Faith- conference talk 1

Faith—the Choice is Yours

Richard C. Edgley
First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric

---

Close Video

Close Audio

Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.

This is one of the 2 Conference talks I have chosen to read for my first experience under the first YW Value in my Personal Progress "Faith".  I remember this talk well, it's a great one! I'm still working on this experience where I am getting in to a habit of praying every morning when I get up and every  night before I go to bed for 3 weeks.   Enjoy this message!

Still Standing: Setting Goals

Faith  

  Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true (Alma 32:21).
I am a daughter of Heavenly Father, who loves me. I have faith in His eternal plan, which centers on Jesus Christ, my Savior

Required Value Experiences

Complete the following three required value experiences. Have your parent or leader sign and date each experience after you finish.

1

The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Learn about faith from the scriptures and living prophets. Read Hebrews 11; Alma 32:17–43; Ether 12:6–22; and Joseph Smith—History 1:11–20. Read two general conference talks on faith. Exercise your own faith by establishing a habit of prayer in your life. Begin by regularly saying your morning and evening prayers. After three weeks of following this pattern, discuss with a parent or leader what you have learned about faith and how daily personal prayer has strengthened your faith. In your journal express your feelings about faith and prayer.


I've decided to try and get my YW medallion, especially since in order for an adult woman to get it we only have to do the first 3 experiences in each value,  no projects.  I'm excited!  

Eating Healthier

I have been wanting to find an easy way to start eating healthier.  Especially now that I am working full time.  I work sitting at a computer a lot and I need to snack from time to time.  I want to start making my daily routine a bit more productive in the healthy living department.  So, I am starting something new this week.  I'll tell you how it goes if it works for me.  But in the mean time I found this awesome list of low calorie healthy snacks to eat during the day.  I love variety!  I mean who likes to eat the same things all the time? Not me!  So, here's a list I found on the internet that I am excited about using.

