Angels Among Us

Angels come in the form of Visiting Teachers! We have an older sister in our ward who has been in a convalescent center and her sweet Visiting Teacher has been visiting her. On one of those visits her Visiting Teacher delivered to her the special book that we each received at Christmas that had special things written about us by the other sisters in our ward. Her visiting teacher kneeled by the edge of her bed, gently stroked her hand and read to her the loving things that other sisters in our ward had written about her.

Angels come in the form of friends who follow the Spirit. One of the sisters in our ward was discouraged and overwhelmed with a very time consuming task she had to complete. Another sister in our ward called her and heard her tell about the task she had to complete that day. She came over and helped until the project was complete-which took most of the day.

HOW DO I LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE BLOG????

I have sensed a little frustration from some sisters who have tried and tried to leave a comment on the Blog and have been unable. I hope this little tutorial will help!

After each "post" you have the opportunity to leave comments. First you will need to have a "Google Account". This costs no money and is very simple to do.

1st-Click on "comments"

2nd- A box will come up where you can leave a comment-at the very bottom of that column is the wording, "No Google Account? Sign up here". Click on that.

3rd-Complete the page that comes up-email, password, Display Name, Word Verification and then click that you accept the Terms of Use. Then click the orange arrow at right.

4th-You now have a user name and password. Don't forget what they are-write them down. You can now go back into the Blog and leave as many comments as you would like.

5th-Remember that I have enabled a "Blog Moderator". This means that all comments have to be approved before they will be posted. This will help keep undesirables from leaving less than pleasing comments.

GOOD LUCK! LETS SEE HOW MANY CAN COMMENT!!!!

BLOG LINGO FOR THE BLOGGING CHALLENGED

We have had several sisters express a desire to know the "Lingo" for some of the words and phrases which are seen on the blog. I hope this helps and doesn't make it even more confusing!

In the left hand column of the blog under the Header "Lesson Schedule" you see TFOT. This is the abbreviation for "Teachings For Our Times".

Again, in the left hand column just beneath the "BE" Header you see "ABNY". This stands for "A Brand New Year". This is a little box you can click on and it will show you the outstanding video for our Youth which the Church put together. The YM/YW Theme for 2009 is "A Brand New Year". You should "click" on it and check it out-it will give you goose-bumps!

Again, in the left hand column you see "Followers". This is generally for other people who "Blog". If you have your own Blog you can use a photo of yourself or anything you like to represent you. If you like a certain blog and want to be updated when something new is posted on the Blog then you add your little picture and "follow" the Blog. So right now Brittanie, Kirsten and Debbie Hager are all following our Blog. Where is Jaimee, Marnie, Candace, Nicole & Debi Lassen???

At the VERY bottom of the Blog page is the wording: "Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)" You can just disregard this. It's not important-unless you are Nancy Hales-in which case we expect you to Subscribe to the Blog Magazine-LOL! (Laughing out Loud!)

Hope this helps you! Please visit the Blog often and become familiar with it and you will enjoy it even more.

----------IMPORTANT TIP-----------

To make it easier for you to visit the Blog you will want to "Save it to Favorites". You can do this by looking at the very top of your computer screen and on the left of the screen just under the arrows in the circles you will see the words:

File Edit View Favorites Tools

Click on Favorites Then a box will drop down and at the very top you will see:

Add to Favorites - click on this and then you are done. The next time you want to view the Blog all you have to do after you bring up the Internet is click on "Favorites" and then click on "Camarillo Second Ward Relief Society" and voila-there you are!

Pam Henderson's Lesson on Missionary Work

Relief Society Lesson, Teaching For Our Times: "Go Ye Therefore" by Sylvia Allred, 1st Couns. in RS Presidency

Except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter unto the kingdom of God. John 3:5
Baptism is essential for our salvation.
Before the resurrected Savior ascended to heaven, he instructed his disciples: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20

It is our responsiblity as members of God's true church to share the gift of salvation with others. By sharing the Gospel we can increase our spirituality in these areas:
--Increased reliance on the Lord
--Seeking the guidance of the spirit
--Overwelming love for God's children
--Increased knowledge of the scriptures and doctrines
--Increased desire to be obedient/keep commandments with exactness
--Strengthened Testimony

Ways we can do missionary work:
--Being a good neighbor/friend
--Set a good example
--Smile genuinely, reflect love, peace, and happiness
--Live a gospel--centered life
--Start being more specific in missionary effort
--Help prepare your children for a mission
--Prepare yours/elf for missionary service
--Invite family and friends to church or to a missionary discussion
--Have people over for dinner, BBQ or FHE
--Invite people to the family history center
--Give referrals to the missionaries and follow up on them
--Share your testimony
--Seek opportunities to reach out/serve others
--Extend your friendships
--Give your best effort/be a good example
--Send letters/pkgs to missionaries
--Don't hide your religion
--Listen to the spirit

The full time missionaries in our ward are putting together a Mission plan for our ward. Please support them in this plan by inviting members to your activities and being more proactive in sharing the gospel. This plan will be implemented with the help your home teachers, who be checking up on you :).

