Visit My Other Blog!

Hello everybody who finds this message!

This blog is officially retired however I will keep it for a while for access to past posts.

I am continuing the adventure on my other blog
Share Dessert
http://www.sharedessertcompany.com/

So come check it out! Hope to see ya there!

My Sweet Ben

Hello family and friends,

My sweet Ben has quickly deteriorated and his mortal life is coming to an end.

Ben was able to attend the Brigham City Temple Dedication a few weeks ago as his last hoorah out of the house. I can't think of a better activity to choose. It truly was a blessing to be at a sacred event surrounded by family. Ben is now chair-bound from increased pain in addition to fatigue so he hasn't been able to stand or be out of his chair for more than a few minutes. The tumors are growing and causing increased pain and general ill feeling. We are not seeking further treatment. By the power of priesthood blessings, Ben's pain has been controlled this week to a tolerable level that he might enjoy these last days with family and have a peaceful passing.
Ben's faith continues to grow and he is being sanctified as we trust in the Lord that this is his plan. We all continue to learn from this experience as we yield up our hearts to Christ. It is heartbreaking yet peaceful. We hold onto the knowledge that we will be together for eternity after all is said and done. It is hard but all is well.

We have been able to enjoy some wonderful visits with family and friends on top of our own personal time during the last few days. We have been looking at old photographs and videos and reminiscing about the fun times we had. These sweet moments I will cherish forever.

We celebrated our anniversary, or better known as our Thanksiversary, early. We were married the day before thanksgiving so every year we prepare a delicious turkey feast for two for our anniversary. We look forward to this day all year. As we ate dinner we watched our wedding video that brought on tears of joy and tears of sadness.

It is absolutely heartbreaking but we are kept strong and able to endure by holding on to the thoughts of the opportunities and promises that lie in our future when we are reunited.

We love you and are lucky to have such a large amazing group of family and friends.

His will be done and all will be right. 

We would have it no other way.

Peace is with us.

Simple Healthy Eating Guide

I like this simple guide to healthy eating so I thought I would share it.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/simple-healthy-eating-guidelines/

Building Faith

I read this in Ensign September 2012 "Building Faith in Christ" and thought I would share.

Paul includes faith in his list of spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12:9). Faith indeed comes by the spirit, yet as the Bible Dictionary notes, "Although faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great tree." There is much we can do to influence and expand the endowment of faith we receive through the Holy Spirit.

I just really liked this. :)

Why are we here?

I just wanted to share this with everyone because I thought it was really cool.

Life

Life is like Tetris.... Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can come together.

Optimism

I forgot to include my favorite quote in the lesson! This quote from our beloved prophet, Gordon B Hinckley, perfectly describes what I am trying to put into words.

"In my 90 plus years, I have learned a secret. I have learned that when good men and good women face challenges with optimism, things will always work out! Truly, things always work out! Despite how difficult circumstances may look at the moment, those who have faith and move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out."

Gordon B Hinckley (1910-2008) Way to be! p84

The Power of Optimism

I created this lesson for my young women (mia maids) and just wanted to share it with you in case it might help. :)

The Power of Optimism

Optimism can change your life!

The word optimism comes from the Latin word “optimus” meaning “best” representing looking for the best in any situation.

Let’s look up the word “optimism” in the topical guide. It says (see cheerfulness; hope). Hope is exactly what optimism emanates. Looking up “hope” in the topical guide we see it says (see also faith; trust). Hope is nurtured by faith, which is not something others can bestow on us. It is something we must find and practice for ourselves.

Definition: Optimism is the tendency to believe, expect or hope that things will turn out well.

How does this relate to the plan of salvation?

What is salvation?

Simply, it means being saved from a bad outcome. In other words, things will work out to make you happy (obviously contingent on obedience).  

What is the plan of salvation also known as?

The plan of happiness.

We were put on Earth to experience joy in addition to being tested. This is not exclusive. We are not here to experience joy OR be tested; it is to experience joy AND be tested.

2 Nephi 2:25 “…and men are that they might have joy.”

So is there a way we can endure our trials AND enjoy life? Of course!