28 Low Calorie Healthy snacks 

1. One can Low Sodium V-8 100% Vegetable Juice
(30 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0 grams fat, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram dietary fiber, 80 mg sodium)
2. 14 Whole Natural Almonds
(80 calories, 3 grams of protein, 7 grams total fat, .5 grams saturated fat, 1.5 grams dietary fiber)
3. 1 small box of raisins
(130 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0 grams total fat, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams dietary fiber)
4. Fruit, sliced and packed in plastic mini-bags, or whole
(Think apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, and more…)
5. Sliced Veggies
(Cut them up and keep stored in the refrigerator so they are ready to go. Think carrots and beyond such as sweet peppers both green and red, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, snow peas, celery, cucumbers, fennel, and radishes. Calories vary but you can eat a cup or so any of these for less than 100 calories.)
6. Babybel Light Cheese with 50 calories per piece.
7. Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge with 35 calories a wedge.
8. 3/4 cup Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal
(110 calories, 4 grams of protein, 1.5 grams total fat, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams dietary fiber. How about ½ cup Kashi Heart to Heart with 1 Tbsp. of either raisins or craisins for a total of about 100 calories. Makes a great low calorie, crunchy and sweet trail mix.)
9. ¾ cup Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran
(90 calories with 5 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of protein, only 0.5 grams saturated fat)
10. ½ cup Quaker Oatmeal Squares
(105 calories with 2.5 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of protein, negligible saturated fat)
11. ½ of a Balance Bar
(Full bar has about 200 calories, 14 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, 22 grams of carbohydrates)
12. ½ of a Luna Bar
(Full bar has about 180 calories, 10 grams of protein, 4.5 grams of fat, and 24 grams of carbohydrates)
UPDATE: I’ve now learned that you can buy a box of Luna minis each of which has only 80 calories. You get 18 snack-size bars with 6 each of 3 different flavors: White Chocolate Macadamia, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Lemon Zest. They’re pretty good! Available at Walmart and elsewhere.
Another good choice is Larabar. These bars can be purchased 12 mini bars per box with 90-100 calories each. The three flavors offered include Cherry Pie, Cashew Cookie, and Apple Pie.
13. 2 medium Kiwis
(90 calories or 45 calories each. Do watch how you transport these they will bruise easily!)
14. 1 carton Vanilla Soy Milk
(120 calories, 7 grams of protein, 4 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber)
15. 1 carton of low-fat plain or flavored yogurt with 100 calories or less
(Read the labels there are a number of choices. (Keep in mind that yogurt is highly perishable so remember to eat within 2 hours of taking out of the refrigerator or keep cold in an insulated bag. Examples: Dannon Light Nonfat Yogurt with 50 calories.)
16. Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop 94% Fat-free Butter Microwave Popcorn
(Has only 110 calories for a full mini-bag that makes about 6 cups of popcorn with 3 grams of protein, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 4 grams of dietary fiber)
17. Finger food puffs
(I haven’t tried this but I know others who say the “finger food” puffs made for babies are a great treat. They come in flavors such as strawberry, cherry, sweet potato, banana, and apple cinnamon. Evidently you can eat as many as 80 for only 25 calories! I haven’t been able to verify this.)
18. String cheese
(Look for convenient individual packages or larger packs in a variety of brands. For example, Reduced Fat, Low Moisture Mozzarella String Cheese by Sargento has 50 calories each, 6 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of carbohydrate)
19. Individual fruit cups
(70 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0 grams fat, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber)
20. Organic Applesauce Cups
(Earth Kidz is one brand with 50 calories per cup, 0 grams protein, 0 grams fat, 13 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram dietary fiber.)
21. Pepperidge Farm whole-wheat mini bagels
(1 bagel has 100 calories, 4 grams of protein, 0.5 grams total fat, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber)
22. Mi-Del Old-fashioned “Swedish Style” Vanilla Snaps
(These are all natural, made with canola oil and have no trans fat. A serving size is 5 cookies with 130 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat, 21 grams of carbohydrates, and 1 gram of dietary fiber.)
23. Salmon Jerky
(1 package has 40 calories, 7 grams of protein, .5 grams fiber, 0 fat, 2 grams carbohydrate, 274 mg sodium. This product comes in various smoked flavors that are surprisingly good. I liked the Hot & Spicy Smoked Salmon Jerky. Can be ordered from Tony’s Smokehouse and Cannery in Oregon City, Oregon. http://www.tonyssmokehouse.com Sadly these are not cheap at $1.49 each and the shipping they charge is high! Know anyone in Oregon who could buy some for you?)
24. Reduced Fat Triscuits by Nabisco
(A serving of 7 crackers has 120 calories with 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 21 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of dietary fiber.
25. Wasa Hearty Rye Crispbread
(45 calories per serving, 1 gram of protein, 0 grams of fat, 11 grams total carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber)
26. Rice Crisps with cheddar cheese and other flavors
(O.K. admittedly, this may be one of my least nutritious recommendations but it satisfies my desire for higher calorie snack foods and cheese which I have to limit at my age. As such, it provides a lot of great flavor for only a few calories per chip. The basic product is made by a number of different companies. The brand that I can find locally has 70 calories for a serving of about 9 chips with 25 calories from fat. It is not a whole grain product and has no fiber. The good news is that is has no saturated fat or trans fat!)
27. Grace’s Sunflower Seeds Petite Cookies
(These little cookies are deliciously satisfying. 6 cookies makes for a serving with 130 calories. Stick with just four or five for about 110 calories or less, 2 grams protein, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 15 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram dietary fiber. You may have a hard time finding this particular brand where you live. If so, check your local natural foods co-op or health food store to see what else you might find.)
28. One Pomegranate
(Yes, this could get a little messy and be time consuming to eat but it is also very satisfying and nutritious. Look for the juicy flesh-covered seeds inside. One pomegranate has about 100 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram of dietary fiber.)

P.S.  Don't ever say I never gave you anything! :) 
Happy Healthy Eating!
Enjoy!

Crocheting....my new favorite pass time...again

Recently I bought a small crocheted washcloth like these here.  I brought it home and was extremely impressed with the way it cleaned my granite counter tops.  So, I instantly fell in love with it and decided that I needed to learn how to crochet my own washcloths.  So, I enlisted the help of my friend Marie down the street who brought out several of her own and proceeded to teach me how to crochet them.

Here are a couple of green ones that I made and now I'm working on making more.  I am hoping to have several colorful ones made that I can sell at a boutique we are doing at the end of the month.

You need to use 100% cotton yarn for these and an "H" hook. Super easy and super strong washcloths.

Years ago when my kids were little I became friends with a young girl I met at girls camp.  She and I quickly became very close friends even though I am about 19 years older than her....what can I say, I'm young at heart;).  Anyway, she taught me how to crochet.  She used a very big hook like the blue one you see here.

Anyway, she made some blankets for my kids and then she taught me how to make them and I went crazy.  Seems like I made about 4 or 5 of them for different people.  So, since I started making the washcloths, I decided to make me another afghan of fall colors.  Here's the starting of my new one.  You do use 3 scanes of yarn at a time and you'll probably do this about 3 or 4 times.  I'll post the finshed product when I am done.  Crocheting is so relaxing and rewarding.  If I can do it....anyone can!

