In a world that is crumbling, our walls of faith and dedication must be continually  fortified.  Our hearts require constant reinforcing in order to remain courageous.

This 3 minute and 25 second video featuring Elder Nelson will give your heart added courage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMwKxmTLaCs

“If you have faith, you can handle difficulties.”

“Be patient with yourself.  Don’t demand things that are unreasonable.  But demand of yourself improvement.”

“As you let the Lord help you, He will make the difference.”

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

This plaque hangs on my living room wall where I can read and internalize it every morning.

I know dreamers.

I know believers.

I know people who are trying to leave the world better than when they found it.

I love being with those people.

I enjoyed a lovely evening with a courageous, cheerful, believing friend last night.  Her name is Virginia.  She inspires me.  She is wise…and I gleen often from her wealth of life experience and wise application of it.  She makes me laugh.  And think.

Virginia’s husband, Jim, passed away a couple of years ago.  Jim loved butterflies.  Well, “loved” is probably an understatment.  From his childhood, Jim collected butterflies – perfectly and delicately preserving their colorful beauty.  He has thousands of butterflies in his collection.  Jim was kind enough to give my family a private showing of his collection several years ago.  It is an experience we treasure.  He even gave us this butterfly as a momento of our experience.

This gorgeous teal and black butterfly is from China.  Beautiful, isn’t it?  My children have proudly held it up at school for show and tell…now it has a home on a shelf where we can see it everyday.

Jim’s fine collection of butterflies now belongs to the Natural History Museum near the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.  Last night, for one night only, the entire collection was on display.

I walked into the room where the butterflies were displayed and was instantly in awe at how many people had come to admire Jim’s work.  They were fasinated with the colors, unique wing patterns, sizes and the variety of butterflies.  Small children stood on tiptoes to see the vibrant wings.  Parents listened carefully as a butterfly expert described the details of a butterflies habitat.  It was a thrill to see.  I marvelled at what had become of one man’s passion.

Jim loved butterflies.

And now hundreds of people love them more too.

I am certain Jim had no aspirations of his work belonging to a museum someday.  I’m quite sure he didn’t give strict attention to detail so that hundred would be impressed with him.

He just did what he loved.  It brought him joy to develop this hobby.

This is Virginia standing in front of a display as you enter the museum.  Do you see all the butterflies?

The truth is, sometimes we do things knowing it will make a difference.

We read to our children at night because we know it will help them be better readers.

We smile as we wake them in the morning knowing it will set a pleasant tone for the day.

We send a note because it will brighten a heart.

But most often, we do things having no idea if it will make a difference at all.  We simply do them because we love to.  We can be sure when we do what we love – love grows, spreads, multiplies – in all its forms.  I saw love last night in the form of butterfly wings.

Do what you love.

What you love just might - no, definitely will - leave a mark for good on the world.

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

Perhaps you have encountered a child like that before?

I don’t want to speak ill of her (though in frustration I certainly have), and that is why I don’t mention the situation very often.  But the “situation” (meaning fits, outbursts, hitting, screaming, pinching, teasing, etc.) has been going on for over seven years.

I kept thinking she would grow out of it.  We tried every kind of reward/punishment system we could think of.  Nothing helped for very long.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were pretty much at wits end.  What were we going to do with this child that could and would burst into a rage at any given moment?  How could we teach her to be kind to her sisters?  When would our home be consistenly peaceful?

It was Spring Break – the kids would be home from school – our prayers intensified.  We pleaded for answers and Heavenly help.

Monday.  The first day of Spring Break we went Prom dress shopping for my oldest daughter.  We pulled into the mall parking lot and the youngest daughter started.  “I don’t want to go shopping!  I want to go home!  I’m hungry!”

I asked if she had eaten anything before we left.

“Yes, a fruit roll-up.”

As soon as she said that, the words, “Red Dye 40″ popped into my head.

Red Dye 40.  Yes.  I had heard of that years before.  Someone told me that it can make children have crazy, wild reactions after eating it.

