Book Review: Doing What We Came to Do - living a life of love

     Ardeth G. Kapp's newly released book is worth adding to your shelf.  It includes stories I will remember forever.  She tells them, indicitive of the title, lovingly with a soft touch of humor.  The older I get, I realize that loving is a journey.  We don't always love like we should.  Loving is something we have to work at every day.  At times, loving is easy.  And other times it's just plain hard.  Why is that?  And what can we do to improve the status of our hearts?  Her 80 years on this earth gives Sis. Kapp the credibility and wisdom to prick your heart with just the right motivation to inspire you to love better.  At the end of each chapter she gives you questions to 1. ponder  2.  act and  3. ask, which I loved because I could write down thoughts I had after each chapter so I can put the counsel given in Sis. Kapp's book into action.  I love that at 80 she is still finding things to write about!  For me, this book was timely.  I will refer to it for years to come.  :))

Click here to buy it at Desseret Book

Young Womens ACTIVITY IDEA:

LOVE “KNOTs”

 

(http://thefrugalgirls.com/2011/12/no-sew-fleece-blanket.)

Sit in a circle and while the girls tie knots all around the edges of the fleece blanket, talk with them about

L-O-V-E.

How this is the greatest commandment.

Mark 12:30-31

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

ACTION: Once the blanket is complete, make a note to go with it and deliver it to someone in your neighborhood who needs to feel a little extra love.  This part of the activty is important, because it finishes off the evening.  The reaching out part of love for teens is sometimes hard so don't just make the blanket and deliver it without the girls.  Let them be the ones standing on someone's doorstep, offering a love gift, that they helped make.   

FHE HINT:  If you're tieing a blanket for Family Home Evening, have each family member (as he/she ties a knot) give a LOVE compliment to a sibling or parent.  Then talk about how Jesus "showed" people He loved them.  He didn't just talk about it.  He took action.  Discuss ways your family can LOVE like Jesus did.  When you're done tieing the blanket, deliver it to someone in your neighborhood or extended family who needs to be wrapped up in your love.  You can even do it secretly--ring the doorbell and run!  

Let me know how your activity turns out :)).

Fighting Against Pornography

I am a FIGHTER.  
Are you?  

So, TEENS and PARENTS...we HAVE to start talking about the NEW drug.  

Pornography.

It's not a pretty word.   I know.

I've been teaching recovering drug addicts for 11 years...and the drug I'm most worried about is...pornography.  It's highly addictive and destructive.

And we stop it only by educating ourselves and our kids about what it is and how harmful it is.
And by just saying NO!  

How can we STOP it?  We start having a conversation with EVERYONE we know.

I've seen this group "Fight the NEW Drug" and they are cutting edge fabulous!  Great for WHITE RIBBON WEEK at your schools.  Their assemblies (as the kids say) ROCK!!!!  These guys are right on our TEENS level.  It's all scientific, so no religion, or morality plays a part, for those of you worried about that.  And they do it just like the TRUTH campaign did for tobacca and smoking.  I am SOOOO on board.  This group is NATIONAL, so if you are outside of Utah they travel.  It's a national movement on college campuses as well.  So look for your local chapter.  AND it's working!  They have several YOUTUBE videos  reaching out to teens.  Here's just one of them.  Learn more on their website.  Link below.

Fight the NEW Drug

Making CREPES and Putting on the Whole Armor of God

A few weekends ago, I created an impromptu crepe’ bar to entertain my teenage daughter and her friends. I rushed to the store to buy some mud masks and whipping crème and informed my daughter that it was Spa Night at the Robinson household. Crepes would be served promptly at seven. Why crepes? And not a five-buck pizza? Pizza would be so much easier. Plop the cardboard box on the counter and wall-ah! I’m free to go read the paper. But this mom had a plan! You see, it takes a long time to make crepes. And that’s a good thing, because it gives me time with my daughter and her friends as they hover around my kitchen counter watching and waiting as each crepe is made. By default, I am able to join my teen’s social circle by pretending to be a make-shift chef. It’s the perfect covert operation. While I mix and pour, they talk and laugh. And I listen and laugh with them. It’s all part of my plan. You see while we’re all “hanging out” making crepes’ I get to interject teaching moments, here and there. And just like that pinch of salt that I flick into the batter, they don’t even notice it is happening.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:13).

With each layer of batter I pour, I’m teaching. I’m layering on their spiritual armor. Subtly, of course. Like cracking an egg ever so slyly as not to disturb the yoke, I carefully listen for cues and turn them into teaching moments in good faith that on another Friday night, when my daughter and her friends aren’t hovering around my counter that they are protected by those layers of armor.