Card Exercise: Each girl is given a card folded in half. On the front write “Perception is Reality”

Flip open the card. On one side, write something in life that you are struggling with. It can be anything that is giving you trouble right now. Think of this struggle throughout the rest of the lesson and write down how you are going to perceive this situation differently to help you overcome this challenge.

So HOW do we experience joy through our trials?

1 simple concept can do this. (Note I said “simple” not “easy”.)

We need to change our thinking. Period.

Reality is based on how we perceive life. So if we can change how we perceive life, we can change our reality. Perception is reality.

3 Habits to Change Your Thinking 

(or as I like to call them: The 3 Habits of Highly Effective Optimists) :)

1- Think from the Eternal Perspective

2- Look for the Positive

3- Be Grateful

This WILL take practice and does not mean we will or should NEVER have a bad day. Mourning and sorrow is part of our earthly experience used for our benefit and is good. Optimism can make you happy the rest of the 95% of your life (results will vary).

First, Think from the Eternal Perspective

What do I mean by that?

I often think to myself when I am having a hard time with something “Does this matter in the Eternal Perspective of things?” or even, “Will this matter in 10 years? 6 months?” This can help you make decisions as well as think yourself through hard times. Do you do this? Can you think of a time in the past when this would have been useful?

Next, Look for the Positive

We have all heard the old adage “When one door closes, another door opens.” 

Who said this?

Here is a scriptural reference.

1 Nephi 3:7 “…for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

Nephi said it… in slightly different wording.

If God closes a door, or allows a door to be closed, he will always open another door that will lead you to happiness. The hard part is learning to see it.

How can we learn to see this invisible path that is lying before us?

Don’t look back. Don’t dwell on what was. Looking back won’t let you see the paths that lie in front of you. Look to the future for hope. The future is only as bright as your faith. Let’s move forward. Everything will work out because of Christ. Live for the future because you can make of it whatever you want.

Changing your future takes new habits of perception. New habits take practice and awareness. Make an effort. Take a step back from the situation and realize all things are possible and look for the positive.

Seem daunting? Well we’re not alone. Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

All he asks of us is for us to ask him for help. Ask and ye shall receive.

Think of the way you talk to yourself. Do you take responsibility for your own happiness or do you rely on people and situations around you to make you happy?

Which can you control?

D&C 123:17 “…let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.”

One of my favorite sayings is “Do your best and let God do the rest.”

Here are some characteristics of optimistic people:

1- They think about, reflect on and emphasize the good things in life.

2- They are grateful for all their blessings.

3- They don’t complain when something bad happens.

4- They feel that nothing can hold them back from achieving success and reaching their goals

5- They believe in abundance, fullness, and richness in life

6- They are confident that the world offers plenty of opportunity for everyone to succeed.

(These points [italics added] from Leanne Beattie, Optimism and the Power of Positive Thinking; Original article found at http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=835)

You can change your thinking with practice. Take that step back.

Third, Be Grateful

#2 on our list of characteristics was having gratitude. Optimists are grateful for the good things in life as well as for their trials. Why in the world would anyone be grateful for adversity?   !

Because they have used it to help them grow and progress, which is why we came to Earth in the first place, to progress. As children of God, we rejoice in progress.

I am grateful for each of my trials because I am a better person after every single event. I grow. I learn and I become happier as I am able to handle the stresses and sorrows of life from a more eternal perspective. Mastery over self can be achieved, not in perfectness yet, but enough to make us happy here on earth. When life hands you lemons…. all you need to do is add a little sweetness to create something great.

Return to the Card Exercise:

How can we overcome the struggle that we wrote down on our card? Discuss. Here are some ideas

1-  Consider if this will matter 3 months from now...10 years…. Eternally?

2- Try to see things from their point of view. Or the Lord’s point of view.

3- Does this person need help themselves? How can I help them?

4- Do I need to humble myself?

So once we develop habits of optimism, how do we keep it?

Moroni 8:26 “...Because of the meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.”

We must be diligent in our prayers and commandments to keep the Holy Ghost with us, nurturing our optimism, and we will be able to endure to the end. We must keep in constant communication with the One that brings us happiness. If you do not nurture your optimism (this also applies to your testimony, hope and faith) it will become easy for it to slip away without you even knowing.

WHY be optimistic?

