June Visiting Teaching

June Visiting Teaching Message

In July, the visiting teaching message will look different in the Ensign! Here's a preview of the new look!

New format for Visiting Teaching Message

May Visiting Teaching

The May issue of the Ensign and Liahona contain a report of general conference and do not contain a specific Visiting Teaching Message. Visiting teachers are encouraged to prayerfully select a conference address to share with those they teach. 

May Call to Action
As you study the messages given in general conference, ponder the things the Lord has revealed to you through the promptings you receive. Did a specific message help increase your faith? How will you use the general conference messages to strengthen your family and home? Did the words of our leaders motivate you to seek out and help those in need?

Mommy & Me

Well, we had a lot more kids at this Mommy & Me at Virginia Hylton Park!

 Staci Hale, Keri Stewart, Lesley Bass, Christi Mayo and all their kids were there!

 The kids had SO much fun!

 It was hard to pull them away for lunch!

It was a pretty crowded day since it's Spring Break and there were tons of other kids there too!

 Don't your kids need to come out next week?!

Get them out of the house and onto the jungle gyms with slides and monkey bars and swings!

Most of us forgot blankets this week, but we enjoyed our snack lunches in the shade!

Next week, on Tuesday, April 13th, we'll be meeting at 10:30am again, but this time we'll be at the playground next to the fire station and Pinegrove softball complex on Old Barnwell.  That park has a giant jungle gym and some picnic tables.  There is also a restroom close by and a walking track around the complex if you'd like to come early for a little exercise!  Don't forget a sack lunch or snack!  Hope to see you there!  (ps: You don't have to be a mom to come enjoy spending time with other sisters!)

Self-Reliance

Self-Reliance

This is a great section of the Church's website!  Read up if you can!

Walking across the Lake Murray Dam

Well, Monday and Wednesday of this week, 2 ladies showed up to walk:  Lesley Bass and Christi Mayo, along with their children and strollers.  Walking across the dam is a great workout, not to mention good girl talk time!  Walking from the walkers' parking lot on the Lexington side, across the dam to the Irmo side parking lot, and back is just about 3 miles.

(Until other people start coming, y'all will just have to look at pictures of Emma, Owen, and Landen! -I don't like posting without pictures!)

Please come join us, sisters!  We could all use a little attention on ourselves!  Exercising and taking care of our bodies is an important ingredient in being good moms and sisters and friends!  What better way to start your day than with walking next to the beautiful Lake Murray, showing your body and mind some love, and chatting with girlfriends?  (The kids love it too!)

Hopefully we'll see you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8am in the Lexington side parking lot!  (If you happen to get there and are the only one, try to wait at least 15 minutes if you can! I tend to run late!)

April Visiting Teaching

April Visiting Teaching Message

Don't forget about the handout ideas you can find on the websites listed at the bottom of the left column!

The Church website also has some additional support information for visiting teaching.

He Lives: Testimonies of Jesus Christ

Temple Trip

Columbia South Carolina Temple looking beautiful this spring!

We had a great turnout this time!  Mary Beth Carlisle, Amber Temple, Lesley Bass, Keri Stewart, Christi Mayo, Ginny McKesson, and Elaine Greene all came to enjoy visiting the temple this past Wednesday morning!

 Amanda Gubler and Charlene Adams so graciously took a turn being babysitters for the 8 children left behind!  This was a wonderful experience that we hope everyone takes advantage of as often as possible!

Please join us on the 14th this month!  You can meet us at the temple or meet us at the babysitter's home.  Or give us a call and I'm sure someone could pick you up if you needed it!  We want all of our sisters to enjoy the blessings of the temple!  It's the perfect way to start your day!

Mommy & Me at Virginia Hylton Park

Our first Mommy & Me was like many other firsts.  Only Lesley Bass with Landon and Christi Mayo with Owen and Emma showed up.

 But we still had a great time chasing the boys around the park.  They had a great time too!  It was obvious they miss being outside!

 Then we had a picnic and enjoyed SC turning into spring!

(Didn't have the blog when I took these pictures with my phone, but thought I'd add them so we'd have some pictures on our blog!  Future pictures won't just include Owen!)

Romance in your Marriage Activity

For those of you that missed the activity last Friday, you can find some of the stuff we talked about and learned right here!
We started the evening with dipping chocolates and fondues!  I didn't think to bring a camera, but hopefully will for future activities.

We had milk and white chocolate dipped strawberries, bananas, Ritz peanut butter sandwiches, and other goodies!  

Chocolate for Dipping
In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips and shortening.  Use 1 Tbsp of shortening for every 1 cup of chocolate chips.  Continually stir chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula.  Remove from heat when chocolate is melted around the sides.  Stir chocolate to see if the rest of the chips will melt.  If not, put saucepan back over heat a little longer.  Repeat as needed until chocolate is smooth.  Immediately dip fruit, crackers, pretzels, or whatever you like covered in chocolate!  Place dipped treats on wax or parchment lined cookie sheets.  For a quick set, place in freezer for 10 minutes.

We also learned how to make chocolate fondue!

Chocolate Fondue
Melt chocolate the same way as the recipe above, but substitute the shortening for heavy whipping cream.  As chocolate is melting, add more cream to get the fondue consistency you prefer.  (Will use about 1/2 to 1 cup of cream for a full 12oz. bag of chocolate chips.)

We enjoyed some cheese fondue as well, but it was made before the party started.  Here's the recipe:

Cheese Fondue
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Dijion mustard
1 Clove of garlic or equivalent with garlic powder
3 Tbsp All purpose flour
6 cups Shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, mix together milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and flour.  Heat until almost boiling.  Gradually stir in cheddar cheese (about a 1/2 cup at a time).  Continue heating until all the cheese has melted.  Keep warm in fondue pot or serve immediately.  If you don't have a fondue pot and aren't quite ready to use fondue, keep covered until ready and reheat for a couple minutes on low just before serving.

We also discussed ways to keep contention out of our marriages and romance in!  We took home a printout from a Marriage and Family Relations packet, but I haven't found it online.  I'm trying to find a way to get it on here so y'all can have a copy.  Hopefully it will be up soon!