Ah! Cascade!

Aside from the ever diligent Crystal, few, including myself have posted, or even commented for a while.  Time to resurrect the blog, and I will do so by highlighting one of our favorite places on Planet Earth, Cascade, Idaho, with photo credits to Becky, from whose blog I borrowed these exceptional masterpieces.  Becky has really developed this art.

This is a July sunset view of the lake from the cabin deck.

  Does it get any better than this?  I submit to you that it does not!

A few moments later that evening...

And, a closeup of from the golf course on the evening of July 4, awaiting the fireworks...

Kaboooom!

An even closer lake view.  Serenity...

disrupted by mayhem...

.....

.....

after which they took a little hike in the woods...

and spent some quality time with a GREAT Grandma.

--  THE END  -- 

My First Lesson... Indeed

So, today I gave my first lesson. If ever there were impediments to teaching this lesson, it was today.
Asher was in the ER last night for an unfortunate (and mysterious) backward fall down the stairs and into the pointy edge of a table- thankfully, the Dr gave me a choice, and I felt I should say "no" to the staples and as luck (or intuition) would have it, it did not bleed at all by the time we got home and he slept like a baby- I however, did not, I kept playing and replaying, what I imagined the scene to be that led to the injury. Sigh, sigh, sigh.

Then, Bria asked me for a ride from the airport- Dulles- at 3, which meant I had to leave RIGHT after church

And this morning, there was a pretty back car accident involving a family from our ward. I can soberly say, we (as a ward) were terrified, as it seemed that the man- John, might die. He wrecked his brand new Jaguar and flipped it- he and his two boys had to be cut out of it- literally around the corner from church (shivers). All appears to be well, however.

Anyway. My lesson.

I brought amazing cupcakes and passed them out, and left one for myself.



















I then asked what the LAW of chastity was- super fun.

And posted the definition from the book.


Then asked why we need this law?

Then we talked about the influence of hormones, attraction, procreation, etc.

I then talked about the For the Strength of Youth address (by the way, Matt gave me this pamplet when we were dating and we read it together and committed to the principles, how funny is THAT?!)

“Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie on top of another person, or touch the private, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing. Do not allow anyone to do that with you. Do not arouse those emotions in your own body” (For the Strength of Youth [pamphlet, 2001], 27).

Then I talked about my life- I AM the product of broken laws of Chastity- so are all my brothers. I know that I was resented as a child- by my mother, and her parents for sure. That is a terrible "place" for a child to be born. It is not fair. All babies should be as wanted and cause for excitement from the beginning.

We then talked about what a "VIRTUOUS WOMAN" is and if we could pick one out of a crowd in the mall.

I cautioned people to not judge others' sexual status by clothing, movies, music, etc. I mentioned that while I was shocked to hear so many people watch things on TV that I find completely inappropriate, it would be more inappropriate for me to make judgments on if they are chaste because of it.

Then I talked about my view on little girls being sexualized. I do not believe it is even possible for a little girl to be sexy, so while, sure, there are some things that are inappropriate, sundresses, in my view are not and that we should not shame a girls' body when her body looks just like her brothers' you know? Anyway, I had (surprisingly) not a lot of disagreement there, but no answers as to when and why this started. So then I wrote down Law of Chastity- v- Culture and made mention that the Law of Chastity is very clear, cultural expectations and the like can be really hurtful if we are not even sure why "we" believe what we believe.

Then. We talked about the value of being chaste to ones' self. It brings immeasureable value and worth to ones' life. We are in control of our passions, our sexuality, our intent and our morals. I mentioned that of my students who drop out in college, most (90% or more) do so because of depression associated with a sexual relationship of some sort that they were not ready for.

Finally, I licked all the frosting off my cupcake and offered it to the group. I told them, that often times this is how chastity (virginity) for girls is viewed- no one wants it now that it is "gross" and "used up." We have to be careful to not have that be what we impart to our children for a couple reasons but 1) is that they will feel worthless and like it is not worth trying, if they have lost something they can never have back and 2) sooooo often people are abused in ways that takes away the frosting due to no fault of their own and I testify that feels just as desperately awful for that person.

I talked about repentance, clinging to forgiveness and accepting it- but making the absolutely necessary step of truly rectifying and admitting the wrong in the ways that we are instructed as per temple recommend interviews, etc., and then allowing the wrong to be forgiven and accepting that the atonement IS IN FACT enough to account for our misdeeds.

Finally, I talked about 1 Corinthians 10:13 (my favorite scripture!).

There hath no temptation ^ataken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be ^btempted above that ye are able; but will with the ^ctemptation also make a way to ^descape, that ye may be able to ^ebear it.

