LDS General Conference - Saturday Words of Wisdom (April 2014)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
holds General Conference twice a year.
6 months ago
I shared with you some of my favorite quotes or highlights from the October 2013 Conference,
& now I would like to share with you my highlights from the April 2014 Conference...

I've been slacking on getting my highlights up because we're moving in a week.
Yep, that's right.
Una semana...
I'll have Sunday's highlights up when I finish writing that post,
but as of right now
there's no knowing when that will be.

Here are my highlights from Saturday morning & afternoon sessions.
Prepare to be spiritually uplifted...
Keep in mind these are my hurried notes & they are not all word for word.

Defending your faith requires courage & courtesy on your part.
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

You may wonder if taking a religious stand is worth it.
Yes, it is worth it!
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Hate is an ugly word.
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

The bumper sticker question, 'What Would Jesus Do?' will not always bring a popular response.
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Christlike love is the greatest need we have on this planet.
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Pure Christlike love flowing from true righteousness can change the world.
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Defend your beliefs with courtesy & compassion, but defend them.
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

It is so very important for us to focus on what matters most
because temporal things can be taken from us at any moment.
- Elder Ronald A. Rasband

It's our responsibility to serve others & make each other's burdens light.
- Elder Ronald A. Rasband

We should value & love what the Savior loves.
- Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Christ was always thinking of others.
- Elder Carlos H. Amado

Intimate feelings were designed to help us want to marry & have children.
Part of why we're here on Earth is to learn to control those mortal feelings.
- Sister Linda S. Reeves

We need to counsel with our children & youth on an ongoing basis with love, patience, & understanding.
- Sister Linda S. Reeves

Pornography damages lives.
How do we protect our children & youth?
The greatest filter is the personal & eternal filter of a strong testimony of Jesus Christ
& of our Heavenly Father's love for us.
- Sister Linda S. Reeves

It's okay if the house is a mess & the kids are still in their pajamas.
The only things that need to be accomplished are daily scripture study & prayer,
as well as weekly family home evenings.
- Sister Linda S. Reeves

We must want to change our hearts & desires
& be humble enough to ask for the help necessary.
- Sister Linda S. Reeves

The worst whirlwinds are the temptations of the adversary.
Repentance will subdue the winds of sin.
- Elder Neil L. Andersen

The whirlwinds in your youth can increase your spiritual roots
preparing you for your years ahead.
- Elder Neil L. Andersen

Challenges will come to you,
but as you trust in God they will strengthen your faith.
- Elder Neil L. Andersen

Sometimes you have to stand alone.
Stand in holy places & be not moved.
Doctrine & Covenants 87:8

- Elder Neil L. Andersen

In the Gospel of Jesus Christ there is no room for bullying or ridicule.

- Elder Neil L. Andersen

As you live righteously year after year,

your experiences will confirm to you again & again

that Jesus is the Christ.

- Elder Neil L. Andersen

Whoever you are & wherever you may be,

you hold in your hands the happiness of more people than you can imagine.

- President Henry B. Eyring

Duties must sometimes be difficult

because their purpose is to move us along the path

to live forever with Heavenly Father.

- President Henry B. Eyring

You cannot force righteousness.
- President Henry B. Eyring

If you let Christ lead your family,
all things will work out.
- President Henry B. Eyring

Faith is the anecdote for fear.
- Elder Russell M. Nelson

Are we securely tied to God so that our faith shows
or are we actually tied to something else?
Let your faith show.
- Elder Russell M. Nelson

Too many people look only at their bank balance for peace.
- Elder Russell M. Nelson

All truth emanates from God.
- Elder Russell M. Nelson

Keeping divine commandments brings blessings, every time.
- Elder Russell M. Nelson

Wrong is never right.
- Elder Russell M. Nelson

We must be sure to sincerely love those we want to help in righteousness
so they can begin to develop confidence in God's love.
- Elder Richard G. Scott

Love & trust are very important when helping others grow in the Gospel.
- Elder Richard G. Scott

We best serve our Father in Heaven by righteously following Christ's example.
- Elder Richard G. Scott