1-We ALL have 1 thing in common. We may not all have the same ideas but we all want to be happy. Optimism allows you to be happy most of the time, even throughout life’s trials.

2- Optimists live longer.

3- Optimists are healthier.

4- Optimists handle stress better.

5- Optimists have brighter futures.

6- Optimism is contagious. You may have no idea how your optimism can impact or even change the lives of others.

7- Optimists can gain eternal life. 2 Nephi 31:20 “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”

This quote from our beloved prophet, Gordon B Hinckley, perfectly describes what I am trying to put into words.

"In my 90 plus years, I have learned a secret. I have learned that when good men and good women face challenges with optimism, things will always work out! Truly, things always work out! Despite how difficult circumstances may look at the moment, those who have faith and move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out."

(Gordon B Hinckley (1910-2008) Way to be! p84)

His will be done in all things. We can still be happy.

Perception is reality.

If you can change how you perceive things then you can change your reality and your life.

703 by Nancy Makin {Book Review}

I just finished reading 703 by Nancy Makin and I highly recommend it to everyone.

This book is a memoir about the disparate life of the author, Nancy. Written in first person, this book leads us through her life and all of her thoughts. Through her childhood and the journey that packed on 703 pounds we see her struggle as an outsider. She has a unique story to tell and the reason she wrote the book is to help others like herself overcome self-detrimental thoughts and actions and how to recover from them. Anyone can benefit from the life lessons of this tale, plus I found it quite entertaining.

It is an easy read, nothing too deep. I listened to it as an audiobook that I obtained from my county's online library service.

Here is a clip of an interview with ABC news in April 2010. She weighed 703 lbs in May 2000.

 

Here is an excerpt from the book to show you her writing style.

"703: How I Lost More Than a Quarter Ton and Gained a Life," by Nancy Makin

Preface: A View From the Crow's Nest / My Turn

No one could be more surprised than I to find myself here tapping on this keyboard, pounding out these characters, building words, telling a tale that could never be; it is too fantastic. But I am tapping, and it did happen. I am alive, and that revelation still stuns me. This was not the plan, the blueprint that I saw lying there before me. Life is for the living; I was not alive, only went through the motions, and even those were streamlined to the very barest function necessary to keep my heart pumping and lungs filling in a heavily encumbered chest. My vacant eyes were still activated, watching all that bustled about me, all I had no part in. I marked time, waiting for the end.

My death would come; either slowly, incrementally, a wasting sort of degeneration, or in a swift manner, suddenly, taking me away in one fell swoop and releasing my misused body, my brain's unspent currency and saddened spirit.
My incarceration crept up on me over years, built not in a day, but in millions of moments, one upon the next, as if each were a single brick in some ominous structure of my own design. In every moment, I pressed firmly down each sturdy rectangle, applying a liberal layer of the mortar of worthlessness, then another and another heaped upon the last, till the walls of my prison were erected solidly around me.
I was a fine mason. There were no gaps between bricks, no air pockets in which to find a fissure, some defect that could later be exploited, tearing down my encasement and letting daylight shine upon my prisoner's face. There would be no escaping this mind-numbing cell. Yet this is the story of one woman's unlikely prison break. There alone in my confinement, I felt helpless to find a way outside. My liberation would come from the most unexpected source, and in my wildest imaginings, I never contemplated its arrival. I had resigned myself to this life sentence, although that was surely a misnomer. For truly, it was a death sentence I faced. And I ought to know, it was I who was prosecutor, judge and jury. I had imposed a sentence, the harshest possible. And those outside the dank walls would be my improbable liberators. I did not even know them, nor were they aware of me, not yet. Let me take you back to when it all began.

 It's a great read worth your time.

Lady, My Best Friend

Lady

We loved you the first moment we set eyes on you almost 10 years ago.

You are truely the best dog in the world and my best friend.

 

You were always patient with me and loved me unconditionally.

You comforted me through my tears and celebrated my victories.

I love how you learned to 'shake' and how you would flop over on your side 

when the belly rubbing was to commence.

You could get away with anything.

 

I love your beautiful face and eyes and the way you looked at me and smiled.

I love the excited playfulness you had even in your old age.

 There aren't words to describe how much I love you or how much I will miss you.

I will miss sinking my face into your big furry neck.

