GUARDIANS OF THE HEARTH....

My husband gave me this plaque at Christmas time. He said that as he
walked by it, he got chills as he thought of me, and my role as the
mother of the home, needless to say, I loved his gift, and his thoughts of me.

One of the things I love the most is looking eye to eye, spirit to spirit
with God's sweet little ones that have been sent to grow up in my family.

The complete trust that Heavenly Father and his little ones have in us,
is truly a humbling feeling. It is an honor and a great joy to be the ones
who get to be a child's "everything" as they grow up in our homes & families.

~Sophia and her Elmo and Ernie~

"We call upon parents to devote their best efforts to the teaching and
rearing of their children in gospel principles which will keep them close
to the church. The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other
instrumentality can take it's place or fulfill it's essential functions in
carrying forward this God-given responsibility." (Gordan B. Hinckley)

Ella knows who she is already...the other day her mommy said to her;
Ella, I love you, you are so special to me." And Ella replied to her mom;
"I special because Jesus made me a princess!"

On my next visit I took her a little necklace with a crown and told her
that I too know she is a very sweet princess to her Heavenly Father and
her Savior Jesus Christ.

~Caleb, Claire and Ella~

"If I could have one thing happen for parents, it would be that they feel the
love of the Lord in their lives each day, as they care for Heavenly Father's
children...I invite you, in all your dealings, to put on the mantle of charity, to
envelop your family in the pure love of Christ." (Bonnie D. Parkin)

Sophia on a safari hunt....

"Remember the love of your mother. Remember how she strove for
your welfare. Remember how willing she was to sacrifice her life for
your good. Remember what she taught you in your childhood...those
feeling will become a defense, a barrier between you and temptation.
(Joseph F. Smith)

I do believe that Claire has found her thumb!

"Mothers in Zion, your God-given roles are so vital to your own
salvation and to the salvation and exaltation of your family. A
child needs a mother more than all the things money can buy.
Spending time with your children is the greatest gift of all."
(Ezra T. Benson)

Ella, Claire and Caleb...3 little bugs in a rug!

"Heaven is a place, but it is also a condition; it is home and family.
It is understanding and kindness. It is interdependence and it is
selfless activity. It is quiet, sane living; personal sacrifice, and it is
genuine hospitality, wholesome concern for others. It is living the
commandments of God without ostentation or hypocrisy. It is
a sweet glimpse of heaven, or little bit of heaven on earth."
(Spencer W. Kimball)

Sophia knows how to enjoy a Valentine cookie!

"Mothers and fathers have a sacred responsibility to teach and
nurture their children. Mothers and grandmothers can prepare
their daughters and granddaughters to be the nurturers of their home."
(Daughters in My Kingdom)

~Tiffany and Claire~

"Every woman who strengthens and protects her family is doing
the work of God. Every woman who lives as a woman of God becomes
a beacon for others to follow and plants seeds of righteous influence that
will be harvested for decades to come, even into eternity. (M. Russell Ballard)

~Ella in all her Super-Cuteness~

"Children, being pure and holy, teach us something of our heavenly
home. No gift bestowed upon us is so precious as children. They
are proof that God still loves us. They are the hope of the future!"
(David O. McKay)

~Darin and Laura and family~

"The time will come when only those who believe deeply and
actively in the family will be able to preserve their family in the
midst of the gathering of the evil around us."
(Spencer W. Kimball-1980)

~Kelsey and Ronnie~

"Every sister who stands for truth and righteousness diminishes
the influence of evil. Every sister who makes and keeps sacred
covenants becomes an instrument in the hands of God."

~Kelton and Stetson~

Young men, regardless of your age, you are building your life;
it will be cheap and shoddy or it will be valuable and beautiful;
it will be full of constructive activities or it can be destructive;
it can be full of joy and happiness, or it can be full of misery. It
all depends upon you and your attitudes, for your altitude, or
the height you climb, is dependent upon your attitude or your
response to situations. (Spencer W. Kimball)

~Britton~

God bless young men...I know your Heavenly Father is your
true friend. Everything he asks you to do is right and will
bring blessings to you and make you manly and strong.
(Spencer W. Kimball)

~Megan~

"Of all the creations of the Almighty there is none more
beautiful than a lovely daughter of God. You have been
born at this time for a sacred purpose. Put the Lord first
in your lives, turn your hearts to him. You are the royal
daughters of the Lord in these the last days."
(Spencer W. Kimball)

~Brody~

There was a mom who was making divinity one day and she
allowed her little boy to eat all the divinity he could scrape
from the spoons, pans, and bowls. He and his mom were
listening to a talk, and the speaker said, "There is a spark of
divinity in each of us." The little boy jumped up and said,
"A spark of divinity? Wow, I'm full of it!"