Don't participate in selective obedience,
but be 100% obedient to God's commandments.
- Elder Robert D. Hales

Why do we choose to be disobedient when we know the eternal consequences of sin?
- Elder Robert D. Hales

Follow the signs to reach your destination instead of mindlessly following others.
- Elder Claudio D. Zivic

We need to get to the point where we have a desire to keep the commandments
rather than be constantly reminded to stay on the path.
- Elder Claudio D. Zivic

Destructive words can take a situation from hazardous to fatal.
- Elder W. Craig Zwick

We need to cultivate respect for each other
& try to understand the other person's perspective.
- Elder W. Craig Zwick

Practice asking what's going through their mind & listen.
Have empathy for the feelings & context of others.
- Elder W. Craig Zwick

Family history work is essential in connecting eternal families.
- Elder Quentin L. Cook

Our family history centers are now in our homes.
- Elder Quentin L. Cook

Families should hold family tree gatherings
& do family history work together as a family after church.
- Elder Quentin L. Cook

The eternally significant blessing of uniting our own families is is almost beyond comprehension.
- Elder Quentin L. Cook

Family commitments & expectations should be at the top of our priorities.
- Elder Quentin L. Cook

Since I didn't share everything
I encourage you to listen to or read the other wonderful words spoken at Conference...

Saturday morning:
Welcome to Conference by President Thomas S. Monson
The Cost--and Blessings--of Discipleship by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
The Joyful Burden of Discipleship by Elder Ronald A. Rasband
Christ the Redeemer by Elder Carlos H. Amado
Protection from Pornography - A Christ-Focused Home by Sister Linda S. Reeves
Spiritual Whirlwinds by Elder Neil L. Andersen
A Priceless Heritage of Hope by President Henry B. Eyring

Saturday afternoon:
Let Your Faith Show by Elder Russell M. Nelson
"I Have Given You an Example" by Elder Richard G. Scott
"If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments" by Elder Robert D. Hales
Let's Not Take the Wrong Way by Elder Claudio D. Zivic
What Are You Thinking? by Elder W. Craig Zwick
Roots and Branches by Elder Quentin L. Cook

xoxo

Easy Cheesy White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

A few months ago,

my friend Lisa from Pebbles & Piggytails posted a recipe

for Easy Chicken Tortilla Casserole on her blog.

We tried it for dinner a while back & absolutely loved it!

My pregnant mind started thinking of different variations of it that we could try since it's so simple...

Hubby even had an awesome idea that I'm going to withhold for now

since I'm sure I'll post about it later!

This dinner was another one of those weird pregnancy thoughts

that turned out to be wonderfully delicious!

Easy Chicken Tortilla Casserole meets Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas.

They fall madly in love.

Easy Cheesy.

25-30 corn tortillas

2 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded)

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp chicken base

1 can diced green chiles

3/4 cup cheddar cheese separated (1/2 cup & 1/4 cup)

2 cups monterey jack cheese

Chop tortillas into bite sized pieces. Heat water with chicken base in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until chicken base is fully melted. Mix together heavy whipping cream, sour cream, & chicken base melted in water. Add chicken, green chiles, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, & tortillas then mix well. Pour mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle with monterey jack cheese & remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned.

xoxo

Nervous. Stressed. Excited.

Remember when I mentioned that we are moving again?

That's happening in about 3 weeks!

I'm nervous/stressed/excited.

I've nervous because

we haven't listed our current home yet.

We don't want to get stuck with two mortgage payments

& are trying to stay optimistic that it will sell quickly once we list it.

Help me think happy thoughts!

I'm stressed because

there is still so much to do.

Plenty to pack & clean,

Easter to celebrate,

& Little Dudeman's birthday is the same week as our close date.

I've already decided that it will only be a family party this year,

but do we celebrate it before we move or after?

Our entire family has been sick & miserable this past week

so we didn't get very much done in regards to getting the house ready to sell.

It's like a vicious cycle...

