Easter

Easter is a favorite Holiday - Holy Day!

Dill Dip

1 cup mayo

1 cup sour cream

1 TBSP Bon Appetite

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp of Dill weed

mix and serve with fresh veggies or chips

Activity Day Easter Basket cakes

The Lost art of embroidery

I am teaching my activity day girls to embroidery.  Not one of them had ever tried it before.
They picked up quite easily and they all seem to enjoy doing it

Julian and Joe

Joe's brother Julian returned home from his mission this week.  He served faithfully in the Palmyra, New York Mission.

Julian is such an amazing kid!  We have known him since he was young.  His wonderful mother adopted him from an orphanage in Romania.

He was born without arms - yet he can do everything!  So inspiring

Joe is happy to have his brother back home

Here is the link to Elder Pratt's very inspirational blog and story

Blessings

The most important aspect of our patriarchal lineage is that it ties us to the covenant made between God and Abraham. Whether his children directly through bloodline or through adoption, we are heirs to both the blessings and responsibilities of the Abrahamic covenant. S. Michael Wilcox covered this topic in detail in the January 1998 Ensign in his article “The Abrahamic Covenant“. It is important that we study this promise and its attendant responsibilities so that we can know what is and will be required of us.

Each tribe is named after one of the sons of Jacob, and carries with it certain primary duties. We will be expected to fulfill the duties of our tribe both in this life and the next. Most of us will be named as members of the tribe of Ephraim, as it is the primary responsibility of this tribe to spread the word of God through missionary work and service that it might be heard by all people throughout the earth. Members of other tribes, however, hold different roles and responsibilities.

The blessings do follow our bloodlines, but we each have many different bloodlines running within us. Our patriarchal blessing names the predominant bloodline to which each individual will be held accountable, and so it is not uncommon for members of the same family to be declared of different tribal lineages. The naming of tribes other than Ephraim has been rare, but is becoming more common as the word is spread abroad, more people are coming into the fold, and more Priesthood duties are becoming necessary to be fulfilled.

President James E Faust has shared some excellent insights about patriarchal blessings. 

“Since families are of mixed lineage, it occasionally happens that members of the same family have blessings declaring them to be of different lineage. There has been an intermixture of the tribes one with another. One child may be of Ephraim, another in the same family of Manasseh, Judah, or one of the other tribes. The blood of one tribe, therefore, may be dominant in one child and the blood of another tribe dominant in another child, so children from the same parents could belong to different tribes.”

Like Ephraim’s descendants, the tribe of Manasseh is heir to all the blessings and obligations given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. A study of those patriarchs will show that regardless of which tribe you fall in, your blessing is bounteous. Studying Manasseh specifically, you will find that he is often mentioned in company with his brother Ephraim. Even centuries later, he is still mentioned alongside his sibling. The latter day duty of Manasseh is probably best described by Moses as he blessed the tribe of Joseph: “[Joseph’s] glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Deuteronomy 33:17, see 13-17).

Along with Ephraim, Manasseh is responsible to gather the other tribes. Ephraim is to head up this great work, but Manasseh is to roll up his sleeves and be there at his side. As Manasseh does this, he will reap the blessing of the patriarchs with visible results. This grand outpouring of bounty is a sign of the times. The children of Lehi (a famous Manassehite) will prosper as proof that the Lord is speeding His coming. “But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose” (D&C 49:24).

Now, the tribe of Judah has many revelations specifically tied to it. Most of them concern their gathering in Jerusalem before the Savior returns and the building up of their temple. All the tribes will be gathered during the Millennium and will eventually then return to their individual lands of inheritance. Ephraim and Judah, specifically, are to be joined and Zion and Jerusalem are to be capitals of the world when the Savior comes to rule and reign. While the primary responsibilities of Ephraim are to spread the gospel, the primary responsibilities of Judah are to maintain and keep the records. It was also promised specifically to Judah that he would be a ruler and overcome his enemies-

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” (Genesis 49:8-10)

study the writings of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. These prophets wrote many things concerning the last days, the gathering of Israel.

Chicken Santa Fe Salad (AKA chicken nugget salad)

So what do you do when you spent all day hosting a birthday party and you come home tired?  The last thing I want to do is cook.

