Linda Reeves

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  announced a new Relief Society General Presidency today in General Conference.  As soon as I heard Elder Uchtdorf release Sis. Beck and her counselors, I told Scott they were going to call Linda Reeves.  And sure enough, she was put in as second counselor to Sis. Linda Burton. 

The exciting thing about Linda being put in the General Relief Society Presidency is now the whole world will know what we in Duarte have always known.  And that is Linda is a very special person.  

 You can read about her 2012 General Relief Society message by clicking here. 

Stop and Hear the Music

One of the things I like to do is listen to past BYU devotionals.  This one entitled, Vision in the Wilderness, was given by Elder Wickman  at BYU Idaho on March 27, 2012.   It was such a great devotional! 

Elder Wickman  talked how we are living in a, wilderness we call mortality—and that, like Lehi, we can experience revelation in this wilderness. But we must look upon this wilderness experience as a time of refinement, or, to quote the words of another Book of Mormon prophet, as a “time to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24, 34:32). Visions come in the Lord’s time, not in our own time; but Lehi’s experience teaches that they do come if we are preparing for them.

Elder Wickman talked about four  lessons we can learn in the wilderness:

• Remember!  The fruit of the tree sustains in the wilderness.  Devour it!
• Remember! The Iron rod brings safe passage through the wilderness.  Grasp it!
• Remember!  Opportunity is created by the wilderness. Seize it!
• Remember!  Roses bloom, even in the wilderness.  Take time to smell them!

I especially liked this last story he told reminding us to  take time to smell the roses:

Finally, I come now to my fourth “wilderness lesson.” Roses bloom, even in the wilderness. Take time to smell them! When I urge you to move forward toward life and career with vigor and purpose, I mean to suggest a brisk, purposeful march, not a headlong, pell-mell sprint that shuts out everything else that is worthy and enjoyable in a beautiful world, leaving you exhausted, empty, and “burned out.” In my experience, if some of us are seduced by the trial of ease, others of us become bewitched by the pursuit of fame and fortune to the exclusion of all else. Balance is needed.

By way of illustration of that point—and the beauties that are out there for our enjoyment if we will but pause to do so—I share with you this piece that appeared a few years ago in the Washington Post:

“A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

“Three minutes went by, and a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

“The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged him along, hurried, but the [lad] stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

“In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

“No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.”¹

Here is the Washington Post article about Joshua Bell's experience in the Washington DC metro station.
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Click here to find past devotionals given at BYU Idaho
Click here to find past devotionals given at BYU Hawaii
Click here to find past devotionals given at BYU Provo

Getting ready for.....

...Friends to Seminary Breakfast!

Our class volunteered to help with the table decorations.  

It is quite the tradition with the Monrovia/Duarte Seminary to have an, Invite Your Friends to Seminary Breakfast Day.  Each year the seminary students invite their friends and teachers from school to attend early morning seminary with them.   It's a great way to start the day....with 100+ of your friends from school!

What's Lisa Doing These Days?

In Lisa's last email home she sent this picture......

She said, "We teach anyone/thing who will listen." 

I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Click here for more information.

Sweetness

Is It Already That Time of Year Again?

I love General Conference.  I'm looking forward to watching it on March 31 and April 1.  

 

 General Conference is broadcast the first week of every April and October. 

You can listen to it on:  churchofjesuschrist.org. 

The Rewards of Missionary Work

"i was thinking about the baptisms we´ve had, and they have all been miracles. conversion IS a miracle. people have problems in their lives due to their bad choices, or the bad choices of others--or maybe they have good lives, but there is somthing missing--and they listen to a couple of kids (us) teach them about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they repent and completely change and then they are happy."

"and then one day they go to the temple. so great, eh?"

Lisa Magnusson

from her weekly email

March 5, 2012

Home and Family Organization

My sister-in-law, Karen, gave a class this weekend on home organization. She has some great ideas and I'm happy to share them on this blog. Thanks for the tips, Karen!

Home and Family Organization

Being organized is about function:  being able to find what you need, when you need it.  Organization affects how you live in your home, how productive you are, and how well you manage your time.  

“Family Organization” is trying to get it all done--usually with younger hands helping, and often with older hands not helping--on very little sleep!       

#1 Must-Have:

*Family Calendar (separate from Mom’s digital one)—everyone needs to see paper copy of immediate and future events: dentist appt, Open House, days off, ball games/recitals, family vacation, birthdays, Gen. Conf.  

Kitchen:

*Plastic boxes keep things orderly--group things together that you use together.

*Put all small baking supplies into one plastic square near mixer: salt, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, toothpicks, floss (for rolls).  Keep sprinkles, candles, food color, etc. together in another.

*Store brown sacks and lunch goodies in one area.

*4^th-5^th-graders can make lunches for family

*Multi-size, clear containers for left-overs have one-size lids—available at Smart and Final.

*No more sink full of cups!  Hang personal mugs from 1 ½” cup hooks screwed under upper cupboard.

*Set table, don’t toss down plates and forks.  Napkins always.  Restaurant plastic glasses from Smart/Final.

*Add extra serving spoons to your utensil drawer from Ross, Walmart.

*Serve dinner foods from serving dishes, not from pots on the table

*A freezer in the garage helps you shop much less often: milk, bread, meats, vegetables

*Buy chicken and ground beef in bulk; cook ahead; portion for meals; freeze in bags.  Faster dinners!

