Ryan works today and tomorrow so we haven't decided just how much celebrating we will be doing tonight. We've been invited to join a family playing games and watching movies, not to mention snacking on munchies. We might go for part of the time, then come home so Ryan can go to sleep.
I guess we better decide.
Today I need to run to the store for a green pepper. I'm making our traditional New Year Lentil Soup. Ryan's family started it and we like the soup, so we continue it. Supposedly, eating Lentil Soup at the turn of the year will bring you financial success. Hey, it doesn't hurt to try! :wink:
Here's the recipe:
Lentil Soup
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped green sweet pepper
1 cup sliced carrots (2 medium)
½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 tsp. Chicken bouillon
½ tsp. Dried sage, crushed
1/8 tsp. Ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups water
6 oz fully cooked ham, chopped or smoked sausage links, quartered lengthwise and sliced
In a large pot mix lentils, sweet pepper, carrots, onion, bouillon, sage, red pepper, garlic, and water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or till vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in ham or sausage and heat through.
Makes 7 cups (5 main-dish servings)
Enjoy!
Friday, December 31, 2004
Thursday, December 30, 2004
First Presidency Urges Generous Support for Asian Victims
29 December 2004
SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking its 12 million members worldwide to donate generously to support humanitarian aid for disaster victims in southern Asia.
The First Presidency issued the following statement today:
"In association with other relief agencies, the Church is extending substantial humanitarian aid to the stricken people of southern Asia. We have representatives on the ground who are assessing needs and who are administering help.
"This coming Sunday, 2 January 2005, will be our regular fast day. In the present circumstances, we urge our people to remember in their prayers those in the devastated areas and to contribute most generously in fast offerings, which will make it possible for the Church to increase its aid to those whose suffering is so great."
As part of their religious practice, Latter-day Saints regularly fast on the first Sunday of each month. Church members donate the value of the two meals skipped during the fast (or more if their means allow) to their local congregation leader. These "fast offerings" are then used to care for the poor and the needy.
- from the church website.
I can't believe the total count is up to 114,000 now.
Yesterday the Today Show was reviewing other huge natural disasters(earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, etc). There were a few in the last century that had hundreds of thousands of deaths. But this is the most deadly tsunami in recorded history.
It is terribly sad and humbling. Give your loved ones an extra hug today and consider President Hinckley's request in extra offerings this week.
SALT LAKE CITY — The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking its 12 million members worldwide to donate generously to support humanitarian aid for disaster victims in southern Asia.
The First Presidency issued the following statement today:
"In association with other relief agencies, the Church is extending substantial humanitarian aid to the stricken people of southern Asia. We have representatives on the ground who are assessing needs and who are administering help.
"This coming Sunday, 2 January 2005, will be our regular fast day. In the present circumstances, we urge our people to remember in their prayers those in the devastated areas and to contribute most generously in fast offerings, which will make it possible for the Church to increase its aid to those whose suffering is so great."
As part of their religious practice, Latter-day Saints regularly fast on the first Sunday of each month. Church members donate the value of the two meals skipped during the fast (or more if their means allow) to their local congregation leader. These "fast offerings" are then used to care for the poor and the needy.
- from the church website.
I can't believe the total count is up to 114,000 now.
Yesterday the Today Show was reviewing other huge natural disasters(earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, etc). There were a few in the last century that had hundreds of thousands of deaths. But this is the most deadly tsunami in recorded history.
It is terribly sad and humbling. Give your loved ones an extra hug today and consider President Hinckley's request in extra offerings this week.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Girl Power
Today the Young Women in our ward are going ice skating! Yay! Acadia is excited because she gets to come with me. I hope we are able to pull this off with no injuries!
Afterwards, Acadia has been invited to have a "Girl's Night" with Beckie Williams and a couple other gals. We will both be over at Beckie's for dinner with Sharon Smith and her daughter, Shellie. During dinner we're gonna watch "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement". Then Cadi gets to stay the night! She is thrilled!
