Happy Spring!

Get out and Enjoy the Sunshine!!

Relief Society General Broadcast

Gratitude

Lori C. gave a beautiful lesson on Gratitude this week. She asked us to find ways to increase our gratitude and remember to vocalize what we are thankful for. She asked us to take a few moments each day and write in a journal what we are thankful for.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of

life. It turns what we have into

enough and more. It turns denial

into acceptance, chaos to order,

confusion to clarity. It can turn a

meal into a feast, a house into a

home, a stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

brings peace for today, and creates

a vision for tomorrow.

~Melody Beattie

Wild Rice Salad

Rutherford Grill’s Wild Rice Salad 6 servings
4 cups water1 tsp salt1 cup wild rice (about 6 oz)

½ cup finely chopped dried figs and/or yellow raisins or dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds

1/3 cup chopped roasted cashews

¼ cup chopped green onion tops only

2 Tbs finely chopped celery

2 Tbs finely chopped red onion

Dressing
2 Tbs raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup olive oil
Combine 4 cups water and salt and bring to boil. Add rice, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer until rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain well and cool.
Transfer rice to large bowl.

Add next 6 ingredients. Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Pour dressing over rice and toss.

Season with salt and pepper.

Thanks to Karen R for submitting this yummy recipe!!

Charity

Uncommon Acts of Charity

"[The Relief Society] is composed of women whose feelings of charity spring from hearts changed by qualifying for and by keeping covenants offered only in the Lord's true Church. Their feelings of charity come from Him through His Atonement. Their acts of charity are guided by His example—and come out of gratitude for His infinite gift of mercy—and by the Holy Spirit, which He sends to accompany His servants on their missions of mercy. Because of that, they have done and are able to do uncommon things for others and to find joy even when their own unmet needs are great."

Henry B. Eyring, "The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 121

YW Quilts for Camp

Girls Camp is in need of 2-3 quilts from our ward for the girls to tie.

For anyone who would like to donate one - dimensions are 11/2 yds for each side.

The quilts would need to be sewed together with the batting and sewed around the edges.

The girls will tie them up at Girls Camp.

Any questions, contact Lisa Bailey.

This Week!

This is a busy week for our ward........

Tuesday: Scouts 7pm ( no YW on Tuesday)
Wednesday: Food and Forum 6:30pm "Grandma Idea Swap"
Thursday: Primary Activity 4-5pm Stake Center AND Sit n' Stitch 6:30pm at Janice's
Friday: Youth Baptisms at the Oakland Temple AND "The Table"~you can make dessert or help serve...call Patty C. for an assignment
Saturday: Stake Temple Day

Exercise this Spring!

On Thursdays from 6:30-7:30 Rachel teaches a strength training class in the Cultural Hall. It's a great workout. You will find you're sore after the first class. Bring weights, an exercise ball, a mat or towel and water...and see what you can do!

Also, the walking and running group has started back up at Vintage High School at 8:30 Saturday mornings. Some girls walk, some jog and some run run run!

Hope to see you there!

"Mormon" Prom

~Adam, Madeline, Ashley, Kirra and Michael~

Extra Interview Questions....

President David Brown spoke of "Extra Interview Questions" in his address in our Saturday Night Stake Conference Session......Here are the questions.........
Extra Interview Questions

Please consider silently your answers to the following questions:

1. When did you last help your neighbor?
2. When did you last do so anonymously?
3. When did you last help your enemy?
4. What Christ-like qualities have you added to your character in the past year?
5. Whom have you forgiven recently?
6. Is there someone you still need to forgive so you can find peace?
7. Who was the last person you went out of your way for to serve?
8. Is there someone that needs your kindness and prayers now?
9. When was the last time you truly were a peacemaker?
10. What are the most memorable one-on-one experiences you have had with your children recently?
11. When was the last time you shared your testimony with someone who needed your spiritual support or guidance?
12. When was your last spiritual experience?
13. When was the last time you asked for a blessing?
14. When was the last time you stopped to take in a sunset, or wonder at the beauty of something the Lord has created and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and joy?
15. When did you last spend quality time with your Heavenly Father in meditation and earnest, private prayer?
16. When was the last time you truly sought and gained strength from Heavenly Father in overcoming a weakness?
17. When was the last time you just couldn’t put the scriptures down because they seemed to really speak to you?
18. When was the last time you truly prepared for the Sacrament?
19. When was the last time you truly prepared for going to the temple?
20. Are you truly happy? If not, what is keeping you from the happiness you seek?
May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek his spirit and guidance in your life, and as you strive to be his disciple through serving him and your fellow beings.

Young Women Camp Fundraiser!!

Friday, March 12th

6:00pm

$8.00 per person or $25.00 per family

Cake Walk and Dessert Silent Auction!!

Stake Relief Society Conference

Scout Fundraiser

The Boy Scouts have the easiest fundraiser, ever. Pat S. can give you one of these cards to use at our local Lucky stores. When you are checking out, you hand them this card, the cashier swipes it and VOILA! Lucky will give 3% of your shopping trip to our Scout troop. You don't have to do anything, pay anything extra, Lucky does it all. See Pat S. for a SHARES card.

Stake Conference

Stake Conference

Wednesday, February 17

7pm

Temple Session at the Oakland Temple

____________________

Meetings at the Stake Center:

Saturday, February 20th

4:00pm Priesthood session

7pm Adult Session

Sunday, February 21st

10:00am General Session

**all Primary Children are asked to arrive at 9:15am for music practice**

Who do you think you are?