Slide Show from Cooking Club

Cooking Club-Jan 22nd-Heavenly Meals (Make Ahead Meals for a Week)

Our "Heavenly Meals" Cooking Class last night at Pam Henderson's was a great success. It was fun to see so many of our sisters there and enjoy the evening with them. Thanks to Angie Ames we have some great photos from last night.

As promised, we have the recipes from the 5 dishes which were prepared for your sampling last night. They were:

Chicken Fajitas w/tortillas
Sloppy Joe w/rolls
Chicken Carbonara
Mac Beef and Bacon (Cowboy Surprise!)
Chicken Cacciatore (great low cal dinner)

I totaled the costs of all ingredients, including the cost of the Zip lock bags which were used to store the food in and tax. The price for each dinner which served a family of 6 (some could serve as much as 8) came to ...$6.61! Now if you are only cooking for 2-4 you will spend even less---or make extra meals. See if you can use some of your food storage with these recipes. For example; do you have pasta in your food storage you can rotate? How about can tomatoes? Chicken Broth? Look for ways to use/rotate your food storage.

We really saved money by buying in bulk and preparing meals with similar ingredients. One of the biggest money savers was purchasing whole chickens and using all the meat from each bird in preparing our recipes. Combining the white and dark meat kept our dishes moist and more flavorful. I used precooked chickens from Costco which were very moist and flavorful. You could easily prepare your own chicken and save even more $$$. Using a Food Processor cut my veggie chopping time down to just minutes. I used only 1 frying pan, one deep pot and about 5 bowls. My clean-up went very fast. I actually prepared double recipes for our class last night and my total cooking time was about 3 hours. I am sure it would be even less time if you were only preparing 5 meals vs-10. But then again, 3 hours for 10 meals is really amazing-maybe you will want to double your recipes and store for later in the month.

The 2 enemies to frozen food are moisture and air. You want to avoid freezer burn by getting as much excess air out of your Zip lock bags as possible. You will want to put your ingredients into one Zip lock bag and then combine all the bags into one larger one.
For example: Chicken Fajitas: one Zip lock bag for chopped onions & bell peppers
one Zip lock bag for the sauce
one Zip lock bag for the cooked & chopped chicken
place all these bags into a large Zip lock bag, seal & freeze.

Another great tip is to use your computer to print labels for each dinner. You will want to mark the date prepared, name of recipe, and reheating instructions. Place this label on one of the inner bags so that it isn't torn off or damaged in the freezer.

Here you go:

Chicken Fajitas by Debbie Morris
2 c cooked & cubed chicken
3/4 c chopped bell pepper
3/4 c chopped onion
flour tortillas
Sauce:
1T lemon juice
1T soy sauce
1 T vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t garlic
1 T chili powder (you can use less)
dash of cayenne pepper

Chop and store in Zip lock onions & bell peppers. Mix sauce and store in Zip lock. Chop chicken and store in Zip lock. In large Zip lock store tortillas then add bags with sauce, chicken & onion/peppers. Add label to inside bag. Freeze.
Reheating Instructions:
In frying pan spray with non-stick spray. Saute onions & peppers. Add chicken to rewarm. Add sauce. Serve with tortillas.

Chicken Carbonara by Giada De Laurentiis
2 cups cooked/cubed chicken
1 lb penne or other pasta
2 T olive oil
1/4 c bacon bits or you can use cubed ham
Sauce:
6 eggs
1/2 c heavy cream
1 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 t salt & 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper

Cook your pasta in 2 T olive oil according to directions on package. Cube and store in Zip lock bag cooked chicken. Place label on bag. Place bacon or ham into Zip lock bag. After pasta has cooled down, place in large Zip lock bag-remove all air. Prepare sauce and store in either a Zip lock or a plastic freezer container such as Tupperware or Rubbermaid. Mark container with date and recipe title. Add remaining bags into larger bag and freeze.
Reheating Instructions:
In pan, spray with non-stick spray. Gently heat sauce-DO NOT OVER COOK OR YOU WILL END UP WITH EGGS & NOT SAUCE! Cook for just minutes. Heat sauce just to warm-not boil. Add chicken then pasta. Top with bacon bits.

Sloppy Joe by Cooking Light
1 lb lean ground beef (can substitute ground Turkey)
1/2 c chopped bell pepper
1/2 c chopped onion
Hamburger buns or dinner rolls (smaller rolls are better for little children & tend to be eaten as opposed to hamburger buns which tend to end up in the freezer)
Optional to add: 1/2 c chopped celery & 1 c chopped mushrooms
Sauce:
1 c ketchup
1 c water
1 t garlic
1 T lemon juice
1 T brown sugar
1 t paprika
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t Dijon or reg mustard
1 T red wine vinegar
Brown ground beef or turkey with chopped onion & bell pepper. Let cool and store in Zip lock. Mix sauce in bowl. Pour sauce over meat in Zip lock and seal. Add sticker. Freeze. Put rolls or buns in Zip lock with label and freeze.
Reheating Instructions:
In pan heat meat sauce thoroughly. Serve on rolls.

