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.

February 5,2009

When I was in college, I had a professor who taught Old Testament.  He realized that sometimes it was difficult to get anything out of the Old Testament when you were 19, so he made us all a challenge.  The first part was that we all read the Old Testament.  That would mean a significant session of reading every day.  Every day we read, he wanted us to write in the margins of our Bible something that we could learn from what we had read.  He wanted us to search for learning as we read those far away words from a distant people.   I learned a lot that year.  The secret was to search for the lesson and actually learn it.  I’m 42 now and I don’t think I’ve changed much from when I was 19.  The only difference is that it’s easier for me to see my weaknesses now. 

This time though, instead of just reading the Old Testament.  (which I am trying to read through again.),  I think I need to find the lesson each day in my daily life.  I think for today’s lesson, I’ve learned how important it is to keep trying to understand all the Lord has offered.  I forget it sometimes when I read the scriptures and I forget it sometimes when I watch my son growing and realizing this day will never come again.  The child he is today will be gone when he goes to bed and a new one wakes up each morning.  I can’t skip over any of it because it’s all precious.

February 13th, 2009

This week I’ve been a lot more rigid with my kids about doing what I ask them to do.  I’ve taken away the Internet for a week for all of them.  DVDs and television are gone and will remain so until they ensure that the house is in the state that I’ve asked them to keep it for since they’ve been born and have ignored.  Some might say it’s just a mother getting frustrated and over reacting, but I really feel it’s for them.  I’ve been doing them disservice by being less strict.  They’ve began to ask less of themselves.  I’ve noticed my children having no problem with being mediocre or less.  I think they’ve taken their cue from me.  I haven’t demanded it of them.  I’ve rewarded them for there lack of effort by letting get what they want and not making them earn the privilege.

Being strict is harder on me than them.  I don’t enjoy it at all, but because I love them I see how it’s necessary.  Maybe one of the reasons Heavenly Father wanted us to have families on this earth is so that we could more fully understand how He feels toward us.  I would never compare myself to HeavenlyFather as a parent, but because of this earthly experience, I can better understand my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

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.

Cheap LDS Young Women Gifts

Sometimes the hardest part of being in the Young Women’s organization for the church is trying to find birthday gifts, camp gifts and tokens that help the girls to remember who they are and what they stand for.  I’ve dealt with this problem myself.  So because we have the ability to buy close out items from our wholesalers, we do have a few things that might be able to help you.  These LDS Young Women gifts  that are on close out can be sold even cheaper if you e-mail us or call the office at 1-888-891-3083.  When we saw what our wholesalers were willing to sell these items for, we bought all they had.  These are all closeouts and limited to on hand supplies.

“Be thou an Example of the Believers”

The Young Women’s and Young Men’s theme for 2009 deals with being an example that would lead others to Christ. 

Be thou an example of the believers
In word, in conversation, in charity,
In spirit, in faith, in purity, in purity.
Be though an example of the believers.

Remember our Saviour said, “Come unto me.”
Believe in His promise that truth makes us free.
He gave His life so we may come unto Him.
Be thou an example, be thou an example,
Be thou an example of the believers.

The Young Women and Young Men are some of the greatest examples I have every seen.  Everyone that I’ve seen has been an example. 

If you would like to see 2009 themed teaching aids for the theme or related products feel free to contact us.

LDS Temple Dress

Women in white elegance, doesn’t that just sound like something you find in the LDS Temple.  Well it is.  Some of the dresses that you will find in the temple just seem to accentuate the elegance of the sweet sisters who work there.  The LDS Temple Dress takes on many different styles and shapes, just like the women who wear them.  LDS Temple Dresses are, like the ladies in the temple, classic, timeless and utterly beautiful. 

White Temple clothes are readily available in many LDS Stores, so all of the choices of styles and fabric are in so many places.  Pictured above is one of the newest styles to be created.  This dress is called the Julia.  The Julia LDS Temple Dress is made of washable satin and has white flowers on the bodice.  It’s appearance is similar to the Michelle LDS Temple Dress.  The Julia LDS Temple Dress is also available in dull side out if you prefer a less shiny look.  These dresses are also available in petite sizes and Tall sizes.

LDS Blessing Dresses

A sweet little princess dressed in delicate white lace.  That’s how each little girl looks on the day that they’re blessed.  There are many places to look for different styles of these dresses.   It’s a little hard to see from a picture just how pretty a white dress is.  You can find an LDS Online Store that carries them.  Blessing Dresses come in many different sizes.  One lady I spoke to wanted her babies Blessing Gown to match a wedding dress her friend wore.   Luckily for those of us that are sewing impaired there are choices out there. 

Having a beautiful LDS Blessing dress for your daughter is just one of those special things that add to a memory that only comes once.  I’ve seen so many proud father’s hold their new little angel high enough so that the whole congragation can get a look at his beautiful new baby.  Even now that my first daughter is eighteen, I still go to my closet and feel the lace on the dress she wore when she was blessed by her father.  She is still that delicate sweet little light she was on that day.  All of them are.  No matter how much they grow up,  in my minds eye they still hold my finger tight with their hand.  The difference is how much more I feel the grip of it on my heart instead of my finger.

If anyone out there is interested in having their own LDS Store Distributorship.  Let us know.  We can help you out.  There is no start up cost at all.  It’s much like selling Avon.  All of the items we offer are online, but you can become one of our off-line affiliates and receive the same business opportunity that the online affiliates do.  If you are at all interested, please let us know.

E-mail  Specialtiesdistribution@1on1.net

When I was growing up, I knew that Lemon Meringue Pie was my dad’s favorite.  I also knew that if I made it for him, my life could be sweeter.  Needless to say, I could get anything I wanted if I made this pie for him.  I found that I need to be able to make atlest 4 at a time or I wouldn’t get a slice for me.  So I found something that helped.  The following is from an old make-a-mix cookbook.  It allowed me to make my own pudding.  The pudding tastes better anyway.  For the mix:

Mix-

2.5 cups presweetened powdered lemonaid mix 

1 cup & 2 Tbs Cornstarch

1.25 Cups sugar

1 tsp salt

 Mix this all together and keep it in a container.

For the pie:

1.25 cups mix

2.5 cups water

3 egg yolks

Put the ingredients all together in a double boiler. Cook it just like you would any cooking pudding that you would buy from a store in a small box.  This one is just cheaper.

There is a pie crust recipe that I’ve used since I was in kindergarten.  That’s when my mom first started to let me cook with her.  I’ve tried others, but they never work out quite as well.  In the last three years I haven’t baked much.  Probably because of working so much.  So, when I was asked to bring Lemon pie to Thanksgiving dinner I didn’t know what to do.  I couldn’t find the recipie and neither could my mother.  So I tried it from memory.  It turned out like I remember so I thought I’d write it down here before I forgot it again.

1 1/2 Cup Shortning (butter or regular it doesn’t matter

2 tsp salt

2 Tbs Milk

Cream these all together. Then:

Boil 2/3 Cup water  and add it to the mixture.  Stir it all together. Then add 2 cups of flour and stir it all in.  Then add 2 more cups 1 at a time.  for a total of 4 cups of flour.  The dough should be well formed.  Just sprinkle flour on it as needed to make it workable.  This makes enough for 5 shells.