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Valentines FHE: Errand for the Lord

I recently started getting the Friend magazine.  I was getting old issues from a woman in our ward who had no need for them anymore, but I decided to get a subscription of my own to be more up-to-date.  And to HOPEFULLY get as much use out of them as I could.  So, I decided to start using them for FHE.

Okay, here is a quick, boring back story.  I did not grow up with Family Home Evenings and to be honest, I can get pretty overwhelmed with it all.  Our FHE's are usually very basic and quick (since our kids are so young), but we do try.  My biggest problem, was the topic....weird, right?  Unless there is a certain lesson that we are presently trying to teach our kids, the possibilities are endless!  We can learn about scripture stories: Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon.  There are more common topics: temples, tithing, service.  Where should I begin?  Then I realized, the Friend covers all of these topics EVERY month.  They even have stories about the theme in Primary (which is great to reiterate at home).  Now, there are definitely times that our family needs to talk about something else and there are times when I feel that I need to pray about a topic, but generally....the Friend provides just what we need.  Just as people read the Ensign and say, "That's just what I needed to hear"...I feel the same way about the Friend and our family.

Back to the main post, I am starting with the January issue, because we got it late in the month.  I looked through it and decided to use the article from the First Presidency.  

"Going on an Errand for the Lord" basically talks about serving one another.  So we read the article on Monday and made a bunch of extra Valentines.  Sadie wrote her name on the back, and Kelsey wrote her....name?  haha.  It was so cute!

On Tuesday (Valentines Day), we took them all to a local nursing home and the girls passed them out.  I did call ahead and make sure it was okay.  Sadie also handed out Mini M&Ms to the men and women who are able to have them.  She was sure to ask, "Can you have these?"  :)

They got plenty of hugs and tons of Thank You's.  I didn't take many pics, because most of the people we visited were in their pj's and in their personal rooms.  We did decide that we are going to do this more often.  The girls LOVED it and it was an amazing opportunity for them to go on an Errand for the Lord.

Lazy Day

Today was a slow day of playing around.  I did manage to get one thing done though.  I seasoned my cast iron skillet!!!  I know what you are thinking..."big whoop."  Well, I am very sorry to say that I let my skillet get horrible.  There were even a couple small rust spots.  No excuses here.  But now....it looks B-E-A-U-TIFUL.

 Thanks to my mother-in-law, I remembered how.  So if any of you need to.... just coat your pan all over with oil.  I poured some of my canola oil into the pan and then took a paper towel and rubbed the pan top to bottom.  When you are done, soak up the excess inside with another paper towel.  It doesnt have to be perfect, but if there is a lot then it will make your house stink pretty bad when you put it in the oven.  Set your oven to about 300 degrees and put your pan in there for about an hour.  I set a baking sheet on the rack underneath so oil can drip onto it if needed.  After I pulled it out, I wiped the skillet with a paper towel, and it looks magnificent!  I set an old rag in the cabinet under the skillet just to soak up any oil still left.

**There is still a slight odor of burning oil as it bakes, so I would turn on the vent and/or leave a window open.

 I really should have taken a before pic.  It was very sad.

 We also went through a whole bag of apples today.  I peeled and cored one for my sweet little guy and he went crazy!  You can't blame him.  They may be a little more pricey than others, but Honeycrisp apples are so delicious.

 The girls ate them all day.  Blake would have, but he only has his 4 little teeth so I had to keep a very close eye on him. 

Heaven forbid you take the apple away.  And how can you?

FHE: Testimony

This post is a little late, and unfortunately....I have no pics.  There was some great stuff on the church website.  You can go HERE for a list of articles, pictures, or activities from the Friend.

We needed to have this specific lesson, because Sadie (4 years) bore her testimony last month.  She was dying to do it all by herself and she did surprisingly amazing and was very sincere and didn't say all the usual kid stuff.  However, her testimony was a little more like a prayer than a testimony.  So...we decided that for this week, we would talk to her and remind her of what a testimony really is and it's importance.  Especially since this Sunday is fast Sunday. 

Have a great family night!

"COOKIE" Dough-Boy

Uh...oh......   Someone got busted!  I had just made some cookie dough so I could bake some cookies a little later.  Unfortunately, I shouldn't have left him alone with his 2-year-old sister (who can open the refrigerator).  It's sad when you can't even use the bathroom without there being destruction somewhere else in the house.  But....I love it!!!  (hence, the need to pause and take pictures)  :)

I hope that all of us moms out there can laugh a little more this new year and not worry about the small stuff.  I know that I won't always be smiling when messes happen, but today....it's okay.

GQ

We interrupt all of these girl pictures to bring you....THE BOY!!  My, my, ain't he handsome?? 

 He already knows how to do precious posses for his Momma!  Oh, I love him sooo much.  Just looking at these makes me want to wake him up and hug and kiss him.