If I focus on keeping up with the laundry, dishes, & clutter

then I get no packing or deep cleaning done.

If I focus on packing & deep cleaning

our laundry & dish piles become mountains

& the kids take over the house.

I can't win.

It doesn't help that I've been getting exhausted so easily with this pregnancy.

I'm excited because

we have a new adventure ahead of us!

I will really miss our friends here,

(including the squirrel family that lives in our backyard)

but I am excited to make new friends as well.

I'm excited because my sister is graduating soon & we'll get to see family!

I'm excited because our Tennessee trip is just around the corner & we can see more family!

I'm excited because our little family is going to be growing in 4 months!

I can't wait to meet our new little lady (:

But with everything we have going on,

I highly encourage her to stay nice & comfy until August!

xoxo

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Balls

I made these Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Balls
for Little Princess' Lilo & Stitch Luau last week...

I had seen a couple different versions of these here & here,
but neither one included the yummy buttery brown sugar glaze
that is on traditional Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
I was determined to somehow include it.

1 box Yellow cake mix

1 can crushed pineapple (well-drained, but reserve juice)

1 10 oz jar Maraschino cherries (drained)

1/4 cup butter (melted)

1 cup brown sugar

Vanilla frosting (may not need it)

Yellow candy melts

Make cake mix according to directions but substitute reserved pineapple juice for water called for in the directions. Mix in well-drained crushed pineapple last (I used about a cup, but might try more next time) & bake according to directions. Once completely cooled, crumble with hands or food processor. Combine brown sugar with melted butter. It's okay if not all the brown sugar melts. Drizzle warm brown sugar mixture over the top. Combine well. If the consistency is still off, add frosting little by little until the right consistency is achieved (holds together easily, but not too sticky). Form then flatten a ball of dough & place a cherry in the center. Firmly wrap the dough around the cherry to make a ball again. Place cake balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, then refrigerate 10-15 minutes to firm them up for dipping. Use a fork to submerge each cake ball into melted chocolate & carefully tap off any excess chocolate. Carefully slide the balls off of the fork onto the cookie sheet. 

Note: You may have to bake your cake longer than the directions if you didn't drain enough of the pineapple juice, so making sure that you drain them enough is an important step.

Note: You can chop your cherries & mix them in right after the buttery brown sugar if you don't want them whole.

xoxo

Pulled Pork Hawaiian Haystacks

I grew up eating Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner all the time.
You know...
A bed of rice,
chow mein noodles,
almond slivers,
pineapple,
cheese,
coconut,
diced chicken with some sort of gravy sauce that I never wanted to put on mine,
whatever you see fit really.
I've seen plenty of variations online lately
with all sorts of different toppings...

When we lived in California,
we were feeding some LDS missionaries for dinner
& decided to have Hawaiian Haystacks.
One of the elders was from the islands.
He informed us that although the meal was tasty,
the only things Hawaiian about it
were the pineapple, coconut, & the bed of rice.
That has bothered me ever since.

When I was planning Little Princess' Lilo & Stitch party
I instantly thought of Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner.

I started thinking of ways to make it slightly more authentic...
Spam?
Pork?
Fish?
Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes?
Teriyaki?
Poi?

Here's what we decided:

Ignore the blue jello with Swedish fish in the picture.
We didn't eat that on the Haystacks...

Pulled Pork Hawaiian Haystacks
Bed of rice
Crockpot Hawaiian Pulled Pork (recipe below)
Chow Mein noodles
Monterey Jack cheese
Almond slivers
Pineapple tidbits
Shredded coconut
Banana Poi (recipe below)

We tried it both with & without the poi on top.
I liked it both ways.
With the poi it is definitely sweeter,
but you don't need to add that much or it may overpower the other flavors.
A light drizzle should do (:

We served King's Sweet Hawaiian Rolls on the side of the Haystacks.
Hubby tried the pulled pork on those & said it was good too.

I found this recipe for Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pulled Pork over at East 9th Street,
but ended up doing a few things differently...

