Project Preach My Gospel

This week for Family Home Evening, we set about assembling some study kits so that our family could become more involved in using Preach My Gospel , so that we might be able to follow prophetic counsel , prepare our family for the Hill Cumorah Pageant, and...maybe just because as a missionary, I came to love and cherish this inspired resource for all Latter-day Saints. I truly feel that one of the things I learned most poignantly on the mission was how to become a better member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Okay. As for the Project, this is geared towards involving all the members of our family at home. That means age ranges from ten to...how old are you, Dad? Fifty-something. Teenagers in the mix, and a good family with a desire to get into this book.

So, we made study kits with stickers (for labeling and using as a study key), highlighters, a mechanical pencil, a four-color pen , and sticky tabs.

Here's an example of a key that could be made with the stickers.

Then, we went on into creating our journals. With the help of some spiral-bound notebooks, glue sticks, pictures from the Ensign (thanks for helping me cut those out, Heather!), and some packing tape to "laminate" it, each person made his or her own Study Journal. (The Tabs you see are just some post-it removable label tabs. Quite useful! My favorite part of this was seeing everyone get so involved in the project, and you can really see their personalities come through, as Melinda pointed out.

Melinda

Trina

Joel

Sarah

Dan (poor guy...at the mercy of us all. It's definitely a collage)

Dad

Detail of Dad's Cover

Mom

Detail of Mom's Cover

Heather

Mine

Detail of my cover

Our Study Journals are made, our kits are assembled, we've made some Journal Prompts on mailing labels that can be stuck at the top of each page (has the date, a PMG page reference, and a question or prompt), and once our copies of PMG arrive from the distribution center, we're going to be good to go! I am excited about this project. I love this book. I love my family. Putting the two together seems so natural and right.

Happy reading.

Of Peppers and Pimpernels

This weekend was wonderful; full of good food and fine art.

Below you will find a detail of the closing week of Pickwick's

The Scarlet Pimpernel

as well as a recipe for salsa verde

Joel, audience member. "I like the view better from the back."

Hey! These girls look familiar! I think they're here to see the prince.

Trina: Pickwick's official program passer-outer.

I got called on last minute to do some stage make-up for one of the stars.

Melinda: light queen. She even made it possible for the

show to go on when, overnight, all the programmed cues were erased.

Hard at work, following scripts and getting ready for some lightening.

Look at that hand in the corner, ready to strike.

Sarah, in the eerie blue light and black clothes of the stage crew.

She represents Heather and herself on this one. I probably wasn't

supposed to be backstage taking this picture at all.

Who's that fine violinist? Single-handedly representing the

string section? Marie, that's who.

Dad as a fop, and Mom getting ready for Madame la Guillotine

Mom and Dad, getting ready for the play, listening to the

cast notes right before the matinee.

A shot from the ball scene where you can see how, literally,

Marie played in every single number and transition.

Look at the high violin bow!

Dad and Mom dancing at the ball (sorry it's so blurry).

Mom got voted prettiest in a wig.

A bit of reminiscing for me: 1 year ago....

And now, for the recipe! Salsa Verde.

Please note that there is a great deal

of difference between American Salsa

and Mexican salsa. American salsa really

is more of a Pico de Gallo. Salsa is just that; a sauce.

You'll need a list of vegetables, a blender, and a bit of salt. And something delicious to put it on.

Ingredients: 1 large onion, peeled and roughly cubed

5-7 tomatillos (green tomatoes in a husk; peeled, washed, cubed)

1-3 Jalepeno Peppers, stems removed, chopped in thirds

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half

hot water

2-4 tsp salt

* Cube all vegetables and put in a pan; boil until soft. Drain water (setting aside about a cup) and place all vegetables in a blender. Add water to cover vegetables 1/3 of the way in the blender (about a cup, really no more than 12 oz). Blend until mixture is smooth (no chunks). Add salt to taste, but at least 2 tsp is recommended. Store in the refrigerator.

We served this with toquitos, I ate it with guerritos and later quesadillas, and it can be used for green enchiladas or as a base for the filling of tomales with chicken. Very delicious.

el tomatillo

las verduras necesarias
la obra rica: salsa verde