Tuesday.  She ate another fruit roll-up and had another day frought with misbehaving.

Wednesday – Saturday.  I told her we were going to conduct a little experiment…no eating foods with Red Dye 40.  She agreed.  Four days of completely pleasant behavior.

Sunday.  She was given a red Laffy Taffy.  Fits.  All afternoon.  A full-blown, lay-on-the-floor-and-scream fit when I asked her to take a bath.

That evening we got online.  Here is just a little of what we read:

“Red 40 is a commonly used food coloring dye added to a variety of products. While it may make food esthetically pleasing in appearance, it can cause a negative reaction in those who consume it.

Children are most often the ones who have sensitivity to red 40, whether their parents have realized it or not. Reactions include temper tantrums, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, uncontrollable crying and screaming, kicking, nervousness, dizziness, inability to concentrate and sit still among other findings. Physically you may get frequent headaches or migraines, upset stomach and feel ill after ingesting this additive. Often when Red 40 is eliminated from the child’s diet a remarkable change is noticed immediately.”

Could that really be our problem? (Or at least part of it?)

We went through the kitchen reading labels.  EVERYTHING I was feeding her had Red 40 – fruit snacks, chips, cereal, BBQ and enchilada sauce - even yogurt.

It was like I was poisoning her and didn’t even know it.

We explained to her that she was essentially “allergic” to Red 40 and to stay away from it.  We taught her how to read labels so she would know what she could and couldn’t eat.

It has been almost a month since the absence of Red Dye 40 in her diet (and ours as a result) – and we have noticed a marked difference in her.  She is so much happier and much more in control of her emotions and behavior.  Does she still have moments?  Of course.  She has a strong personality and I’m sure there is some learned behavior to “unlearn,” but there has been a big change in her.  Not to mention the fact that we all have difficult days now and then.

I sat with her one night after about a week of being Red 40 free and asked her how she felt.  Her words will forever echo in my mind.

“I was born to be good.  But I couldn’t when I ate those things.”

I. Was. Born. To. Be. Good.

She knows that about herself.  Thank goodness.

“Red Dye 40.”  It was whispered in my ear.  Not loud.  Not repeated over and over.  Just once.  The Lord sent a piece of the puzzle to us – right in the middle of a busy day.  I am so grateful that He did.

It was little – just three words.  But it lead to a gigantic discovery.  In my mind it was a miracle.

I think that is often how He works.  By small and simple things, GREAT things are brought to pass.  And our little one’s improvement has certainly been great.

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

These two fit the bill…EASY and DEEEEELICIOUS.  They call for very few ingredients and take very little time to make.  Our family loved them both and when I served them, I became a dinner superhero.  (And I let my family think I was.  I didn’t tell them how simple the recipes were…)

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CASSEROLE

6-8 boneless chicken breasts (to cover a 9×13 pan)

6-8 ham slices

6-8 swiss cheese slices

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp lemon juice

2-3 cups slightly crushed corn flakes

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease pan.  Pound chicken breasts until flattened.  Put chicken in pan, making sure to cover the whole pan.  Place ham slices on top of chicken, then swiss cheese slices on top of ham.  Set pan aside.  In a bowl, combine soup, sour cream and lemon juice.  Pour soup mixture on top of swiss cheese evenly.  Sprinkly corn flakes on top of soup mixture.  Place in oven and bake for 1 hour.

CHICKEN & STUFFING

8 chicken breasts, skinned

8 swiss cheese slices

butter or margarine

2 pkg stuffing and wild rice mix*

2 cans cream of chicken soup

milk, optional

Place chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders because that’s what I had on hand and it worked great) in a 9×13 pan.  Place a slice of swiss cheese on each breast.  Pour bread crumbs from stuffing mix over cheese and spread soup over crumbs.  (You can dilute the soup with milk…I used about 3/4 cup and I was glad I did.)  Sprinkle seasoning packet from stuffing mix over all.  Dot with butter or margarine.  Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hrs at 350.