Yes, children are full of divinity. Surely the angels attend them.
"Except we become as a little child, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
(Joanne B. Doxey)

Sophia with her mommy and daddy

"There is a saying that big gates move on small hinges. Sisters, your
example in seemingly small things will make a big difference in the
lives of young people. The way you dress and groom yourselves, the
way you talk, the way you pray, the way you testify. the way you live
every day will make the difference. This includes which TV shows you
watch, which music you prefer, and how you use the Internet.
(Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

My daughter Lisa gave this to me at Christmas time and I love it,
and I believe it, and I love to be that toy...it brings me so much joy!


"I do not believe that God's purposes on earth will ever be achieved
without the influence, strength, love, support, and special gifts of the
elect women of God. They are entitled to our deepest veneration, our
fullest appreciation, and our most profound respect. I believe angels
attend them in their motherly and grandmotherly ministry.

The spiritual rewards of motherhood are available to ALL women.
Nurturing the young, comforting the frightened, protecting the
vulnerable, teaching and giving encouragement need not...and
should not...be limited to our own children.
(James E. Faust)
***

I hope you enjoyed these quotes, each one given by different leaders over
the years in my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
And you can always count on a few grand children in my post, I am sure you
know that by now! God bless you...Guardians of the Hearth.

~WITH ALL MY LOVE~

VALENTINE LOVE...TREATS AND A WREATH.

~SENDING VALENTINE LOVE TO ALL OF YOU~

I wanted to show you the wreath on my front door.
My door is red as you can see, and I couldn't find anything for
Valentines Day that wasn't red like my door...so I decided to
make one of these white coffee filter wreaths. It was so so easy!

I just went to Google and there were several tutorials videos on
how to make one, chose an easy one, and it came together in 1 hour.

I used a 18" straw wreath circle and around 350 white filters and my glue gun.

I pulled the middle of each filter over the end of a marker, dabbed some hot glue
on the tip and pushed it slightly into the wreath, it went so fast and I just love it!

I looked out my window one morning to see my chickens on the front lawn...
Do you see what I didn't see at first glance? Look close, it's black like the hens...

Tada! It is a little wild black cat!

It has been hanging out with our chickens everyday. My husband puts
some dog food out for the chickens and this hungry little cat thought it was
for him. So, it has been sleeping in the chicken coop, and it follows the
chickens everywhere they go all day long.

I believe that it thinks it's a chicken!
When a chicken walks over to the cat, the cat will fall down
and roll over on it's back. What a cute friendship/family this is!
Just proves how much all of God's creations need love, us and little
wild kitties.

My inside cat loves to watch all of this going on...and she also loves
sleeping in this sunny spot under the old Singer sewing machine.

I groomed my little Bo the other day, he looked so cute!

But he didn't like it much...being without all that longer warm hair
gave him the chills, so I put his jacket on him and he hunkered down
in a warm blanket for the rest of the afternoon.

We have been gone visiting our littlest grands. I think the little ones
seem to grow the fastest and I just love to see them as often as we can
so they know who we are! This little dark eyed beauty is our sweet Claire.

Sophia, Ella and Caleb....waiting for a lane so we can all go bowling.

We waited and waited...but no lanes came available, so...

We all went to find a treat...here we are "pigging out," at a ice cream shop!

I went with my daughter Lindsey to "story time" at their local library.

They had a sweet greyhound there, his name was Darby.

Sophia loved him! He was a retired race dog and he was so gentle.

We had fun reading lots of stories...

And listening to stories....with Darby.

It was Lindsey's birthday, so we went shopping and out to lunch.
Sophia found something she just couldn't let go of...a snowman!


Here's a yummy Valentine treat for you...

"FROSTED CHERRY BARS"

(Heat the oven to 350' spray Pam on a 15X10" jelly roll pan)

Cream together til light and fluffy:
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

Add:
4 eggs, one at a time,
beating well after each egg.

Add dry ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
3 cups flour

Blend well, then spread about 2/3 of
the batter in the pan, reserving 1/3 for
the topping.

