Stake/Regional Conference (LONG) & A few awesome recipes/tidbits for the upcoming week

We had our Stake/Regional Conference today & it was a neat experience to be able to have a Broadcast from Church Headquarters just for us. I am sure it helps with travel time, expense, weather, & more amazing it also gave us the opportunity to be in the presence (virtually) of a member of the 70, an apostle (Elder Hale), & President Henry B. Eyring.

Their talks were all wonderful. It was pretty dark & I had my kids climbing on me - so I didn't get notes taken, but I want to jot a few thoughts down here (my journal) so I don't forget. (I would enjoy hearing thoughts/comments/impressions about the talks that many of you might of had as you heard the talks today too - leave them for me in our comments & share!)

(Now that I am finished typing this - I will give warning - If you don't have a couple hours to sit & read ... you should at least scroll to the bottom for some great recipes & clips on You tube that will make you smile!!)


1st talk was by a brother in the 70... didn't catch his name. He talked about moments in life that change us, (That was a tear jerker for me... as of course having lost Dave's dad recently - it rang true.) There are certain things in this life that really matter, I personally know for myself (like he also shared) that until you have lost someone in your life that is so very close to you... this is hard to understand. That there are so many things we participate in, do, entertain our selves with that really don't matter. But each & everyone of us will have those moments in life that will change us.... or help us learn this truth, these experiences help us yearn to be obedient so that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again & be with our Families.

A thought has been twirling in my mind about the saying "Families are Forever"... yes, in a sense that is true - but here goes my pondering... The statement is true due to covenants made in the temple. For that statement to be true - we have to be & do as this brother mentioned - we need to be obedient to our covenants we made at baptism, in the temple, etc... & we need to do the best we can to be obedient to our Heavenly Father's commandments & earn this "right?" or to have this promise fulfilled in our lives & in our families.... for that statement to be absolutely true? So in thinking, the Primary song says it best: Families can be together Forever. It isn't going to be a given because our Grandparents created that for us? It is something we have to continually work on each day & try to keep the course so we can earn it?

This thought, like I said has been playing on in my mind & heart the past month or so as in all reality - It keeps coming back to me... that I only have 6 more years till my oldest child leaves home!! That is a frightening thing for me to think about!! It brings me to tears to realize that it really is so very close... Madison will turn 6 in a couple weeks & it seems like just yesterday she was just born!!
So I have been trying to re-dedicated myself to being a better mother... trying to help my family do better. So I will share a blip .... One of those things I feel we need to work on changing is the way we do our Family Home Evenings!! I have received the strong impression that we need to be more valiant in teaching our children now to feel the spirit for themselves, to understand what "spiritual" promptings are, to be able to recognize those promptings & know how to use it for their good & for the good of others around them. Our children need to really KNOW that they are Children of a Loving Heavenly Father... who loves them no matter what, when, where or why. They need to not be ashamed nor afraid to pray, to ask for help, & to seek for guidance in all aspects of their life!!
We (Dave & I) need to help them gain a testimony now for themselves... not leave it for others to do!! I have been so sad to see that over the years my children have lost their enthusiasm for baring their testimony ... I know this comes with the onset of teen-hood... but since it was suggested (back when I was a Primary Pres. & hear from many that this isn't necessarily practiced everywhere either but in our ward it is few & far between to see a child under 12ish bare their testimony) ... something to the effect that children were to be taught & given the opportunity to learn to bare their testimonies at home & in primary. That it wasn't appropriate for parents to take their kids to the pulpit or encourage them to go to the pulpit at Fast & testimony meetings..... (That isn't word for word) .... but since then - I have totally not encouraged my kids to bare there testimonies... no-where & I am now afraid of what I have done! My Wonderful Brother -in-law was an example to me recently as we attended a FHE with them.... As their soon to be 8 year old daughter stood before us, she presented a simple lesson & as she ended, she stood in front of us & bore her testimony. AND she had a testimony & I felt it!! WOW!! So I know we can do better!!!
I know our children need to be able to fend for themselves, they need to be able to stand strong & fight against Satan in this ever changing & more evil world than we have ever known!!
I am terrified when I hear of friends/people who go on their missions & struggle so much as they realize they don't even know if the church is actually true... then much of their mission is spent gaining their own testimony or finding out if the church is true, or on the other hand people who go off to college & "choose" to follow the crowd....Cause they don't have a testimony... they don't understand & realize that they are Children of a Living God who loves them & has so many blessings in store for them if they will just follow him. They don't understand their own full potential & what they are capable of becoming - if they just obey! But in all reality... do we? Do we really know ourselves? I know little by little, bit by bit this can come to each of us if we truly desire to know. & of course it takes work... lots of it!!

