Warmed By A Casserole

I hesitate to write this post as it is rather personal, and I am not always sure how things will be taken by others reading it, but since I use this blog also as my journal of sorts, I thought it was important to record this.

So . . .This is dedicated to anyone who has ever taken dinner to a neighbor . . .

A few weeks ago I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything happening at the time. I felt pressure from many directions and lacked the time to accomplish everything needed. And so in desperation I decided to ask in my morning prayers for guidance on how best to spend my time that day. That may have been the lazy way out, but I was at a loss on how to prioritize my time and so was seeking help.

Interestingly to me, several days during the next couple weeks I became aware of people who were sick or otherwise in need and felt prompted to take them dinner. Once I had leftovers from a party and was able to feed two families. On another day I miscalculated how much to cook for my family and gave away the surplus. And still on other days, I made emergency trips to the store.

I was a bit puzzled as to why I felt the need to feed so many families. I wondered if there might be something better I could do for them. I recently heard a speaker make fun of the Mormon culture and our belief that a casserole was the cure all to every ailment and trial. I also remembered once reading an article in the Ensign titled, "Caught in a Casserole" which suggested we might want to consider other ways to serve rather than just taking food. I decided my feeling prompted to take dinner to others must have been God's way of making sure my husband got fed--as I haven't been very good about cooking dinner these past few months. (yes, I confess)

And then I had an experience which changed my mind.

I came home Tuesday afternoon after spending a fairly sleepless night, and being gone all day at meetings. I was very tired and achy. I still had my seminary lesson to prepare, dishes to do and a dinner to make before my husband left for his church meetings at 6:00. But what I really wanted was a nap.

Then I received a text from a good friend that read, "I'm bringing you dinner. I will be there at 4:45." I had not talked with her all day. She did not know how I was feeling or even that I had not been home until then. She had just been cooking dinner for her family and said it kept expanding beyond what they could eat so she decided to share--with me.

Initially I felt guilty. I was not sick, and I had time to prepare my own meal so I felt bad someone was cooking for me. But then she and her husband walked in to my house, carrying a hot chicken pot pie and a delicious green salad.

A warmth filled my soul,

And I felt loved.

Not just by a friend who was willing to share her abundance with me, but also by a Heavenly Father who taught me that sometimes a casserole is the perfect way to serve.

Oh, So Sweet! And Now Sixteen!!

Kathryn, Michelle, Kristen

Today is my daughter Michelle’s sixteenth birthday. You know what that means—driver’s licenses and dating. Personally, I find both rather terrifying. Although I did offer to make her a t-shirt to wear to school that said, “Michelle can now date.” And then write her phone number below, but she nixed that idea . . . for some reason.

Instead of regular gifts, she opted to have us use the money we would have spent on her for a party. I am including pictures of that on the bottom of this post, but first . . .

I want to tell you about Michelle.

She is my tender hearted, nurturer. One day when she was just under two, I received some bad news that made me cry. I remember sitting on the couch crying and Michelle was on the floor playing with her toys. When she saw my grief she immediately got up on the arm of the couch next to me and pulled my head towards her chest and held it there until I quit. She then got back on the floor and continued playing with her toys, never saying a word.

When she was five she was telling me about her three grandmothers. I explained that one of them was actually a great-grandmother and in reality she had four of them. I then added that she also had eight great-grandmothers. Her eyes got wide and she asked incredulously, “Are they really all mine?” When I said yes, she exclaimed, “I am such a lucky girl!” And she is.

A couple years ago my husband and I had to be out of town at the same time my son scheduled knee surgery. I felt so bad being gone when he needed someone to care for him. But Michelle stepped up and took care of the job, even better than I would have done. For two nights straight she stayed up all night taking care of his every need. He was totally immobilized and in a LOT of pain so his needs were great--and constant. But she never complained. She just lovingly took care of him. I was so impressed with that.

Michelle loves reading, dance, basketball and doing hair. She is smart, and cute, and kind and fun and can out eat her 15 year old male cousin in a pizza eating contest—an honor we aren’t exactly proud of.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Just some of the cute girls who came to celebrate with Michelle



We learned you can never have enough games at a party for teenagers, as they blew through everything rather quickly. But here is proof you are never too old for musical chairs!!


For one of the games we had a pedestrian road rally. As part of that, they had to get everyone on their team on a twister map and take a picture.

They also had to shoot ten baskets with a basketball, sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to the neighbors down the street, chew gum and all blow a bubble at the same time, spell out Michelle's name on the front lawn and . . .


Take a "family picture" using the costumes provided.

Here is one of the 'families".

Now wouldn't you want to have them as relatives? :-)

I think everyone had a great time. We had fun doing it.

And we didn't have too many casualties just . . .
1 bent chair
1 torn shirt
1 cut foot
1 broken phone

Special thanks to my helpers, Amy and Wendy. We could never have done it without you!

Also thanks to Amy's husband, Michael, who after driving in a car for two days came straight to our house and stayed until midnight helping clean up.

You are all the best!!

Random Thoughts of a More Serious Nature

Okay, so that title probably isn't going to create much interest for the casual blog surfer, but this post is one that has great meaning to me.