Perfect timing

So, General Conference just ended.  It's always sad when it ends.  You can feel it in the First Presidency's voices too.  They dont want to say goodbye anymore than we want them to leave.  However, I was just thinking how blessed we are with technology these days.  Every six months without fail we get to see them and listen to their words of wisdom and love and to see their smiling faces.  It is such a blessing! 

Well, this was all perfect timing I might add.....because....on Friday night as I was realizing that the week had come and gone and once again I was left without a job.  So, I was preparing myself for the coming week when I would be once again out looking for a job.  I had just come home from the store and it was 7pm.  I was in the kitchen talking to My Man and my oldest son when my phone rang.  I recognized the number and could not believe that the temp agency was calling me back.  They called to let me know that the company I had inteviewed with on Wednesday wanted to offer me the position with their company!  I was shocked!  It was so late.  But I guess it was the end of their day and they had made a decision.  Finally!  So, I now have a job.  It was thru a temp agency but the job is actually permanent if it all works out okay.  I'll tell you a bit about it......It is a fairly new company of a couple of years which is doing quite well.  They are an Internet Social Network Marketing Company.  There are 2 owners and and they have about 10 employees but one of the owners is in need of an Administrative Assistant to keep him organized and on his toes.  So, that's me!  I really dont know what to expect.  These guys are probably in their early early 30's.  They are doing pretty well and they have a very nice office in Provo....sooo.....we'll see.  I start tomorrow!  Wish me luck!

and I'm Still Standing....

Okay, so I had a real big let down last week when I didn't get the job I wanted.  The last one I told you about....they hired someone else.  I was feeling really really sorry for myself.  I really wanted that job!  Well, that made me start to question everything about myself.  I am amazed how something like that could make me question my confidence, and just so many other things.  I was really bummed!  So, I decided that I needed direction and inspiration in my life.  Because truthfully, I didn't know where to go from here.  I guess I could have just thought, "oh well, I'll just keep looking".  But that's not what I thought.  But, what I did think about was the fact that the General RS conference was coming up that next day and I had tickets to go to it!  I just gave a lesson a few weeks ago in RS about General Conference.  I love General Conference and I know that is is our road map for the next 6 months in our lives. 

I got up Saturday morning feeling really low.  I decided that I would go next door to help do some painting inside the house.  Even though I felt like poo poo!  So, there I was working along side my oldest son and my husband....painting away.  I had a small can of paint that I had just finished cutting in with on this big wall downstairs.  Then I started to roll out the rest of the wall.  So, there I was rolling and rolling and then suddenly I hit the small bucket of paint off the ladder and it spilled all over the basement floor.  So, what do you think I did?  I started to cry!  Me!  I cried like a baby!  I couldn't believe it.  I said to Mike, "see, I cant even do this stupid painting"!  Mike said, "it's okay hunny, we can clean it up...you're doing a good job"!  Michael looked at me and said, "Mom, are you crying?"  I just cried like a baby,it was funny and a bit pathetic ( I dont usually cry so easily like that) but......oh so real!  I quickly finished the wall and went back inside the house, got into the shower and got ready to go to the RS conference.  So, what if it was 3 hours early.  I wanted to get away and to get to that conference a.s.a.p.!

So, Conference was wonderful.  We sat in the 10 row from the front.  Afterwards I felt renewed.  I knew that going there I would find answers to my questions about where to go from here.  I was a bit surprised to learn that I just needed to continue to put my family first and just go about my life the way I had been and that everything was going to be okay.  That I just needed to slow down and take one day at a time and everything else would fall into place.  The next day was Sunday and I had a great day!

This week I am back at it.  Looking for work and being open to whatever happens and just being myself and being okay with it. I actually got a call back from the company that I interveiwed with and they let me know that they have some other Administrative Assistant positions coming up that they want to interveiw me for in the near future. That was great news because I realized that they must have found me overqualified and better suited for a higher paid position which the Admin Asst positions are.  That made me feel a ton better. I also had another interveiw today with another company.  Who knows how it will turn out. And who knows if I will like it if it does.  All I do know is that I am thankful to be a woman and to know that I am loved and not forgotten.  Can't wait for General Conference this weekend!  Oh, and by the way....
I am Still Standing!

Hoot Hoot!

Made these tonight....

Aren't they cute?  Got the idea HERE!