Changes in the Works...

Hi Ladies-
Please accept my apologies for not keeping up with the blog in June.  There are changes which have happened as you are likely aware.  Thus, we are in a state of transition.  (The visiting teaching links have been updated.)  We appreciate your patience with us!

Happy Fourth of July/Independence Day!

"Night in the Holy Lands" & Recipes

A huge thank you to Ann, Nanette, and Molly for sharing their amazing experiences with us, so that we could vicariously "visit" the Holy Lands!  It truly was a spiritual feast filled with interesting insights into scriptures, events during the Savior's life, and parallels with events of today in preparation for His Second Coming.  It was a great workshop!

Also, we sampled a few recipes enhancing the fun evening.  For those sisters not able to attend, below are some of the recipes and a few others we didn't get to try, but would be fun for a FHE or other ethnic activity. 
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Tarato (like  a cold yogurt soup)

3 c plain yogurt
3 c water
crushed nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
dash salt
1 tbsp. vinegar
2 cucumbers
2 tbsp. olive oil

Finely chop cucumber and combine all ingredients except nuts.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.  Sprinkle crushed nuts on top before serving.

Carrot Salad
4 carrots
1 handful raisins
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 tsp. sugar

Grate carrots.  Mix carrots with raisins and orange juice.  Add sugar to taste.

Jewish Honey Candies
(You may want to half this recipe.)

1 c. sugar
2 c. honey
4-6 c. finely chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
Optional:  ginger, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, matzoh, carrots, spices

Cook sugar and honey over medium-low heat on stove, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved (about 10 min.).  Gradually add chopped nuts and keep stirring until mixture reaches soft-crack stage.  Mixture should be chewy.  Remove from heat and pour mixture onto a wet board or baking sheet.  Spread to thin out.  Let sit about 10 min.  Using sharp knife (but, be careful - speaking from experience :) ), dipped in hot water between cuts, cut in squares or diamond shapes.  Can be wrapped in plastic wrap for individual servings. 

Passover Rolls

1 c. water
1/2 c. oil
2 c. matzo meal (medium)
4 eggs
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Boil water and oil.  While boiling, stir in matzo meal.  Remove from heat.  Beat eggs.  Combine eggs with sugar and water.  Vigorously, stir eggs and mix into water.  Refrigerate until dough is hard.  Shape into balls.  Bake 325 degrees for 60 minutes.

Israeli Salad

3 cucumbers
3 tomatoes
1 green or red pepper
3 green onions
olive oil
lemon juice
salt
zaatar (hyssop spice)

Chop veggies in small pieces.  Mix together and lightly season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and zaatar.  Serve immediately.

May Activities and Workshops

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (September 2009) reminds us as women of the Church and daughters of Divinity, "May I invite you to rise to the great potential within you. But don’t reach beyond your capacity. Don’t set goals beyond your capacity to achieve. Don’t feel guilty or dwell on thoughts of failure. Don’t compare yourself with others. Do the best you can, and the Lord will provide the rest. Have faith and confidence in Him, and you will see miracles happen in your life and the lives of your loved ones. The virtue of your own life will be a light to those who sit in darkness, because you are a living witness of the fulness of the gospel (see D&C 45:28). Wherever you have been planted on this beautiful but often troubled earth of ours, you can be the one to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (D&C 81:5).

My dear sisters, as you live your daily life with all its blessings and challenges, let me assure you that the Lord loves you. He knows you. He listens to your prayers, and He answers those prayers, wherever on this world you may be. He wants you to succeed in this life and in eternity."

May Activities and Workshops

Tuesday, May 4th...New FamilySearch 101 @ Amanda's from 7-8pm.  Come learn about how New FamilySearch can help you find your family members, streamline family history, and open new opportunities to find records of your ancestors.  If you haven't yet registered, please bring your birth date, confirmation date, and Church membership number.  Also, if you a laptop, please bring one.

Wednesday, May 5th...Soup/Salads Night Pt. II @ Alison's @ 7pm.  Alison will email the needed information for this yummy class.  If you haven't yet signed up to attend, it's not too late.  Contact Alison for more information.

Sunday, May 9th...Happy Mother's Day!

Wednesday, May 12th...Soup/Salads Night Pt. III @ Alison's @ 7pm. Alison will email the needed information for this yummy class. If you haven't yet signed up to attend, it's not too late. Contact Alison for more information.

Thursday, May 13th..."A Night in the Holy Land" @ the ward bldg. @ 7pm.  Molly, Nanette, and Ann who have recently traveled in Israel, Jerusalem, and Petra will be sharing pictures, stories, and experiences about what it was like to have walked where the Savior walked in days of old.  Light, authentic refreshments will be served.  This would be a great activity to bring friends, neighbors, and including those not of our faith.

Thursday, May 20th...Book Club @ Kathy's @ 7pm.  The book is "Prayers for Sale" by Sandra Dallas.  To read a book review from "Deseret News," click here.  Even if you don't get a chance to read the book, join us for fun conversation and socializing.