I have had a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head these past few weeks. I kept waiting for the wind to die down so I could concentrate more clearly on one or two of them. I was sure something profound was there amidst all the commotion, but I think life has kept me too busy to spend much time pondering, which I am sorry to say.

So rather than dedicate an entire post to just one topic, I thought I would write a little about a few.

Here goes.

1. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend Time Out For Women here in Phoenix. I loved the speakers, their thoughts and messages, although it always takes me a little while to get over the feeling that I just paid a lot of money to hear a Deseret Book sales pitch. Still, two things stand out. First is a book by Emily Freeman called “The Promise of Enough”. She took a very simple story, the feeding of the five thousand, and turned it into a sweet book on abundance. I love learning what other people get from the scriptures. It gives me a greater desire to search them more closely to find the lessons the Lord has for me.

The second was Kris Belcher. She is a woman who has lived a life of extreme challenges and yet has found humor in her situation and has turned her trials into an opportunity to serve others. After hearing her speak about going blind and having cancer, I decided I could never justifiably complain about my life ever again.

But do you want to know my favorite part of the day? Lunch. And not because of the food. Knowing we would be competing with 2,000 other women for the few restaurants open on a Saturday downtown, we planned a picnic instead. There were five of us and each brought a portion of the meal. Together it was quite a feast. While sitting there on the ground, surrounded by friends and delicious morsels, I thought how grateful I am I don’t have to go through this life alone. I am sure that anything we do where everyone contributes is vastly better, and more enjoyable, than anything we could ever do on our own.

2. Our ward primary program was yesterday and it was beautiful. I was so touched by the singing of the children’s choir and their simple teaching of pure doctrine. I have to say my favorite part, however, was when a small group of children stood at the podium and sang. Not only did the words of the song stir my heart, but I was overcome by their sweet, little faces. I thought how wonderfully innocent they are right now, and I wanted to gather them all up and hug them. I think there can’t be anything in the world more precious than a sweet, innocent child.

3. In seminary the other day we were discussing tools to help us avoid deception. When the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob was confronted by the anti-Christ, Sherem, he used the scriptures, the words of the prophets and his own promptings from the Holy Ghost to avoid being deceived. We then talked about the evil doctrines of our day, the disintegration of the family being one of them. I asked the students to combat that evil with a teaching from the prophets and a scripture. One young man found the following scripture in Alma 43:47 in the Book of Mormon. I have heard this scripture many times before, but reading it that day, and in light of the challenges we face in preserving the family, our religious freedoms and our rights, it struck me in a way it never has before. It reads:

“And again the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights and their religion.”

Yes, there are some things worth dying for.

So there you have some of my random thoughts, thoughts that warm my heart, give me a greater appreciation for God, friends and family and bring . . . joy to my journey.

Easy Fall Craft for the Craft Challenged

Still trying to think of something to take the ladies you visit teach? Or looking for an easy table decoration? Here is the craft for you! This comes from my visiting teaching companion and good friend, Michelle H. It doesn't even require paint or a glue gun!!

Just take:

1 piece cute fall material about 20" by 20"

1 fluffy roll of toilet paper

1 cinnamon stick (about five inches long)

2 Material strips

Raffia



Place the toilet paper on the center of the material, with the pattern facing down.

Tuck the material into the center of the toilet paper roll

Stick the cinnamon stick into the center also. Tie on some of your colored fabric scraps and raffia to decorate the stick. And you are done!!!

The easiest fall craft ever!!

Thanks Michelle for sharing with me!

Some days turn out as planned, and some turn out even better!!

I came home from seminary yesterday morning with a plan for the day in mind. I was going to do some laundry, work on Christmas gifts, make a trip to the book store and maybe even get in that coveted nap.


Then the phone rang. And as great as I thought my day would be, that call changed it for the better.


The woman on the other end identified herself as “Nannette” from Colorado Springs. She told me I did not know her, but I was a blog friend with her good friend, Dawn at “Momza’s House” and they were on their way to Phoenix that very day. She was wondering if I would mind having them come by as a surprise to Dawn. Dawn had commented that she wanted to meet some of her Arizona blog friends while in town, but didn't think she would have time during her short stay. However, Nannette knew I lived on the side of town where they would be staying and thought it would be fun to arrange a meeting.


I was thrilled!! And not only agreed to meet, but also invited them to dinner.


I love reading Dawn’s blog and was very excited to meet her. But then I started to wonder . . . how did Nannette know my phone number since I don’t have my name on my blog?


Now this is where the story gets even more fun.


It just so happens, that Nannette was reading my blog one day and saw a picture of me at women’s conference with a group of friends. One of those friends just happens to be a sister to Nannette’s sister-in-law. So yesterday morning she called the sister in law, got my friend’s phone number and called her, asking for the phone number of her friend who has a blog and recently had a party. (Are you following this?:-)


And that is how we came to be talking yesterday morning.


