I'm excited about the menu :)

Caroline Shillig has coupons and they offer a military discount for those that this applies to.
It's an open invitation so bring anyone who would enjoy the outing.
Call or email Caroline with any questions, concerns, or ideas!

Great news for mothers...

A list has been compiled of the girls in our ward who are interested in babysitting. They've all agreed that a reasonable amount to charge is $2-3 per hour per child. Of course every family is different. In some families it makes it easier to have more children around, in others it makes it less easy (hopefully a nice way to say harder :) Ultimately they agreed that anything is better than nothing.

Let me know if you want to see that list. I've got names and phone numbers. Also, if you want any kind of reference just let me or Tiffany Bishop, or any member of the Young Women Board know. You'll be impressed with these young women for sure.

Absentee Ballots

photo by Jonathan Canlas

The 56th consecutive quadrennial United States presidential election will be held on November 4, 2008. That's only about 6 weeks away! If you are considering being out of town on November 4th you can still vote using an absentee ballot.

Don't worry. I'm not going to get all political on this blog. Here I'm completely Swiss. I'll never promote or debate here. (But, if you come over for dinner that's a different story :)

You can print the absentee ballot application here. This application is for any resident of Utah to request the absentee ballot to be mailed to the address of your choice. I'm assuming the ballot will have very specific instructions on what to do after you've filled it out.

Also, if you need to register to vote in the state of Utah you can get information on registration here and actually print the registration form here.

Relief Society Lesson - Beyond the Veil: Life in the Eternities

Amy Ossofsky taught a wonderful lesson today about life after our life on earth. It came from chapter 18 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith. You can read it here or on page 217 of your manual.

One remarkable part of Amy's lesson is when she asked us to share a time when we were blessed as a result of pondering the scriptures. Joseph Smith received revelation about life in the eternities as a result of pondering the words of the Bible as he was working to translate it. The same principle can apply to us today.

I was really impressed by what Janet Dustin shared. She had really wanted to serve a mission when she was 21 and counseled with Heavenly Father seriously to make an appropriate decision. She decided that it was Heavenly Father's will that she serve a mission and was excited to share the news with her parents, expecting their excitement and support.

She said that her parents weren't happy about the decision she had made and didn't want her to go on a mission, enough to counsel her not to go. She was confused by her parents' response and the witness she had received personally. She turned to prayer and the scriptures. The answer came from reflection on words from the Bible suggested to her by a friend. The answer was to love and serve God even more than her parents.

Wow! I think that was such a courageous thing to do. She said that she still struggles to deal with going against her parents' wishes, but ultimately what matters is that she did Heavenly Father's will.

Really that's what counts. Even if it means doing something hard, or becoming unpopular, or potentially having to pay for your mission on your own because your parents don't want you to go, or whatever. Thanks for sharing Janet.

Feel free to comment on other experiences that were shared during the lesson or share your own, as you feel appropriate here.

Craft-a-thon Sign Up

There have been a few inquiries as to how to sign up to make specific crafts at our huge Craft-a-thon coming up on October 15th.

Here is the sign up form. Just click on the image, then select "File", then select "Print".

Note that you don't have to be in our ward to attend the Craft-a-thon. Friends and family are more than welcome!

Fill out the form and return it with any necessary money to Claudine Snyder or Cyndy Gagon by September 28th. Please let any of us on the Enrichment Committee know if you have any questions. We're happy to help.

Claudine Snyder (leader), Jaylin Bringhurst, Anjanelle Kendrick, Meredith Harris, Kelly Patrick, Yvette Ruiz, Melanie Rahlf, Caroline Shillig and Camille Anderson.

I love being a "Western Family".

I really do. When I was growing up in Merced, CA the local brand was Sunny Select and I always hated it when my mom would buy that brand because I thought it was embarrassing. (How lame was I?)

Today I love nothing more than buying 3 Western Family packets of ranch dressing seasoning for $0.88 and good old Western Family sour cream for $0.99 and then mixing one of the packets with the sour cream to eat with produce sold by our very friendly produce guys at Macey's down the road. (They always give Nigel a banana to eat while we shop.)

The point being that Lisa Moore just let me know about the amazing sale going on at Macey's and Albertson's.

MACEY'S has:

• beans of all kinds (ie. black, pinto, kidney, etc.) for .49.
• canned tomatoes (diced, stewed, etc.) for .49
• soups (western family) for .49

You can go here to see the ad to see what else is on sale. SALE ENDS TUESDAY!

ALBERTSON'S has a really great 20 for $10 sale going on:

• Swanson's chicken broth for .50 (the other broth is also .50, beef, veggie)
• Cream of chicken or mushroom (Campbell's) for .50
• Spaghettios for .50
  

You can go here to see their ad. SALE ENDS TUESDAY!

