Ponder:

How can I get rid of guilt? How can I put myself in a position to have the power of atonement cover my sins? Do I understand what Christ did for me? Do I comprehend the great love He has for me?

Learning by the Spirit

Today, was an awesome day, to learn by the spirit. I love it when Brother and Sister Holm comes to visit. I love Sister Holm's spirit and testimony of the power of missionary work. She makes it sound so simple.

Then in Relief Society, Bro. Clemmons shared his story and testimony about his travels to Israel. he shared with us the principals of the Abrahamic covenant and how it applies to all of us and the land of the Jewish inheritance. I felt the spirit so strong, I am excited to visit some more with him and do some studying on my own. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have to be here and to be able to be part of this ward. I guess you could say moving here to Myrtle Beach is one of those less traveled paths that I was referring to yesterday. But I feel very blessed to be able to call the place home! :)

Contemplating the paths around me...

Life is full of many paths... Many that we don't even realize could be for us. Sometimes we stick with one path not because it is right or wrong, or because it is simple or makes good money, maybe we stay on one path because of the family or ego power. Maybe because we are not adventurous or not brave to try something new. Sometimes maybe we just feel a sense of loyalty or just scared to try something new. And in spite of all the nuggings from The Lord we don't choose a new path. Then all of a sudden, when the path has unexpectedly come to an end. The Lord directs you to another path that after a short incline you realize that you should have taken the path a long time ago... :)

Reminds me of Robert Frosts poem...

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Mosiah 5: 7-9; 7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the achildren of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are bchanged through faith on his name; therefore, ye are cborn of him and have become his dsons and his daughters. 8 And under this head ye are made afree, and there is bno other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other cname given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should dtake upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. 9 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

Mosiah 4: 2-3; 2 And they had aviewed themselves in their own bcarnal state, even cless than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the datoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be epurified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who fcreated heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. 3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a aremission of their sins, and having peace of bconscience, because of the exceeding cfaith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the dwords which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.

Week 4 ~ Am I a Daughter of Christ?

Week 4 - Walk With Christ - Am I a Daughter of Christ?

D&C 19:15-24 
15: Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. 
16: For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; 
17: But if they would not repent they must asuffer even as I;
18: Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— 
19: Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. 
20: Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit. 
21: And I command you that you apreach naught but repentance, and show not these things unto the world until it is wisdom in me. 
22: For they cannot bear meat now, but milk they must receive; wherefore, they must not know these things, lest they perish. 
23: Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. 
24: I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, and I do his will.

Early Christmas for Parker...

We surprised Parker tonight with an early Christmas present. He has been wanting to go see the Pirates Voyage here in Myrtle Beach and this evening we were able to take him to see the Christmas show. Excellent performance by the whole crew and the food was pretty tasty too. I highly recommend it to everybody of all ages. 

The big surprise for me was in the middle of the performance they reminded the Old Sea Captain (and all of us) about the true meaning of  Christmas by sharing the story of the Savior's birth. It was great to see how they added it into their story line and it was awesome to know that in general people are still very receptive of the public display and depiction of the story. It was heart warming to know that their are people among us that still believe and are not afraid to let the world know.

Ponder & Reflecting - Week 3

Today is the day 4 of week 3 and we were suppose to Ponder the following questions...

• Have I truly sought forgiveness from the Lord? 
• Do I really believe He will Forgive Me?

These two questions are very easy for me to answer and understand. I have a fully testimony of the answers of yes to these questions. I have seen the miracle of forgiveness and the joy that comes from  power of repentance, not only in my life but in the lives of many others around me.

guilt of no repentance

Mosiah 2:38 - 38 Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.

Ward Party times 2 (Conway)

Sister Webb had ordered mashed potatoes & gravy from us and we delivered... Upon reaching the church to drop their goodies, We found Sister Taylor laying on the floor just inside the door. She had tripped on the rug. They called for the ambulance and we ended up staying to help Sister Webb with their evening. They had a great turn out also... I enjoyed the live Nativity program. Great kick off to start the Christmas season.