This is often misinterpreted as "God will not give us more than we can handle." that is NOT what this scripture is saying. It says, we all have (similar) struggles and there are ways to overcome temptations, figure out what works for you and use it.

I shared that when I dated after I joined the church, if I was in a situation that was passionate, I would visualize the face of Christ and purposefully think of Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and think "Do I really want to add to the pain of the sins of the world He felt that night?" EVERY time, the answer was no, and I put on the brakes... and ended many relationships, sadly, but necessarily.

Then Matt came along with his For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. :-D

Finally, I then told them all- "once I received my temple endowments, I definitely was well-behaved too- for the covenants are serious and my garments of the Holy Priesthood would have been a REALLY BIG SURPISE to whomever... they really served as a shield and protection to me." Lot's of laughs there.

I do have a testimony of Chastity. It brings about self-worth, control and a sense of such triumph when we are able to "give ourselves" in a way that is ordained and divinely GIVEN by God himself after marriage. It is such a blessing and satisfaction unlike any other.

Then I talked about this incredible book (that one lady had read) and LOVED and then I said sexual intimacy is a wonderful thing that should be valued, treasured and enjoyed (to lots of shocked laughter).

It was a good (albeit interesting) first lesson to teach adults.

Afterward, I had lots of kind comments (maybe I will hear unkind ones later) and 2 women actually thanked me on behalf of their little girls' sundresses . One lady had her daughter in a gorgeous sundress (I bought SEVEN of these and have given them to nieces and one friend) and no shirt underneath or sweater on top and said, "You are right, my 5 year old is NOT sexy." and SHE had just taught about Modesty in primary. I was giddy with delight. What a wonderful example of thinking and believing and standing for what YOU believe is ok. Of course, if someone covers the shoulders of their pre-pubescent daughter, that is fine too. Where I take pause is the reasoning behind it- and if it is truly an issue of immodesty and presented as such, I contend, it may cause right -v- wrong ideas that are not, necessarily healthy.

Regardless, we are a bunch of moms who love our children and want the best for them.

Happy Birthday Colin!

I know it is almost over, but happy birthday, anyway.  We love you and wish we could all be with you.  We hope your day was happy and that you felt loved.  xoxo mom

Closing forever

This is not symbolic of anything, just funny

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Milestone News

We are excited to add a new milestone for Norah. She rolled over today from her back to her stomach, just shy of 6 months. About 2 minutes afterward she got tired of it and started to cry. Either way, exciting news!

Making Fresh Bread

I have been meaning to post this, but time is pretty short for me this summer. I am planning to start making bread for my family every day this week based on a book by these guys:



I may actually but their book. I already have baking stones and plan to get the buckets with lids (my Pampered Chef covered glass measuring cup is too small), and a pizza paddle from amazon.

The Master Recipe: Whole Grain Artisan Loaf

Follow the instructions below to make enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe can easily be doubled or halved.

5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp (2 packets) granulated yeast
1 tbsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
4 cups lukewarm water (Note: You can add a teaspoon of dried herbs to the water for herb-flavored breads.)
Cornmeal or parchment paper
1 to 2 tbsp whole seed mixture for sprinkling on top of the crust: sesame, flaxseed, caraway, raw sunflower, poppy and/or anise (optional)

1. Measure the dry ingredients. Use dry-ingredient measuring cups (avoid 2 cup measures, which compress the flour) to gently scoop up flour, then sweep the top level with a knife or spatula. Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded (not airtight) plastic food container or food-grade bucket. Lidded (or even vented) plastic buckets designed for dough storage are readily available.

2. Mix with water — kneading is unnecessary. Heat the water to slightly warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit). Add to the dry ingredients and mix without kneading, using a spoon, food processor (with dough attachment), or heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You may need to get your hands wet to get the flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine. Don’t knead! It isn’t necessary.

You’re finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough that remains loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.

3. Allow to rise. Cover with a lid (not airtight) or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), which will take about 2 hours. Longer rising times — even overnight — will not change the result. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try our method, it’s best to refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least 3 hours) before shaping a loaf.

After it’s been refrigerated, the dough will seem to have shrunk back upon itself. It will never rise again in the bucket, which is normal for our dough. Whatever you do, do not punch down this dough! With our method, you’re trying to retain as much gas in the dough as possible, and punching it down knocks gas out and will make your loaves denser.

On Baking Day

4. Quickly shape a loaf. First, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal (or lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat) to prevent your loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. Dust the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife or kitchen shears. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter-turn as you go to form a ball. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it’s not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the ball may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out during resting and baking. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive.