Mac Beef & Bacon (Cowboy Surprise!) by Debbie Morris
1 lb tube or spiral pasta
1 lb ground beef
1/2 c chopped onions
1/2 c chopped green onions
1 lg can Tomato Soup-undiluted
1 c shredded cheddar cheese (Mexican Mix is good)
1/3 c bacon bits

Brown beef with onions & peppers. Let cool then store in Zip lock. In small Zip lock store bacon bits. In small Zip lock store cheese and place cooking label on bag. Make sure that your label indicates that you use soup (store in your pantry). Place all bags into large Zip lock and freeze.
Reheating Instructions: In pan heat meat mixture with can of tomato soup. You may need to add some water. When heated, add pasta. When all heated through top with cheese & bacon. Serve.

Chicken Cacciatore by Eatingwell.com
1 1/4 lbs cooked & cubed chicken
2 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 t fresh rosemary
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 c chicken broth
1/2 t salt 1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 package pasta of your choice

Boil pasta in 1 T olive oil. Let cool and then place in Zip lock. Cube chicken and place in Zip lock. In small Zip lock place onion, 1T oil and rosemary. Put label on bag. In Zip lock place tomatoes, broth & s/p. Place all bags into one large one removing all excess air.
Reheating Instructions: In pan cook ingredients in bag with oil, onion & rosemary. When onions are translucent add tomato mixture. Cook off some of the water and then add the pasta. Serve.

Message From Our Relief Society President, Linn Evans

The theme we have chosen for Relief Society for 2009 is ANGELS AMONG US - HEAVENLY HANDS. It is taken from this scripture found in D&C 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up"

From the beginning of time God has dispatched angels as His messengers. They are sent to convey love and concern for His children. They bless us in times of special need and also reassure us that Heaven is always close and that His help is always near. President Joseph F. Smith said, “When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers…… our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the Divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.”

Elder Jeffery R. Holland "My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. Nor will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man (or one woman or child) upon the face thereof to be saved." When we allow ourselves to be used by Heavenly Father to do His work and become an instrument in His hands by helping others, showing charity, and ministering as earthly angels we have been promised that Heavenly Angels will walk beside us.

Our Birthday Gift this year for R.S. sisters is a bottle of pump hand soap. It is meant to remind you daily to use your hands to bless others. It comes with a challenge to allow yourself to be used by Heavenly Father to be a ministering angel. To look for ways and pray for opportunities to lift, comfort, and bring relief. To step out of ourselves, and our comfort zones and use those feelings of charity that God planted in our hearts as women.

The 2nd part of that challenge is to look for your angels in your life–you’ll be surprised, and overwhelmed at how often they cross your path. Heavenly Father never leaves us alone, and without help in the challenges that we face. There are always angels coming and going all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.

This year our lessons and enrichment activities will all be based around this theme. Some of the titles of our first Sunday lessons will be: Tongues of Angels or voices of angels (speak no ill )– Errand of Angels is given to women (Service) - Heaven Sent ( Recognizing the Tender Mercies of the Lord) - "Oh that I were an Angel" (how we can help in missionary work) - Guardian Angels (protecting our families) - Angels in the Outfield (fellow shipping those who feel they don’t fit in) - Angels We Have Heard on High (Christmas Lesson)

Refuges Among Us (before you start this video, scroll down and pause music)

Welcome To YOUR Blog

Welcome to our Relief Society Blog. We are excited that we now have one place where we can post upcoming events, photos from activities and links to Internet sites which can give you inspiration and help you as a Woman, Mother, Wife, Sister, Daughter and Friend.
We hope that you will check the Blog at least once a week for:
Teachers Corner-brief summaries from the Relief Society Lesson
Birthdays
Enrichment Activities
Cooking Class dates
Spotlight the Angels Among Us
Messages from our Relief Society President, Linn
Missionary Moments
Visiting Teaching Tips & Ideas
Inspirational Videos
Food Storage Tips & Ideas
D&C Reading Challenge
Ward/Stake Calendar Events
Ward News
Photos and videos from past RS and Ward Events
Messages from our First Presidency and General RS Presidency and more

There will be a place to comment on each "Post". We encourage you to do so as we are interested in your input. Please be aware that we have a "Comment Moderator" enabled on the Blog which requires all comments to be approved before they will be posted. So please be patient, it may take a day or so before the comment is posted.

One of the purposes of this Blog is to spotlight the Angels Among Us~~~those sisters who are Angels in the lives of others. Please contact Linn through either her email or phone and let her know if you have been blessed by an Angel in our midst. Then we will spotlight them on our Blog.