Can you tell the difference?

Every month there's a new poll just for fun to the right.  This month, to go along with the Christmas season, there's a fun Christmas tree poll.

Can you tell if the Christmas trees below are artificial trees or real trees that have once been growing from the ground?
Vote in the poll to the right, corresponding the numbers in the pictures of the trees to the numbers in the poll.
After Christmas I'll give you the correct answers.  Have fun!!

Also, at the bottom of this post is a really cool, inspiringChristmas poem. 
I love it!!


The Christmas Tree Poem

'Twas the 7^th of December and a thought came to me,
Christmas is coming and I don’t have a tree.
Well the kids are all grown, so I wondered, “What for?”
Still I got in my car and I drove to the store.
There were fake trees aplenty; some already lit.
But I just didn’t see one that seemed it would fit.

So back to my car, and while driving around
There were boy scouts and civic groups with real trees abound.
I strolled through these forests, though makeshift they were,
Engulfed by the scent of these 8 foot tall fir.
And suddenly something awoke in my soul,
The memories of Christmas, of days long ago.
It brightened my spirit, it gave me a lift.
This feeling that stirred with my first Christmas gift.
For I, as a child, and then as a dad, have been blessed in this lifetime
Through the good and the bad.

Yes, the presents, the candy, the warm memories
All seem to be focused around these evergreen trees.
Of all I’ve been given, I thought to myself, maybe this year I will be one of those elves.

So I purchased a tree, then I said to the man,
“I’ll be back for some more. I have a Christmas tree plan!”
There’s the home for the children, the home for the old,
The prisons, the shelters, the hungry and cold,
They all will have Christmas trees and much more than that;
A place to be huddled, a place to look back.
And tucked in the branches I left them a note
“Remember the meaning of Christmas,” I wrote.

All the carols are sung, and the Christmas lights glow
For one simple reason that mankind shall know
That GOD loves each one of us
And HE wants everyone to know of the story of Jesus, HIS Son.

For life everlasting, for you and for me,
Remember the Christ Child as you gaze at this tree

By Larry Whitler

Making flower and bow clips

So I've been talking to a few people about getting together
and working on these:                            click picture to enlarge

If you would like to get together to make them, what would be some ideas of good times to meet?

They're super easy and fun!!

And really not expensive.  We could all also pitch in money to save on clips and flowers, so we're not all buying/bringing a bunch of supplies.

Just leave a comment below or email me to let me know what works for you, if you're interested.

♥Emily Pearson

All About Apples

We had such a great Cooking Class on apples taught by Megan Calton. We learned about the differences between the different kinds of apples, ideas for how to cook apples, and how to make applesauce in a crockpot. Below are the notes from the class for those of you who couldn't make it.

Kinds of Apples

Empire - Empires are a cross between McIntosh and Red Delicious apples. Firm-textured and slightly tart, the Empire is a fine all-purpose apple good for sauce, pies, baking, salads, fresh eating and freezing.

Fuji - Excellent for out-of-hand eating or for applesauce, but not the best choice for baking.

Braeburn - Medium to large, reddish blush on a yellow background. The flesh is pale, cream colored, crisp and juicy with a pleasant tart flavor.

Cameo - Fruit is medium to large size with a crisp white flesh and a tangy flavor that seems to get better in storage. Keeps very well.

Gala - A crisp, sweet and juicy, best when very firm. Best for salads, eating out-of-hand, applesauce and pies.

Golden Delicious - The Golden Delicious is sweet, with a rich, mellow flavor. It is one of the best all-around cooking apples, as it maintains its shape after baking (though does lose some flavor).

Granny Smith - Crisp, juicy, freckled green skin, sweetly tart flesh, excellent for hand-eating and cooking. Flavor is enhanced when paired with sweeter apples.

Honeycrisp - Fantastic eating apples, crisp and juicy, with a honey-sweet and tart flavor. Honeycrisps are also good for baking and sauce.

Jonathan - Jonathans are quite tart, with a rich, slightly spicy apple flavor. They hold their shape well when baked, and can be bought huge. They are also good in salads and for applesauce.

