The Family

I just want everyone to know where I stand on this issue. I don't live in California but I do support the idea of the Traditional Family. It is very important to me. Everyone has the right of choice, as long as it doesn't hurt someone else. I would vote Yes to protect the sanctity of Marriage.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Happy Mother's Day

Lenore Wood Bennion

Today is that day that we honor those women who raised us, who gave us of their time and love. I know that I gave my mother fits growing up.

She didn't deserve it.

One of my daughters gave my a little pin that she made when expecting her first child.It was like a little book that folded out and said,

"A woman can only understand her mother once she has become one."

The older I get the more I realize what my mother did for me. I don't believe that you have to actually give birth and raise children to be a loving woman who mothers others. I have known so many women who have never had the opportunity to be mothers who have had such an influence on me and my children. But now that I am facing the dreaded empty nest I look back on my life and am so very grateful to my mother for all that she has taught me.

I just want to thank her.

Because she took the time to teach me to sew when I was 12 years old, (And boy did that take patience!) I was able to sew wedding dresses and prom dresses for my daughters. Mother would make me sew PJ's for my little brothers. She said it didn't matter what they looked like but I needed the practice. She taught me to sew French seams and flat-feld seams. When I was only in Ninth grade she bought me the fabric to make my own coat and helped me make bound button holes. There wasn’t anything I wasn’t confident enough to sew. Because of this I was able to sew anything for my children. At one point I was making every thing they worn except their shoes and socks. …Thanks Mom!

I don't remember how old I was when Mother taught me to cook. I do know that I was baking cookies by the time I was 10 because I cut my finger on a Crisco can lid. I remember Mom teaching me about tsp. tbl. and c., and how to measure Crisco in the liquid measuring cup using water displacement. When I was about 13 Mom handed me the recipe for whole wheat bread and asked me to make it. There was a list of ingredients and no instructions. It is a good thing I had watched Mom enough to know how to knead the bread. It turned out well and I have been baking bread ever since. In fact when my brother Joe the Potter was teaching me to make pots and was showing me how to knead the clay he was quite impressed how quickly I picked up his new technique. It wasn’t until the next time I was making bread that I realized that I had mastered that technique when I was 13.

Thanks Mom for taking the time to teach me to cook. I have fed my family for years now.

My mother raised a large family. There are 12 of us living children. Here we are before the last 2 were born. I just love this picture of us. That is me with wiggly Sam on my lap on the front row. Happy Days.

Here we all are right after my Father's funeral. What a crown of jewels.

Mother went back to school when I was in Jr. High. It took her several years of summer school and night classes but she graduated from collage in August of 1974. I was so proud of my mother for that. She became a kindergarten teacher after me parents moved to rural Missouri. She taught in the public schools until she was 72.

She was well loved but her teaching influence started way before that. I remember Mom reading to us every night when I was growing up. We didn't have a TV in the home for most of my life and this was a great way to keep us quiet for a while. But because of this we are all avid readers. We have had many family discussions on books we have read all the way from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings. The interesting thing is that Mom rarely read a novel for herself. She said that she felt that her time was too precious so she needed to use it wisely. Mom always read the news paper, Church magazines, Educational journals and all of the National Geographic(not just the pictures).
Thanks Mom for reading to me.

Because my Mother made parenting look so easy and installed in her children the importance of family she now has close to 1oo descendants. Every year she makes a handmade Christmas ornament for her grand children and great grand children.

Octophrost from Christmas 2007
99 Opctopi. You can read about it here and here.

I now am contunuing the tradition with my own grand children.Here is a wonderful 4 generation picture with me, Mom, Madi, and Rachel.

Thanks again Mom for being such a good example to me.

The Wedding

Well the wedding has come and gone and I think I will live. After the wedding reception was over and we were cleaning up I was talking with some one. (I talked with so many people that day) I realized that we weren’t done until we got home unpacked and put every thing away. So well I almost have every thing put away. So I wanted to share a few pictures. My daughter Josie took the pictures.

Emily and Cousin Katie (Her Maid of Honor)

The Bride, Emily

A Close up of the wedding dress.

The Newly Wed Couple
Emily and Lance

Men in Black

Lane and Braxton, the Best Man

The Father and the Bride

The Mother and the Bride

The Grooms Family

The Brides Family

The Cake.

Mississippi Mud

Ok this is another Brownie recipe. The Problem is that I didn’t think of blogging it until we were serving it up.

Step 1: Well you take my favorite ingredient which is Betty Crocker Brownie mix. The basic one is best. Mix it up according to the instructions on the box.

Step 2: Add as many walnut pieces as you can, at least a cup or 2 full! Eat several of the walnuts they are so very good for you!

Step 3: Pour everything into a Pam sprayed pan. (I doubled my batch by using 2 mixes and lots and lots of nuts, so I baked it in a jelly roll pan. If you only use 1 mix the you can use a 9x13 cake pan.)

Step 4: Now bake it according to the package instructions.

Step 5: When the brownies are done cooking take them out of the oven and put 1 layer of miniature marshmallows on top. This is not as easy as it sounds. They like to roll off the brownies and go down under the burners on the stove. You can’t leave them there, they will burn next time you cook something. I found that if I could get them to kind of stick on the hot!!! edge of the brownies (Remember that the pan is very HOT) they will work as a fence to trap those rolly polly marshmallows

Step 6: Put the Brownies back into the oven for about 5 minutes. This allows the marshmallows to melt and get a little crunchy on the edges just like roasted marshmallows.

Step 7: Take the brownies out of the oven again and put a layer of chocolate chips on them. Yes they are also rolly polly and want to go down under the burners and onto the floor. Why didn’t I just put the brownies onto the counter? That would be too easy.

Step 7: Brownies go back into the oven again just long enough to melt those chocolate chips. Take them out of the oven and smooth the Chocolate out carefully with a spatula.

Let them cool, cut them up and enjoy!!

This is the effect the brownies will have on your family.
Every one will sink into a sugar comma for an hour or so.

Having wonderful Chocolaty dreams and wake to tell you

how wonderful you are and ask you to make them more often.

**By the way this is my Brother Sam and his young son Toshi.