Ancestry.com and NBC bring you seven exciting stories that will

inspire the world to discover theirs.
Who Do You Think You Are? begins Friday, March 5, 2010 at 8pm on NBC.
Share a heartwarming journey through family history with

Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon and Spike Lee as they discover the stories of their ancestors.

Who Do You Think You Are? will also help people everywhere better understand how to discover their own family stories.We hope you’ll invite your friends and family to watch the show on Friday nights at 8pm starting March 5, 2010.


Here’s what genealogy experts are saying about the show:
“Many people are interested in knowing more about their heritage,

but have no idea how to begin. I hope Who Do You Think You Are? will encourage people to move from interest to action and take advantage of the many resources available.”

Janet A. Alpert, President, National Genealogical Society
“The show is going to have a major impact on societies, conferences and family history in general...This will do for genealogy what Roots did for it in the late 1970s.”

Pat Oxley, President, Federation of Genealogical Societies

Too Often~

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile,

a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment or the smallest act of caring,

all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

~Leo Buscaglia

Exercise Class on Thursdays!

We are starting the exercise class this Thursday, January 14th from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Please bring all your exercise equipment that you have, especially your fit ball and weights if you have them. Since it is in the evening more people are planning on joining in and hopefully we'll have enough equipment to go around. Please be a few minutes early so you can set up and we can start and end on time. Thanks, Rachel #294-2377 (Call or email me if you have questions.)

The Oakland Temple

The Oakland Temple will be closed from 18 January to 1 February.
The visitors center will be open.

Did you know the visitors center is open 7 days a week, 9am to 9pm?

Family Search

Are you ready to begin working on your family history?

Do you:
- need individual help with your family history research
- need to learn how to use the New Family Search website

- don’t even have a clue where to start

Contact Karen R.

****You will need your church membership record number.

Please ask the Ward Clerk for your membership number****

Indexing!

Karen R. has been "indexing" for the Church. I emailed her and this was her response. I tried to rewrite it as a post for this blog...but her excitement isn't captured when I write it!

Indexing on FamilySearch.org

It’s fun! I think of it like a computer game. I’m currently working on the 1910 US Federal Census and do about 100 names a day. You are assigned random states and counties depending on what work is most urgently needed. The hardest part is that the condition of the information is sometimes very faint or smeared. Last week I got a group of names from 1910 Yountville, Napa County. I really enjoyed working on that one. Would you also put on the blog that there is a real needed for volunteer indexers and I can show how to do that in about 10 minutes. The more indexers we have the more information is available for family history. You can do as few or as many names as you want. There is no set number of names or time limit you have to work.

Do you want to learn?? Call Karen R. and she can teach you easily!!

HURRY!!!!!

Lucky Grocery Store is selling a 10 pound bag of potatoes for
97 cents!!!
I saw the queen of canning, Kathy F. at Lucky and she said that she would teach us how to can them. So, run, don't walk to Lucky and get a few bags. Kathy said to keep them in a cold garage and they would keep for a month.
Kathy started telling me all of the things she makes with canned potatoes and I was sold. I'm going to learn how to can potatoes, I hope you will too!

Fundraiser

Gabriela H. is trying to earn money to send Consuelo on a educational trip next year. She is selling DELICIOUS Traditional Holiday Chilean Bread. It's $7 a loaf.
Please contact Gabriela at 255-5897 or gabyhigdon@aol.com

The Young Women have offered to babysit for Free for two hours on Tuesday, Dec. 1st.

To reserve your spot, call a member of the YW Presidency.

Where: The Church

Who: Your Children, babysat by the YW

When: Tuesday, Dec. 1st 6pm-8pm

Cost: FREE!!

RSVP to the YW Presidency

Please remember to feed the children BEFORE you drop them off!

See's Candy

The Scouts are selling See's Candy to earn money for Scout Camp! Now's your chance to purchase boxes of chocolate for $6.00 or 1 pound gift certificates for $15.60.

These treats will make perfect gifts for teachers, home teaching and visiting teaching families, friends, mail carriers, and any one else on your list you want to spoil!

Holiday Service Opportunity

Dear Friends,

At this time of the year, we start thinking about all of our blessings that we are thankful for. Then, soon our thoughts turn to the upcoming Christmas season and holiday shopping.
I work as a Social Service Coordinator at Jefferson Street Senior Housing, a low income apartment complex. We have 91 extremely low income seniors, their rents are 30% of their total income. Some of my residents pay less than $100 per month. Some of my seniors are quite independent, others are not. Some drive, others do not. Some have great family support, others are quite forgotten.
I would love to give each of my residents a little Christmas gift. My personal budget will not allow me to do this, so I am looking for some Santa’s Helpers.
I am collecting gift cards in $10 increments. We are within walking distance to: Sizzler, Lucky, Genova Delicatessen, CVS, Subway, Safeway, See’s, Trader Joe’s, & Starbucks. Those who drive would enjoy an outing to any local restaurant, the movies, a book store, Walmart, Target, etc. I have several who knit and crochet who would love a yarn store gift card. I have several who attend our art class who would appreciate a gift card from the art store or Michael’s.
I am also willing to accept $$$ and I can go make some purchases for residents who do not get out.
If you could help in this service project please contact me at 258-2927. I would like to have the gift cards by Friday, December 4th.

Because of donations of cards, last year I made a small loaf of banana or zucchini bread, and added a Christmas story, fresh orange and a gift card for each resident. These were truly appreciated.

Thank you,
Shari Alkema