Pink Lady - Usually tiny, doll-like lady apples. They are sweet-tart flavored and very decorative.

McIntosh - A classic bright red apple with green undertones, juicy and crisp, tend to break down when cooked for a long time. Best paired with Golden Delicious or other apples in pies and other baked goods.

Red Delicious - Bred to be an eating apple, unsuitable for baking, mild flavored but sweet, deep ruby skin and a classic heart shape.

Ideas of How to Use Apples

• Freeze in slices or diced to use in baking recipes for breads or muffins, lots of online recipes
• Add frozen slices to fruit smoothies to bulk out other fruits
• Apple pie . . . I bet your husband will be just fine with you perfecting this
• Cinnamon apples - lots of recipes online
• Apple pancakes - shred apples and put in the batter
• Make applesauce - either in slow cooker or a pot, and freeze for later
• Slice apples with peanut butter or dip (try flavored yogurt stirred up with Cool Whip)
• Dehydrated apple slices - you can use a dehydrator or an oven, make sure you use lemon juice, ascorbic acid or Fresh Fruit (in canning section) to prevent them from turning brown
• Baked apples - lots of recipes online, really good served hot with vanilla ice cream

Recipe for Slow Cooker Applesauce

8 apples (Gala, Golden Delicious, and a few Granny Smiths) peeled, cored,*** and thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
Combine in slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Apples will release more liquid over time.

Stir in:
3/4 cup brown sugar (or to taste, some apples are sweeter and don't need as much sugar)
Combination of spices - 1 tsp each of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or all spice
Cook for another 30 minutes, serve warm or chill in fridge up to a week. Freeze as soon as possible for later.

***We recommend borrowing or purchasing an apple corer-slicer-peeler (usually about $19.99). Can be used for potatoes too. A super fast way of getting a daunting task done! Megan Calton has one and would be happy to lend it out.

Book List

Here is the book list from our Balance activity. We'll have more paper copies at church next week if you want some. Happy reading!!


Enrichment Book List – September 2009

You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the books you read and the people you meet. -Charles Jones



The Hiding Place – Corrie Ten Boom (this month’s book club book!) The true story of a Christian woman helping the Jews during WWII, and her amazing hope and willingness to forgive.

Riding The Flume- Patricia Curtis Pfitsch - a young adult mystery/heroine story about saving the sequoia trees in California.

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust - Immaculee Ilibagiza -This book is written by a woman who survived the Rwandan Holocaust by hiding in a tiny enclosed bathroom with 9 other women for months. It tells the story of her life before the war, her family, her experiences during the war, and her reliance on God to survive. Really powerful!

Eleni - Nicholas Gage About a mother's sacrifices to protect her children from the war in Greece, written by her son, recounts their family’s experiences. Really powerful!

Seabiscuit: An American Legend- Laura Hillenbrand - it’s about an unlikely horse going on to be one of the fastest racehorses ever. Super interesting context but doesn’t feel like just history.

These Is My Words, Sarah's Quilt, The Star Garden (series) - Nancy Turner - Set on the open plains in the late 1800s - early 1900s, these books follow the life of a woman from her young womanhood to her old age. The first and third books were my very favorite, and I felt like at the end I really knew her and loved her. Great stories!

Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden – A beautifully written story about the geisha artists of Japan, The book is rich with culture, so descriptive, and way better than the movie.

The Hunt For Red October- Tom Clancy- a Cold War story about a Soviet submarine. I don’t like war stories, but this was superbly interesting, and one of Clancy’s best.

The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy- My absolute, hands-down, favorite book of ALL time! The original novel/story of the Scarlet Pimpernel during the French Revolution, but the love story between Percy and his wife is the very best part. Rent the movie after...you'll love seeing it too!

Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas – a very enjoyable
classic- intrigue, romance, and witty social satire.

The Princess Bride - William Goldman – a classic, and funnier than the movie!

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society -Mary Ann Schaffer - A journalist's experiences told through letters of her time with a group of people in Guernsey, England during WWII. It's a really easy, quick read, and really popular these days!

Cold Sassy Tree -Olive Ann Burns- Told from a young boy's perspective at the turn of the century in a small town and his struggles with his grandfather's new young wife.