5. Form a narrow, oval-shaped loaf and let it rest. Stretch the ball gently to elongate it, and taper the ends by rolling them between your palms and pinching them.

6. Allow the loaf to rest — covered loosely with plastic wrap — on the pizza peel for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

Alternatively, you can allow the loaf to rest on a silicone mat or greased cookie sheet. Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise during this period. More rising will occur during baking.

7. Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

8. Paint and slash. Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top of the loaf with a little water. Sprinkle with the seed and nut mixture. Slash the loaf with quarter-inch-deep parallel cuts across the top, using a serrated bread knife.

9. Baking with steam. After a 30-minute preheat, you’re ready to bake. With a quick forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone. If you used parchment paper instead of cornmeal, it will slide onto the stone with the loaf. If you used a silicone mat or cookie sheet, just place it on the stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is richly browned and firm to the touch (smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time).

If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a cookie sheet under the loaf, carefully remove it and bake the loaf directly on the stone or an oven rack when the loaf is about two-thirds of the way through baking.

When you remove the loaf from the oven, it may audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room-temperature air. Allow the bread to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Store the remaining dough in your container in the refrigerator and use it over the next couple of weeks. You’ll find that even one day’s storage im¬proves the flavor and texture of your bread. The dough ferments and takes on sourdough characteristics. When your bucket is empty, don’t wash it! Mix another batch in the same container. The aged dough stuck to the sides will give you a head start on sourdough flavor. To take it even further, incorporate up to 2 cups of your old dough.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Flash Mob

Ft. Lauderdale Groundbreaking

When I was in Florida I went to the groundbreaking.  It was at 10 a.m. at Leslie and Alex' building.  I had never been to a groundbreaking before, so I was especially excited to go.  I kind of felt sorry for the people at the actual site because it was so hot that morning.  Anyway, wanted to share a few factoids from the meeting.

Walter Gonzalez presided.  He also had a couple of young (I would guess 2 and 4) darling grandchildren there.  I won't list the speakers individually, just some of their thoughts.  There are 134 operating temples, 26 under construction.  This temple was announced in 2009.  Groundbreaking is a symbolic beginning for the temple.  The Orlando temple was dedicated in 1984.  There are 136,000 members in Florida.  420,000 in Arizona.  They believe the first member of the church to be baptized in Florida was in 1857.  Florida was officially dedicated for missionary work in 1895.  In 1930 Joseph Fielding Smith dedicated the first building in Florida, the Miami branch.  

We go to the temple for revelation.  We learn the laws of obedience and then obey them.    We honor our pioneer forefathers as we stay faithful.  We come to the temple because we love Him.  The sunshine state will be brighter because of the temple.  The temple is a reminder to focus our lives on the Savior.  Elder Gonzalez said we should be men and women of our word.  Then he referenced the scripture in 3 Nephi about let our communications be yea, yea and nay, nay.  We should do what we say.  As we keep covenants and help others we are working out our salvation.  Of course, many mentioned the eternal nature of families.  

We are all so blessed to have temples so close.  This site is right by the freeway.  It will be a light to the citizens of south Florida.  Leslie heard they are going to call it the South Florida temple. I thought I saw somewhere that it said Ft. Lauderdale temple, but I am not so sure now.  Anyway, it was a wonderful way to start the day.  

I was talking to a lady from Leslie's ward before it started.  She has lived in the area for 31 years.  She said before Orlando was built, they traveled to the Atlanta Temple.  It was a two day trip.  They were so elated to have the Orlando Temple built, because it is only about 3 1/2 hours away.  Now, she said, to think that it will be in our own backyard.  If you hang around long enough, great blessings come.  She is a temple officiator, and they get up at 3 to be at the temple.  I think that is about when my mom and dad used to get up when they worked in the  Idaho Falls Temple.   We are so blessed to have temples again on the earth.

I love all of you.

Mom

Welcome to the World Lola Esparza!

I can't belive I am posting a clip from Glenn Beck's Show

This is soooo, sooooo tender. I have been following the Neilsons since Stephanie and Christian had the accident. My friend, Lindsay told me about them and the blog that was being kept up by her sister. She actually knows them and served her mission at the same time/place Christian served his and went to their sealing ;-)

I have felt such love and inspiration from NieNie's blog often.

The first picture NieNie posted of herself after the accident was actually on a day we were all in Pocatello two Augusts ago. I will never forget looking at that blog post on my laptop that day. My heart aches for her, but then it gets filled right back up again with her spirit and goodness.