Today marks the day when my cousin Derek passed away from cancer last year. He was 31 years old. We miss him. I miss him. I regret being so far away. He was a good cousin. We were buds. I could have been better. I hope I was good enough. You live and you learn.
I'm grateful to know of the Plan of Salvation, Heavenly Father's eternal plan for us to return to Him. My gratitude is full toward the Savior who with the Atonement made it possible for us to be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father through repentance. I'm glad to know that this life isn't the end, and that there is purpose for our being here on the earth. And what a beautiful earth He has made for us! We have been blessed with so much.
Life certainly is precious, and sacred. Nothing should be taken for granted. Each of us deserves love and respect just like any son or daughter of a king. Which is precisely what each of us is. God is our Father, we here on earth are his spirit children, and oh the divine potential we possess! Let us strive to live up to it each day! Oh how grateful I am to the Savior who makes up for the rest when my best isn't enough.
A perspective on life through the eyes of a Latter-day Saint Christian.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Look at me being crafty!
First let me show you my fall decoration.
Cute, eh? I'm proud of it. I bought each piece separate and put it together! I confess that my mom helped a little. I'm not much of a decorator but I want to learn! And while the cash ain't rollin' in just yet, I'm going to keep it small and simple. Which is why I went to the dollar store. Three of these items were $1 and two were $.50. :)
And I wanted something Halloween-y so I got this (for a dollar):
Being festive is fun. :)
Alsoooooo... The Mia-Maids (14-15 year-old girls) in my ward (church) asked me to be on a dating panel for them for mutual (youth group). Cute huh! The lesson is on the law of chastity and being clean to enter the temple and stuff. This is something that is SOOOOOOOOOOOO important, especially for the youth. And especially in a world that right now is so vastly wicked and sinful. Because we have to be clean to be able to enter into the Temple, the Lord's holy house, which is where we are sealed to our families and to the Lord forever! So not only have I been fervently praying to be able to share my thoughts and feelings and to be able to know the things they need to hear, I wanted to make them something. This is what I came up with:
TADA!
Cute, eh? I'm proud of it. I bought each piece separate and put it together! I confess that my mom helped a little. I'm not much of a decorator but I want to learn! And while the cash ain't rollin' in just yet, I'm going to keep it small and simple. Which is why I went to the dollar store. Three of these items were $1 and two were $.50. :)
And I wanted something Halloween-y so I got this (for a dollar):
Alsoooooo... The Mia-Maids (14-15 year-old girls) in my ward (church) asked me to be on a dating panel for them for mutual (youth group). Cute huh! The lesson is on the law of chastity and being clean to enter the temple and stuff. This is something that is SOOOOOOOOOOOO important, especially for the youth. And especially in a world that right now is so vastly wicked and sinful. Because we have to be clean to be able to enter into the Temple, the Lord's holy house, which is where we are sealed to our families and to the Lord forever! So not only have I been fervently praying to be able to share my thoughts and feelings and to be able to know the things they need to hear, I wanted to make them something. This is what I came up with:
A picture of the Mesa Arizona Temple with the 3rd verse to the Hymn "More Holiness Give Me" underneath which says: "More purity give me, more strength to o'ercome, More freedom from earth-stains, more longing for home. More fit for the kingdom, more used would I be, More blessed and holy, more, Savior, like Thee." and the scripture from Proverbs 31:10, which you should be able to read in the picture so I won't repeat myself.
It's real simple, and I feel a little silly. But I hope they like them.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
I think I've finally found my happy place
It's really hard to find the words to say sometimes. Converting feelings into words isn't so easy!
I feel like I've been filled with such great joy in the last little while, something I've been lacking for too long. Funny how things happen and then you realize that it's an answer to your prayers! Heavenly Father DOES hear us and he DOES answer us, in His own way and time, which seems most of the time to be something different than what we think it will be. But it is always good, and better I'm sure! Adam and I made our monthly visit to the Temple last night. It is so beautiful. I had a wonderful experience there, as always.
Looks like my camera lens needs a cleaning. Annndd maybe next time we'll take the picture during the day so our faces aren't blurry! (dang it)
ON THE MENU! Chicken Pillows! These are so yummy. I love them so much! I forgot to take a picture of the masterpiece the night of the dinner so I captured the goodness in left-over form (which is just as tasty, don't be fooled!).
And then when I ate it for dinner the next day I took the opportunity to get the true feel of the meal on film.
This picture was actually taken before I heated it up... But I guess you would never know the difference if I hadn't told you! Oh well. Just imagine it hot. Yummm. :)
The recipe goes as follows (makes 8 pillows):
For the pillows:
In a bowl, combine a cup or two of cooked shredded or cubed chicken* with an 8 ounce package of cream cheese (which you can leave out on the counter for a while or stick in the microwave to soften it up for easier mixing) and a cup of shredded cheese (I use cheddar but I guess you can use whatever kind you want, depending on the taste you're going for!). Mix it good. You can add some garlic salt and pepper for extra taste if desired.