The second talk was given by Sister Ann M. Dibb, 2nd counselor in the General YW Presidency!! She also let us know that she is President Monson's daughter... once she told us.. I could so see his image in her... I am sure she looks like her mom too... :)

She was funny to watch... & Garrett got a kick out of her excitement & gestures, especially at the beginning (as much as teenagers do anyway!!) But when it comes down to it... her talk is so true. We have/or are becoming to use to the counterfeits in life... so much, that we don't know what the real thing - really is!! Oh, I could go on for another 3 pages w/my thoughts... But - I want her roll recipe!! If I get it - I will post it!! Not my 3 pages of thoughts - just the recipe :)
The lesson of her Homemade rolls that she shared with YW & how MUCH THEY LOVED them - she mentioned to them of how they were so good, because all they really knew was the conterfiet & once they tasted the real thing... they knew it was so much better!! Same with the gospel in our lives... Satan can make Rhodes rolls taste & look pretty yummy, especially since we make our lives so busy... but what else do we feel is the real thing... when in reality - we are only use to or taking hold of the conterfiet part in our lives.. this is something that leads me to ponder once again!! Great idea... & talk.

(I hope I am getting the right person w/the right talk! Forgive me if not!)

The 3rd talk was by Elder Robert D. Hale about our Temporal/Spiritual welfare... Our Stake President - Kelsey gave a very similar talk the night before in our Adult Meeting. This was a great talk by both of them & I wish that these talks from our Regional conference would have been recorded or transcribed so we could have a copy to re-read! But in essence we have been told, we have been warned about hard times, living within our means, not living on credit, paying a full tithe, being prepared, food storage, Emergency plans....
In our Stake President's talk he used the article from President Gordon B. Hinckley from Conference 10 years ago (wonderful talk titled: To the Boys & To the Men & it talks more than about being temporally prepared) & in his talk Our Stake Pres. read: Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.

So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings.

We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed. I hope with all my heart that we shall never slip into a depression....

I repeat, I hope we will never again see such a depression. But I am troubled by the huge consumer installment debt which hangs over the people of the nation, including our own people. In March 1997 that debt totaled $1.2 trillion, which represented a 7 percent increase over the previous year.

In December of 1997, 55 to 60 million households in the United States carried credit card balances. These balances averaged more than $7,000 and cost $1,000 per year in interest and fees. Consumer debt as a percentage of disposable income rose from 16.3 percent in 1993 to 19.3 percent in 1996.

Everyone knows that every dollar borrowed carries with it the penalty of paying interest. When money cannot be repaid, then bankruptcy follows. There were 1,350,118 bankruptcies in the United States last year. This represented a 50 percent increase from 1992. In the second quarter of this year, nearly 362,000 persons filed for bankruptcy, a record number for a three-month period.

We are beguiled by seductive advertising. Television carries the enticing invitation to borrow up to 125 percent of the value of one’s home. But no mention is made of interest.

President J. Reuben Clark Jr., in the April 1938 general conference, said from this pulpit: “Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1938, 103).

I recognize that it may be necessary to borrow to get a home, of course. But let us buy a home that we can afford and thus ease the payments which will constantly hang over our heads without mercy or respite for as long as 30 years.

No one knows when emergencies will strike. I am somewhat familiar with the case of a man who was highly successful in his profession. He lived in comfort. He built a large home. Then one day he was suddenly involved in a serious accident. Instantly, without warning, he almost lost his life. He was left a cripple. Destroyed was his earning power. He faced huge medical bills. He had other payments to make. He was helpless before his creditors. One moment he was rich, the next he was broke.

Then ending this talk ... he made the comment (something to the fact) - I would have to assume.. that those individuals who followed this counsel 10 years ago... are better off now, than the many across the country who are suffering. WOW - DEEP THOUGHT!!!

What were we doing 10 years ago? This was HUGE, we were still at college!! How many of us looked ahead 10 years & dreamed about what we would be doing, or hoping that if we followed the prophet we would be blessed? Let alone, if what we had one moment wouldn't be taken from us in the blink of an eye? That is where we live on FAITH!!! I know our Faith has been strengthened as we have learned many lessons by following the prophet's counsel!! Straight out of college we worked so hard to get to the point where we could say besides our home... we had no Debt!! What a wonderful & liberating feeling that was!!! (Yeah now we have a vehicle payment added on... but working hard once again!) I remember all to well the stress & burden of carrying Credit card balances each month as we struggled in college & the un-settledness (if that is even a word) we felt living on borrowed money... I wish & hope to never do that again!! (If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear!) ... Once again I could list many blessings & the happiness we have had because of this commandment... but probably 150 pages later!! I will end this note with: I am thankful for a Latter day Prophet!!

