I was so much smarter when I was 20 than I am now.

When I was 20 years old, I was pregnant with my first child and I knew everything.

I knew that I would never give my child a bottle because breastfeeding was so much better.

I knew that my children would almost never watch TV, and the little bit that they did watch would all be educational.

I knew that video games would never be allowed in my house.  Ever.  Of any kind.

Eight years later, I have dumbed downed considerably.

All of my babies drank out of a bottle at one point or another.  My children watch much more TV than I ever imagined.  And there is currently an Xbox sitting above my TV right now.

But I have learned a few things:

*Video games do not necessarily rot a young boy's brain to the point that they become a menace to society.  But golf might.

*A heavy hand is not always the right answer.

*Being loving is always more important than being right.

*Vomit is always disgusting.  But, actually, I already knew that.

*Never giving up takes more love than you can possibly imagine.


You know, it kind of makes me wonder what I will know in ten more years.

Rachel Sue is a stay at home mom who loves to read, eat, craft, blog and snuggle with her 4 little kiddos as often as they will let her. Read more about her burdens and her blessings at Trapped Between a Scream and a Hug.


















Photo Credit: here.

Vegetable Oil spray for misting bunt pan
Four for dusting pan

1 Package (18.5oz) plain Devils Food or Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix
1 Package (3.9oz) chocolate instant pudding mix
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 Cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
4 large eggs

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Lightly mist a 12 Cup bunt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour.  Shake out the excess flour.  Set pan aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.  Stop the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2-3 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed.  The batter should look thick and well combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula.

Place the pan in the oven.  Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and is just starting to pull away from the sidesof the pan.  Usually 58-62 minutes.

Remove the pan from oven and cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.  Run a long, sharp knife aroudn the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack to cool completely-- usually 20 minutes more.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar all over the cake and lay cut up fruit around the sides of the cake and in center.  It is a very pretty and very yummy cake.

----

I hope this little boy has a good sense of humor.

The Rodeo-Chediski fire is the worst fire ever recorded, to ravage the State of Arizona.  The fire started on June 18th 2002 and was not controlled until July 7th of that same year.  It burned over 467,000 acres in Eastern and Central Arizona.

Initially, there were two fires.  One was started on the Fort Apache Indian reservation by a man that was hoping the fire would let the BIA hire him for work.  The other was started in Central AZ by a stranded motorist who had tried for two days to get cell phone reception and finally started a fire hoping that a TV news crew helicopter would see her and rescue her.

The fire was devastating to many of the people up here in my mountain home.  Many communities had to be evacuated.  Many people lost their homes and all their earthly possessions.  The severe winds blew the fires closer together and fueled the flames until the fires combined a couple of days later.  The fire cost over 50 million dollars to control and burned over 400 homes before it was finally contained.

Such a tremendous amount of damage because of two people who made very bad choices.  Their choices did not only affect them.  It affected all who live here, visit here, move here, and leave here.  And it will continue to affect them for years to come.

Today when I look at my home, I see this:







The lesson of my beautiful forest is that life goes on.  All the troubles and trials that burn our hearts, don't have the power to destroy our souls.  We always have the power to rise from the ashes of adversity and sorrow.  We always have the opportunity to overcome.   It may take time, sometimes a long time, but we can make it through even this.

In the New Testament, we read of the Saviors miracles.  We read the stories of the blind who were given the gift of sight, the lame man that was given the power to take up his bed and walk.  We read of the lepers who were healed and cleansed of their disease.  We even hear of the dead being raised.  Nothing was beyond His power to heal.

One of my favorite stories is of the woman who had suffered a disease of blood for many years.  She was considered unclean by those around her.  She saw doctors and tried all manner of things to heal herself. In desperation, she followed Jesus and reached out and touched the hem of His garment.  He asked who it was that touched Him and who was healed.  Her faith made her whole again.

Have you ever wished, as I have done, that you had the faith that woman had?  Have you ever felt the need to reach out and touch His garment?  Have you ever wished that He could heal the pains in your heart?  That He could cleanse your very soul?

Sometime, in each of our lives, we will know the crushing pain of sorrow and heartache that will threaten all sense of logic, or hope or certainty.  A pain from which, no matter what happens, nothing will ever be the same again.  Hurts that come to us as unique losses, unwelcome surprises, unfulfilled hopes, and overwhelming grief.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles warned:

“The world around you is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few of you, it may be nearly drowning you. …

“… You can change. You can be helped. You can be made whole—whatever the problem. All he asks is that you walk away from the darkness and come into the light, his light, with meekness and lowliness of heart. … Christ has ‘borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows,’ Isaiah declared, ‘and with his stripes we are healed’—if we want to be (Isa. 53:4-5).