Ward Christmas Party

Our ward Christmas party was tonight and we had a great time. We fed about 280 people, so we had food left over. We served the traditional dinner of Ham, Maashed Potatoes & gravy, Mac & cheese, corn, salad and rolls. This year was the first year we included the desserts in our catering. We served homemade cookies and two large sheet cakes.

forsaking our sins & become humble

Mosiah 4:9-12 
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them. 
11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, fcalling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. 
12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain  a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

Week 3 ~ Repentance

This week we start out with the question:  Do I Really Understand Repentance?

Scripture:

D&C 58:41-43 
41: And also he hath need to repent, for I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me. 42: Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. 43: By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.

When I thing of the opportunity I have to repent of my mistakes, it helps me to not be so afraid to move forward.

Ponder: 

•  Have I truly sought forgiveness from the Lord? 
•  Do I really believe He will Forgive Me?

The Making of Challah

I had so much fun learning how to make traditional challah yesterday... So much love, respect and culture involved.

   One of my most favorite scriptures can be found in John 15: 11-15, they talk about loving one another and being considered friends because of our obedience to the commandment. The original story behind the Challah bread is that is made for the sabbath and special holidays. They make it in remembrance of the miracle witnessed by the largest audience, when JESUS fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. It talks about the love for each other that was present on the day.

There is a great children hymn entitled "Love One Another". Very simply put....
As I have love you,  Love one another. 
This new commandment: Love one another. 
By this shall men know ye are my disciples.
 If ye have love One to another.



Today was an awesome day to reinforce all the wonderful testimonies that were shared yesterday! :)

Ponder & Reflecting - Week 2

In the last half of John 15, Jesus talks about being hated and persecuted. As I have read and studied this week I have come to believe that if we seek out The Lord and try to learn a new principal or concept, The Lord provides opportunities for us the serve and develop a clearer understanding of the lesson desiring to be taught. Much like he did when he preformed the mircles himself.

One of the questions that we were asked to ponder this week as we studied was...

• Can He call me a Friend?

I would love to think that he could call me friend... 

Turning point in American History....

ON THIS DAY, 1 DECEMBER IN 1955 MS. ROSA PARKS, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN, REFUSED TO GIVE UP HER SEAT TO A WHITE MAN ON A MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA BUS. THIS ACTION LED TO THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT--ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING DEVELOPMENTS THAT PRECIPITATED THE US CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

I couldn't help but think about all the wonderful testimonies that were shared today and then compared them to the testimony of faith, liberty and equality that Rosa Parks stood for. All of the testimonies shared today, both young and old, sums up the point of this weeks study plan. 

 

Abiding in Him

In John 15, scriptures 6-11,  Jesus talks about what happens when we abide in him and what happens when we don't. I looked up the word "ABIDE" in the dictionary and this is what it says: "accept or act in accordance with, to obey, observe, or follow". 

So for me it seems very simple... if I accept and try to act in accordance with what The Lord asks of us then, we are abiding in his love? But then I have to accept, obey and to follow and sometimes the actions of others causes me to act not in accordance with the Lord. I have always tried to teach my boys that just because someone provokes a reaction from you, it is still your choice whether that reaction is going to be positive or negative. And much like other things in my life it is often easier to tell someone what to do than to teach them by example. So is it really that simple to abide in his love always.... NOT FOR ME!

THANK GOODNESS FOR REPENTANCE!!!!!!!!!

Drawing Strength from Family & The Lord

In the first five verse of John 15 it talks about the strength of the vine and the branches. Jesus tells us that he is the vine and we are like the branches, if we bare fruit then we are blessed and given strength to bare more fruit.

With yesterday being Thanksgiving, I can't help but feel like my Family is part of my fruit and in return they also give me strength. I lean on them and learn from them everyday. Good or bad we lean on each other for strength, wisdom and self discipline. I think we also lean on the Savior for a lot more things than we realize. He is there for us always in spite of the things we do and say.