The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux - The original novel from which the broadway play is based. I loved reading the original story, finding the differences, and even hearing the songs in my head as I read!

March -Geraldine Brooks- Civil War times, the story of Jo March's (the Little Women family) father while he's away at war. Obviously told from a different perspective than Little Women and not as good as the original novel, but fun to see their experiences from his perspective.

The Age of Innocence -Edith Wharton - This novel is set in the Golden Age of Old New York City during the early 1900s, mirrors Edith Wharton's real life and society (If you've ever heard the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses," that was coined about Edith's very own family--Edith Jones Wharton). I just love Victorian literature set in high class New York City.

The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd – enduring story that really makes you care about the characters.

Mistborn – Brandon Sanderson– If you like any kind of fantasy, this trilogy is one of the best. It’s fairly new but totally engrossing- my husband read all three books in a matter of weeks.

Anything written by Jane Austen- Great romance books, learn about that time period, fun movies to go along with them!

The Book of Three (first book in the Chronicles of Prydain series) - Lloyd Alexander – A young adult “coming of age” series. Hilarious characters and good morals- my husband’s favorite books as a teenager.

The Golden Road - L.M. Montgomery – another classic story from the author of Anne of Green Gables
The Holy Temple- Boyd K. Packer – In my opinion, reading this book is one of the best ways to understand the temple, second only to going more often.

History of Joseph Smith told by his Mother- very interesting and informative without being a boring history book.

The Wednesday Letters – A quick Sunday read that will surprise you. Talks about forgiveness and love in ways we probably don’t understand at this time of our lives.

Press On - Joseph B. Wirthlin- One of my favorite gospel books I've read recently. With Elder Wirthlin's humor and personality coming through, he has some great insights into faith, hope, and charity.

Peace, Happiness, Joy – Richard G Scott – A wonderful book about being happy despite everything that happens.

Covenant Hearts: Marriage and the Joy of Human Love – Bruce C. Hafen – A member of the seventy writes about our hearts and the eternal perspective of marriage.

The Peacegiver - James L Ferrell – A study of forgiveness and the Savior told through the story of a man struggling in his marriage. I was deeply affected by this book, and have read it many times.

Taking Charge of Your Fertility -Tony Weschler- The absolute best and clear resource to understanding your body, your cycles, how to use this knowledge as "natural" birth control, etc. Whether or not you're trying to get pregnant right now, it is useful information for everyone. Every girl should have a copy in her possession.

The Five Love Languages- Gary Chapman- this book has helped me understand my relationships with family members and my husband. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t learn something from it!

Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping – Paco Underhill – Super interesting description of the “science” of why we buy certain things, where we go to shop, and how marketing has learned so much about consumers. You’ll never think about shopping so nonchalantly again.

Born to Buy – Juliet Schor – a more involved read than the one before, but shows study after study of how we are training our kids to want more things and to define themselves buy what they own. My teacher made us read it if we were ever going to raise kids in America!

Because He Loved Us First, as well as To Draw Closer To God – Henry B Eyring – both books are compilations of his talks in General Conferences and devotionals, really powerful.

Celebration! - Jaroldeen Edwards – an LDS book about the principles of joyous living.

I Don’t Have to Make It All Better - Gary and Joy Lundberg – a really good book about communication and not trying to be superwoman with the people you love most.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens – Sean Covey – the teenage version of the popular title, this one is far more interesting than the adult version. Has comics and funny antedotes and made a big impression on me even as an adult.

Tuesdays with Morrie- touching, lots of good lessons on how to approach life, very motivating.

The Life of Our Lord - Charles Dickens – a 100 page quick read, meant for his children to learn about Christ’s life.

Made For Heaven – CS Lewis – three excerpts from Lewis’ writings about his view of the afterlife.

Surprised by Joy or The Screwtape Letters- C.S. Lewis- two great options if you’ve never read anything by this author.

An Ordinary Man - Paul Rusesabagina– The autobiography of an influential man in Rwanda during a civil unrest- movie of Hotel Rwanda is based off it.