We can partake of the healing offered through the Atonement of our Savior, who promised, “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee” (3 Nephi 18:32).

The Savior came not only to atone for our sins, but also to heal our hearts.  He can reach through our sorrows and find the new, living growth.  He is there for each one of us, no matter what hurt we have suffered and born. No matter what mistakes we have made.  He has paid the price for us.  He has felt the pains of sorrow and despair.  He has felt our anguish and our aching.  He has felt our loss and our grief.  He stands ready to support us as we struggle.  Like the new green trees in my forest, He will help us rise from the ashes of our greatest fires.

He only asks that we reach out into the smoke and darkness, take His hand, and walk with Him.





Patty Ann is a busy mother, grandmother, and wife. She lives her life in the woods she loves up on the top of a beautiful mountain. She loves music, photography and writing. Most of all she loves her Heavenly Father and enjoys writing about his influence in her life. You can find her on her blog at Pitterle Postings

Lately I have experienced a bout of depression.  Everyone has times when they feel that things just aren't going their way.  I had a falling out with a "friend." I have been really struggling with infertility.  I have also been trying to adjust to being a stay at home wife.  Geez, there is much more to it than I thought.  I was getting pretty down and depressed.

Then I remembered something amazing!  Service can ease the pain!  I had almost forgotten there for a second, it could have been tragic :o)

So, here is what I did; I got out there and researched and researched.  It looked for local opportunities to serve.  I looked for opportunities in far away places.  Then it happened, right when I thought I couldn't get any worse.  I was asked by a bilingual school in Honduras to come and teach English for the summer.  I swear it was straight from heaven!

I will be leaving this summer and I will spend six weeks in Honduras with the children.  I will travel alone (unless any of you want to come of course.) I have a house to stay in and food to eat and most of all I have a place to give of my time everyday.

There are many ways we can serve in our communities as well as abroad.  Just being a good neighbor is service.  Do what you can to help someone else and I promise you will find peace in doing so.  I know that Heavenly Father helped this opportunity fall into place for me.  He knew what I was feeling.  He knew my heart.  He knew just what to do.  What a blessing!

Remember next time you are feeling a bit down, Service!  Service!  Service!  It will do wonders for your soul.

Kelly is a stay at home wife, married to her husband, Will, for 6 years. She has struggled with infertility for 5 years and Kelly and Will are trying to adopt their first child. She spends much of her time online, blogging about infertility, adoption, and serving others at 'Giving What I Am,' her online journal, and also doing graphic design to raise money for her adoption at Modern Blitz Designs.








photo credit: google images

If you've ever taken an art class, ask yourself this next question.  Actually, even if you haven't taken an art class, try to answer as well.  Did you find it odd that in Art class, when there was a vase of flowers or an arrangement of fruit in a basket for you to draw, everyone's pictures looked completely different? I mean, everyone is looking at the same thing, right? So why the differences?

Here's my answer...it may be the same as yours, or not.  And that's okay.

Because individually, we all have our own point of view. It doesn't mean that one's “picture” is better than anothers. It just means that their focus is different. Not wrong. Not bad. Not horrible. Just different.

Growing up with five brothers and sisters, it came at no surprise to anyone that we all didn't agree all the time about anything and everything. And 9 times out of 10, we'd debate with each other till one of two things happened.

1.One of us would leave the disagreement and the room in a huff, seeing it pointless to continue.


2.We'd hash it out till it got so old that mutually, we'd finally give up on trying to persuade the other to come over to our “side of the fence”.

As you can imagine, there were some heated “discussions” in our household. And that was totally fine. Our parents had always taught us to have our own thoughts, opinions and ideas and to not be afraid to stand by them when necessary. Now there were times that one of us would have an opinion that was so obnoxious that clearly we knew what our parents thought of it. And a time or two they would share their thoughts...but most of the time they'd just listen. Listen and encourage us to develop a greater understanding of whatever it was we were so passionate about.

I loved that about my growing up years.

The difference between the perceptions expressed in my home and defending them from the perceptions expressed as an adult and defending them are like night and day at times for me.

While I knew that my siblings loved me no matter what...that certainty is well, very uncertain in the real world. And for a long time when someone would disagree with me and want to debate, I would emotionally leave. (See number 1 above for clarification.) And that was immature and unproductive.

So after years of working at it...this interpersonal communications thingy...I finally learned how to “share my opinions” without fear. And the key to it all was as simple as the existence of the disagreement itself.

Empathy.

Putting yourself in the others' shoes.