Yesterday was also my Brother's birthday, now a grown man with many health issues on his plate due to the
handicaps left over from the birth defects he faced when my mother came down with German measles three months into her pregnancy.  His trials in life often seem to be so much easier than others around me, I watch him co-exist in a world with no sound and not much color for him to visualize.  And yet I know, with out even calling home, that today he will be exchanging all his Fall decorations out for all his Christmas ones. by next weekend, my mothers yard will be lit up with thousands of small colored lights of awe and wonderment. The other thing I know for sure is that in the center of all the worldly lights and Christmas cheer, he will have the almost life-sized Nativity Scene that stands out for all passerby's to see and shinning high above the manger you will find the brightest light (star) of all. I have often asked him through the years, "how did you get that light up so high?" He just shrugs his shoulders, grins big, nods to the light on the pole and says "Jesus!"

Thankgiving 2013

Very grateful for the chance to share today with my awesome family. We were missing a few... . But they were never more than a thought away. Other than eating late due work schedules, sick people and our car getting broke into, our day was filled with traditions, family stories and fun! One of our traditions every year is to try a new recipe... This year, I decided the recipe would be the breakfast treat to share while we watched the parade. (Another family tradition!) 

SOOOOO, I decided to make homemade "Salted Caramel Bacon Donuts" I keep hearing rave reviews about bacon & salted caramel this and bacon & salted caramel that. Anyway, after searching for several months for good recipes, no luck! I came up with my own, Here are the results.... They were delicious!

Week 2 ~ Studying John 15

This week we are encouraged to study John 15, 

"Jesus is the vine; His disciples are the branches—He discourses on the perfect law of love—His servants have been chosen and ordained by Him—The world hates and fights true religion—He promises the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth."

As I started to read and study this week I very quickly begin to realize I was going to need to think about this a little bit through out the week. Some of the a things were are suppose to ponder this week are...

• From whom do I get my Strength? 
• Am I abiding in Christ? 
• How can I bring forth much fruit Lord? 
• Can He call me a Friend?

National Cake Day

Today is a good day.... Today we eat CAKE!

We had fun here at our house. WE celebrated in a variety of different ways...




FIRST - we made a very yummy cake all home made.
See the recipe and details on our food blog at The Pantry Life

Second we made cards, invitations and scrapbook pages to high light the day...You can find the instructions and details for these on our craft blog at Annie's Pantry

 And the we had a CAKE PARTY!!!!!

Ponder & Reflecting - Week 1

Today is Monday and we are coming to the end of our first week. Today is the day we get to ponder over the things we have studied this past week. Our question was to Ponder: Am I seeking the Lord's help in all I think & do? How can He help me overcome my weaknesses?

I just want to share with everyone, what amazing week this has been... Two things I have truly gained a better testimony of this week are 1. Faith without sincere works are / is dead and 2. The principals and ordinances of the gospel are the easy part, applying them in every thought and action is the hard part. I feel very blessed and very greatful for the testimony building experiences that I have had this week and as I ponder the question above, it reminded me of a story I once heard entitled...

"The Cracked Pot" 

A waterbearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it. While the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the mistress's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to her master's house. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream: "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your mistress's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in her compassion she said, "As we return to the mistress's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?“That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my mistress's table. Without you being just the way you are, she would not have this beauty to grace her house."

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.
But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. We've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. There's a lot of good out there.

Chris Cullen's Missionary Homecoming

Not feeling good today, but I knew I had to go to church today. Chris was giving his mission homecoming report. He talked about how much he had grown and how important being a member missionary is. He shared a couple of experiences with us that made me homesick for Toa and his family feasts, our red brick home on the hill in Provo and all our friends that taught me the true meaning of being there for each other.