Hearing about all of this hurricane Ike business and watching all of the stores close gives new perspective to emergency preparedness. It seems like it's not a matter of if something will happen, but when. Today is better than tomorrow for preparing, and these sales will help make it a little more affordable.

Wheat Class Review by Micah Anderson

I wasn't able to go to the wheat class that the Emergency Preparedness Class put on this past Tuesday, but Micah was at the church for meetings and got to sample the deliciousness. Days later he is still raving about the home made graham crackers.

I'm giving his review because I haven't asked any of the women who were there. So please note that had I asked someone else it would be a lot more thorough, but his brief comments while home for lunch today will have to do.

The wheat sausage was amazing. I liked knowing that it was wheat.

There were wheat and peanut butter bars.

There was delicious wheat bread with this awesome blackberry jam. You should have seen Dennis elbowing his way through the table saying, I love this stuff! This is my favorite!

Oh man! You should have had these little wheat crackers... homemade graham crackers!

That's all from Micah. Anything else to report from someone who was actually there and is a girl?

Attention Bargain Hunters and Paper Lovers!

The large square scrapbook paper is on sale at XPDEX just up Columbia Lane. It is normally priced $0.59 a sheet, but it's 50% off while supplies last. I saw some Christmas prints but mostly generic prints.

Good for scrapbooking and all things paper. You can get some ideas and inspiration here.

Note that this image is not one of the prints available, just a cool picture of paper I found online.

Playgroup with live animals!

This sounds like so much fun to me - watching little kids watch live animals. I love the different reactions you get from them. Caroline Shillig has organized a live animal show at the Monte L. Bean museum at BYU for the play group. Here are the details from Caroline. (Read it to yourself in her cute accent and it's a lot more fun :)

Please arrive at one so we can be there and ready to go for our showtime! We are excited to see y'all there! PLEASE feel free to invite family, friends, and those with or without kids... we'd love to have y'all!

Playgroup for this upcoming week will be on

THURSDAY

September 18, 2008

at the

Monte L. BEAN Life Science Museum
645 East 1430 North
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
(free admission)

The New Victory Garden

A while ago I heard this local talk radio show about the Victory Garden and I just can't stop thinking about it. I live in a condo and have for 5 years. I look forward to the day that I can have my own little land to cultivate.

Anyway, if you want to hear about local gardening and get some good resources for starting, maintaining or expanding your garden, just take a listen to good old Doug Fabrezio from Radio West here.

It's just under an hour long - good for a listen while folding laundry, walking, or whatever it is you do while listening to something.

The Great Plan of Salvation

I really enjoyed Afton's lesson today. The Plan of Happiness and how my little life fits in to it has really been on my mind lately.

If you missed the lesson or weren't able to read the lesson before today or if you just want to read it again, now is the best time. It is chapter 17 entitled The Great Plan of Salvation in the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith manual.

Or you can read it on the Church website here.

Grandview 1st Ward Craft-a-thon Sneak Peek!

Check it out ladies. Your very own preview of what will be displayed tomorrow and each week until October 15th. The sign up form will be available here soon (or you can get one at church with the displays on Sunday, or I can email you a copy - just let me know). Money should be paid to Claudine Snyder or Cindy Gagon.

These pictures hardly do the creations justice, but it's still fun to look.

The CRAFT-A-THON is
October 15th
4:30-8:30 PM.
Dinner and a children's class from 6:30 to 8:30.

Flower Barrettes $0.50 (The little girls in your life will look much better than Micah wearing these!)

Barrette Holder $1.00

Plushies $1.00 (*note* this is the picture from Martha Stuart's website. pictures to follow of the actual creation and options for fabric, OR you can bring your own fabric for the dress, tights, or accessories.)

Shoulder Bag no cost (bring your own fabric 3/4 yd for the lining and 3/4 yd for the outside.)

Pumpkin Door Hanger $1.75Photo Album $2.65 (bring your own paper and embellishments)
**Photo coming soon***

Joy Plate $1.50

"Give Thanks" plate $3.75

Pumpkin Plate $4.00Bath Salt Sundae $5.00

Wire memorabilia frame/earring holder (frame, wire and assortment of paper provided. Bring your own photos. May bring your own paper (2 sheets needed) and ribbon if desired.BOO Board $10.00 - supplies may varyHousehold Jars $16.00 - specify on your sign up form: vinyl color and words desired for each jar

Christmas Advent Calendar $20.00 - Supplies may vary

SEE "TAKE" IN THEATERS THIS WEEKEND

Check out the reviews below...

It's won quite a few awards and received some great reviews. The film is titled TAKE and stars Minnie Driver and Jeremy Renner.

Click here to see when and where it's playing. (Tonight at Jordan Commons at the 7:00 and 9:00 showings you can meet the filmmakers.)