Drop 1 can, (21 oz.) Cherry Pie Filling over
batter. It won't cover over all of it, just drop
spoonfuls, evenly spaced over batter.
Now drop teaspoons of the remaining batter
over pie filling.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or til toothpick inserted
in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.

GLAZE
1 cup Powdered sugar
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
Mix and drizzle over bars.

Don't cover before serving or they
will go too soft.... DELICIOUS!!!

Tiffany's little ones, she sent us this for Valentines Day,
We just love it! So cute the way the baby is hanging onto the U.
(designed by Lindsey)

"THE FINDINGS OF A NEW STUDY"

A study was done by the University of Wisconsin-Madison
(about something all mom's already know) It was this....

Instant messaging can't compete with phoning mom when it comes to
quelling stress. This new study said that hearing mom's voice soothes in
ways that texting simply can't.

Just talking to mom reduced levels of cortisol, a stress bio marker, and
increased oxytocin, a key hormone related to healthy relationships and
pleasure. It also said that emails or computer contact was similar to no
contact at all. The comforting sound of a familiar voice like mom's is
responsible for the hormonal differences observed. Also, that a mom's
voice, it's tones and intonations and rhythms, triggers soothing effects.

So there you have it, something all mom's already know, so, what is the
moral of this study? Call your mom! You need it and so does she!


HAVE A SUPER WONDERFUL, LOVE FILLED, VALENTINES DAY!

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS....

There once was a shining Christmas tree standing out where all could see.
It's brilliance captured every eye and seemed to cheer each passerby.

"The lights are so bright", they would say and hesitate to walk away.
The tree stood proud ablaze with light, for every light was burning bright.

Then one bulb was heard to say; "I'm tired of burning night and day, I
think I'll just go out and rest, for I'm too tired to do my best, besides, I
am so very small, I doubt if I'd be missed at all."

Then a child lovingly touched the light, "Look mother, this one shines so
very bright. I think of all the lights upon the tree, this one looks the best to me."

"Oh my goodness," said the light, "I almost dimmed right out of sight.
I thought perhaps no one would care if I failed to shine my share."
With that, a glorious brilliance came, for every light had felt the same.

The Gospel, like this Christmas tree, with little lights which are you and me,
We each have a space that we must fill with love, and lessons and good will.

Let's keep our tree ablaze with light, with testimonies burning bright.
For the Gospel is a living tree, that lights the way to Eternity.

*****

This little story also makes me think of each of you...
Each of you hold out a very special light to each one of
us here in blog-land. Each has something "special" to offer,
keep shining YOUR light, it may be just what someone else is
needing and looking for. We each carry gifts... to bless others!

HOLIDAY DRESSING

About 2-3 days before,
break into pieces, 1 loaf of
Italian bread. Lay it out to
dry on a big cookie sheet,
stirring it all now and then.

Morning of, brown together:
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
2 cups celery, diced
add:
a little parsley
1 tsp. Poultry seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. sage
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Cook all til done and tender

Fold in: 1 package fresh mushrooms
1 package of Craisins

Mix together:
1 cup melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can of water (or) Chicken broth
Mix all together

Pour the above mixture, along with the
sausage and veggie mix, over your dried
Italian bread crumbs, in a big bowl, mix together.

Place all in a foil lined 9x13 pan, pour a bit of water
under the foil. Cover dressing with foil and bake at
325' -350' for 1 hour, taking foil off so top can brown
the last 15 minutes. Serve in a big bowl or dish.

I have stopped cooking a turkey, I now cook a big turkey breast.
These come from Utah's Norbest turkey farms. They are called
Sweetheart Turkey Breasts, and they are SO moist and So filled
with flavor. I like not having to carve a turkey, and I like having
lots of good meat and not so much bone. They are 10 lbs. and I
usually do 2 of them at a time for a big dinner.

Sending all of you... my sweet friends and family, ALL MY LOVE for
Christmas! I simplified everything this year, and am enjoying it all
so much more. I hope you are also...let the love of our Savior FILL
your heart...the spirit of Christmas after all is...Christ.
***

It has been said that Christmas is for children; but as the years of childhood fancy pass away and an understanding maturity takes their place, the simple teachings of the Savior that; "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35) becomes a reality. The evolution from a pagan holiday transformed into a Christian festival, to the birth of Christ in men's lives, is another form of maturity that comes to one who has been touched by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
(Howard W. Hunter)


MERRY CHRISTMAS
from little me to all of you!