*Cook large dinners on Sun, Mon, Tue, and repeat left-overs on Wed, Th, Fri.  Pizza /quesadilla on Date Nites

*Crockpots save “Family Dinners” on extra-busy nights. 

*Have one low cupboard full of plastic bowls for baby to play in while you cook and work.

Bathroom:

*Mark towels with appliqué initials or numbers , or have one-color-per-person.  White for teens with meds.

*Use large towel hooks, instead of rods—kids won’t fold and hang!

*Clean bathroom every time kids are in tub.  Use Lysol wipes often.

*Have a small, squishy plastic bin with holes for tub-toys to drain. (Target, $1 aisle) Net bags are clumsy.

*Toss out your piles of old make-up in drawers, and cleaning supplies under sink! 

*Organize girly clips, bows in plastic fishing-tackle box (Walmart)—cheaper than scrapbooking box.  OR

*Use clear plastic over-door shoe organizer to hold bows, clips, brush, spray.  Hang in bath or near home exit.

Bedroom:

*With younger kids, consider 66 qt. clear bin as “clothes drawer” inside closet.  Minimize their wardrobes!

*Keep church clothes/shoes separate from others.

*In time, get strongest dressers you can afford—no laminate with thin bottoms!  Buy unfinished, if necessary.

*Think “Space-Saver.” Consider tall, skinny bookcase as baby’s dresser.

*Consider twin-over-double bunk beds.  Roommates may work better as #1+3, #2+4  

*Try to store toys out of bedrooms, if possible

*Have less toys available at once; rotate.  Store in clear boxes or zippered bags out of reach. Offer 1-at-a-time.

*Kids’ personal boxes 14”x11”x3” hold short-term “keepers.” (Target, $5) When full, throw something out.

*Keep books in bedroom.  Use “book tubs” when shelving is unavailable.  Use CD player in rooms, w/ music.

*Think about keeping all shoes in one place, near home exit.

Laundry:

*Think “Prevention First.”  Keep toddlers using bibs for as long as possible to save on clean clothes.

*Have kids re-wear tops/bottoms until definitely dirty, not barely-dirty.

*Keep a personal hamper in bedrooms.

*Four tall family hampers to sort into: Whites, Mediums, Darks, Towels.  (Use Lysol generously, often) 

*Kids bring down personal laundry and sort into tall hampers--when full, that’s about a load.    

* Use stackable baskets to fold clothes into—bottom-to-top in birth order.  Kids take, unload, restack.

*When kids are close in age, buy distinctly-patterned underwear for each size:  size 4--butterflies;  size 6--flowers; size 8--solids.  Same idea for brothers:  trucks for one size; super-heroes for another.

*Socks are best left in community cubbies; also “LOST SOCKS” cubbies

*High-Schoolers always do own laundry; begin in Jr. High for some.  No washing after 10pm or Sundays!

*New (poor) fabrics require hang-drying for teen-clothes.  Immodest clothes sometimes just “disappear.” 

Storage:  

*Kids’ hanging files—fill during year with report cards, talks, programs, awards, special art/homework, etc.  Empty at year-end into large manila envelope; label and store in child’s personal bin.

*Everyone has one “Baby Box” with items and folders from ages 0-18.  (Hoarders or RMs have two bins)

*Maintain a separate manila envelope labeled for each child’s extra or outdated portraits

*Store clean, usable clothing in labeled boxes for hand-me-downs.  Don’t keep too many of one size—donate!

*Keep diaper bag always packed; rotate toys, books; replace with fresh burp cloths, blankets, cup, after an outing.  Have emergency diapers/wipes in Ziploc under front seat of car.  Update diaper size as nec.

*Have a Church diaper bag separate from the Everyday diaper bag—only snacks for baby on Sunday.

*Separate crayons, markers, colored pencils, into clear shoeboxes—store carefully and only bring out each as age-appropriate.  No markers in the wrong hands!

*Store in separate clear bins:  doll stuff, dishes, Legos, Thomas, etc

*Purchase birthday party presents ahead to save on extra shopping trips

*A long, low bin creates an under-the-bed wrapping center:  scissors, tape, papers, bows, bags, tags.

Cleaning:

*Many websites have schedules.  De-cluttering is first goal!  

*When you “friendship” and entertain regularly, you will clean more often.

*Keep a trash can in the garage next to driver’s side for quick clean-ups

Stress Self-Sufficiency always:

*Mom can’t be everywhere or do everything, so everyone learns many jobs:  lunches, laundry, cleaning, cooking.  Rotate often!

*Allow them to volunteer.   

*Teach children the correct way so that they will practice that.

*Use pictorial wall charts to self-direct them in the morning:  brush teeth, dress, bed, hair, eat, chores, pets

*On Sunday mornings, Mom feeds and dresses baby and self, others buddy-up.  Car leaves on time, whatever the hairstyles! 

President Boyd K. Packer, Apostle and Father of 10:  “I think one of the major mistakes in teaching children is the tendency for parents to be bothered when children want to participate and to learn something…Our children were allowed to help when they were little, urged to help when they grew a little older, and sometimes ordered to help when they were teenagers.  They have, accordingly, learned to do many things for themselves, and very expertly.”    (Ensign, March 2012, pg 12, emphasis added.)

Karen and her family