Using one can of crescent roll dough, separate into the already perforated triangles. Lightly smash each triangle out a little bit as to stretch them out a little, but not too much, you don't want them to rip! Place a spoonful of your chicken/cheese mixture on each triangle and stretch the remaining dough over the mixture to cover it up and make into a "pillow." Dip each pillow first in some melted butter or margarine and second in bread crumbs (I like Italian flavored bread crumbs, just sayin').
On a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray, place your pillows! Stick it in the oven, pre-heated to 350 degrees, for 15 or so minutes. They should be brown on the outside when they are done!
*The way I cook the chicken is by cutting it up into small (but not too small) pieces and putting it in a pot of water on the stove: bring to a boil then turn down to a low heat for 15-20 minutes. Season the water with salt and pepper or whatever -- I like to use garlic salt and lemon & pepper seasoning salt. (Extra tip: Save this broth you just made to use in the gravy!)
For the gravy:
You can use one or two cans of Cream of Chicken Soup. Only add half a can of water (or milk!) for each can of soup you use. A yummy tip is to use the broth made from cooking the chicken as your water for the gravy. Heat up and serve over pillows!
Enjoy!
Relief Society broadcast tonight! So excited!
A few quotes for your enjoyment:
I feel like I've been filled with such great joy in the last little while, something I've been lacking for too long. Funny how things happen and then you realize that it's an answer to your prayers! Heavenly Father DOES hear us and he DOES answer us, in His own way and time, which seems most of the time to be something different than what we think it will be. But it is always good, and better I'm sure! Adam and I made our monthly visit to the Temple last night. It is so beautiful. I had a wonderful experience there, as always.
Looks like my camera lens needs a cleaning. Annndd maybe next time we'll take the picture during the day so our faces aren't blurry! (dang it)
ON THE MENU! Chicken Pillows! These are so yummy. I love them so much! I forgot to take a picture of the masterpiece the night of the dinner so I captured the goodness in left-over form (which is just as tasty, don't be fooled!).
And then when I ate it for dinner the next day I took the opportunity to get the true feel of the meal on film.
This picture was actually taken before I heated it up... But I guess you would never know the difference if I hadn't told you! Oh well. Just imagine it hot. Yummm. :)
The recipe goes as follows (makes 8 pillows):
For the pillows:
In a bowl, combine a cup or two of cooked shredded or cubed chicken* with an 8 ounce package of cream cheese (which you can leave out on the counter for a while or stick in the microwave to soften it up for easier mixing) and a cup of shredded cheese (I use cheddar but I guess you can use whatever kind you want, depending on the taste you're going for!). Mix it good. You can add some garlic salt and pepper for extra taste if desired.
Using one can of crescent roll dough, separate into the already perforated triangles. Lightly smash each triangle out a little bit as to stretch them out a little, but not too much, you don't want them to rip! Place a spoonful of your chicken/cheese mixture on each triangle and stretch the remaining dough over the mixture to cover it up and make into a "pillow." Dip each pillow first in some melted butter or margarine and second in bread crumbs (I like Italian flavored bread crumbs, just sayin').
On a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray, place your pillows! Stick it in the oven, pre-heated to 350 degrees, for 15 or so minutes. They should be brown on the outside when they are done!
*The way I cook the chicken is by cutting it up into small (but not too small) pieces and putting it in a pot of water on the stove: bring to a boil then turn down to a low heat for 15-20 minutes. Season the water with salt and pepper or whatever -- I like to use garlic salt and lemon & pepper seasoning salt. (Extra tip: Save this broth you just made to use in the gravy!)
For the gravy:
You can use one or two cans of Cream of Chicken Soup. Only add half a can of water (or milk!) for each can of soup you use. A yummy tip is to use the broth made from cooking the chicken as your water for the gravy. Heat up and serve over pillows!
Enjoy!
Relief Society broadcast tonight! So excited!
A few quotes for your enjoyment:
"Lack of forgiveness is like injecting yourself with poison and waiting for the other person to die."(I don't know who said this)
"Just like everything in this gospel, it's never about skill, it's about obedience. Because if we are obedient, God can do anything he needs with us, but he can't work through the disobedient."
-Elder Weslin Pullen, missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ currently serving and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the Philippines-
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."
Walt Disney
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Lots of happy things!
Alright, let's see here...
We updated our walls! Probably about a month after the wedding we put up an "F" and it took a lot out of us so it's been lonely ever since...