Brycen received the greatest present ever in his mind

And so I looked through the fridge and turned this into this:

The funny thing is - everyone raved about it.  The kids are calling it CHicken NuggET Salad

ingredients from the fridge:
spinach
red and yellow peppers sliced
Diced tomatoes
a can of corn
a can of black beans

top off with cooked chicken nuggets cut up in slices

Dressing: Ranch (Hidden Valley Homemade) mixed with some Tostitos Salsa

BYU Party

On Friday I had a belated Birthday Party for Brycen.    I was feeling guilty about not having a friends party for him, because he never had one last year either.  I asked him  if he was OK that we didn't have a party or if he wished he had one and he started to cry....I then knew he really wanted one, he is just not a demanding child at all.  When it's Kaitlyn's birthday she will ask me 100 times when we are going to have a party, but he never really brought it up, so I'm glad I did so I could know how he really feels.

A BYU party is hard to beat

We had a fun party at the park.  I cooked hot dogs like a tail gate party, I went to BYU creamery when I was down at Kelly's for my braces this week and got some Lavell's vanilla ice cream and Jimmer Crunch chocolate icecream.

  I made some BYU brownies and the boys just played some football, bball and soccer since this was one of the first real warm days this year.  It turned out great 

One of Brycen's favorite presents:

Birthday Brownies

This is my favorite Fudge Brownie recipe - it's kind of fudge and kind of cake.

It's great to serve a crowd and I always make it for family birthday's with the cousins

 1 cup butter
   1/2 cup cocoa
   4 eggs
   2 cups sugar
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   1 1/2 cups flour
   1/2 teaspoon salt
 
   frosting:
   1/4 cup butter
   1/4 cup cocoa
   5 tablespoons milk
   3 cups powdered sugar

Melt 1 cup butter (or margarine) and stir in 1/2 cup cocoa. Cool. Beat eggs; gradually add sugar a little at a time. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture. Sift together the flour and salt and add to creamed mixture.  Pour into 9x13-inch greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes, till wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool.
Make frosting by melting butter (or margarine) and stirring in cocoa. Add milk and beat in powdered sugar to spreading consistency. Pour and spread over cooled brownies. Frosting will become more firm as it cools. Cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen brownies.

I almost always 1 1/2 times the recipe and bake it in a large baking sheet.  :)

Easter Peeps Dear Elder

We made Ben an Easter package.....a little early because it takes a month for him to get a package (I found out the hard, sad, way on Christmas, when he didn't have a present to open - bad mommy) :(


First we made a cute carrot to snack on

Then we made the cutest missionary PEEPs!

Melt some white chocolate in microwave about 1 minute and frost as white shirts

Add chocolate suits, ties and name badge (used a white sprinkle for name)

Package them up with a nice message

Have A Wonderful Easter Elder Soutas!

found all of the ideas on pinterest 

Brycen is a wolf

Brycen received his Wolf Badge last night at the Blue and Gold Banquet.  Just in time too, since he just turned nine on Saturday.   Why do I seem to just barely get it all done?  I'm so glad we did though

Pinewood derby fun:

Nessa

Jenessa is taking a photography class in school 
She takes beautiful pictures and she is such a beautiful girl!

I also found this funny picture and I don't know the story behind it but it was too funny not too post

Mr Jinxy and Cassie

Poor Mr Jinxy

He was fine one day and suddenly was sick and went to live in heaven with Cassie

We will miss him drinking out of toilets and keeping us mouse free

Poor Cassie

She wouldn't stop peeing in my house and on my pillow

So one day, when I was miserably sick with the flu my dad volunteered to take her away

Both of our Cats are gone within 2 months of each other!!

They are both chasing butterflies in Heaven

We love you Kitties

Brycen is 9

We celebrated Brycen's birthday in the morning with French Toast and Buttermilk syrup and a candle to blow out!

He really wanted a download of MineCraft (he spends way to much time playing it thought) :)
and he wanted a glow in the dark nerf basketball hoop.  So he got his wish

Later we went out to celebrate at Texas Roadhouse

Cousin Party

We love our Brycen Bear!