Appreciating their “perception”.

And yes, you may not see something eye to eye with someone...but again, that is okay. In fact, it is as it should be. We are all children of God, yes. But not just collectively...individually too.

So even though there are two sides to every story...we can never forget the symbolic “coin” itself. Differences help us grow. And it's in that process that I embrace heart and soul.




Katy is a musically inclined mother of three who loves life, her husband Dave, and cheesecake. Ahhhh....blessed cheesecake. Her fun filled roller coaster of thoughts can be found at www.ourdaisylife.blogspot.com Admission is always free.

One night I was taking my stoneware out of the oven to be used as my vehicle to consume chocolate chip cookies within the next 15 minutes. I love my stoneware. With each use, it becomes a deeper golden brown allowing me to always bake without my batter sticking. No need for non-stick sprays, parchment paper or extra butter. It does the non-stick magic itself.

The concept of stoneware is to become more seasoned with each time in the oven. Upon your first use, you are told to bake something extra fattening. Croissants are recommended because they create the most butter/oil on the pan while baking. Basically, the more you bake on it, the better the stoneware becomes. It is strong. It is durable. It does it's job to bake more evenly and eliminate a sticky mess. Exactly what I need in a pan.

As I spooned my cookie dough onto this deep and rich colored surface, I reflected on that fact.

The more heat it takes, the better it becomes.

I thought how I am exactly like that.

I thought how I have had some serious high heat in my life. Havn't we all? Tragedies, illness, life choices gone array. There have been lower temperatures of heat as well; becoming a wife and mother has seasoned me as each day passes. But remember.. I am strong and durable, too.

There was a time when I forgot that my stoneware remained inside when I put the oven on self-clean. I awoke in horror the next morning to see that my glorious golden pan had become chalky white once again. I had to start all over by baking those croissants. I had to re-season it with more baked goods over and over again. However, I despaired not because time, along with my children's desires to bake cookies weekly, is all it needed to return to it's former self and improve even more.





Carrie is a wife, mother, and photographer. She likes to consider herself a baker, but not a candlestick maker. You can find her mad skills at the Rowdy Stroudy's.

1) I hate cleaning.

2) Boys are the worst enemies of the bathroom.

3) Clean glass attracts fingers.

4) There is no such thing as 'done.'

5) Dishes and laundry don't clean themselves, no matter how much I wish they would.

6) My friends' houses are dirty too. They're just more adept at hiding it than I am.

7) Anyone who tells you they know the trick to a clean bathroom is trying to sell something.

8) People DO judge me by the condition of my car.

9) Messes are inevitable; acknowledging this truth allows me to be a better mother and woman.

10) I am a pro housekeeper.



Cannwin spends her time searching for her inner Shakespeare in the hopes that one day she will be able to dethrone the king and take her place as the greatest writer of all time. She currently resides in South Dakota with her husband and four children. You can explore more of her world at The Great and Random Ramblings of Cannwin and The Literary Soundtrack.

School is just around the corner, which means that it's time to stock up on school supplies! Luckily, if you live in Utah, you can get some of those supplies, FOR FREE!


(Yay! Now you have something to do this weekend!)

How it works: Your child will receive a FREE backpack at the entrance along with their “map” for the scavenger hunt. The map will lead them throughout the college, where they will receive school supplies to put in their backpack (paper, pencils, colored pencils, erasers, rulers…) and they will have a hands on opportunity to learn about different careers like dental assisting, massage therapy, graphic design, etc…

Your kids will love it, and you'll love getting your school supplies FOR FREE!

All you have to do is call this number to pre-register: 1-866-29-EAGLE (please be sure to call! They want to have enough school supplies for every child that comes to the hunt!) and they ask that you accompany your child in their search for supplies!


*Eagle Gate and Provo College Campuses can be found in Provo, American Fork, Layton, Salt Lake City, and Murray, Utah. Call 1-866-29-EAGLE today to pre-register your child for the Back-To-School Scavenger Hunt today! 

We're participating in God's Greatest Plan--
the Eternal Family.
And whatever else we may deal with
as we learn and grow
in the lab of our family walls,
nothing
nothing
nothing
is more important
than the relationships we build
with one another.
So yeah, we'll deal with
the normal challenges of a growing family
head on,
and somedays there is
weeping
and
wailing
and
gnashing of teeth,
doors taken off of hinges,
time-outs
groundings
and grumblings.
But there are also
apologies offered,
hugs given,
prayers heavenward,
forgiveness offered,
hearts mended.
Because I believe this to be true:
Families Can Be Together Forever.