I remember when Chris left and all the struggles we had had with him in the past, both in and out of our home. But I do feel like he served a good mission and his heart is in the right place. I know his road has been hard and he has a lot of work to do still. But I think I have grown and I have become a better person for knowing him. He gave a great report and will be returning to Salt Lake City, I wish him luck in all his endeavors. I love his quote "even though it was not the best two years OF  life, it was the best two years FOR my life"

Grace, Love and the art of being Humble

Yesterday, I contemplated my weaknesses and drew strength from a past experiences, one of which I shared. Today, I would like to ponder the grace and love that fills our souls, when we humble ourselves before The Lord. The scripture for today is the one I made reference to yesterday... Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

I listen to a lot of music, I often find myself turning on my music instead of reaching for the TV remote. I have several gospel stations in my Pandora line-up and this morning the first song that played was one of my all time favorites... "I Need Thee Every Hour". In the second verse it states "I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby; temptations lose their power when thou art nigh." I know that sometimes the words temptations and weaknesses are interchanged and if that were the case in this song, then all our weaknesses (our crutches) lose their power when The Lord is with us and as we become humble and like little children, then The Lord uses his grace to help make us strong. 

Turning Weaknesses into Strengths

I have really had to pray and ponder today's scripture. Jacob 4:7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things. 

A couple of things that have been going through my mind today are two things I learned very early in my seminary and institute studies. 

1. Weaknesses don't always mean sin.

2. That through the miracle of forgiveness all sins can be forgiven. 

And in Ether 12:27 we learn that The Lord shows us our weaknesses to make us humble and by his grace and our faith he uses our weaknesses to make us strong. 

I remember a calling that I had back in my ward in Manchester, CT. I had served in many different positions in many different wards, several I had knowledge of going into them and several of them I had others around me that I could draw strength from. But this particular calling, all I had to draw from was my passion and love of music. My bishop, whom I had lots of love and respect for, called Marty and I into his office and extended a call to me to be the new Relief Society Chorister. I ask him if he was crazy... No kidding, I did, in those exact words. I quickly went on to explain I could not read music, the only time I had lead the music was a couple of times in Seminary to pass off my personal progress stuff and I was pretty sure I was not a good singer, even though I pretended really hard to be a good alto/tenor in my institute choir. Marty was the music man in more ways than one. But he insisted that was the calling that The Lord desired for me to have at that moment. I asked for time to pray about it, which I also had never done before, but I hadn't been gone from his office very long until I found myself  knocking on his office door, agreeing to take on the new challenge. I prayed hard and worked very close with Marty to learn everything I could about what I needed to do. I loved my calling, I treasure the time Marty and I spent together as he taught me how to lead song after song. I am fully aware of the Lords hand in helping to make me strong in my weakness. I am very humble and grateful for both my calling and my wise bishop. The knowledge and experiences that I gained from that calling has served me well, both then and now. 

Trusting in the Lord

When I started thinking about all of this yesterday, my mind immediately turned to the little booklet that we often use in our missionary teachings entitled "The Gospel of Jesus Christ". And as you open this little booklet to the fourth page you find in a small caption box this scripture: Proverbs 3: 5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. This scripture is listed as the first scripture in pour weekly list and is often the scripture that is first memorized and quoted the most by our young LDS seminary kids.

Also found on this page along with the scripture are the words Faith and Repentance. "Faith is a strong belief that motivates a person to act and Faith in Jesus Christ leads you to want to change your life for the better." For me it is easy to have the faith in the Lord, but it is not always easy for me to trust in him. I am a doer and often I lack the patience to wait for The Lord's time. Growing older and watching my children develop into adults and realizing that my idea of now and their idea of now  maybe different and I have to trust in them. Besides what matter does it really make as long as we reach the end goal. Many times, in my life, I have had to apply the same reasoning to things I have asked The Lord to help me with.

Week 1 ~ Seeking the Lord's help

This week our Relief Society started a new holiday testimony building segment entitled "Fourteen Week Walk With Christ". Each Week they will post a Scripture(s) to Read and a Thought to Ponder. I think this is an awesome opportunity to study and grow closer to my heaven father, plus a chance to grow closer to the sisters in my ward family. I decided that I would take a scriputre a day to study, add to and try to apply it to my everyday living. So starting tomorrow, I will post one of the scriptures listed, post notes and thoughts from my studies and at the end of the week I will post my answer to the weekly "PONDER" question along with some of my experiences through out the week. I would invite anyone you would like to join me in this journey please feel free... 

