Time flies

Keeping It Simple

Feel the peace

Bittersweet Coming Home

"...there will be more tears shed when they leave the mission field

to return home 
than they shed when they left home to go into the field"  

~Gordon B. Hinckley

Elder Joshua Arters
Gudalajara Mexico Mission
April 17, 2013 - March 30, 2015 7:08 PM

Vermont Apple Slab Pie

Ingredients

• 2 refrigerated uncooked pie crusts
• 4 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 4-5 apples)
• 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes (regular or sweetened)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with nonstick foil, using 2 pieces so you have some overlap hanging over all sides.
3. Cut the piecrust dough into rough 9x9 inch squares. Place the first square in the baking dish, pressing the edges a little ways up the sides.
4. Scatter the cereal over the dough, and then put the apples in a layer on top of the dough.
5. Stir the cinnamon into the sugar and then pour the cinnamon sugar evenly over the apples.
6. Top with the second crust and press the edges down towards the bottom crust. They don't have to be sealed. Cut a few steam slices in the top crust and bake until golden, 50-60 minutes.
7. Cool in the pan for about ten minutes and then carefully remove from the pan, using the foil edges as handles. Cool on a rack in the foil until completely cool. The waiting is the hardest part!
8. When the pie is cool, make the glaze by mixing the maple syrup into the powdered sugar. If it is too thick add a little more syrup.
9. Carefully transfer the pie from the foil to a serving plate (I use two big spatulas for this) and then drizzle the glaze over the top. Use it all!
10. Cut into slabs and serve.

Made perfectly for our purpose

"Hope keeps us 'anxiously engaged' in good causes 

even when these appear to be losing causes."

 Neal A. Maxwel

If you would find happiness and joy, 

lose your life in some noble cause. 

A worthy purpose must be at the center of every worthy life. 

Jack H. Goaslind

God loves you as He loves each and every one of His children, and His desire and purpose and glory is to have you return to Him pure and undefiled, having proven yourselves worthy of an eternity of joy in His presence. 

Ezra Taft Benson

Remember that regardless of your past, your future is bright and can even be better than you have ever thought possible! "Beyond the limits of our present perspective, there will still be endless unfolding plans and [worthy] purposes and joyful pursuits. There will never be a time when we shall not have a future to look forward to." 

Richard L. Evans

"It is a truism that no law is any better than the people who administer it. Howsoever well framed a law may be or however worthy its purpose, it can degenerate into utter futility unless wisely administered by those sympathetic with its purposes"

"We learn to endure to the end by learning to finish our current responsibilities, and we simply continue doing it all of our lives. We cannot expect to learn endurance in our later years if we have developed the habit of quitting when things get difficult now."

Robert D. Hales

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

God made you on purpose and for a purpose.

Get thee behind me, Satan

You're smart. You're even exceptional. 

You are the finest generation this earth has ever seen. 

But that prophetic endorsement notwithstanding, you're not that smart. You are not resilient enough to tangle with the adversary. You can never match his cunning or his talent for deception and diversion. He will outsmart, outmaneuver, and outlast you every time you willingly consent to a duel. Lucifer is like the ultimate carnival barker: "Step right up. Come on in. Don't miss the greatest show on earth." But as soon as he has you inside his tent, he will leave you to twist in agony and isolation and darkness.

Gordon B. Hinckley

Very simply, our physical and spiritual safety lies in never even getting close to the line that separates light from dark, good from evil. Jesus Christ showed us how to deal with the adversary. When Satan tempted Him, there was no clever repartee, no battle of wills, just immediate dismissal "Get thee behind me, Satan. . . . Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God"  If the omniscient Jehovah wasn't willing to debate the adversary, how quickly ought we to run for our lives our eternal lives when confronted with even the slightest hint of evil.

Sheri Dew

"Satan would rather that you define yourself by your sins instead of your divine potential. 

Don't listen to Him." 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The supreme example

 ......as we keep the commandments and our covenants with exactness that the Lord strengthens us. The supreme example is the Savior Himself. In Gethsemane, after He renewed His covenant, saying, "Not my will, but thine, be done," "there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him"  so that He could endure what lay ahead. On the cross when He uttered the words "It is finished, thy will is done"  He became the greatest example in time or eternity of keeping covenants. There would have been no Atonement had the Lord not kept His covenant precisely as He promised. It is the same with us. As we recommit ourselves, the Lord strengthens us to withstand any temptation.