The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe has nothing on this Momza of seven yahoos--ranging in ages 26-8 and a new grandson too. Dawn is a Home Stager, Midwife Assistant/Doula, Lover of pies and  Feeder of Missionaries.
She's livin' the dream in the Colorado Rockies and blogs it all at Momza's House.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O. McNees

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







Book source: Personal copy




Daisy Mom (Melissa Mc) is a mother of 3; wife of 1; daughter, sister, friend, aunt; lover of football, politics, food, travel, walking, theatre and all things literary.

I have known this Kyle Copeland since he was a boy.  He lives in my parents' ward, and it has been a pleasure to become reacquainted with him as he's become an adult.  He is now married, and he and his wife recently welcomed a baby into their family.

When I heard his story, I asked him to write down his thoughts and send them to me for possible publication on Mormon Mommy Blogs.  His e-mail has been in my inbox for several months.

In light of the recent discussion on what it means when a young man chooses not to serve a mission, I thought I would share his message with all of you.  I also have messages from mothers whose sons chose not to serve, which I hope to share with you soon.

These things require our prayerful and careful consideration.  The worth of every soul is great in our Father's sight.

Sincerely,
DeNae

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I made a decision approximately two years ago to not serve a mission. It has been hard to admit that I made a mistake, but from the knowledge I have gained since then, I wish I had served.

However, to those of you who have made a similar decision, I encourage you to stay strong. Satan will continue to use the fact that you did not serve a mission to bring you down and suppress your potential. Do not let him win! He wants nothing more than for you to feel isolated and eventually fade away from the Church of Christ.

Sometimes it may seem extremely hard to move forward within the Church, but expand an unflinching testimony of Christ and the cloud will lift. If you grasp the truth and stay faithful, you will gradually find your place within the Church and become a good husband, father, and leader to your family.

This Church is a gem to the world, I love it and cleave to what I have learned from it. I wish that the whole world would see the beauty and virtue that the teachings of the Church have produced. It does not necessarily take a two year mission to produce a virtuous and great man.  What produces such a man is commitment to the laws and conviction of the principles that God has set forth for the inhabitants of this earth. Seek after them, learn them, and apply them in every aspect of your life and you will find the rare treasure of true happiness.

It may feel awkward and downright difficult to openly state your conviction to God, Christ, and the Church since you do not belong to the Returned Missionary brotherhood, but doing so will fortify and enrich you and your family’s life.

Understand that Satan is real, he wants each of us destroyed, and what better way to destroy the life of a man than to convince him he is worthless.

God has a plan for each one of us, whether we served a mission or not, and He is ready to uplift us and carry us to safety. You must seek out the examples of righteous men and gain that testimony which will carry you through hell and back. Just trust God, and life will work itself out.

God is real, and His Son is Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith was called by God to be a prophet to the world, and within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you will find simple, pure, and happy truth.

Your brother,
Kyle Copeland




DeNae is a regular contributor and editor for Mormon Mommy Blogs. 

Friendships can be some of the most fulfilling relationships we have.  They enrich our lives and push us to be better.  What if a friendship has ran its course? When is the time to call it quits?

I have been in a friendship with "Ashley" for over 10 years.  She and I have had many ups and downs.  Our friendship has been through boyfriends, high school, marriages, missions, miscarriages, loss, anger, loneliness, and just about everything else. We have called it quits on many occasions and have started over just the same.  Let me share some tips on making friendships last though all the drama of life.


When to let go:

1. Growing apart is totally natural.  Life changes and along with that people change.  It is okay to admit that you have changed.  Your friends should love those changes in you and want you to become better. There may be times that marital status, missions, or babies take you on a different path than your friend. The best friendships can meet again a few miles down the road and never feel like there was a separation.

2. When there is just too much drama, it is time to rethink the friendship. Hurt feelings aren't always resolved by talking it out. Sometimes, the best medicine is time away from each other. In general, women are emotionally charged.  Taking some time away from this emotion is okay, and is usually best to sort out your feelings.

3. When you feel like you are giving too much and your friend is not giving the same back to you, talk to her about how that makes you feel.  Good friends try and step it up if they hear the other is not feeling loved.  If not, then reevaluate how much you should be giving to that person.

When to start over:

1. If there are unresolved issues, these need to be sorted out.  If the issues have fizzled and there is a desire to become closer, slowly share more and more.  Remember, slowly sharing yourself again is the best policy as to not over do it and feel hurt again.  This is a good time to judge whether it is going to work.