Crockpot Hawaiian Pulled Pork

3 lbs pork loin, cut into 3-4" pieces (next time I might try 2-3" pieces if using it for Haystacks)

1 cup onion, chopped into small pieces but not quite minced

2/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp salt

1 can crushed pineapple, drained (I only used 1/2 can since I needed the rest for Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Balls, but next time I'm going to try the whole can)

Cut the pork & place in crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients & cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the pork can be easily shredded with two forks. Shred all the meat in the crockpot & turn off heat.

As for the Banana Poi...

I found the recipe at food.com,

but could not find coconut cream anywhere

so I decided to try it with cream of coconut instead.

I just used whatever was left after making the piña coladas.

(approx 1/2 can)

Because I used cream of coconut instead of coconut cream,

my poi was probably a little sweeter than it would be if I had stuck to the original recipe.

Banana Poi

2 cups very ripe bananas, mashed

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup coconut cream (I used roughly 1/2 can cream of coconut instead)

Mash bananas until a smooth paste is formed. Add the lemon juice. Gradually add the coconut cream, stirring constantly. Chill & serve.

If you try this version of Hawaiian Haystacks
let me know what you think...

Do you like it better with or without the poi?

Don't forget to check out the Lilo & Stitch luau!

xoxo

Lilo & Stitch Luau

I can't believe Little Princess is two!

She LOVES Lilo & Stitch right now,
so we went with that theme for her second birthday party.

Since I've been dealing with a lot of stress lately
we decided to just stick with our little ohana.
My dad has been in town this week for a business trip
so we were more than excited to have him celebrate with us!

The kidlets love it when Grampa comes to visit! (:
He watched Lilo and Stitch with them
while Hubby & I were finishing up getting dinner ready...

Then we turned on the Hawaiian music Pandora station & sat down for dinner...

We had Pulled Pork Hawaiian Haystacks

with Banana Poi,

(not pictured)

King's Hawaiian sweet rolls,
blue jello jigglers with Swedish fish,
& delicious virgin Piña Coladas that I wish I had more of right now.
(not pictured)

The kids enjoyed their Piña Coladas in plastic coconut cups that I found at Party City,
but they didn't have enough for everyone so I just bought two...
I also bought Salted Caramel Macadamia Clusters from Costco for everyone to munch on,
but we were all so full that I don't think anyone had any!

If you look back at the first picture you can see leis at each seat
& a little dress that looks kinda like a muumuu...
The plan was to have everyone dress up as Hawaiian as possible,
but all of our leis were already packed so I had to buy more.
I bought the dress for Little Princess since I knew she didn't have anything Hawaiian,
but I couldn't find ANYTHING for Little Dudeman.
He ended up wearing a pajama "surf" shirt & some matching non-pajama shorts.
I wore my muumuu,
Hubby wore his Hawaiian shirt,
& we let Grampa borrow a Hawaiian tie.

We let Little Princess decide which color leis we were all going to wear,
but then she decided that she wanted to wear all the leis.
I wish I had a picture of that.
It was adorable!

We never got a group picture with all of us dressed up in our garb.
With or without leis.
But we did get some pictures of the kids opening presents...

Yes, kids.
Plural.
Little Dudeman helped Little Princess open them
because the wrapping paper was impenetrable.

Then,
after a blur of excitement (:

& lots of silliness...
It was time for cake!
Little Princess had a miniature Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
so that she could blow out her candles.

Then we all munched on Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Balls
while eating banana pineapple "ice cream"
made with my Yonanas machine.
It was all very good
but very rich!

By then it was getting pretty late,
we were all really full,
& Hubby had more work to do
so we decided to call it a night.

If we had more time we could have done a few of these things:
Make hula skirts
Make fruit loop leis
Hula dancing
Hula hooping
Limbo
Play the ukulele
Listen to some Elvis music
Science experiments (since that's what Stitch is)

For more Lilo & Stitch party ideas
you can check out my Luau board on Pinterest
or revisit my Lilo & Stitch themed week (:

Also, you can figure out your Hawaiian name here...

Aloha 'Oe

xoxo

Bows

Confused?

See this post... (:

xoxo