Week 1: Scripture(s) ~ 

Proverbs 3: 5-6 

Jacob 4: 7 

Ether 12: 27

Ponder: Am I seeking the Lord's help in all I think & do? How can He help me overcome my weaknesses?

"Fall"ing for a new outlook on life...

        You know, they say to be careful what you wish for, well I wished really really hard and I was granted my wish... (BOTH OF THEM!) I am exited and a little nervous at the same time. I am excited because I had the opportunity to work a lot of hours during September and October, so that we could paint and redecorate our living room and dinning room to make them more useable and family friendly. So now that we are putting the finishing touches on that wish, I was wishing that maybe I could go down to not very many hours at work, so that I could be home to enjoy my family more and to jump start my stamping business for the holidays. And that wish was granted... :). now I am nervous wondering if I am going to be able to live up to the deal I made with my hubby that I can pay for Christmas with profits from Stamping.

Republican Women

Overthinking Everything!

Things I learned at Conference... Sunday

Things I learned at Conference... Saturday

1st Annual Fall Beach Retreat...

It's Official... All planned and posted. Everyone who likes to stamp, scrap or craft is invited. Ask me for details. :)

Catching Up....

Last night we had the chance to catch up with a good friend that we haven't seen for several years. It was good to see her and we seemed to have picked up right where we left off...

Last Day on the Mountain

Our Last day on the mountain... Sad to leave, but excited to see the family.

It's Offical... (Pink)

So today it is finally official... We will be flying pink balloons in February! We are so excited to meet her. :)

Renewing my Spirit at Home this Morning...

       Not feeling well and hubby is bogged down with finishing up the last little details to begin hosting their corporate retreat here at the beach this week.... so I guess that is my que to study my scriptures and scrap! awwwwe poor me...

    

       I have a favorite stamp that says

Simply Back to RUNNING!

      

       

      Yup... that about sums it up! Took the summer off from running and gained TWENTY Pounds back, can you say 20 pounds... NO JOKE! I feel awful, clothes don't fit and I look fat! So this morning I hit the beach on a slow run. It felt awesome to be back in the sand. Now to find a source of reward-able motivation to look forward to... :)

Following in his footsteps... Happy Birthday Dad!

       Today my dad would have turned 74... And as I stop and reflect what has transpired over this past year, I have been totally amazed at how much growing up the grand-kids have done. Dad would be so proud of all of them. We have had missionaries return with honor, several high school and college graduations, happy marriages, scout and young women advancements, Athletic triumphants with first place wins, lots of little blessings along the way and we are now looking forward to what will be Dad's first Great-Grand Child due to arrive in the early spring. My how times flies when you are growing up and growing old... But one one the biggest events that has happened this past couple of months is the both Sarah and Bryant have chosen to follow in Dad's footsteps and joined the Navy.  We are so proud of them... :)

So as a tribute to my dad, here is a special picture that I have of him....

Simple Suppers in September

         Labor Day has come and gone and since school has started, all my crew members (employees) have left me to go back to their studies. And in the mist of all this I have found myself still working lots of nights and by doing so have discovered a greater need to use my crock pot for dinner meals. So to Kick off a warm September Fall,  We give you...  

Easy-Does-It-Spaghetti!

*you can find the recipe and details for my Thrifty Thursday meals over on my blog at THE PANTRY LIFE

Progress Continued....

         Yesterday, I talked about my Friend the FLyLady and the difference between Progress, not Perfection and how you can do anything even if you only work on it for 15 minutes. Then today in my craft closet our scrapbook challenge was to start a progressive scrapbook  page that will span over four weeks.  Now, As many of you know I am not a big fan of Progessive Scrapbook Challenges, because #1 - I am one of those OCD type people that can't leave a project undone and #2 - my crafting closet is so small, it is hard to leave projects laying around on my desk and get anything else done. But after giving it a lot of thought I decided it would be good to practice what I preach... Definition of Progressive: happening or developing gradually or in stages; proceeding step by step. Very similar statement as I shared yesterday in my scripture reference. Same info two days in a row............... ? Maybe I need to learn something from this!
 