But now we put up the wonderful painting Grandpa Gene Coltrin painted for us:
And I finally got a beautiful picture of Christ and also The Family: A Proclamation to the World, and The Living Christ documents (yayayay!):
And this cute little number:
I'm still working on getting my wedding wall worked on. And I need to figure out what picture of the temple I'm going to put where... Those are the next items on the Wall To-Do List! I am happy that I am making progress. :)
NEXT! I make dinner every so often, and Adam is happy that he doesn't have to eat the same thing over and over and over again. This week I made Hawaiian Haystacks! My first time. I've never made rice on my own before and I was home alone when I started making this so I ended up cooking the whole bag of rice. It wasn't a big bag but it made a lot of rice! It came out well though. Adam says that it's better to make more than to make it bad! I like it! For those of you who don't know how to put together Hawaiian Haystacks (because that's essentially what you do, put it together) here's how it goes:
- rice
- gravy made from Cream of Chicken
- sprinkled with Chow Mein Noodles
- topped with pineapple chunks
- and your choise of an assortment of things such as shredded cheese, mandarin oranges, coconut shreds, chopped onions, peppers, celery, tomatoes, olives, peas, nuts, etc.!
Adam also likes chicken or ham added to it (unless you use a chunky chicken gravy! or you could do both)
Easy peasy.
ALSO! We bought a car! Finally! After searching and searching we at last located the car we wanted. It's a 2003 Honda Civic EX. Woohoo! We have two cars! I feel like a real grown up making such a large purchase.
ANNNNDDDDD! The U of A game!
What a great game!! And we got to be there for it. ALL the way up on the second to last row! We had a great view though on the 45. We could see all the awesome action!
We got there at a perfect time so we were right up front. Adam got to high-five all the players! I'm sure he was in heaven.
(This is where a video of Adam slapping the hands of all the UofA players
should be but I can't get it to load.. It might be too big.)
Bear down Arizona!
And this is us being happy after we WON a fantastic game:
Yeah!
We finally got home, exhausted, around 12:30. And had church early at 9am. But it was worth the fun and good times! But I would rather not do that every weekend.... :D
Friday, September 3, 2010
The evil attack of the dishwasher
Another glass down.
These are my favorite and our dishwasher keeps destroying them!!! This is the second glass it has managed to sever. Our nice set of 8 tall and 8 short beautiful glasses (which we bought from Wal-Mart for $10!) is now down to 7 and 7...
Well at least it's even now.
:(
 |
| It kind of looks like Chip from Beauty and the Beast! Maybe I will keep it as my special friend. |
These are my favorite and our dishwasher keeps destroying them!!! This is the second glass it has managed to sever. Our nice set of 8 tall and 8 short beautiful glasses (which we bought from Wal-Mart for $10!) is now down to 7 and 7...
Well at least it's even now.
:(
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Today I feel very blessed...
...because I am.
There are so many things to be grateful for!
1. My job. The fact that I HAVE a job in this economy is great to begin with. But I have such a wonderful job! I feel silly when I say I work for my mom but she is the best employer. Good pay, flexible hours, fun, convenient. I am so blessed!
2. My husband. He is so wonderful! He is so good to me. I can tell he just loves me so much. He is a good, hard-working person and I am proud to help put him through school (with my great job that I'm blessed with!) so he can be a successful businessman as an architect and support our family.
3. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. What an amazing gift. Life just makes sense (for the most part) and I know what great things lie ahead. The Savior helps me so much through all the walks of life, I couldn't ask for a better Friend. I would be so lost without Him and His Gospel. I'm so grateful to know who I am, that I am divine and a daughter of God and that my soul is of GREAT worth, and that the blessings which await the faithful after this life are so incredible that I can't even imagine how wonderful it will be. Having this knowledge gives me so much peace and joy. Every day is special. What a wonderful life!
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The organization of the Church is such a great blessing! It makes available so many wonderful things. The support system from the Prophet up top down to the ward families, which includes home and visiting teachers, is so small thing. There are always so many people around you that love you and are willing to help out no matter where in the world you are.
5. My family. Every family has their dysfunctions, but when it comes down to it I know they are there for me when I need some back-up. And I know deep down they really do love me. Isn't that just great?
Of course these are in no order of rank.
I have a good life. :)
"Let us be no more tossed to and fro by every worldly wind and doctrine of man (see Ephesians 4:14). We declare to the world that the heavens are open and the truth of God's eternal plan has again been made known to mankind. We live in the dispensation of the fulness of times. We live in a day when we have the witness through the scriptures of the great plan the Lord has given to His children from the beginning of time down to this present and last dispensation. The evidence is well documented; we are not left alone to wander through mortality without knowing of the master plan which the Lord has designed for His children. He has bound Himself by solemn covenant to give us the blessings of heaven according to our obedience to His law. Oh, remember, remember that these things are true, for the Lord God has revealed these eternal truths unto us."
- Elder L. Tom Perry -
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