Beckie is wonderful and spoils Cadi just a smidge. Acadia used to be a little leery of Jack, Beckie's husband, but has warmed up to him and has a blast playing with him whenever they are together. Beckie and Jack's grandkids call them "Memaw" and "Peepaw". (I think that's spelled right.) And they have been adopted by a few of the kids in the ward as their own "Memaw" and "Peepaw".
Beckie's grandkids are all boys and she would give just about anything to get a granddaughter. So she is trying to surround herself with lots of pink to bring good luck. Well if Cadi is anything, it's pink! It's a win-win-win situation. They love her, she loves them, and Ryan and I really like Beckie and Jack. They have become great friends.
Tonight will be fun. And when Ryan gets home, I'm ditching the girls for a hot date! :blush:
Afterwards, Acadia has been invited to have a "Girl's Night" with Beckie Williams and a couple other gals. We will both be over at Beckie's for dinner with Sharon Smith and her daughter, Shellie. During dinner we're gonna watch "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement". Then Cadi gets to stay the night! She is thrilled!
Beckie is wonderful and spoils Cadi just a smidge. Acadia used to be a little leery of Jack, Beckie's husband, but has warmed up to him and has a blast playing with him whenever they are together. Beckie and Jack's grandkids call them "Memaw" and "Peepaw". (I think that's spelled right.) And they have been adopted by a few of the kids in the ward as their own "Memaw" and "Peepaw".
Beckie's grandkids are all boys and she would give just about anything to get a granddaughter. So she is trying to surround herself with lots of pink to bring good luck. Well if Cadi is anything, it's pink! It's a win-win-win situation. They love her, she loves them, and Ryan and I really like Beckie and Jack. They have become great friends.
Tonight will be fun. And when Ryan gets home, I'm ditching the girls for a hot date! :blush:
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Strengthens my testimony...
While the latest count is over 58,000 people killed by the earthquakes and tsunami that took place Sunday in the Indian Ocean, I was amazed to hear that all of the LDS missionaries are safe and accounted for! Reports are still coming in, however so far there is also no news of any LDS members dying either. I expect that may not stay true as the week continues. I wish it would.
The whole thing is very sad. I hate seeing the numbers rise. What a horrible thing to witness and experience. So many lives lost. Everyone who has been affected is in our prayers. It seems so little to do, but we know that prayers can bring miracles. And the One we pray to can do all things. We trust Him.
If you are interested in reading a little about what the church is doing to help, click here.
The whole thing is very sad. I hate seeing the numbers rise. What a horrible thing to witness and experience. So many lives lost. Everyone who has been affected is in our prayers. It seems so little to do, but we know that prayers can bring miracles. And the One we pray to can do all things. We trust Him.
If you are interested in reading a little about what the church is doing to help, click here.
Was it worth it? You be the judge.
Ryan and I watched some video he took from his 12 mile hike yesterday up Mt. Defiance. He also took some pictures with the digital camera. I took some more pictures from the video, there are some beautiful scenes!
There are 22 pictures total in the "Ryan hikes Mt Defiance" album on our Photobucket account. I am only posting a few here, but I strongly encourage you to visit the link and see the others as well. Many of the pictures are definitely postcard worthy!
Some are not titled yet because I do not remember which mountain it is (As he could see all four of the major surrounding mountains from the top of Mt. Defiance!), I will update them as soon as Ryan can help me identify each of them.
This is one of the pictures untitled, if I had to guess I would say Mt. Adams, but I may be wrong. Terrific shot though, don't you think?
Here is Mt. Hood, which Ryan could only see once he reached the top of Mt. Defiance:
Here is a very cool picture. You must look very close (In fact, it may be best to view it at the Photobucket site where you can pull the picture up and view it larger.), but you can see three mountains here. From left to right, you see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams. Of the three, Mt. Adams is easiest to spot on the right. Mt. St. Helens is trying to hide behind the trees at the left of the picture (right above the smaller snow topped tree in the front of the picture). Mt. Rainier is far off in the distance and is hardest to spot. Look below the branch in the center of the picture, see the dark hills? Just to the right of those hills is a shadow that almost looks to be another cloud, only above not below...that's Rainier.
