Group Date ideas for LDS Young Women

 LDS Young Women are always being told to group date.  It’s good advice for LDS Youth, but all youth.  The only problem is that sometimes it’s easy to go to the old standard of buying pizza and  getting a DVD to watch over at your friends house.  Unfortunatly, that doesn’t create an atmosphere for getting to know your date.  It also tends to change a date into a hanging out event. 

I’ve tried to help my daughters and their friends come up with some original get to know you dates.  They’ve really had a lot of fun doing them, and it tends to weed out guys that don’t have a good sense of humor and those who think they’re just to cool for school.  The following is one of those ideas;

 

These instructions are to be given to the group along with a video camera.  All of the activities are to be video taped so that Head Quarters can review them after their mission has been completed.   The job of video taping should be one that’s shared between all participants so that they all have the opportunity to participate in the “assignments.”

 

First Letter:

 

You have been selected to fulfill a top secret mission.  Every move that you make is being closely watched by many operatives.  Your ability to carry out each task to the fullest detail will ensure that you will be able to move on to the next part of your assignment.

One of our finest agents is out in the field right now waiting to make contact with your group.  The first part of your mission is to make contact.  Since this agent is a master of disguise, you will need to ask each and every person exiting and entering the Smith’s Grocery Store in Herriman if they are Double O 7. (OO7).  When our operative feels it is safe, he or she will give youfurther instructions.  Ifyou want to move onto the next task, please follow instructions.

Sincerely

HQ

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2nd envelope

If you have this letter in your possession, you have successfully identified 007.  Congratulations.  Your next task will take you to a new location.  It appears that our enemy has a flair for the dramatic.  So you will need to go to the Large Movie Theater located at the District.  On the sidewalk near the entrance of the Theater you will need to reinact a scene from any Scooby Doo episode or the movie.  Someone will be watching.  You will only move on to your next assignment if as a group you put enough effort into this assignment.  Do not disappoint us.  We are watching.

HQ

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3rd envelope

An operative is already waiting to hand off your next assignment at the Harmons not far from where you are.    This operative is more than a little frightened of such a dramatic group. 
Therefore, it is imperative that you are perfectly still as they approach.  So, if the eight of you can stand in front of the Harmons entrance striking a pose and not moving, this operative will then feel it safe to hand off the next part of your assignment.  Remember, as still as a statue, and in plain sight.  Also,  they like animals.  If you can strike a pose as if you were a zoo animal that would probably be best.

HQ

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4th envelope

 

Your local government has become involved in this case Right now your Mayor has instructions for you.  You will find them at his house under the mat.  All you need to do for this assignment is to get the instructions from under the front door mat and read them carefully.

HQ

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5th envelope

Please head for the park.  Not just any park, but the biggest one in the area.  Your instructions are waiting for you there.  Your last assignment there will determine the reward you recieve at the end of your mission.  A package is waiting for you in the bowery.  There will be instructions there.

HQ

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6th envelope

Inside, are some of the most advanced weapons of our time. (cans of whipping cream). It is time to seperate in to teams.   You and your partner will be facing off against everyone else.  It is now your mission to unload all of the ammo in your weapon on all opposing teams.  Battle can be messy and victyory is not for the weak of heart.  After you are done, there are towels in the back of the car for clean up.  Your last instructions will come when all ammo has been discharged.  If you turn on your partner, You will be everyone’s target.

HQ

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7th Letter

It is time to end where you began.  Come back to Head Quarters at once.

HQ

 

After the kids come back having their hair crusted with whipped cream.  Feed them a nice lunch and they can play a board game.  This was used as a day activity for a School Dance.  After it was over, they had Taco Soup and left to get ready for the Dance.   It was a lot cheaper than Laser Tag and lasted longer.

Things to Make an LDS Woman’s Life Easier-easy home made bread and Pumpkin Cookies

I’m sure every LDS Mother out there is busy.  I’ve never know one not to be.  And so when I look at my lifestyle or lack thereof, I just assume that every other mother in my ward is going through the same thing.  My husband and I own and opperate an LDS Online Gift Store.  This take up a great deal of my time.  But one of the reasons we decided to do this was so that most of my work time would be spent in our home.  You see like most typical LDS Families,  we have a lot of kids.  We have six kids.  The oldest right now is a Sr. in High School, and the youngest is three years old and not potty trained.  He refuses to go even though he knows how.  He does however give the best hugs and smiles the biggest smiles.

