Author: Julie

Raspberry Cheese Dip

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When I first saw this dish and asked what was in it, I was expecting…well…gross.  It just sounded nasty to me.  And then I tasted it.  Heaven!   This recipe is one of the most-requested recipes among my own collection of favorites and I have gotten several people addicted to it!  My oldest son, who is pickier than anyone else I know, loves this dip.  It gets eaten up in no time whenever I make it.

Ingredients:
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup mayo
2 green onions, chopped
12 ounces raspberry preserves
Ritz crackers

1.  Combine cheese, mayo, and onions in mixing bowl.  Fold together until well blended and spread in a shallow dish (pie plate works well).
2.  Spread raspberry preserves across the top of the cheese mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with Ritz crackers.

Source:  fellow Maven (and sister!) Amy

The Gift of Choice

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In an effort to be more effective parent, I’ve been reading a book about discipline.  The premise is “Giving your Child the Gift of Inner Discipline.”  I’d love my children to become more resilient, responsible and to chose to do so of their own volition and not because they are afraid of a time out, etc.  My father-in-law raised 13 successful kids.  He didn’t force them to be obedient but taught them that their choices have consequences and let them experience those.  At times it may be hard to let children experience the heartache that comes from poor choices.   I hope I can help my children want to make good choices and experiences both the happy consequences that come from those as well as help them experience unpleasant consequences that come from poor choices.  I am really working on not shaming or blaming when they do something wrong but helping them learn from it.
What a great blessing to have agency and to live in a country where we can exercise our ability to make choices.  I love the above quote from For the Strength of Youth.  I do believe that “true freedom comes from using your agency to chose obedience.”  
Similarly, I think we can chose to have a good attitude even when life is hard and not ideal.  Being in control of my attitude and reaction to trials and other people is something I have not yet mastered.  Our attitude plays a big role in our ability to progress and meet our challenges.  A positive and cheerful attitude is a indeed a blessing.

In Alma 34:34, we read “for that same spirit which doth bpossess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.”
When my maternal Grandmother Olive was a young girl, she read this scripture and it had a profound effect on her.  She determined to be positive and happy tno matter what trials and challenges she experienced.  She had many challenges in her life.  When she died she weighed only 40 pounds having been crimpled from arthritis.  She had a fracture in almost every bone in her body.  She would sneeze and get a fracture.  However, she maintained a positive and cheerful attitude throughout her life despite her challenges.   She left such an impression on me.  She was always patient, positive and cheerful.  I never remember hearing her complain even though she was bedridden for the last 13 years of her life and never felt well.
My dear brother-in-law recently passed away after a very difficult battle with cancer.  He is also a great example of self-mastery.  At his funeral, I learned that he had a temper that he worked very hard to overcome.  I never would have guessed that as he was the most patient and even-tempered man I know.  As I struggle with my own temper and other shortcomings, both of their examples are a tremendous blessing to me.  I can chose to be better and not let my faults be the master of me.  And I can keep trying and repent even after I fail.
I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day as you remember and honor your loved ones who have passed away

Strawberry Muffins

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Two recipes herald the onset of strawberry season at our house:  strawberry freezer jam and strawberry muffins.  The muffin recipe came from a recipe pamphlet I got years ago at a local you-pick berry farm.  It’s been a family favorite ever since.

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cup flour
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 cups sweetened strawberries, sliced*
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nuts.  In another bowl, combine strawberries (with their juice), oil, and eggs.
2.  Stir strawberry mixture into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened; do NOT over mix because it will affect the texture of the muffins.
3.  Fill greased muffin pan or muffin liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-18 minutes or until done.  Makes about 2 dozen.  These freeze well.

*To sweeten strawberries:  Clean, hull, and slice into a bowl.  Sprinkle with sugar (a couple of tablespoons for the amount in this recipe) and gently stir.  Set aside.  The sugar will bring out the juices in the berries.

Happy Mother’s Day

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image made with Microsoft Office Clipart and Picmonkey

After a day with breakfast in bed, homemade paper flowers, a nap, NOT having to cook dinner and NOT having to clean up, I am going to bed with a smile on my face!!  