Sheri Dew

Nourish it

Chocolate Crunch Mud Pie

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 cup crisped rice cereal

Filling:

• 3oz cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 8oz frozen whipped topping thawed

Topping (optional)

• 1/2 cup heavy whipped cream

Direction:

Generously mist a 9 inch pie dish with non stick cooking spray set aside. Combine butter and chocolate chips in a large microwave bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 min, stirring every 20 seconds intervals until melted. Add rice cereal and stir to coat evenly with chocolate mixture, Press mixture into prepared pie dish. freeze until firm.In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat next five ingredients until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. spoon mixture into prepared crust. Freeze until firm. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or a dusting of cocoa powder.

Your tears speak volumes

Life is precious

Never forget

"To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment."

   Thomas S. Monson

"Never forget . . . that you really are

 a child of God who has inherited

 something of His divine nature." 

Gordon B. Hinckley

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." Lady Bird Johnson

"Love is the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is not found only at the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arched across the sky on a stormy day...it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. It is also the most enduring and most power virtue". 

Gordon B Hinckley

Skillet Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1½ cups milk

1½ - 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Heat a 9 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and reduce heat to low. Once the butter melts, add in the

flour and whisk for 30 seconds. Add in the garlic, thyme, a pinch of salt and pepper, and whisk in the milk until

smooth. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the milk mixture into a separate bowl.

3. Arrange the sliced potatoes in the skillet in an overlapping spiral pattern. Season each layer with a bit of salt and

pepper, and sprinkle cheese between every layer of the potatoes.

4. Pour the milk mixture back over the potatoes and then cover the top layer of potatoes with the remaining

cheese.

5. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for 5-10 minutes until top is golden.

6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then serve!

Listen to your heart

What faith can do

 "Let the Lord decide the details of what He chooses to reveal and when He chooses to reveal it. Although we cannot see what will happen tomorrow, God can see everything in our future. "When the Lord's timing conflicts with our own desires, trust that there might be some preparatory experiences the Lord needs us to have before our prayers are answered."

Linda K. Burton

To build your faith. . . to become more like Him.

When God Makes You Wait 

by Anna Bachinsky

Jesus could have come and healed Lazarus when he was still alive. 

Instead, He waited to raise him from the dead when he was already in his grave.

God could have made David become king the day after he was anointed.

Instead, He waited 15 years to rise to the throne, many of those years spent fearing for his life, hiding out and running away from his own father-in-law.

God could have spoken to Moses in the desert about sending him to help free His people from slavery 40 days after he ran away from Egypt.

Instead, He made him wait for 40 long years.

God could have gotten Joseph out of prison one year after he was sentenced there.

Instead, he was stuck in that dungeon for 10 years before he was finally set free.

God could have given Abraham the son He promised him when he was still a young man.

Instead, He waited until he was 100 years old and because of physical reasons would have a more 

difficult time conceiving at that age.

God could have answered prayers and met the needs of these men of God much quicker, but He didn't.

He made them wait instead.

And He often makes us do the same.

He makes us wait for healing to come after we've been praying for years and there is no sign of recovery.

He makes us wait to fulfill His call in our lives after He puts the desire and passion in our hearts to serve Him in a certain way.

He makes us wait to give us the desires of our hearts, whether it's a baby, a spouse, or a new job.

He makes us wait for direction when we are stuck at a dead end and we don't know where to go or what to do.

He could answer that same prayer that you've been praying for years every night in a millisecond.

That same prayer that has been bringing you to tears.

That same prayer that the longer that it goes unanswered, the more it makes you question whether He even hears.

He kept Moses in a desert for 40 years.

Joseph in a prison cell for 10 years.

Abraham without a child for 100 years.

David on the run for 15 years.

And maybe He is keeping you right where you're at for the same reason He kept these men for so many years: to build your faith.

To build your faith in a dungeon cell, during the valley in your life where it's too dark to see and too hard to believe.

To build your dependence on Him when you are barren and empty to see if He is truly all you desire and all you need.

To see how well you will trust and serve Him when you are still stuck in the background somewhere, doing seemingly nothing too significant for Him.

