the end of a long day

i was driving home from york this evening and pulled over on the side of the road to take a picture because the colours made by the setting sun were just so beautiful. of course an iphone picture can't capture that. 

it was a lonnnnnng day for my friend keryn and her family as they farewelled her father kevin after many years of a long illness that finally took his life last sunday morning. keryn was amazing, cared for him as much as she was able and even remained with him at the hospital that last night to make sure he wasn't alone when his time came. 

his funeral today was incredible, being the postmaster of a small country town, it seemed that most of the town had arrived to pay their respects and as the eulogy and other tributes were read, i felt like he became more to me than just keryns dad. he had a cracking sense of humour and it was certainly recalled. 

farewell kev, may you rest now, in peace ♥

family temple night

my brother aaron is here from qld for just a few days (work sent him over) and we tried to organise another family temple night with all of us again after we loved the last one so much. jared and donna have taken off to kalgoorlie for the weekend and dougs mum had asked him to take her somewhere, so it ended up being just mum, dad, aaron and i. 

it's amazing how much stronger the spirit is in the temple when you attend with people you love - especially your family. it makes me so happy to see my oldest brothers active and strong in the gospel and to see them happy. but i am most grateful to know that when this life is over, i will be able to spend eternity with my family. my husband... my children... my parents, my brothers and their families. and it is this place, the temple that makes it all possible. being sealed as a family, being married for eternity... is such a beautiful thing to be sure of who will be by your side in the future, as long as we are faithful and obedient. and really that's a small price to pay isn't it!

best ever cupcakes

i baked cupcakes for emmas baptism last week and as usual someone asked me for the recipe... i wish i could take credit for it, but my friends mother found it here and got me onto it. best cupcakes ever, very aptly named...

best ever cupcakes

2 eggs

200ml thickened cream 

1 tsp vanilla essence

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup plain flour

1. crack eggs into a 1 cup measuring cup then fill to the top with cream. pout into the mixing bowl

2. beat for 3 minutes

3. add vanilla essence and sugar

4. beat for 3 minutes

5. fold in flour until blended

6. place mixture in 12 muffin cases

7. bake at 180 degrees celcious for approx 15-20 minutes, until light golden

i have made these over and over and i have never once had them not work out. they are always light and fuffy and delicious. so easy to make, so easy to eat. ♥

photos for the sisters

it's monday today, transfers tomorrow and one of these gorgeous sisters is leaving us. these two beautiful sisters have loved their time together, worked so hard... and seen a lot of success for their efforts. i am sad to say goodbye to sister dishman, but thrilled that i got to spend some time with them today taking some snaps, so that they can remember the fun they've had together

for those of you who may happen to be browsing my blog that aren't members of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints... you can read more about our missionary efforts here ♥

back to the fold

i found todays relief society lesson spoke to me personally. in april of this year i was called as the relief society president of the ward we had moved into just six months ago and oh did i feel overwhelmed. i feel like i could name a dozen women better suited to the calling, who would do a better job than me and wondered why they had chosen me for such a huge calling. what i needed to remember was that the lord calls people not just because we are needed, but because we need to learn and grow. i often feel like i am not doing enough, like there are so many sisters who need me that i've not yet even met, let alone become aware of their needs. but i know that in time i will learn what i need to do, where i am needed and who i need to seek out. 

this talk was read during the lesson and it made me feel so much better about my calling and gave me the insight into seeking out those who are lost. the flock will be safe... together.

 it's written so perfectly and can be found here 

At the age of 23, I was called as a Relief Society president in our married student ward. I remember the inadequacies I felt, coupled with the desire to do my best. I was eager and excited to serve but doubted my ability to be a good leader.

After a few months as the Relief Society president, I felt that I wasn’t doing enough. I wanted to be able to connect with the sisters and be in tune with their individual needs, but I felt that I was coming up short.

I talked with my bishop and expressed my concerns. I explained how I just couldn’t reach all of the sisters I wanted to. I described how I wished that I had five of me to get the job done the way I thought it should be. I tried to keep my concerns light and humorous, but my eyes quickly filled with tears of discouragement. He smiled and offered some of the best leadership advice I have ever received.

“Are you familiar with the story of the shepherd who, upon losing one of his flock, left ‘the ninety and nine’ to find it?” he asked (see Luke 15:4–7). I nodded. “There seems to be so much wisdom in that parable,” he continued. “The shepherd knew that the ninety and nine would be all right if he left them to look for the one lost sheep.”

Then my bishop offered the following advice: “You see, the ninety and nine have a great way of looking after each other when you’re gone. They will buoy each other up and hold together very well. I suggest that you concentrate on the ones who seem lost. The rest will be OK.”