*I couldn’t find this at the store, so I used one box of stuffing mix and one box of wild rice mix.  Worked great.

Hope you and your family enjoy these delicious and easy recipes.  You might want to wear your apron as a cape, because you are bound to be a dinner superhero after serving these…

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

We have a lot of fun.  We laugh.  We giggle.  I’ve gone so far as to attach toilet paper to the heal of my shoe, just to add a little humor.  I have given away a washer/dryer, dressed up as Little Bo Peep and even worn leg warmers.

But this year, we tried something different.  It is the 170th anniversary of the organization of the Relief Society and we decided to celebrate the countless good Relief Society sisters have done over those many years.  How? (Excellent question.)  By combining the past with the present.

Eliza R. Snow and I hosted the show together.  (Well, an actress who portrayed Eliza, that is.)

I was so nervous.  Would the idea work?  Would the women catch the vision of how amazing they are and the incalculable good they are doing in the world?  Or, would women throw rotten vegetables and demand another washer/dryer giveaway?

We rehearsed for weeks, Eliza and I.

I can’t count the number of hours that went into the preparation.

And the result?

Well,…

It was worth every single second.  The concert was so neat.  If you were there, I hope you felt the remarkable unity between RS sisters past and present – and I hope you realized that YOU make a difference.  We all do.  If you weren’t there, I wish I could adequately describe it to you – but words wouldn’t quite do it justice and it would be a long, drawn out blog post. (But know that we missed you…and try to be with us next year!)

After the concert I was approached by a kind woman who had drawn a beautiful piece of art for me.  For me!?  I was so taken back by the time and thought she had put into it.  I wanted you to see it…

Lovely, isn’t it?

It’s me – dancing in the rain!  I think it is adorable!

It amazes me how we can all use our gifts to inspire and uplift each other.  I couldn’t draw a picture to save my life.  But Ashlee can, and she used her gifts to bless my life.  We have the ability and privilege as women to love and serve each other.  Our gifts matter.  Our talents and abilities make a difference.  We are builders…

of each other.

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

“My great-grandmother on my mother’s side of the family came

from the Bern-Interlaken area of Switzerland. You may have visited there, or at least seen the travel posters! Surely it is among the most beautiful locations on the face of the

earth—green and majestic nature at its loveliest.

After joining the Church and emigrating to join the Saints moving west, those greatgrandparents

were called to settle the little community of Enterprise in southern Utah.

Perhaps you have been to Enterprise, too, but I

know you have not seen any travel posters

of it!

I do love the community of my birth and childhood memories, but it is not

Switzerland! It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter, the wind blew constantly,

and it was barren! What a test of faith it must have been for these Swiss ancestors to be

called to such an area so totally opposite to that green land of lakes and alpine beauty

they had left behind.

My great-grandmother decided she would do something about it. With her two hands and

a shovel, she harvested some small pine tree seedlings from the mountains not far away

and planted them around the small church building that had just been erected.

Then everyday she would carry two buckets of water from her home nearly three blocks away, one

bucket in each hand, to water those trees and keep them growing. It was arduous work for

a little woman bent over with osteoporosis, but she made every drop count in a daily

ritual that over time gave each tree a regular, if meager, drink of moisture.

Elder Holland:

In this exercise Pat’s great-grandmother often took her little 10-year-old

granddaughter with her, telling stories and reminiscing about her life in Switzerland as

she carried her two precious buckets of water. One day one of the brethren of the

community stopped her and said, with something of a dismissive tone, “Oh, Sister

Barlocker, why do you make this useless journey each day to water those scrubby little

pine trees? They will never survive in this harsh climate and difficult soil, and even if

they did, they will never grow to any size in your lifetime. Why don’t you just give up

and forget your high Swiss hopes in this matter?”

Well, little Sister Barlocker rose to the full 4 feet 8 inches of her stature, looked this good

brother in the eye and said, “I know these trees will not grow very large in my lifetime.