Here is a beautifully framed picture of Mt. Adams:
And one looking down from the mountain to the Gorge:
As I looked at these pictures and watched the video of Ryan's hike, I felt so grateful that he went. How else would I have seen these wonderful images? It was bitterly cold on top of that mountain and Ryan guesses that the trail may not be open in just another week or so due to the snow which is quickly accumalating there. For those who brave it, like Ryan, what a splendid reward to see the beauty of the earth, and especially the beauty of the NorthWest.
Thank you Ryan!!! :kiss:
There are 22 pictures total in the "Ryan hikes Mt Defiance" album on our Photobucket account. I am only posting a few here, but I strongly encourage you to visit the link and see the others as well. Many of the pictures are definitely postcard worthy!
Some are not titled yet because I do not remember which mountain it is (As he could see all four of the major surrounding mountains from the top of Mt. Defiance!), I will update them as soon as Ryan can help me identify each of them.
This is one of the pictures untitled, if I had to guess I would say Mt. Adams, but I may be wrong. Terrific shot though, don't you think?
Here is Mt. Hood, which Ryan could only see once he reached the top of Mt. Defiance:
Here is a very cool picture. You must look very close (In fact, it may be best to view it at the Photobucket site where you can pull the picture up and view it larger.), but you can see three mountains here. From left to right, you see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams. Of the three, Mt. Adams is easiest to spot on the right. Mt. St. Helens is trying to hide behind the trees at the left of the picture (right above the smaller snow topped tree in the front of the picture). Mt. Rainier is far off in the distance and is hardest to spot. Look below the branch in the center of the picture, see the dark hills? Just to the right of those hills is a shadow that almost looks to be another cloud, only above not below...that's Rainier.
Here is a beautifully framed picture of Mt. Adams:
And one looking down from the mountain to the Gorge:
As I looked at these pictures and watched the video of Ryan's hike, I felt so grateful that he went. How else would I have seen these wonderful images? It was bitterly cold on top of that mountain and Ryan guesses that the trail may not be open in just another week or so due to the snow which is quickly accumalating there. For those who brave it, like Ryan, what a splendid reward to see the beauty of the earth, and especially the beauty of the NorthWest.
Thank you Ryan!!! :kiss:
Monday, December 27, 2004
Mount Defiance
The name alone would intimidate me. But Ryan took it as a challenge. So this morning he headed out to conquer it.
I just heard from him and he is safely back to his car and on his way home. It wasn't supposed to take quite this long, but at least he's done now.
Ryan loves hiking. He wants to do some really big, long hikes. Ones that will take him a few days, which scares me. But so far he has survived and he does love it so much. At least today's hike will satisfy him for a couple weeks. :lol:
I just heard from him and he is safely back to his car and on his way home. It wasn't supposed to take quite this long, but at least he's done now.
Ryan loves hiking. He wants to do some really big, long hikes. Ones that will take him a few days, which scares me. But so far he has survived and he does love it so much. At least today's hike will satisfy him for a couple weeks. :lol:
Sunday, December 26, 2004
We had a very nice Christmas.
Christmas Eve, Ryan ended up working most the day. :sad: The original plan was for him NOT to work, but he got called in with some problem with a tool. At least it was Christmas Eve and not Christmas day!
He made it home in time for us to have our traditional "First Christmas" dinner. That was good. We shared our testimonies and talked about the first Christmas and why its important to us.
Christmas morning Cadi woke up at about 7:45...not bad. We got lots of good stuff from Santa. :grin: Cadi got plenty of movies, a new Princess calendar for her room, a Barbie doll in a Barbie convertable car, lots of books, a couple puzzles, and fun stuff in her stocking. One of her stocking stuffers was a "I am a Child of God" necklace with her birthstone on it. She loved it and wore it all day.
Of course, Santa also brought Ryan and I "The Return of the King"!!! YAY! And a few other things.:thumb:
We had breakfast then opened gifts. Acadia loved all her presents, especially a Love-A-Lot CareBear and a Cabbage Patch Kid. Ryan and I collectively got many "Lord of the Rings" things. A couple of games, music CD's, and...I got the piano music to all three movies!!! I am so happy! I love the music from those movies!