So I decided that I would try this months progressive challenge. My goal is to spend 15 minutes on each new task of the challenge and then put it away, up high so I couldn't see it. You know, "out of sight, out of mind" lol! Anyway.... you can check out what I came up with for the first task over on my craft blog at     Annie's Pantry

Today's Mojo

     

        As many of you know I am a graduated FLyBABy... :).

And  I AM VERY PROUD of it! 

        I discovered the FlyLady at one of the lowest times in my life, at one of those times when I needed her the most and was feeling like a complete failure to admit it. She came into my life as a blessing in disguise, an angel of simplicity, with a driving force that created a sense of unwavering commitment. From the very first day when I "Shined My Sink" clear up to the point of today, when like this morning my daily agenda is very full, I will be leaving my house, full of energized mojo and fortitude, knowing that my house is somewhat tidy, my family has been taken care of and I can handle just about anything that the Lord asks of me. I have truly learned the concept that that it is "Progress, not Perfection!"
       Perfection can only be obtained through our continual progression, "line upon line, precept upon precept". One of my favorite scriptures shares...  "For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have." 2 Nephi 28:30

Make-Over Monday: Better than Oatmeal

My husband and I have been researching some whole grain breakfast alternatives to that old-fashioned, heart-warming bowl of sticky oatmeal. We have found that whole grain couscous flavored with fruit and cinnamon makes for a healthy whole grain, low-calorie breakfast suitable for kids as well as adults! This Breakfast couscous recipe and photo is courtesy of the Wheat Foods Council.

Ingredients:

1 16 ounce can apples or pears, divided
water
1 tbsp butter
1 10 ounce package couscous
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste

Preparation:

Drain fruit, reserving juice. Pour juice into measuring cup and add water to equal 2 cups. Prepare couscous according to package directions using the fruit juice and butter. Dice fruit; add to couscous.
Combine sugar and cinnamon and mix with couscous. Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Makes 6 - (7/8 cup) servings of apple cinnamon couscous.
Calories per serving: 271
Nutrition: Each serving provides approximately: 271 calories; 6 g protein; 56 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 2 g fat (1 g saturated); 5 mg cholesterol; 0 mcg folate; 1 mg iron; 22 mg sodium.

Simply September

       I can't believe that fall is almost here already. I love fall for so many reasons, but none of those reasons except for one can be found here at the beach. So in staying with my monthly theme idea I have decided to refer to this month as Simply September.
       Also today is Sunday, I love to start the month out with a "Fast & Testimony" meeting. I think that is just helps to set the spirit and the tone for a very loving and productive month. And today I am very humbled and grateful for the many blessings and opportunities that I have strengthened my testimony this past month and I am looking forward to another month filled with all the same.

 

Dinner at Creek Ratz

I couldn't have said it any better myself.. We had so much fun and I am really excited to see a good stable company like PTR join us at the beach.

Posted by our good friend Alan Clemmons, "Last night, Laura and I (Alan)  thoroughly enjoyed hosting dinner for Horry County's, soon to be, most popular family: Josh Fiorini, Candice Fiorini and their adorable two-year-old daughter, Charlotte! Josh is CEO of PTR Industries which will soon begin production of it's famous Heckler and Koch licensed rifles out of it's new headquarters in Aynor. Also joining us were PTR Vice President, John Mcnamara (Johnny Mac), his friend, Annie, and Candice's sister, Emily; our daughter, Alayne; and our friends, Terrie N Bill Webb, Marty and Anavon Harris and Blake Aldridge. They are all nearly as excited about their move to South Carolina, the Second Amendment State, as we are to have them here! Please join me in welcoming the Fiorini's, John and the larger PTR family to South Carolina!