Years ago, I had no idea that crepe-making had anything to do with putting on the armor of God. But it sure does! It’s called T-I-M-E. And I use that time to advise, teach, set expectations, and build relationships of trust with my teens and their friends. And guess what? I do it with more than crepes. That’s why you see me driving a mini-van full of girls to Arctic Circle for shakes on a school night or to Ulta to buy lip-gloss! I’m creating those moments when I can add another layer of armor. So much happens in the car ride and around the kitchen counter. And it’s a beautiful thing to “be there” adding layer, after layer, after layer.

Oops! I dropped an egg on the floor. And laughter ensues. And it’s a beautiful thing.

RECIPE: Basic Crepes
Recipe by Our Best Bites


2 eggs
2 Tbs canola oil
3 Tbs sugar (omit if making savory crepes)
1 C flour
1 1/3 C milk


Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until combined, or whisk by hand until there are no lumps. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Hold pan with one hand while you pour the batter with the other hand. Twirl the pan in a circular motion pouring just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan. Place on cooking surface and cook until edges are set and you can easily run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pan, 30 seconds. Flip crepe and cook an additional 15-20 seconds. Remove crepe from pan and either keep warm in the oven or cool to room temperature. Fill with your choice of savory (meat, cheese, vegetable) or sweet (pudding, mousse, pastry cream, fruit) filling. Top sweet crepes with with Strawberry Sauce, Buttermilk Caramel Syrup, Hot Fudge, or just a dusting of powdered sugar and sweetened whipped cream. Unfilled crepes can be stacked between sheets of waxed paper and refrigerated or frozen. To thaw, leave at room temperature. Makes 12-14 8″ crepes.

The BEST tutorial for CREPES I've found is on the Our Best Bites website. Here’s the link: Our Best Bites

Moving Story and Video--Use it in a Lesson

This young man's story moved me to tears!!!  I wanted to share it with my family.  Here is how I turned it into a Family Home Evening lesson.

First, I read D&C 18:9.  "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."  Then I asked, "What does great mean?  And how would you define great?"  I let everyone share their ideas for a moment and then told them my experience with this scripture. 

Seminary Teacher John Hills taught me the answer to the question 'what is the worth of a soul?'.  After I had finished speaking at a fireside Bro. Hills gave the closing remarks.  He said the answer to what "great" means is found in the verse that follows verse 9.
 

11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. 

Then Bro. Hills said, "so...your life...is worth...the life . . .  of  a  God.  That is the true worth of a soul."
Then I played the following video.  Everyone watched and did not move. 

After watching this video you will have no doubt what the worth of a soul is because...you will feel it.  Best 15 minute Family Home Evening we've had in a long time!   I hope it turns out for you as good as it did for me.   

Return To Virtue--New BOOK from Elaine S. Dalton

The book, A Return to Virtue, is a must have for every woman.  General Young Womens President Elaine S. Dalton uses her experience of running a marathon and likens it to staying on a virtuous course in a complex and ever-chaning world.  I believe, if we as women understood what virtue really is...that we would BE more virtuous day to day.  Defined as a pattern of thought and behavior that leads to goodness and holiness, virtue becomes so much more personal.  It becomes a way of life. 

Take a trip to the bookstore or order it on Amazon, but don't miss adding this one to your library. 

Buy RETURN TO VIRTUE

My Healing Fields

In memory of September 11th, we visited the Healing Fields in Sandy.  I took my youngest daughter and two of her friends.  We walked through the sea of red, white, and blue, looking at the names on the cards attached to each one of the more than 3,000 flags.  I tried to teach the girls the significance of what they were seeing.  But, being young, they could not resist a sunny day, the fresh air, and green grass. 

They had to dance. 

They healed me that day. 

And reminded me we can do hard things

if we stick together and find time to dance and play along the way.

I am proud to be an American.

Red, white, and blue . . . through and through. 

Service in Small Packages

On top of my Italian grandmother's dining room table sits a laminating machine. One might think it strange or out of place for a laminating machine to be a regular fixture in the dining area. But for me it would be stranger NOT to see it there. You see grandma uses it every day for something very important.  She uses it to laminate obituaries.

It is an act of love and service and even sometimes a random act of kindness for a stranger.
Every day Grandma reads the obituaries (and has for many years). Sometimes she sees a familiar name or face. Sometimes she notices a distant relative or a friend of a friend. Other times a common birth place is all she shares with the person in print. Once in a while she is touched by the story of a complete stranger. So what does she do? Grandma precisely cuts out the obituary. Laminates it. Writes a note of condolence to the family member, places the obituary in an envelope with a bereavement poem entitled, "To Those I Love" and mails it.  I have no idea how many laminated obituaries she has sent out over the years. Hundreds and hundreds of them for sure.

So many people have been touched by Grandma's simple act of service. A few years ago, a brother of a girl I knew in junior high passed away suddenly. Now, I'm in my forties, so junior high was a looong time ago. But still grandma remembered my friend's last name. She did some detective work, found the right Clegg, and mailed the man's obituary, along with a poem and note, to his mother. I ran into my old friend months later and guess what. The first thing she said was "thank your grandmother for sending my mom that poem." How sweet was that!

