I Can't Wait Until I'm 8 for then I'll be Baptized.

So handsome in white

Grahm turned 8 years old and made the decision to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  We are so proud of him and his decision.  Since we live on Okinawa he had the option of being baptized in the East China Sea.

We had a small intimate service.  The only people we had in attendance were our family including Grammy and Grandaddy.  Also, Uncle Malan and President Young were there.

Charlotte gave the opening prayer and we sang When I am Baptized (page 103) without any accompaniment, Grammy Miller lead the music.  Jayce shared a talk on Baptism.  He did a great job, he used a dirty penny as an object lesson and talked about the Savior and his example and its purpose.  Grandaddy Miller shared a talk on the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  It was amazing, I felt the spirit.  It was just our little group of 10 huddled around listening to the talks with the sound of the surf in the background and the sun slowly setting.

After that he was baptized by his Dad with John Malan and Jay Miller as witnesses.  After we had him wrapped up warm in a towel he was confirmed while standing there in the sand.  We closed with the song Choose the Right Way (pg. 160)  By this time it was hard to see the words and we were a little less musical sounding.  I gave the closing prayer.

It was an amazing experience and I hope everyone who was there will remember it and how they felt.  I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and to have parents who are wonderful examples to me and to my children of how to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

After the service we went to Jack's Place for some Japanese Tepanyaki to celebrate.

MRE's

Sorry I have been MIA.  Even Jason mentioned my lacking of posting lately.

I am posting about MRE's.  I will be honest with you - when ever I heard the word MRE -I thought gross, military, and cockroach (survive a nuclear explosion!).  Recently Jason had to leave for some training and they were provided (out of their paycheck) with MRE's while away from home.  I was here comfortable and cooking up yummy food and thinking poor Jason.

Well - he brought home some of the leftovers and we tried them.  I was suprised to say the least.  MRE stands for Meal Ready to Eat.  They are just as tasty as any frozen already prepared food at the grocery store.

Each MRE is different.  There is a main dish, a side dish, a snack, a drink, and a desert.  We opened up 4 of them and all of it was tasty.  All you need is a little bit of water and you will have a nice hot meal [I should probably add here that MRE's would still get old if that is all you get to eat - so I still feel bad for our troops that are far from home and want nothing more than a home cooked meal]. 

We tried - Chicken and Dumplings, Chicken Fajitas, Chicken and Salsa, Beef Burrito (can you tell which ones my husband doesn't eat?).  Side dishes - fried rice , refried beans and mexican rice. 

Snacks - PB and J with the yummiest whole wheat biscuit (shaped like a slice of bread), crackers with cheese, and cheese crackers. 

Desert  - short bread cookies, milk shake (just add cold water - yummy), and another kind of cookie. 

Drinks - Tang, and coffee.

I added the unopened ones to our 72 hour kits.  If you can get some MRE's I think they would be a great addition to any 72 hour kit, warm food!

Super Saturday!!

Super Saturday

November 21, 2009

10:00am

Yummy Waffles and Crafts!!

You can sign up here by leaving a comment and your name or you can e-mail, or call.

You will need to have signed up for the nativity, pumpkin, and pendant by November 11 to ensure things will be shipped in time.

Countdown Blocks $7/set. Use these cute blocks to bring the Christmas Spirit home and help your family countdown to the big day.

Wooden Nativity $12 monotone/$14 multicolor. This simple nativity made from MDF is rugged enough for those little hands and cute enough to display. The set includes 3 wisemen, 1 shepard, 1 sheep, 1 donkey, 1 camel, 1 Mary, 1 Joseph, and 1 baby in Jesus in the manger. (no angel or tree with star - the second picture is to show you how easy it will be to add more detail if you chooose).  Available on Etsy.  From UndermyUmbrella, available finished or unfinished.



Stuffed Pumpkin $5. This stuffed pumpkin will bring a touch of fall to your home. Use it for Halloween and Thanksgiving. (if you can bring your sewing machine please let me know). Colors may vary!!