My husband is a computer programmer and works outside the home.  We also put together LDS Temple Trips about 3-4 times a year.  This is a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding.  My oldest kids have been able to visit many LDS Church History sites that we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.  And as importantly, they have been able to associate with such wonderful people.  A lot of the people who travel with us are grandparents and their example of faith and love to the Lord has touched the lives of the girls.  In order for the girls to go with us, they have to handle luggage, be really, really,really really good and serve others instead of expecting my husband and I to take care of them.  The people who go with us have enriched our lives in so many ways that it is worth every effort.

The problem is, I don’t have much time to cook now days.  I used to love it.  So I’ve found some great things that make my life easier.  For gifts, I shop online.  Even clothing can be found online.  I found some modest shirts for my girls that work great.  I also foundd a few really easy tried and true recipies.  Let me share two with you:

Home made Bread: I Like to do this in a large bowl with a good strong wooden spoon.  That way I have less dishes to do.

7 Cups of Flour (I like to use wheat flour)

5 Cups of really HOT water

Mix this together completely, then ADD

1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt

2/3 Cups Sugar

1/4 Cup cooking oil

Stir this in with the other ingedients competely, The ADD

2 Tablespoons of Yeast

Sprinkle the yeast over the dough and then stir it in.  The dough should still be nice and warm from the Hot Water.  Let it sit for a few minutes while you clean off the counter. 

Then Cup by Cup add between 4-6 cups of white flour.  After the first 3 cups you might want to sprinkle a little flour on the counter, pour the dough out and start using your hands instead of the spoon.  Make a nice firm dough ball.  Then, cover the ball with the bowl you were using.  This needs to be a really big bowl.  When the dough doubles in size, sprinkle a little more flour on it and knead it as little as you have to.  The more you touch it, the more flour it will take to get it un-sticky.  Don’t over knead because all that flour will make your bread heavy.  Now you have really good bread dough.  I don’t like to use large bread pans, they never bake evenly in my oven.  I use smaller loaf pans at 350 degrees, or you can make breadsticks, rolls or a braid. 

The best part is that your house smells great when you bake it and your husband and kids are happy when they eat it.

The next recipie is for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Just mix the following in a really large bowl.

1 Large can Pumpkin

2 Cups Brown Sugar

2 Tsp Vanilla

2 Eggs

1 tsp nutmeg

2tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Baking Soda (make sure there are no lumps)

1 Cup cooking oil

Mix this together really well.  When it’s mixed good, add

4 Cups of Flour  but add it and stir it in 1 cup at a time.  When this is all mixed together, add

1 package of Chocolate Chips.  Milk Chocolate are my kids favorite but it tastes good with semi-sweet.

Make 1-2 inch blobs of dough on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake them at 350 degrees.  Depending on your oven it could take 8-15 minutes a tray.  When the cookies are firm to the touch and there is a little color on the bottom they are done.  They’re good hot, but better when they are cold.  You can taste the pumpkin better when they’re cooled down.

One of the reasons I’m putting these two recipies on my blog is so I don’t loose them.  These are keepers.

Pizza Dough for a big Mormon Family

LDS Family Stuff

I’ve found another recipie that I really want to keep.  I’ve tried a few different pizza dough recipies and this is the one that my family voted on.  They like this one the best.  It’s light enough and crispy.

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of oil

3 1/3 cups flour

Mix the brown sugar, water and oil.  Let them set in a small bowl.  While that sets, put the flour and the salt together.  It should take about 5-10 minutes for the yeast mixture to start mushrooming.  When that mixture has a good foam on it, pour it into the flour and mix it together.  knead it with your hands when it gets really stiff.  Spray whatever pan you put cook the pizza on and knead the dough out onto the pan. 

I use canned spagetti sauce for the pizza sauce.  add toppings and cheese.  You can let it set for a few minutes in a warm place if you want the dough to rise a little.   Cook at 400 – 425 depending on your oven until the bottom of the pizza is a little brown.