Hope your day was amazing, fellow moms!

“Where Shall I Work Today?”

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A Relief Society lesson at church was taken from the October 2012 General Conference talk “First Observe, Then Serve” by Sister Linda K. Burton.  During the lesson a story was related of a man who worried because he had not been asked to serve in “important” callings or positions in his ward congregation.  He felt somewhat diminished and fretted that at his age he ought to be having heavier leadership responsibilities and ought to be contributing more.  It reminded me of a poem by Meade McGuire that I ran across in college, so I thought I’d share it.  I think of this poem from time to time and it always reminds me that every contribution counts.

Father, where shall I work today?
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then He pointed out a tiny spot
And said, “Tend that for me.” 
I answered quickly, “Oh no, not that! 
Why, no one would ever see,
No matter how well my work was done;
Not that little place for me.”
And the word He spoke, it was not stern;
He answered me tenderly:
“Ah, little one, search that heart of thine.
Art thou working for them or for me?
Nazareth was a little place,
And so was Galilee.”
 
christ-teaching-the-people-39554-gallery
image source: lds.org
 
 
 

To Be The Best Parent

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Recently, I was having one of those spells where I thought I was doing a sub par job as a mother.  (I am just assuming that many other mothers have those feelings at one time or another.)  On one particular evening, as I went to my bedroom to retire for the night, I noticed some papers tied up with ribbon and a handwritten note on my pillow.  It was from my daughter. The following is an excerpt from that note:  “Hi Mommy!  I read this talk for Personal Progress…….and it made me think of you……….You are an amazing mother, whether you realize it or not.  You may not feel like it, but you’ve taught me a lot.  No one expects perfection from you.  You’re doing a great job. Thank you so much for being spectacular you.  I love you!”

The talk she was referring to is by Elder Holland entitled,
“Because She Is A Mother”.  In this talk, one mother wrote, “I am deeply moved that God finds His ultimate purpose and meaning in being a parent, even if some of His children make Him weep.  It is this realization that I try to recall on those inevitably difficult days when all of this can be a bit overwhelming.  Maybe it is precisely our inability and anxiousness that urge us to reach out to Him and enhance His ability to reach back to us.     Maybe He secretly hopes we WILL be anxious and WILL plead for His help.  Then, I believe, He can teach these children directly, through us, but with no resistance offered.  I like that idea.  It gives me hope.  If I can be right before my Father in Heaven, perhaps His guidance to our children can be unimpeded.  Maybe then it can be His work and His glory in a very literal sense.”

Elder Holland says in this talk the same thing my daughter was trying to tell me, “In the name of the Lord, you are magnificent.  You are doing terrifically well.  The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you.  He knows that your giving birth to a child does not immediately propel you into the circle of the omniscient.  If you and your husband will strive to love God and live the gospel yourselves; if you will plead for that guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit promised to the faithful; if you will go to the temple to both make and claim the promises of the most sacred covenants a woman or man can make in this world; if you will show others, including your children, the same caring, compassionate, forgiving heart you want heaven to show you; if you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that God expects you to do.”

I feel to wish you all an early “Happy Mother’s Day”.  You are doing better than you think you are!

For Peace at Home

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A photo of my children several years ago. 