We all have our own ways of giving and serving. This is my grandmother's way. And she does it faithfully. She doesn't receive awards for what she does. She just quietly sits with her newspaper and her laminating machine and finds a way to offer relief to someone who is grieving. Can you imagine receiving a note with a laminated obituary of your loved one and a beautiful poem from a stranger? It is not so strange if you knew my grandmother. She's not very tall—only 4'11"—and says she "doesn't look down on anyone." Jokes are her way of breaking the ice so she can chat with people. She talks to anyone and everyone when she is out and about. Whether it be the grocery store clerk, the department store cashier, or the man at the post office, she is quick to share a funny joke. (Some have a PG-13 rating.) She simply finds simple ways to lighten another's heavy load. That is my grandmother.  

Two weeks ago my grandfather Bill's sister died in a tragic fire accident while serving a mission with her husband in Texas. We are grateful to all the people who have reached out to my grandparents. It's true. What you give will come back to you full circle. I believe, because my grandmother has lovingly helped those grieving she has received extra love and support.

Thank you Grandma Baker! Your acts of service have not gone unnoticed. Your granddaughter sees what you have done and is grateful for your beautiful example. I love you!

Here is the poem my Grandma Baker shares when someone has passed away.

If I should ever leave you whom I love

To go along the silent Way, grieve not,

Nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk

Of me as if I were beside you there,

(I'd come...I'd come, could I but find a way!

But would not tears and grief be barriers?)

And when you hear a song, or see a bird I loved,

Please do not let the thought of me be sad...

For I am loving you just as I always have...

You were so good to me!

There are so many things I wanted still to do...

So many things to say to you...

Remember that I did not fear...

It was just leaving you that was so hard to face...

We cannot see Beyond... But this I know:

I loved you so...

'Twas heaven here with you!

By Islo Paschal Richardson

 

Breaking Up With The World Video and Activity Idea

Sometimes it's better if someone else says it.  So, here's a great talk from Hank R. Smith, institute teacher, at BYU's education week on how to break up with the world.  And trust me.  Nobody says it better than HANK!  Watch the video, or do as I did, listen to it while you clean your teenagers' bedrooms and then make plans to have them listen to it the next Sunday while you're all together making cookies.


Here is the VIDEO LINK:  Hank R. Smith Video.  At the bottom of the screen, click on the video entitled "Hank R. Smith:  Becoming an Exceptional Teenager.  You won't be disappointed.  

Young Women Activity Idea:


Show this talk for a youth activity night.  Since it's on the Internet, you'll need your computer, access to on-line, and possibly an LCD projector.  While you're watching snack on some fancy popcorn.


FOOD FUN!!!!  There are fancy popcorn recipes all over the Internet.  My favorite popcorn recipe is...Cinnamon Caramel Popcorn with Pecans & White Chocolate Drizzle!

Here is the link for this delicious snack.

RECIPE for Popcorn  

Beautiful Quote

Why Should We Love God?

God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become.

--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Farewell to Summer

I'm gonna miss you…

In my family, one of the best parts of summer is enjoying Grandma B's Strawberry Cake. My adorable, 86-year-old, Italian grandma bakes us this delectable treat. We've been lucky enough to eat it at least three times this summer. I should have posted this recipe earlier, since strawberries were in season. But I was bit busy having fun with my kids. This morning, I was working on my summer scrapbook and came across this picture so I decided to share the recipe.

Grandma B! We've always loved your cooking, but truly your Strawberry 3-layer Cake takes the cake!  I'm happy to share the cake recipe, but not the grandma.  She's one of a kind recipe and she's ours! 

 

Fresh Strawberry 3-Layer Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix

1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix

1 cup mashed fresh strawberries (off season you can use frozen)

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

 Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar



3/4 cup fresh strawberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 (9 inch) round pans.

1. 

   In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and gelatin mix. Make a well in the center and pour in 1 cup mashed strawberries, oil, milk and eggs. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Fold in the coconut and pecans. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
3. 

   To make the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting: Mash the 3/4 cup strawberries to make 1/2 cup, then drain well; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Blend in the confectioners' sugar and drained strawberries. Beat on medium speed until the frosting lightens and is well combined. Fold in the coconut and pecans. Frost cake between layers, on top and sides. Chill uncovered 30 minutes or until frosting sets, then cover and chill 4 to 6 hours before serving.

 

Created for Greater Things

You can email me at jodirobinson2182 at hotmail.com and I can send you the file.  I love the NEW book, Created for Greater Things by Jeffrey R. Holland.  It is is available at http://deseretbook.com/. 

The above photo in a frame along with Holland's book  is a perfect gift for a mother, daughter, sister or friend.  A perfect message!