I was lucky to get to snuggle with you one last night.

 

It's hard to imagine life without you. My heart is broken tonight.

  Be free from pain and rest in peace Lady.

Jack is waiting for you on the other side with the biggest rawhide bone you can imagine. 

I love you. I will see you again someday.

7.7.12

Happy Puppy

I love this picture. :)

His toes make me happy.

Birthday Watermelon

Grilled Zucchini for the 4th!

Happy Independence Day!

Do I have a treat for you!

I had a ton of zucchini from my garden so I decided to grill it up for a family 4th of July barbecue yesterday and boy am I glad I did!

Wow!

This really surprised me. Not only is this a healthy meal.... it is a vegetable and it is amazingly delicious! Grilling it just brought out the delicious flavors in the zucchini especially in the skin. Mmmm..... now I want some more.

So if you have a bunch of this:

You can make this:

Drooling yet?

Grilled Zucchini

Ingredients:

Zucchini

Italian Dressing

Slice up your zucchini so it is 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick and put it in a zip-lock baggie. Pour the Italian dressing over the zucchini. {I just bought a small bottle of Italian dressing and used the whole thing but I probably only needed half the bottle or about a 1/2 cup or so.} Seal the zip-lock and shake the bag to evenly coat the zucchini. Let it marinate for about 15-20 minutes while you are heating up and prepping your grill as necessary. 

With the grill on low-medium, place all the zucchini on the grill so it doesn't fall through the grates. Allow to cook for about 4-5 minutes then flip the zucchini over with tongs. Allow another 4-5 minutes to cook. The zucchini will be done when soft and somewhat bendy. I think it is best when it has softened slightly but not enough to become floppy. The longer you cook it, the softer and floppier it will get so cook to your liking. Serve and enjoy! Mmmm!

Bose is Boss

Ben is thoroughly enjoying his new set of Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones.

These headphones are crazy!

Magic even!

It brings listening to music or movies up to a whole new level. 

This was my gift to Ben to help him get through this surgery.

 I think it will really help for the chemo too. 

 Another thing that will help him get through this hard time is a new deck!

Look at the progress! We are so excited to have it done so quickly!

 

And in case you don't use facebook...

This was my dainty princess birthday donut from my mommy.

She got it at Reams' Bakery.

It was amazingly perfect for how large it was.

Mmmm.....Maple Donuts with Sprinkles..... gahhhh.

We will be home from the hospital tomorrow.

Loading....

Deck in Progress.

..........................................

Thanks to Jared Stapp and Stapp Construction.

Great company and a nice guy to boot!

Also, thanks to Jill and family for taking care of the pups while we are away and the extra hassle no access to the backdoor causes. =D

We gonna celebrate with a deck party when all is said and done.

Life Changes Us

My Precious Peach

So, I told you I was going to try a modified version of Peach Pleasure and tonight I did just that.

It was SUPER Great!

Sorry the picture isn't that great though...it's a smoothie.

I call it My Precious Peach.

My Precious Peach

12 ounces Jumex Peach Nectar

1 1/2 cups Frozen Peaches

1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries

1 small scoop Orange Sherbet

Combine my precious and blend.

We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious.

You better keep a close eye on this dessert!

Sneaky little hobbitses.

Best Vegan Veggie Burrito Ever

I know I already posted today but this was too good not to post right away!

I just had the best vegan veggie burrito ever (haha...like I have had one before).

Seriously, it was amazing. 

It gets a 5 out of 5 rating on my awesomely delicious scale. 

When you look at the individual ingredients, it doesn't look like it would be that tasty.

I can honestly say this was amazAZing!

I will for sure make this again.

Why didn't I take a picture?!

My inspiration was the Cafe Rio salad with tomatillo sauce because I loved those;

and now I am extremely happy that I just created an amazing dinner from it.

Best Vegan Veggie Burrito Ever
{I hate to even call it vegan because of the stigma. Vegan is delicious too!}
by Sara

Tortilla
Green Leafy Lettuce
Tomato, diced
Cucumber, diced
Black Olives, diced
Black Beans
Avocado
Salsa
Lemon Juice
Vegan Ranch

Prepare veggies: Dice cucumber, olives and tomato. Wash and shred lettuce. Scoop out avocado and mash it up with a fork in a bowl. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and some salsa to taste. Heat tortilla in microwave for about 15 seconds and place on a plate. Spread avocado spread onto tortilla, add black beans, lettuce, veggies and drizzle with a small amount of vegan ranch.
Roll up and enjoy!