Last but not least: President Eyring spoke to us & the part that struck me the most is about his Prodigal friend. This to me, is one of my biggest heartaches in life. Trying to understand & allow others to use their Agency to choose. I know that for some it comes easy to choose the right, or to follow our Heavenly Father... as I read a friends blog this week about a heartbreak in her life as she had learned of a friend who was making a TERRIBLE choice, which will affect her for the eternities... my friend had turned to the Lord for help & she listed great insight to me about Agency. She also had great insight on trials... to get to my point... she pointed out to me, that as it might come easy for some to choose the right path... It might be a person's trail/test in their life to ... (Insert my own thought) learn to use their agency in the way Heavenly Father wants them to use it... not the way "THEY" choose to use it.

Just as some might struggle with Tobacco, or pornography... it might be a total trial for someone to choose the way of our Heavenly Father... but he will help them (if they turn to him & want his help) He will help to refine them (I know we cringe when we hear the word refine... especially if we have been being refined ourselves lately!) & teach them what is needed of them - if they will have faith & like I got the impression from President Eyring... it takes time, it takes desire, but one foot in front of the other it can happen (So with all trials isn't it the same?)

So another deep thought & moments of pondering ahead... I will continue to work on my own mind & challenge of letting the Lord do his work in his time frame... & reminding mys elf that there is a plan & that it is his plan - not mine!!

In ending my thoughts of Conference.. I do want to record my testimony & let my family know that I KNOW this is the true Church. I KNOW that I have a Living, loving Heavenly Father who loves ME. I KNOW that Families CAN BE together forever... as I have had that engraven on my heart as we lost Dave's father. I KNOW that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers & will answer them in due time for OUR benefit! I KNOW that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet & as we listen to him & act upon his counsel our lives will be blessed. I KNOW the book of Mormon is true. It is filled of examples for us - so that we may learn & know of the path to follow that will bring us the most happiness! I KNOW that as we follow the commandments & draw closer to our Heavenly Father & Savior that can be truely happy! I am GRATEFUL for the peace & comfort the gospel brings into my life! I am GRATEFUL for the guidance & knowledge the gospel gives me to use as I go about being a mom, wife, friend, & it helps me everyday in the things I do! I am GRATEFUL for my family, Dave & my kids, but also for My parents, Dave's parents, my brothers & sisters, & Dave's brothers & sisters. Without them our lives wouldn't be as they are today, nor would we have much to long for in the next life without them. I am Grateful for my parents especially as I ponder my life the older I get... I wouldn't be who I am today without them in my life - they have taught me many great lessons (even though at times i didn't see them as learning times). I Love my Heavenly Father, I love my Savior, I love this Gospel with all my heart! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ - Amen

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Here is an awesome recipe I snagged from a friends blog we met during our College/Laramie days!! Thanks Carene for sharing!! We loved it!! It was so easy & simple... I added a few things I did for our dinner.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa

1 pkg. low sodium taco seasoning

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup sour cream

(Cooked rice made before you eat)

Place chicken in crock pot. Cover with taco seasoning, salsa, and cream of mushroom soup. Let cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Remove chicken & cut it into small pieces/shred it and stir back in with the sour cream. When serving, place chicken w/sauce over a bed of rice then sprinkle with shredded cheese. It is also so good with just a little bit of cilantro sprinkled on top. IT WAS SO YUMMY!

(Just to know if you make lots so you have left overs - the rice will absorb the fluid/flavor, but warm it up & top with cheese just as yummy as night before!)

Now here is a cool idea a friend sent me this week - haven't tried it yet... but will soon!:

ZIPLOC OMELET

(This works great !!! Good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet !!!)

Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.

Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.

Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.

Nice to serve with fresh fruit; everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece.

Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready.

And in 13 minutes, you've got a nice omelets for a quick breakfast!!!

Here is an interesting & wonderful article posted at the LDS Church Newsroom website: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/catholic-bishop-decries-religious-bigotry-against-mormons

To get off to a great week - here are some funny You Tube clips, check them out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f86qKQJg3Z8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2ZE9CjB_R8&feature=related