We did get some things that weren't "Lord of the Rings" related. Everything was very nice.
After watching "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement", we went over to the Flakes for the rest of the day. We had fun visiting with everyone. We had a gift exchange there, where they gave us too much! Acadia got some really cute things. She got a Hello Kitty nail polish kit, a Safari toy set and some puzzle books. Ryan got a laser level tool thing. (I don't remember what it was called, but he played with the laser alot last night!:lol:) I got a candle/fountain and a cookbook from Kris's ward. We also got a game and some smoked cheese. I told you they gave us too much!
After exchanging gifts we ate dinner. It was delicious! And then we watched a movie, "Napoleon Dynamite" which was...ok. It had a couple funny parts. It was clean. It just was not exciting. We were glad to see it though, because we were wanting to rent it. Now we won't! :lol:
Last of all was dessert time! :lick: Red raspberry pie, pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Did I mention :lick:?
We got home a little later than I planned, but thats okay.
Now it's Sunday morning. Ryan is already at the church building. He didn't know when his meetings would start so he took headed over early. He is substitute teaching in Elders Quorum today and he'll just prepare the lesson until his meetings with the Bishopric start.
In the meantime, I need to get things ready here. Tonight is dinner with the missionaries and Williams. We still haven't put all our gifts away. And I need to cook up some pasta to add to the sauce I made Friday night. Spaghetti Diablo! :lick:
Then I get to get myself and Cadi ready for church by myself...better get used to it. So what am I doing here, I gotta go!
He made it home in time for us to have our traditional "First Christmas" dinner. That was good. We shared our testimonies and talked about the first Christmas and why its important to us.
Christmas morning Cadi woke up at about 7:45...not bad. We got lots of good stuff from Santa. :grin: Cadi got plenty of movies, a new Princess calendar for her room, a Barbie doll in a Barbie convertable car, lots of books, a couple puzzles, and fun stuff in her stocking. One of her stocking stuffers was a "I am a Child of God" necklace with her birthstone on it. She loved it and wore it all day.
Of course, Santa also brought Ryan and I "The Return of the King"!!! YAY! And a few other things.:thumb:
We had breakfast then opened gifts. Acadia loved all her presents, especially a Love-A-Lot CareBear and a Cabbage Patch Kid. Ryan and I collectively got many "Lord of the Rings" things. A couple of games, music CD's, and...I got the piano music to all three movies!!! I am so happy! I love the music from those movies!
We did get some things that weren't "Lord of the Rings" related. Everything was very nice.
After watching "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement", we went over to the Flakes for the rest of the day. We had fun visiting with everyone. We had a gift exchange there, where they gave us too much! Acadia got some really cute things. She got a Hello Kitty nail polish kit, a Safari toy set and some puzzle books. Ryan got a laser level tool thing. (I don't remember what it was called, but he played with the laser alot last night!:lol:) I got a candle/fountain and a cookbook from Kris's ward. We also got a game and some smoked cheese. I told you they gave us too much!
After exchanging gifts we ate dinner. It was delicious! And then we watched a movie, "Napoleon Dynamite" which was...ok. It had a couple funny parts. It was clean. It just was not exciting. We were glad to see it though, because we were wanting to rent it. Now we won't! :lol:
Last of all was dessert time! :lick: Red raspberry pie, pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Did I mention :lick:?
We got home a little later than I planned, but thats okay.
Now it's Sunday morning. Ryan is already at the church building. He didn't know when his meetings would start so he took headed over early. He is substitute teaching in Elders Quorum today and he'll just prepare the lesson until his meetings with the Bishopric start.
In the meantime, I need to get things ready here. Tonight is dinner with the missionaries and Williams. We still haven't put all our gifts away. And I need to cook up some pasta to add to the sauce I made Friday night. Spaghetti Diablo! :lick:
Then I get to get myself and Cadi ready for church by myself...better get used to it. So what am I doing here, I gotta go!
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