PS: Thank you Billy Huggins for the delicious seafood, great service (Audi is the best!), fun live band and creek-side ambiance that Murrells Inlet's Creek Ratz offers! Oh yeah, the face painting made Princess Charlotte's night!"

Pondering yesterday...

  

      I have thought a lot about our Relief Society Lesson yesterday and how it applies to my life. I have always felt like it was easy for me to live the gospel everyday. Yes, I am not perfect nor have I ever professed to be perfect. But listening to the spirit and doing all the little things on a daily bases seems very simple to me. And yet, as I have spent the last twenty four hours seriously pondering how the simplicity works in my daily life, I have come to the realization that things are not as simple as they seem... I am very grateful for all the little opportunities that I have to love and share the gospel everyday. And yet I became very aware today of all the other simple things that I could be doing to draw a little closer to the Lord everyday. Yesterday, by the end of our lesson we had established that the easiest way to become converted and stay converted was to Keep the Commandments every day.  And for me, I live by three sets of rules that are heavily intertwined in my live....  The 10 Commandments, The 13 Articles of Faith and the 3 Principles in the Mission of the Church. 

        Then today, while reading and studying my scriptures, in chapter 47 of our gospel principles manual I found a list of ten things that we have been asked, by the Lord to do, in order to gain exaltation... It states: "In addition to receiving the required ordinances, the Lord commands all of us to:

1. Love God and our neighbors.
   
2. Keep the commandments.
   
3. Repent of our wrongdoings.
   
4. Search out our kindred dead and receive the saving ordinances of the gospel for them.
   
5. Attend our Church meetings as regularly as possible so we can renew our baptismal covenants by partaking of the sacrament.
   
6. Love our family members and strengthen them in the ways of the Lord.
   
7. Have family and individual prayers every day.
   
8. Teach the gospel to others by word and example.
   
9. Study the scriptures.
   
10. Listen to and obey the inspired words of the prophets of the Lord.
    

Finally, each of us needs to receive the Holy Ghost and learn to follow His direction in our individual lives."

So for me that just sort of sums the whole thing into a nut shell... If I strive everyday to do these things and act upon the promptings from the Lord. I stand a pretty good chance of staying converted everyday. AND THIS IS A GOOD THING!!!

Dynamics of a family... Happy Father's Day!

     I love to see the changes in my boys as they have grown through the years. 3 out of 5 of them have lived at home then moved out to spread their wings, then moved home and then back out to learn some more. 1 of those 2 have moved on, got married to a wonderful woman that we love dearly and they are learning and growing together. It fun to see how they are setting their household ground rules and learning to faithful and spiritually contribute to each others success. The other 2 have learned the need of having family and they are now back at home, becoming very successful at what they do. Our last 2 ( the little boys, as we call them) are learning from the other 3's mistakes and have learned very quickly that you need your family more than friends and they both have career choices that they are perusing, 1 of those 2 is in a very well-centered and loving relationship with a young women that we think the world of and brings the best out in him at all times!
    Life is so totally amazing to me, I trust in the Lord with all my heart and never ever underestimate to power of true progression if we are patient enough to listen and work hard every day to do his will. If anyone would have told me back many years ago that I would be where I am today?????? Well, let's just say... I think I would have certified them as absolutely crazy.... just saying!  I know I have posted many times here on my blog how truly blessed I feel, but I want my boys to know how honestly grateful I am for them and all they do for me. They have an awesome Daddy as their primary example, who chooses to surround himself with other good, hardworking male roles models who help to influence our boys in positive ways.

Who ever said... "it takes a village to raise a MAN!" wasn't kidding and we have lived in many villages through out our life, SO HAPPY FATHER"S DAY to all those father's who have been part of my boy's lives.

Changes at the Carolina Opry...

I always look forward to spending the day with my hubby. It doesn't really matter want we do, I just love spending time with him. Last night we decided that we would take our friend up on his offer of tickets to enjoy the evening at the Carolina Opry and to check out all the changes they have made for this season.