Tuesday, May 25th...Food Storage Tasting Table @ the ward bldg. @ 7pm.  All are invited (men, too) to join us for a night of tasting and sharing on both pre-packaged food storage and yummy recipes to use the food you are storing.  It's good to have a desire to store food for emegencies.  It's better to begin storing it.  It's best to store it, know how to use it, and then to use it! : )  Stay tuned for more details and reminders.

Relief Society Temple Day...Contact Siv for date/time.

Coming soon...Photography 201 class - we'll be learning more basics in improving our pictures and taking a field trip to practice our new skills.

Easy De-cluttering Ideas

Organization Tips:

Here are some quick and easy ways to de-clutter your home:  http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-home/cleaning-organizing/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23711930>1=32026 .  Try it, and see what a "cleansing" feeling" it can have!  Let us know of your successes and challenges by leaving comments (just below this post).  We can work together to help solve organization dilemmas and celebrate triumphs!

He Lives!

Dear Sisters,
At this Easter season, may we remember the reason for the season...

(Sorry, I couldn't shrink it to view the entire screen.  But, the message is still wonderful.  To view the video full-screen, go to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ddXNF29goo&feature=channel.)

April Activities and Workshops

"Unless we understand this concept of renewal, it’s difficult to understand the resurrection and atonement of Jesus Christ. What our Savior made possible was not just the eternal renewal of our bodies and a renewal of innocence that will qualify us to dwell in our Heavenly Father’s presence; the reach of his gift extends even further. Because of our Redeemer, we can renew and refresh and rejuvenate our spirits here and now in a manner just as miraculous as anything we see in nature." (Darin Cozzens, Ensign, April 1993)

May we refresh and renew our spirits as well as our devotion to our Heavenly Father and the Savior as we reflect upon the redeeming and enabling power of the Atonement and the glory of the Resurrection during this Easter season and during General Conference.

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April Activities and Workshops...Join us for one or many!

*Saturday, April 3rd/Sunday April 4th - General Conference

*Sunday, April 4th - Happy Easter!

*NEW DATE!...Tuesday, April 20th - New FamilySearch 101 at Amanda's at 7pm-8pm. Come learn helpful tips as you navigate New FamilySearch and prepare to take ancestors' names to the temple. We will also discuss Record Search and Indexing.  Bring a laptop, if you have one. Also, if you haven't yet registered, bring your birth date, confirmation date, and Church Membership number. (*We'll have another night in April to have this workshop.*)

*Thursday, April 22nd - "A Hair Affair" at the ward bldg. at 7pm.  Three classes to choose from or attend all of them. Come learn basic cuts for your kids, yourself, bangs, etc. from our resident ward hair stylist expert, Nicole. We'll also be making white ponytail scrunchies as a service to the Temple Baptistry, and utiize our creativity by making some easy, cute hair accessories.

*DATE CHANGE - Sign-up in Relief Society - "Food for Thought, Caring, and Sharing" at Alison's home.  This month, Alison will be sharing salad and soup recipes.  If interested, please let her know, email her, or sign-up in Relief Society.  You'll receive an email with the information.

*Thursday, April 29th - "Book Club" at Toni's at 7pm.  The book is, "The Last Chinese Chef" by Nicole Mones.  It's an entertaining story highlighted with the philosophy of Chinese cooking and culture.  Feel free to come even if you haven't read the book.  For a book review, click here.

*Date/time to be announced - "Sisters of Service" workshop. We'll be finishing the quilt we had planned on finishing at our Relief Society Anniversary dinner. The quilt will be donated to the Humanitarian Center is greatly needed with the increasingly frequent natural disasters that have recently occured.

*April Emergency Preparedness Goal - attend the Home Depot Family Safety/Preparedness Fair on Saturday, April 24th at the Home Depot.  More details to come.  This satisfies our monthly preparedness goal, too!

*Coming Soon - "Girl's Night In" - Come enjoy a relaxing and fun night "off" at Cathy's. Lots of laughs, socializing, and goodies to enjoy.

**New ideas for activities and workshops always welcome.**

"Angels Among Us"

Did you know?...

There are "angels among us!"  That's right, all around you, everyday.  You'll have to look hard to find them sometimes because they may not be so obvious.  But, they are there watching, protecting you, serving you, reaching out and helping you along...  They come in various ways...in our homes, at church, our jobs, the grocery store, and many other places we may not expect to find them.  They come in all shapes and sizes, some are young/older, some are short/tall, some are seasoned with wisdom, while some are ready for something new.  Many are truly miracles in our lives...

Angels are among us in our Relief Society and we look forward to celebrating the Relief Society Anniversary together.  Join us, and bring the angels in your life!

• When:  Tuesday, March 23rd
• Time:  6:30pm
• Where:  Cultural Hall at the ward building
• Light dinner/dessert, getting-to-know-you activity, service opportunity, and special thoughts/music
• Nursery provided by sisters from the YSA wards

~~What an enjoyable, uplifting evening it will be!  Come celebrate the angels among us!~~

Questions???:  Please contact a member of the Relief Society Meetings Committee