This vegan ranch was so amazing that it really deserves its own post but here it is anyway.

 Follow Your Heart High Omega Vegan Ranch

I was really not expecting a lot because I've never heard of a delicious vegan ranch before (haha....silly me) but I decided I will just keep trying different products until we find one we can "tolerate".

Wow, was I pleasantly surprised! I think I might even like it better than Ranch if you can even imagine that! I am really glad that I found this. It is much healthier for you than Ranch too!

It does have a price tag though. Ouch. $5. Not that bad though when you are already buying Newman's Own. :)

A Trip to Whole Foods {First Trip as a Vegetarian}

My first trip to Whole Foods as a vegetarian was like walking into a foreign country, not speaking the language and trying to find my way to the local park. Yet everything was so new that is was still fun and exciting all the same.

It felt almost like a cult. Everyone there drove small compact cars, were very thin, wore flip flops or some sort of grass article of clothing and seemed to know exactly what they were looking for.

This of course is quite a broad (and maybe sort of slightly exaggerated) generalization but it still seemed like this all the same. ;D

I liked it. I have been there before but I kind of saw it in a new light this time.

What I really loved about Whole Foods was how the produce was so FRESH with brilliant colors!

I really couldn't believe it. I have never seen such nice produce before (especially for organic) and the prices were not outrageous. It was more expensive but well worth it I think.

Whole Foods really had anything I could need to eat a wide variety of healthy and vegetarian foods, except cashew cream....apparently it is not as common an ingredient as recipes and audiobooks would have me believe because no one had any idea what I was talking about. It's all good. I will just get to make my own. :) The employees there were very nice and helpful too!

See the spoils

 

Looks amazing! Doesn't it?! Mostly fresh fruits and vegetables with a few other things such as vegetable broth, raw cashews, spirulina and sesame sticks.....just because those are delicious.

I learned a few more things today.

I have never used fennel (I have tasted it and it's really not one of my favorite flavors). I only got it because a recipe I have uses fennel and I thought, "Why not? Let's give her a try."

Well here it is.

Weird looking little bugger isn't it?

It's basically a big ol' root with spidery green foliage.

I also had no idea what kale looked like until I found some and realized I have seen it a lot and just never knew it was kale. Good times.

The nectarines were tasty.... I'm excited to dig in!

How to Transition to a Plant-Based Diet

Update:

We have decided we are not going to eat eggs or dairy products anymore as wells as limiting refined sugar. So, yes, we are getting a bit extreme, but extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.

Essentially the only thing keeping us from Vegan is honey consumption....we're ok with honey at least for now. =D

THIS is going to be quite the adventure. 

THIS is a whole new way of eating.

We are going "cold tofu"..... haha..... get it?!

This is going to be challenging but not nearly as challenging as cancer.

To start, I need to go shopping. 

Actually, before that, I need to clean out the fridge and cupboards.

{Anyone hungry?}

The game plan is raw fresh vegetables and fruits with some whole grain and super foods thrown in.

Sound good?

Delicious Snack = Watermelon bowl

I bought a baby watermelon and cut it in half. Put each watermelon half in a bowl and grabbed a spoon. Dig in!

This is how I ate watermelon growing up so why quit now? :)

I ordered a few Vegan cook books from amazon. I hope they will have some good information and recipes to mix things up a bit. My goal is to go raw as much as possible but I think I will want to have a few other things too like pastas and such.

Tomorrow. Whole Foods.

Shopping List:

Apples + other fruit

Celery

Kale

Cucumber

Lettuce

Cashew cream

Nutritional yeast

Soy Milk

Lemon

Avocado

Ginger

Fennel

Carrots

Veggie broth

Spinach

Am I missing anything vital?!

Stay tuned for info on a new blog I am creating regarding the pathway to total body wellness- uncovering the facts and fiction behind food through literature research. I do the research, you reap the benefits!

Introducing

The Verve Body Project
Featuring: The Food Identity Crisis