Necklace Pendant $5. This framed pendant is easy to personalize and makes a wonderful gift. Follow these links to get a few more ideas how to personalize the pendant. JewelKade has some beautiful designs (I am not affiliated in anyway, just using her catalog to show examples - they retail for $20). Other examples pictured are from various etsy artists, prices vary on etsy from $10 on up!! We will have a temple silhouette available, letters for monograming, a crown and a few other pieces. Please feel free to bring your own supplies to further personlize your pendant.
The Pendant is 1.5" square (not rectangular)

Adding to the Testimony!! I Know!!

This weekend I joined in with 13 million Latter Day Saints around the world to watch and listen to General Conference. I love General Conference!!! Twice a year the leaders of the church are visitors in my home and by the end of the two days I can feel the spirit so strongly in our home.


One of the talks that stands out in my mind from this weekend has such personal significance.
1. My Great Grandmother passed away at the age of 99. I was fortunate enough to have asked her a few years ago to write down her testimony for me and my children.
2. Our little family just finished reading the Book of Mormon together.


If you have a minute you should hear Elder Holland bear his testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It was powerful, passionate, and unwavering.

I also have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Logically there is no way Joseph Smith could have fabricated the book. I do not have a special story to share of how I came to know this truth. I know that I have not and do not always set the best example of what a Latter Day Saint Christian is, but The Book of Mormon continues to remind me to try. To come unto Christ and be perfected in him, through him and by him. The Book of Mormon is a part of who I am. It enlightens me, challenges, lifts me, and helps me to see the signs of divinity all around me. Without the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, the Bible, and the Book of Mormon (and my parents) I would not be where I am today. I would not have the wonderful husband that I do now or the children I love so much. I Know!! I know the Book of Mormon to be true, that is teaches us more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God! I Know!

In the spirit of friendship and sharing something that is most dear to me. I would like to invite everyone to do the same, to read The Book of Mormon. If read sincerely and openly, the words will speak to your spirit and teach you some beautiful truths--truths that transcend our earthly journey.

Finished!!!

We did it. I think it took our family about 2 years to finish it, once we really committed to reading nightly. We did not set a goal of a chapter or page a day. In the for "Families" edition it breaks up the chapters. This really worked great for keeping it short enough for Grahm to focus.

What did we do when we finished? Jayce wants a party - maybe next week. But, we turned to page one and started it over. I am thinking about including the Old Testament in out nightly reading. I am not sure if that would be hard to read both - attention span wise and keeping out stories straight.

Feeling it at Church!

In all my years of attending church (click here for LDS info)- never has sacrament meeting ever meant so much to me as it has the last 4 years. I am a firm believer in you get out what you put in. You have to be an active listener. It is my responsibility to feel the spirit and to learn - not the speakers responsibility. However, in the past few years I have started to question my stance.

When I attend other sacrament meetings (not my home) I do not feel the spirit as strongly. I am still wrangling 3 kids, sometimes I even have more help. I do not feel that my mindset is vastly different. So, I have often wondered, Why? Why this huge difference in the general spirit of the meetings? Is it the number in attendance, the more the harder to feel the spirit? That does not seem to make sense, but was the conclusion that I was arriving at, until today.

Today as I listened to my friend teach us about service from the heart, I understood what has made the difference for me. Here at home were the numbers are small, each person who teaches is my friend whom I love. Every word they utter is the heart felt words of a friend. I care immensely about their life experiences and the thoughts they have to share. I find myself during the week reflecting on the words they spoke. Do I listen more intently? I don't think so, but the words of a friend have more weight.

I believe I have found myself a challenge when the time comes for us to move and we find ourselves lost in the crowd. I will have to serve more and learn more about each person. That way each person who teaches is a friend and not just someone I go to church with on Sunday.

Many of you are probably shaking your head and thinking this is the same principle they have taught us about reading our scriptures. They are the Lords words and if he is a beloved friend and father then his words will have more meaning to us and we will have a greater thirst for them. I just had not thought to apply this to my regular church meetings.