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortensen – a really inspirational story of ones man’s effort to make a difference in the world by starting schools in Pakistan and encouraging education for girls.

The Miracle of Forgiveness - Spencer W. Kimball – a classic everyone should read.

Longitude: the True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time- Dava Sobel – story of the man who solved the longitude problem Newton and Galileo never conquered.

Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope- Shirin Ebadi – moving autobiography of a Nobel Prize Winner.

The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything - Stephen R. Covey – why trust is so important to leadership.

The Great Influenza - John M. Barry - the story of the why the 1918 flu was the deadliest pandemic in history

Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion -Robert B. Cialdini – an intriguing book about the “science” of persuasion.

On Writing – Stephen King – non-fiction about why he writes and that process. It made me want to write a book when I was done reading it!

Freezer Jam Instructions and Tips

Why Freezer Jam Is Great

• Quick and easy, 30 minute process
• Tastes like fresh fruit because you never cooked it, which is great to get "fresh" strawberries in winter
• It's safe--you don't have to worry about sterilizing and sealing like in regular canning
• Freezer jam is good for a year in the freezer and up to 3 weeks in the fridge (if it lasts that long!)

Making Jam

Super Easy Method
Ball Freezer Jam Pectin
Purple box or envelope
Albertsons: $1.00 (1 pack I think)
Walmart: $2.32 (2-pack)

1. Wash and mash fruit in bowl.
2. Combine sugar and pectin in different bowl, add fruit.
3. Stir for 3 minutes.
4. Ladle jam into containers and let stand until thickened.

Easy Method
Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin
(For less or no sugar needed recipes)
Pink box
Walmart: $2.38
Macey's: $2.29
Albertsons, Smiths: $2.99

1. Wash and mash fruit
2. Combine sugar and pectin in saucepan, add 1 cup water, bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
3. Pour over mashed fruit and stir.
4. Ladle jam into containers and let stand until thickened.

Tips for Making Freezer Jam

• Do not double recipes, as it may interfere with the setting process
• ALWAYS follow the instructions on your brand of pectin, because they differ!
• Use small, 1-2 cup containers (bigger won't let it freeze completely). Leave some "headspace" in the containers to allow for freezing (don't fill it up all the way).
• Don't wash the berries until you are ready to use them or else they spoil quicker.
  
• You can strain fruit if you want, but most prefer it a bit chunky. When mashing, don't puree, just cut up or use the pulse method on the food processor.
• The better your berries taste (aka perfectly ripe, in season), the better the jam will taste.

A word about being creative . . . Freezer jam is much more forgiving than cooked jams and jellies. With all jams, sugar and the pectin are what make the jam set up. If you mess with those, your jam won't work. (If you want to make it healthier, look for the "low or no sugar needed" pectin packages.) Freezer jam works fine if you add a generous helping of berries, but don't mess with the sugar required. In-season, perfectly ripe fruit doesn't require as much sugar, therefore you can add more without needing more sugar. You can play around with the recipes (I've tried pineapple and it worked), and if all else fials it will taste good as ice cream topping.


*****This week all jam-making supplies are on sale at Macey's. And berries are still in season!! It's a great time to try!

....Then comes a baby in a baby carriage!

For those of you who knew the Pierce's when they were in the ward...

Sarah Pierce had her baby! Nicholas Jacob was born on July 16th at 1:16pm. He was 8 lbs, 9 oz and was 21" long!
They are all doing fine, healthy, and happy. Sarah says he's a really mellow baby and is a good sleeper.

Look at that full head of hair! So cute!

Refinished Furniture Activity

Here are some of pictures of the furniture that some of our ward members have refinished. So many fun ideas! Presentations included basic instruction for preparing the wood, staining, and painting; distressing, antiquing, and other current trends; and reupholstering chairs and cheap decorating ideas. If you weren't able to come to the activity, let us know if you'd like copies of the how-to handouts.

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FREE Date Idea

Looking for a cheap (or FREE) date idea?? The MOA on BYU campus has an exhibit of Walter Wick's works (the creator of the "I Spy" books). It is so fun, and we highly recommend it!

Click here for more information. It runs until August 1st.