But if I stay with it, they

will live and they will grow. And although I will not enjoy their

beauty and their shade, this little girl will. I am doing this for her.”

Sister Holland:

That 10-year-old grandchild was my mother. And my mother with all of

her siblings, and cousins, and everyone else in Enterprise did live to see those trees reach

an impressive height and to give off lovely, much needed shade from the desert sun.

Then I grew up enjoying those trees, playing under their branches, and seeing them frame the

church which I attended as a young woman. And now I have lived to see not only my

children but also my grandchildren play, have picnics, laugh, and hold 24th of July relay

races all through and in and around those beautiful trees, which now literally tower over

the community—and over the pioneer heritage—of little windblown, once-barren

Enterprise, Utah.”

Doesn’t this story just inspire you to want to “keep carrying your water buckets??”

Isn’t it a great reminder that every effort counts?

Isn’t Sister Barlocker a fine example of setting our minds to something that is important to us and then not letting anyone or anything stop us – no matter how simple or silly others might think our idea is?  We know what can be accomplished.  We see the vision of what can become of our efforts!

There is greatness inside us – it blooms, blossoms and grows – by small and simple things.  With each drop of believing, faith-filled water.

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

Is through the eyes of a child.

Children see things a little bit different than adults.  They see the chance to dance when it rains.  They see happiness.  They find joy.   Opportunities to laugh seem to surround them.

If you want to experience a little more happiness, joy, laughter – spend some time with a child – and try seeing the world through their eyes.

I love what Elder Packer had to say in General Conference about children.   I loved the reminder that the world is “Beauty Full.”  This particular story touched my heart…

At the end of WW II in Osaka, Japan, “the city was rubble, and the streets were littered with blocks, debris, and bomb craters.  Although most of the trees had been blasted away, some few of them still stood with shattered limbs and trunks and had the courage to send forth a few twigs with leaves.

A tiny girl dressed in a ragged, colored kimono was busily gathering yellow sycamore leaves into a bouquet.  The little child seemed unaware of the devastation that surrounded her as she scrambeld over the rubble to add new leaves to her collection.  She had found the one beauty left in her world.  Perhaps I should say she was the beautiful part of her world.  Embodied in the child was hope.”

Children know how to find hope.  They recognize joy.  They know when to celebrate because in their eyes nearly everything offers a reason for celebration.  They see the good through the bad, the sun through the clouds, the one star twinkling in the dark sky.

Children know how to find joy.  If we want to find it, we would be wise to follow them.  They’ll lead us right to it.

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

Yes, clickers we added to our click counter with a combined total of 8,280 clicks!  That is a whole lot of posivity!  I’m curious…  What did you click about last week?

I’ve been clicking while running on the treadmill.  It takes my mind off of the fact that I can’t breathe.

(You can’t tell from the picture, but the first woman has a clicker in her right hand.  I know, I know you can’t see it.  But I’m certain she does…otherwise, why would she be so happy about being on the treadmill?  It’s the clicker…she’s clicking…clicking and running – THAT is why she is so happy.)

Today I ran to a treadmill workout called Runnervals.  It is awesome and it is HARD.  Ouch.  It burns the lungs.  It sets my quads on fire.  It pushes me past my limit.  Ouch. (again.)

So, when the going got tough today…

I clicked.

Whenever the trainer on the DVD would tell me I had 20 or 10 seconds left, I would click each second on the countdown.  Clicking really took my mind off the pain and squelched the desire to quit.

When my husband saw me after the workout he said, “Wow.  You must have really worked hard.”  (My beet-red face was a give-away.)

Clicking kept me going!  It felt like a reward as I worked hard.  And now I get to go record all of those clicks…(over 300 of them!)

And that’s not all!  I was really tired after my workout, and I didn’t want to do more.  But my arms need a little help so I motivated myself to do a few pushups by telling myself that I could click for each pushup I did without stopping.

20.