To build your trust in Him when the storm keeps raging, the battle keeps going and breakthrough and victory doesn't seem near.

See… sometimes the waiting period of our lives is the most important time in our life.

It is during this period when nothing seems to be happening, when prayers seem to go unanswered, when God seems so far away that the most spiritual growth takes place in our lives. That we learn to become more like Him.

It is during this time that we build spiritual "muscle".

That we grow in faith.

That we learn to only depend on Him.

What are you waiting for today?

What longing do you have that seems so far from ever being fulfilled?

What prayer do you keep on praying that seems to never reach God's ears?

I want to remind you that God is not deaf to your prayers.

He is not blind to your constant tears, to your desires, and to your needs.

IF He is making you wait, there is a very good reason for it.

If He is telling you "no" today, maybe it's because He has a better "yes" waiting for you tomorrow.

If He is keeping you in the same place you've always been today, maybe it's because He's helping build your faith before you enter your Promised Land tomorrow.

Wherever you are at today know that God is right beside you and that there is a purpose for you. Even if that purpose is to wait.

Don't give up just because you don't see anything happening today.

Maybe there is nothing physically happening that your eyes can see but there is definitely something happening in the spiritual realm as you learn to rely on Christ.

Don't allow your waiting period to make you hopeless about what tomorrow will bring.

Instead, let it build your faith and give you even greater hope for what God has prepared for you.

He made some of the greatest men of faith wait.

Don't be discouraged if He makes you wait as well.

He will come through for you, just like He came through for them.

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."  Psalm 27:14

Answer with Faith

It's okay to cry, the sky does it too.

Some things you can only learn in the storm.

When fear knocks on the door, answer with Faith!

Hydrangea Cupcakes

~ Directions ~

Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes

(makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 cup boiling water

Directions-

Line muffin tin with paper liners.  Heat oven to 350*F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed for one minute.

Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don't worry, this is right).

Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. 

Bake cupcakes for approximately 18-22 minutes.

Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup  unsalted butter
8 oz. cream cheese (directly from fridge)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1 to 4 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream or milk

Directions:
*Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined and smooth, about 30 seconds.
*Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
*Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don't add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
*Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

  Then I colored half of the frosting blue, and half purple (mixing a few shades of blues and purples to get a good color match to the real hydrangeas).  When making the frosting, use very little cream (less than 1 tablespoon), because the coloring will add some liquid, and you need the frosting to be pretty stiff to hold a nice shape.

If you'd like to match other hydrangeas, you could certainly use other color options, like light blue and medium blue, or two shades of pink.  But I do think that frosting these with two colors (instead of just one) really added to the effect.

I filled my piping bag with the two colors of frosting, side by side.  Once your bag is filled (1/2 to 2/3 full), you may want to just squeeze some frosting into a bowl, until you see both colors coming out.

Then, using a Wilton 2D tip (a large closed star tip), I piped large, loose star shapes around the edge of the cupcake, and then filled in the center.  If the frosting starts getting too soft (no longer holds a nice shape), then put the whole bag of frosting in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to let the frosting to firm up a bit.

Spring

Here comes the green

Here comes the Sun!

So let it be written...! :D

Hope is never lost

"Hope is an anchor to the soul…Hope is a steadying influence. To say it is an anchor is to say it can keep us from drifting aimlessly or getting caught in whirlpools or running into sandbars. Hope, the anchor, is essential in this world so full of tidal waves. Sometimes those waves slap us from behind, sometimes we see them coming but cannot stop them or get out of the way. 

In all cases hope ties us to safety. The waves come and go in their fury or playfulness, 

but hope is always there if we will but use this sure anchor." 

Elaine L. Jack

"We must be careful, as we seek to become more and more Christlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible... We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men... The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him." 

Ezra Taft Benson

Because of Him, guilt becomes peace. Because of Him, we have second chances. 

"Believe in miracles. ... Hope is never lost." 