I felt a strong witness that what he had told me was true and that I didn’t need to worry about the entire flock all at once. My purpose was to find those who were lost and to invite them back into the fold. In that way, Heavenly Father’s purposes could be brought to pass, and I could be a tool in His hands.

As I heeded the bishop’s counsel, I felt a greater measure of understanding of how the Lord would have me serve in His kingdom. I also received spiritual fulfilment that strengthened me in my calling because I was serving as the Savior had instructed. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, my bishop had given me a great gift of understanding and insight.

I testify that as we pray and seek inspiration from our priesthood leaders, they will be inspired to show us how to lead in righteous ways.

to york to york

there is nothing my mother and i love more than a good opshop, even if it's a bit of a drive to get there. one of our favourites, which isn't too far from mums house, is the salvation army jumble sale in york. it is in a shed behind the salvation army church (meaning of course that it's hot in summer and freezing in winter) located in avon terrace, open from 9:30-12 noon monday and friday. we always get some awesome bargains and have a lot of fun.

and the kids love it too! there is a "cafe" inside the church hall during the jumble sale opening hours and they serve scones with jam and cream. yum yum yum. we love our york trips with nanna. ♥

a talk on repentance (and meaningful baptism gifts)

my littlest niece emma kate was baptised on sunday. it was such a lovely day, a beautiful service and awesome to be with our family on such a special occassion. we are so proud of her decision to be baptised and i took great care in choosing appropriate gifts for her day.

we bought her a gold journal, (which even had gold edging to the paper, from woolworths of all places!) a miniature leather bound hymn book to go with her new scriptures and an "always there for you" angel. i thought the angel was a perfect baptism gift, seeing as you receive the gift of the holy ghost after you are baptised and you are promised that he will always be there for you if you are true and faithful.

miss emma kate opening her presents

emma asked me to give a talk on repentance at her baptism, which i happily did... i found this amazing talk online here, which i adapted a little to suit. it was so fun and i think it's a wonderful way to teach the principle.

Hi everyone! I’m Emma’s Aunty Jade and I am here today to talk to you about a special thing called Repentance.

When we came to earth, we were pure and perfect - just like this egg. (Show a hard-boiled egg.) But all of us make mistakes. We do things that we aren’t supposed to and that makes us dirty. Maybe we disobey our parents. (Colour a scribble on the egg shell with a whiteboard marker.) Maybe we get into a fight with our brother or sister. (Colour another scribble on the shell.) We may even tell a lie (colour another scribble). All these things leave their mark. (Show them the egg) What do you think of the egg now? Would you want an ugly egg like this?

Heavenly Father wants us to live with Him again but we can’t if we are covered in sin. That is why He gave us the gift of baptism. (Using the spoon, carefully lower the egg into a jar of water with a large squirt of domestos [bleach] mixed into it.)

When we are baptized, Heavenly Father erases our sins. We come out of the water pure and perfectagain. (Wait until the marker dissolves completely then remove the egg, wipe away the water and show them the white shell again. [It’s a good idea to have baby wipes on hand in case all the maker doesn’t come off, you can remove what’s left with the baby wipe as you clean it off/dry it] Then show them the egg.) But after we are baptized, we still make mistakes, don’t we? We still do things we aren’t supposed to.

We may watch a movie we shouldn’t watch (scribble on the shell with the marker). We may say something mean or unkind to our brother or sister or maybe even to our parents (scribble on the shell again). All these things will make us dirty again.

So what can we do? We can’t get baptized again. That is so sacred and special we can only do that once. That’s why Heavenly Father also gave us the gift of repentance. He lets us repent so we can be clean again. Repentance means we stop what we are doing. (When you say the word ‘stop’, hit the hard-boiled egg on the table to crack the shell. Roll it around a few times to further crack the shell.)

Then we have to do something that is kind of hard. We have to change. We have to get rid of the bad things in our lives. (Start peeling the egg.) It takes work to remove those sins from our lives but we can do it. When we are willing to change who we are and get rid of the bad things in our lives, then we can be pure and white again. (Show them the clean and peeled egg.) That is what Heavenly Father wants. That is why He lets us repent and change. He knows repentance is good for us. He wants us to repent so we can be pure and live with Him again.

I am so thankful for the gift of repentance and being able to make myself clean again each time I do something wrong. I am so grateful you’ve chosen to be baptised Emma and that we’ve been able to share today with you.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

(side note, if you do choose to do this talk (even as a primary lesson?), it is probably best that you have a second egg that's already peeled and you know has come out clean and smooth. my egg didn't peel so well and i ended up having to hold it to show one small smooth spot. it would have been much easier and effective to reach down to "peel it into something" and quickly swapped them over)

it was a success! emma and all the other kids loved it! thank you internet!