2. When you get to the point were you want to talk to your friend so you dial her number and hang up, drive by her house, or see her and want to talk but decide not to. This is where people usually don't want to be the first to say I am sorry, or everything is okay.  Get rid of that pride!  If you want to talk to them, call!  I did it! I hadn't talked to Ashley for a year.  I wanted and needed her friendship so bad.  I finally called.  We were both grateful I did. You can do it too!

3. After making the effort to slowly become friends again, you realize it is not going to work. It is okay! I promise there are friends out there that it will work with.  If you are having a hard time finding one let me know and I will be your friend.

When all is said and done, remember, friendships are here to lift us up.  They are there to help us be ourselves.  If you cannot do that, then it is time to reevaluate.

-----

Kelly is a stay at home wife, married to her husband, Will, for 6 years. She has struggled with infertility for 5 years and Kelly and Will are trying to adopt their first child. She spends much of her time online, blogging about infertility, adoption, and serving others at 'Giving What I Am,' her online journal, and also doing graphic design to raise money for her adoption at Modern Blitz Designs.

Avocado Corn Salsa

• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 3 Large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 bunch cilantro 
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper 
• 2 Avocados, sliced (add just before serving)
• 1 Pkg Good Seasonings dry Italian dressing

Prepare the dressing according to instructions.

Pour over the first 5 ingredients and chill up to 8 hours

(you don't have to, but it sure tastes better if you do)

Add Avocados just before serving!

*This tastes amazing on a freshly grilled hamburger.

What are you cooking today?
-----
Elisa is the founder of Mormon Mommy Blogs. A husband, four kids (ages ranging 15 to 2), a mortgage and a dog is what provides her food for fodder on her non-award winning blog: Crazyland: Tales from the Motherboard.

Recently, in Relief Society, they passed out emergency contact forms for all of us to fill out. On it were spaces to put three different people that they could call in case we were in medical trouble or other kinds of trouble and we were unable to contact our loved ones.

After filling out my three contacts, I noticed the lower half of the form was blank, so I took it upon myself to add a couple of things I felt the Relief Society should know just in case --heaven forbid--something happened to me and *cough cough* a funeral needed to be planned.

I know. I'm morbid. Or am I?

You know that good ol' boy scout motto:

Be Prepared.

Here's pretty much what I wrote and some other things I've recently wanted to add but haven't found the time to jot them down. Until now, that is.

For my funeral, I want there to be daises.  Everywhere. On my casket. In arrangements on the podium, on the table outside next to the book that people sign, and on every table for the luncheon afterward. I want it to look like a field of daisies blew up in that church building.







If I pass away when my children are still young, I hereby authorize my entire Relief Society to make sure if my husband does decide to re-marry, that they approve of the woman that he chooses. I know, I know-- That's  a heavy load. But,  knowing my husband and him being completely distraught, he may be bamboozled by some crazy woman-- who despite her incredibly good looks -- may be a horrible mother to my kids.

In my casket, I want my hands to hold a bowl and inside that bowl I want a bunch of Hershey hugs and kisses with the personalized message of "Thank you for coming. Love, Katy" on the little papers that stick out of them. Make sure there is a sign next to the bowl with the words, "Please, take one." written on it. Seriously, I want that.

Make sure my kids are taken to the Temple. Often. Make sure my husband goes to the temple just as often. Go with him if you need to. Drive him there if you need to. Just make sure he is there. I will be there in spirit. I want them to feel me there. I want them to feel their Savior there. I want them to remember that families are forever. Surround them with love, both with your arms and with your words. I want them to keep on living, keep on pressing forward, but I do not want them to forget me. I will always be a part of them, but not in a creepy way of course.


So that about sums it up. This list may change or it may not. But for now, this is it. As always, please know that what I have requested, I have done so with all the love I have in my heart and do not, by any means, want to hurt or offend anyone with my wishes.

If you like jello, please, feel free to have jello at your own funeral.

If you would rather not take one of the chocolates from the bowl in my cold stiff dead hands, that's cool-- just know that they are to die for!

And finally, if you read this and one day-- after I have died-- you somehow meet my husband and want to be a part of our forever family in "that way" then by all means go for it. Just make sure it's for the right reasons and that you have a heart of pure gold because I promise you my RS friends will be watching. Some possibly with water guns in tow and others with binoculars tracing your every move.

Also, you must know that being the #1 wife, I delegate all household and child caring duties to you in our "Mansion". You get all the stinky toilet bowls, dirty dishes, poop filled diapers, and hairy dogs to wash.




Katy is a musically inclined mother of three who loves life, her husband Dave, and cheesecake. Ahhhh....blessed cheesecake. Her fun filled roller coaster of thoughts can be found at http://www.ourdaisylife.blogspot.com/ 
Admission is always free.