Jeffrey R. Holland

Braided Cherry Cheese Danish

DANISH INGREDIENTS

• 1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations - Seamless Dough Sheet (you can also use a tube of regular crescent rolls, but you will need to pinch the seams together. The seamless dough sheet is much easier to work with and most grocery stores sell it.
• 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup cherry pie filling (you can also use any preserves or jelly of your choice, or omit this altogether for a delicious plain cheese danish)

GLAZE INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
3. With your mixer, beat together an 8 ounce package of cream cheese with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 tablespoons vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
4. Unroll a seamless dough sheet onto the baking sheet.
5. On each long side of the dough, make 2 inch long cuts about 1 inch apart using a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or kitchen scissors. 
6. Spread the cheese filling down the middle of the dough.
7. If adding fruit, spread about 1/2 cup (or more if you wish) of cherry pie filling on top of the cheese layer. 
8. Starting at one end, fold the strips over the filling on an angle alternating from one side to the other. This will give it the braided look.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the danish is golden brown.
10. While the danish is baking, make the icing. In a medium sized bowl whisk together powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
11. Allow the danish to cool for 10-15 minutes before drizzling the icing over the danish. I poured the icing in a ziplock bag, snipped the tip, and piped the icing over the danish. Alternatively, you could dip a fork in the icing and drizzle it over the danish.

You have value beyond measure

Be careful how you are talking to yourself because

you are listening.

If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone, you have already 

forgotten your value.

Words

When someone is going through a storm, 

your silent presence is more powerful than a million, empty words.

Don't mix bad words with your bad mood. You will have many opportunities to change a mood, but you will never get the opportunity to replace the words you spoke.

We live in an ocean of words, swirling about us from computer screens, book pages,  television programs, and whisperings of those we love.  Language is everywhere.  Sometimes it may seem we're being bombarded by messages, overwhelmed by information.

From this barrage of words, we seek for those that matter most.  An encouraging word from a co-worker might be exactly what we need to pull us through a tough day.  A heartfelt "thank you" from someone in need can give us a feeling of usefulness at a time when we may be questioning our worth in this world.

Likewise, we can give those needed words to others by choosing words that uplift, show gratitude, and bring joy.  Especially among our family members, we can offer words of kindness, words that build—instead of utilitarian words that simply get a job done.  Our words can show praise and appreciation for someone's efforts, or for their value as a person.

How wonderful to recall a moment of approval from someone we admire!  Also wonderful, is to give genuine admiration to another—a compliment the other person keeps and cherishes all his life.

Such expressions stand out from the sea of other phrases we hear all day.  They can warm our spirits, dispel self-doubts, and ignite enthusiasm to continue top performance.  Kind words are bright and beautiful and enlarge the soul.

Lloyd D. Newell

Look forward to it!

The value of mistakes

Mounds Bars

Denise Myers Weaver

Mounds Bars with just 3 ingredients
Melted milk chocolate or dark chocolate 
3 cups coconut flakes
1 cup condensed milk
Mix the shredded coconut with condensed milk,mold into oblong shape, add them to freezer for 20 minutes and then dip them in melted chocolate.
Stick Almonds in them and have Almond Joys Be creative!!!!

Take the Leap

That's the key

Don't give up.
Normally it is the last

 key on the ring which opens the

 door. 

“when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

We've all heard the saying that "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." And the truth is, sometimes the best way to get through a trial is simply to keep going. Choosing not to become emotionally or spiritually stuck actually helps us summon the strength we need to move forward with life.

No one knows this better than pioneers who blaze new trails. Whether making their way across fields of discovery, over rocky ridges of prejudice, or through mountains of misunderstanding, pioneers make better trails for those who follow by forging ahead, even when the way seems impossible. Today we recognize such pioneers who have made our world a better place.

More than 150 years ago, a band of brave pioneers walked more than 1,000 miles to find a place of peace in the Rocky Mountains. Faith was the fuel that drove the covered wagons and the handcarts across a barren landscape. Remarkable are the stories of their courage and unflagging determination as they toiled across the seemingly endless western prairie. 

Agnes Caldwell, only nine years of age at the time, never forgot how it felt to walk so far. Later in life she recounted: "I can yet close my eyes and see everything in panoramic precision before me—the ceaseless walking, walking, ever to remain in my memory." The strength she gained at a young age from enduring to the trail's end served her well for the rest of her long life.

When life gives us our own trails to blaze, when the going gets tough, we can draw strength from those pioneers and so many others who chose to keep going. Chances are that we'll find we are stronger than we may think, and we'll keep going too.

Lloyd D. Newell