It was an awesome show and the changes add a new modern feel that are sure to capture a younger audience and yet at the same time, not so far upbeat that those of us who have a deep love for the oldies, would not enjoy a evening at the opry. Everyone should check it out!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the awesome MOM'S in my life, Especially my own! :)

feeling the MAY DAY blues...

There are several things in my life that I have done and then stopped and thought about the saying... "To Much of a GOOD THING is not always a GOOD THING!" My life has been very busy lately and I just keep thinking that maybe if I just keep working then I will just keep going and going and going.... but I am getting tired of going. Don't get me wrong, I am not burning out! I love my family, I love my job, I love my friends, but a thought crossed my mind this morning that I keep thinking about.

Wish I had a thought bubble because this would make a lot more sense....

 "Okay, so TODAY is MAY DAY (1), which is an ancient Celtic spring festival, usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures, that has been celebrated since pre-Christian times with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. But on the same note MAY-DAY  / MAY-DAY (2) is international distress radio code word, when using voice transmission derived from the French "m'aidez", pronounced "mayDAY," and means literally "help me."

So all day I just kept asking myself was I enjoying the May Day holiday or was I actually feeling a little May Day distress! On the bright side though, enjoying breakfast in my room with a view, it was nice to see the cardinals back on my deck this morning, the pair are so pretty and fun to watch.

From THIS to THAT!

April is a very special month for me for many many reasons that I will share with you all here as the month goes along. And that is the reason that the theme for this month is going to be "Awesome April". I have had several people ask me lately how come I haven't been posting on my blogs anymore. I have been, sort of.... I just haven't been attaching them to my facebook page. I have been extremely busy at work since I got back from see my Kids in Missouri. And I have decided that this blog has become more like a journal for me.

But I would like to share something that I will be creatively working on through the month of April...

I was really excited when Stampin' Up! released their new product line called "This and That". And I hope my "This and That" party will be very successful plus we have lots of fun.


So to start off my "Awesome April" here is my cover!

From THIS.......

                                                               
                                                        TO THAT.....















You can find more details about this project over on my craft blog at www.anniespantry.blogspot.com

"Going Red" with Fancy Fit February

My "Jumping into January" theme turned into more of a "Journey into January" and I was able to create lots of new things, share lots of new ideas and "pay it forward" a little bit everyday. I feel so blessed! :)

And keeping with the monthly theme idea, I have decided that the theme for February is going to be "Fancy Fit February" and with that being said... I would like to invite everybody to check out my new "Fancy" Stampin' Up! website. You can order right online now and we have lots of new fancy stuff to be creative with.

www.aharris.stampinup.net

Do or DIE!!!! ?

Today I have to make a major decision.... Should I stay as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator or let it go and move on to something else. I have seriously have wanted to keep my Real Estate License again and I feel really good about that, but I think due to many contributing factors that maybe the timing is not right.

So with much stress and sleepless nights I have decided to stay with my first love and passion of crafting. But with that being said, I need to get my butt in gear and move myself from hobby status to business demonstrator status.

And my first step in that direction is to set up my new demonstrator website... www.aharris.stampinup.net

Beehive Sunday

     Our lesson in Relief Society today was all about being a "worker bee", filled with love, service and sweetness for other sisters around us. We talked about praying each day for someone to help or serve that day and paying it forward every chance we get. I love the sisters that share their ideas and feelings, this group of Southern Bells are not afraid to tell you the way it is and yet most of them would give you the shirt off their back or go the extra mile to help you out. I am so grateful for the opportunity that the Lord gave me to be here a lot longer than planned... It has strengthened my testimony in the world around me and taught me the importance of  "stopping to smell the roses".

Gun Control & Weigh-in for "Biggest Loser"

I am getting really tired of hearing about all the hipe about gun control... I believe that we should have the right to bare arms and be able to exercise our right to use them when necessary...

 

3 pounds gone ---- WHAT MORE CAN I SAY ----- probably all the stress from this past week. lol! :)