A few reasons you don't want to miss it:

It has won 9 awards at film festivals across the country and overseas, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Actress, and Best Actor. Check out the trailer and judge for yourself:

watch the trailer

You like films with a strong message, but don't want to be hit over the head. TAKE is a modern telling of Saul on the road to Damascus, but told in a subtle yet compelling way. It is not your typical LDS-made film because it explores strong universal and moral themes meant to reach a wider audience and appeal to more thoughtful movie-goers. There's a strong message about the eroding effects of resentment and revenge and the liberating effects of forgiveness. The director puts it best in this video:

You support positive media. The film is rated PG in Canada and rated for ages 12 and above in the UK. However, against the will and intentions of the filmmakers, in the US, the MPAA has given it an R rating for "some violence with intense emotional impact." Because the filmmakers feel strongly that the message of the film should be available to younger audiences, they have made a special edit for theaters in Utah.

You want a free movie ticket for life. One of the producers of the film owns Festival Cinemas at the University Mall in Provo. So, if you buy a ticket to TAKE, see the film, and keep the ticket stub, you can take it to Festival Cinemas and see as many films as often as you like for FREE. Just show them the ticket stub and stick it back in your wallet until next time...repeat as often as you like.

Here are a few local and national critics' opinions:

LOCAL QUOTES....

Finally, Utah filmmakers make a grown-up, world-class movie. TAKE separates itself from the bland films we've seen from Utah filmmakers and is truly a breath of fresh air. It is a stylish, well acted and engaging film."

-Tony Toscano, TALKING PICTURES, KUCW TV

Writer/director Charles Oliver has captured the essence of how forgiveness frees the soul. If you have the chance to see TAKE do it. Make sure that you go with a friend or companion — you will need to talk about it after you see it. It's that good and that memorable.

- Genelle Pugmire, DESERET NEWS

Do massages make anyone else's hands freezing cold for hours?

I just got back from Provo College and I feel like sharing. I was there helping a student with a midterm. (Lucky for me she is a massage therapy student.) I had to wait a bit for my massage and so I was staring at their mission statement on their wall for a good while. After all that staring the only part I remember is student-centered and market-driven.

I was really impressed by the words and then even more impressed with the people I watched there. I guess mostly because I watched teachers and administrators truly caring about their students' work and lives. It all seemed so sincere.

And then there was my masseuse. Not only did she give me a great long massage, but I feel like a better person emotionally and spiritually after our chat. This girl is only 18 years old and just found out that she is pregnant. Her boyfriend made her choose between him and the baby and she chose her baby! She said that she chose to keep the baby because she already feels like a mother and loves her baby too much. She talked about how she is grateful for her supportive family and the chance she has to be in school to be working towards a stable career.

I was totally inspired by her optimism and desire to do good. And that was just her story. Every one of those students has their own story! Thank you Provo College for enriching my life and the lives of all those students.

Yet another recipe. (We all have to eat, right?)

It's the recipe for the sweet pork at Cafe Rio. It takes 24 hours to cook (depending on your crock pot) and anything that takes that long is melt in your mouth delicious, right?

As I was following the directions I was wondering why it never gave instruction to shred the meat. Then I poked a wooden spoon on the top of the roast and it fell completely apart! This is some seriously tender pork!

Recipe shared with me by Jill Fillmoore. Thanks!

Cafe Rio Sweet Pulled Pork

3 1/2- 4 lbs pork roast

(for our dinner we used a 2 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin from Costco it was plenty)

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1- 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 (8 oz) can Coke

1 c. chicken stock

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 c. brown sugar

Night before:

Mix together 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin, & salt. Rub this mixture on roast. Put in crock pot on low & cook all night. (Depending on your crock pot, you may want tot cook for 4 hrs. instead of 8, others may work better with the overnight rule.)

Next morning:

Add Coke, chicken stock, garlic & onion. Continue cooking all day on low. (Or just 4 more hours if your crock runs hotter than others. You can use a meat thermometer to be sure it is done.)

Hour before serving:

Add the last cup of brown sugar.

I know, I know...

Many apologies for the blogging drought. These upcoming posts will make up for it though, I promise. I'll give you two hints.

1. Annual Craft-a-thon
2. Stake Road Show replacement activity

(You can't wait!)

What the World Needs Now is Wheat Sweet Wheat

Sunday (September 14th) will be the last chance for everyone to sign up for the wheat class being held On September 16th in the Relief Society room at 7pm. When I say THE wheat class, I mean THE WHEAT CLASS to end all wheat classes. You won't want to miss it & if you do you'll wish you hadn't & if you don't you. . .well, you get the picture.

Wowie Zowie!

Stake conference was wonderful yesterday! Anybody else? I *loved* all the talks. Nigel had about had it after the first one, but we made it all the way through Elder Packer's talk. I'm so sad that we didn't get to here President Uchtdorf's talk!