I had 5 children in 7 1/2 years. When my 5th child was born, my children’s ages were 7 1/2, 6 1/2, 4, 2 and newborn. Yep, I even did that on purpose!  Life was definitely crazy, but OH SO MUCH FUN! But I’m not sure I would have called it PEACEFUL! 
At General Conference this past weekend, Elder Richard G. Scott gave a wonderful talk titled “For Peace at Home”. I really loved it, and it has made me think back on those years when my children were young and being a mother was exhausting. But I look back at that time in our family and have such happy memories. Those were very good times, and even though our home may not have been quiet and peaceful (because we are a loud and crazy family), it was a time of wonderful peace and happiness in our lives. 
Then my children grew up to all be teenagers at once, and we still actually had a happy home with good, respectful children who loved us and they really loved each other too. (Of course, we had your typical teenage moments, but overall, they were really good kids.)
So I have been thinking about what made the difference. And I am convinced it was the little things we did on a daily basis, not the big grand events that have made the difference. 
One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 37:6. “By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.”
It was the seemingly small things like having family prayer together every morning and night. It was reading the scriptures together every morning, even if one or two kids were wiggly or falling asleep. It was supporting each other in church assignments. It was having family dinner together as much as possible. It was having a fun Family Home Evening each Monday night where we had a short gospel lesson, did crazy “special numbers”, played hilarious games, and had yummy treats together. Those are some of the things that I know have helped make a happy family. 
But you need to know that “special numbers” may have consisted of a spitting contest, or burping a song, but sometimes was something more dignified like playing a piano piece, or reciting a memorized scripture. I rarely had lessons truly prepared in advance. Many times we read articles out of the Friend or New Era, discussed a needed topic, or read a section out of For the Strength of Youth. Games could be anything from Duck Duck Goose, Hide and Seek in the Dark, Buckle Buckle Beanstalk, or having a rubber band war shooting army men off a Lincoln Log fort. And many times treats were whatever we could scrounge up from the pantry because we did not have time to make something really good. Those crazy made up treats were some of our favorite and most memorable.
Nope, everything was definitely not always perfect, cause that’s not real life. But it was consistently doing these things that bound our family together in love and unity, that still exists today. Just a little note – I used to keep a Family Home Evening journal where I wrote down each week what we did. One entry said how fussy and whiny the kids were being, so I put them all to bed early and enjoyed a truly peaceful evening. Yes, life happens, but the happiness comes as you keep trying.
Here is a little excerpt from Elder Scott’s talk: 
Many voices from the world in which we live tell us we should live at a frantic pace. There is always more to do and more to accomplish. Yet deep inside each of us is a need to have a place of refuge where peace and serenity prevail, a place where we can reset, regroup, and re-energize to prepare for future pressures.
The ideal place for that peace is within the walls of our own homes, where we have done all we can to make the Lord Jesus Christ the centerpiece…Regardless of your circumstances, you can center your home and your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the source of true peace in this life.
I’m sure you can identify the fundamental principles that center your home on the Savior. The prophetic counsel to have daily personal and family prayer, daily personal and family scripture study, and weekly family home evening are the essential, weight-bearing beams in the construction of a Christ-centered home. Without these regular practices it will be difficult to find the desired and much-needed peace and refuge from the world.
As you center your home on the Savior, it will naturally become a refuge not only to your own family but also to friends who live in more difficult circumstances. They will be drawn to the serenity they feel there. Welcome such friends into your home. They will blossom in that Christ-centered environment. Become friends with your children’s friends. Be a worthy example to them.
One of the greatest blessings we can offer to the world is the power of a Christ-centered home where the gospel is taught, covenants are kept, and love abounds.

Mango-Strawberry Masque

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This clarifying, hydrating masque unclogs pores and helps reduce acne.   Of course, you are certainly welcome to use it as a super healthy snack .                                                                                                                                                                                       Ingredients:

4 slices of mango (an antioxidant)
1/2 c. plain yogurt (an exfoliant)
4 strawberries (collagen boosters)

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients in a blender until you’ve got a paste.  Then massage onto skin.  Leave on for 10 minutes.

2.  Rinse off and shield your eyes from the glow you’ve unleashed!

 Source:  cosmoforlatinas.com

General Conference

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I think my 2 favorite weekends of the year happen the first week in October and the first week of April.  What a miraculous time we live in, that, in all corners of the earth we can hear a living prophet speak! I was so excited yesterday when they announced a new temple would be built in my home town of Cedar City Utah!!! But, I believe that the talk by Sister Elaine S. Dalton was what I needed to hear most.  Often times I find myself worrying more about what others think of me and forgetting that I am a daughter of God!  I know that the messages are inspired, and that we each will hear something that touches on something that we, individually, need.