Yay for me.

After completing the 20 pushups, I picked up my clicker and celebrated each pushup with a click.

Running and clicking…that’s the way for me!

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

Sunday dinner nearly burned down the house.

It was a completely unexplainable fluke.  It even stumped the firemen.

My mom put a roast in the oven and when we came home from church the house was filled with smoke.

Mysteriously the oven had not just “over-heated,” the temperature had risen so high that the thick, sturdy aluminum roasting pan was a puddle on the bottom of the oven floor.  As for the roast…well, its existence had been reduced to a few ashes.

But the potatoes were fine.  (JUST KIDDING.)

The house was filled with smoke – we could barely go in without choking and coughing.  It was a wonder that the entire house hadn’t gone up in flames.  The firemen cleared the smoke - but the damage was done and the house had to be evacuated for a few days while repair and restore work was completed.

The children were farmed out.  I don’t remember where any of my siblings went (so help me if I find out that my parents stayed at the Marriott), but I clearly remember my few days with the Weilers.  They were in our ward and had a daughter just a couple years older than me – Shawna – and she was awesome!  Every Mia Maid looks up to the “cool” Laurels, and I definitely admired her.

One morning I asked to use the iron and ironing board.  Sister Weiler (one of the sweetest, nicest, kindest people on Earth) quickly presented an iron and board for me.  Then she stayed and watched me iron.

I clearly had no idea what I was doing.

Sister Weiler stepped in.

I learned how to iron pants, a shirt, and man’s dress shirt, a skirt – every piece of clothing I would ever need to iron.

At the end of the lesson, I was an incredible ironess.  (I just made up that word.)  Not so much based on my newly learned skills and ironing merits, but because that is how Sister Weiler made me feel.

This morning as I sat in the temple, the memory of the smoking oven and ironing lesson popped into my mind.  Why?  Couldn’t tell ya.

But I can say this, I am amazed at what the Lord will teach us in the hard times.  So much learning and growth takes place there.  Trials are a classroom for heavenly tutoring.  The Lord provides the setting – we take out the pencils and paper and open our hearts.

Elder Eyring taught this in his Conference address “Mountains to Climb” last Saturday,

“If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing.”

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

P.S.  As my mom and I reminisced about this story today, she teased about not teaching me to iron.  I reassured her, it was because she was so willing to serve, give and help that she often ironed for me.  Thanks, Mom.

Today, another nice happening in WalMart.

A call from a friend.

A good friend – we talk almost every day.

But I really needed to hear what she said today.  After we talked about what groceries were in my cart and what she was doing this weekend, I asked,

 ”So,…are you taking a question to Conference?”

(What I meant by that is…Is there something that has been on your mind that you are going to hope to receive an answer to while you gleen from General Conference?)

Her response surprised me.

“No.  Maybe by this weekend I’ll have a question, but what I really need is to be filled.  I am not sure what I would ask, but I do know that I am running on empty and I need to be filled while I listen to Conference.  And the Lord knows what I need.  He’ll know how to fill me, so I’m putting it in His hands.”

Her answer came as a relief.

I’m not sure why.

Maybe it is because I haven’t neccessarily thought of my question yet.  I phrase that ambiguously  because I kind of have a question and I kind of don’t.

Maybe it’s because I wanted to ponder on a possible question and then pose it during the sessions, and I haven’t come up with anything concrete.

Maybe it is just nice to know that a woman of her wisdom – someone I admire and look up to – hasn’t spent three months preparing a question.  (But if she had, I’d love her for that too!) She, like me, just needs to be filled.

That’s where I’m at.  I just need to be filled.  It was nice to have those feelings articulated through her.  And it is nice to know I have company…I am not the only one who

Just.

Needs.

To.

Be.

Fed.

I can hardly wait.  I love Generel Conference weekend.   I will be coming to the table hungry.  That is my offering.  I hope it is acceptable.

Enjoy the weekend!

Blog to you soon,

Hilary

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