In case anyone else missed any of the talks here's the break down (according to my easily distracted brain, so I'll need some help with some things):

A man spoke first whose name I did not catch, but he's a member of the 70 right? Great talk about the differences we all have and working towards "the ideal" while embracing those differences.

Ann Monson Dibb spoke next about the counterfeit vs. the real deal. It's easy to be fooled these days about what's important and what's not and even what is truth and what's not. I think I'll always think twice when I buy bread as opposed to taking the 5 hours she talked about needing to make delicious butter glazed homemade rolls for the Young Women in her ward. She took the time because she loved the girls and wanted them to know the difference between real bread and the counterfeit processed stuff that we eat all the time. An anology I think I'll never forget.

Then Elder Packer spoke about a lot of different things. I don't know if Nigel was distracting me or what, but I didn't hear the end of his talk that I'm assuming tied all the stories together. I do remember that Provo is named after a French-Canadian tracker whose last name was Provost and he outlived the 3 year life expectancy of trackers in the West because he was so good.

And that's when Nigel insisted that we take him home and put him to bed. We were hoping that the multi stake conference would have been broadcast on some local TV station, or radio station, or the internet or something but we couldn't find it. So, if you would care to add more to this summary just leave us a comment for further enlightenment.

Thanks all and PS if you ever want to post something to our blog just send me an email bootstothemoon@gmail.com Good news, fun things happening, a great neighborhood story... anything!

Reminders

Tomorrow is Stake Conference. It will be broadcast from the Mariott Center to our Stake Center at 10:00 AM. Adult session is tonight at 7:00 PM.

This Wednesday is ward temple night. We will be doing sealings at 6:30 so give yourself time to get there and be ready on time :)

PS I just about to fix those pictures from the Dahl family, so take a look and sorry about that!

Modbe Sale Correction

The Modbe Sale at Thanksgiving Point is in the Forest Room (NOT THE BARN). Follow the signs to the Gardens and then follow the signs to the Modbe clothing sale. Today from 12-5 pm.

Congratulations Sarah Dahl!

You've probably all heard that Sarah had her baby, but have you SEEN this beauty?


Her name is Hannah Beth.

She was born Tuesday, August 12 at 7:32 PM 6 lbs 13 oz, 19" long.

It looks like Sarah and Victoria are really happy with their new addition to the family.
Congratulations Sarah and Tyler!

The Internet put to really great use.

*Photo by Blue Lily Photography

You've most likely heard about this family in Arizona and the plane crash that has changed their lives forever. I could write a novel about it all and how it's affected my life (I don't even know these people), but I'll let you read as much as you want
here
here
here
here
and/or
here

There are probably a thousand other links. I think this is remarkable for several different reasons. Service. Love. Prayer. Faith. Family. Blessings. Community. Generosity. Appropriate use of the Internet.

There is serious fund raising going on, but if you're uncomfortable or unable to donate, Stephanie and Christian's families have always requested faith and prayers first.

Williams and Sonoma

A few thoughts about Williams and Sonoma: I really love that store. I can seldom afford things there. If I owned every single gadget they sell I think I would hate cooking because it would take forever to locate the right gadget for the task at hand, not to mention cleaning all the gadgets after the meal is done. There is a Williams and Sonoma outlet in Primm (I'm not sure if that's in California or Nevada because it's at the state border, just an hour past Las Vegas from our direction) and it's the only outlet store in the West and it's a wonderful place to find an amazing deal.

And last, but not least, if you click on this image you will see our very own Williams and Sonoma's calendar of events offered to everyone at no cost. *Note that all the classes listed on Sundays on this calendar are actually held the Saturday before at our Orem location.

I thought this would be a fun way to get new ideas for meals or entertaining or whatever. My sisters and I are going to try to make the Make Ahead Meal technique class. I'll let you know how it goes.
Demonstrations
At select Williams-Sonoma stores, regularly scheduled demonstrations focus on seasonal foods and entertaining. All are led by culinary experts and offered at no charge.

Technique Classes
We're pleased to offer hour-long technique classes at your local Williams-Sonoma store. Presented free of charge, each class is dedicated to a specific topic led by one of our culinary
experts. Class size is limited, so be sure to reserve your space today.

PS The secret ingredient for September's Iron Chef is *apples*

Whole Wheat Blue Berry Muffins

Whole wheat flour, a touch of honey and yummy blueberries sound like a great way to start September to me!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Start to Finish: 35 minutes
Makes: 12 muffins

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 regular size muffin cups with cooking spray, or place paper baking cup in each muffin cup.

In small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

In large bowl, beat milk, oil, honey and egg with spoon. Stir in flours, baking powder and saltjust until flours are moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (cups will be full). Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease baking powder to 2 tsp.

*This recipe came from Betty Crocker again. It sounds pretty good to me, but I haven't tried it yet. Let us know how you like it if you do try it.