Well the rest of my day was spent cleaning the upstairs (my seminary stuff is like a cancer that starts out small and then spreads until it has taken over everything), running a few necessary errands and planning dinner. They were coming at 4 so I would have to cook it early. I decided on Chicken Tortilla Soup and fruit, which included apples and a very yummy caramel dip (I will include the recipe at the end of this post). I figured that people who have been eating out for two days might like something light and easy.


At 2:45 I got a call they were leaving Camp Verde and would be here in a little over an hour. My stomach started having butterflies. What would she be like? Would I like her as much in person as I did on her blog?


At 3:45 they had just exited the freeway and were heading down New River Road.


At 4:05 they pulled into my driveway.


I was sitting out on my back porch eagerly awaiting their arrival. Nannette still hadn’t told Dawn where they were going. Dawn thought they were making a short visit at a friend of Nannette’s and then would be on their way. So when I walked up to the car and she saw me, she was very surprised. And when she got out of the car, it was like seeing an old, dear friend.


The wonderful thing about blogs is you can know all about someone’s life without ever meeting them. But it is even better when you get a chance to meet in person. I not only liked her, I loved her!! She is sweet, kind, funny, genuine, and totally down to earth. And so is her friend, Nannette.


For the next two hours we had a wonderful time visiting. It was fun to have so much to visit about and to learn more about her and her family. I was so thankful for Nannette's thoughtfulness in making the arrangements. It was such a treat to visit with them both. And it was fun to meet Dawn’s daughter who was also traveling with them. My only regret was that it was her daughter’s birthday. I wished I had known so I could have made her a cake!


And now the story takes one more twist.



While visiting, Dawn asked me if I knew Brent P. Oh, I know him! He is not only my neighbor but also my home teacher!! It ends up Dawn was his secretary for a while when she lived in Phoenix many years ago.


I live on a cul-de-sac with only seven houses—ours and six others. I think it is so interesting that Nannette and Dawn knew two of my six neighbors. What are the chances of that??!!


It truly is a small blog world!! And that is wonderful!!

Thank you Dawn, Nannette and Diana!! You truly brought great . . . joy to my journey!!

And now the recipe for the dip. Take one carton caramel dip, one vanilla yogurt and one crushed Heath Bar. Mix together and serve with apples and/or bananas. Very yummy!!

Parents can be so embarrassing!

Three girls from our stake showing off their school spirit. The two on the ends are both in my seminary class.

(A little scary, I know, but they really are good girls:-)

Last night was the homecoming football game at our local high school. The team went into the game undefeated and exited in the same style. In fact they pummeled the poor other team 66-0.

That does not make for a lot of excitement. But there were two kids from our stake up for homecoming royalty, so we went to support them and their parents.

There were about ten of us sitting together which included two seminary teachers, two members of the stake presidency and a bishop. Not exactly the group teenagers want to hangout with. And us being there seemed to be even more uncomfortable for the children of the parents we were sitting with.

A few kids in the stake came by to visit, others would walk by, see us, and then wave briefly as they hurried by. More humorous though, was one friend's daughter who would walk by quickly, glancing at us out of the corner of her eyes, hoping perhaps that if she didn't acknowledge us, we would not see her.

But the funniest person was another friend's daughter who called her mother on her cell phone to tell her she would be coming by and to please not call out her name.

Hmmmm. Way too tempting. She would have been much better off to not have made that call, because once she said that, everyone felt compelled to stand and chant her name as she passed in front of us.

In fact we started cheering for all the youth that walked by. Daughter number 1 quit coming and three girls from my seminary class, looked up, saw who was cheering for them and ran away.

Hopefully they will all quickly recover from the embarrassment of the parental/church leader cheering section, because the reality is that each one of us there truly loves the youth in our stake. And although we don't always stand and cheer for them out loud as they pass in front of us, we are all cheering for them silently, in the lessons prepared, the talks given and the prayers offered in their behalf.

So to the youth of the church . . . Hurrah!! Hurrah!! Hurrah!!

We love you and will ALWAYS be your personal cheering section!!

If it weren't for my pride, I would probably be perfect

Okay so just kidding on the title. I have a lot more faults than just my pride. In fact I can relate all too well to this prayer I recently found in a 1999 conference talk:

"Dear God,

So far today I have done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, nasty, selfish, or overly indulgent. But in a few minutes, Lord, I am going to get out of bed, and from then on, I am probably going to need a lot more help."

I thought that was cute, although probably a bit too real. :-)

This week in seminary we have been learning about pride. I had the students rank themselves between 1-10 on how prideful they thought they were. After our discussion, and watching the seminary video, I think everyone ranked themselves higher.

The discussion was based on President Benson's talk on Pride where he defines pride as "enmity". And "enmity" is defined as "hostility, hatred and opposition". So, anytime we are in opposition to, or feel hatred or hostility towards someone, we are manifesting pride.

So with that as the definition, not only are we proud when we look down at someone, but we are also being prideful when we covet, gossip, argue with, are disobedient to, insist on it being done our way, worry more about what people think than what God thinks, and refuse to forgive--just for starters.

Hmmmm. Okay. So I guess I have a few prideful items to repent of. Or . . . I could just spend the weekend in bed. :-)

May you all have a humble weekend!