Pinterest Review

Hey folks.  Well- if you know me personally or if you have been reading my blog for any amount of time... you know that I love Pinterest.  Like a lot.  I am on it more than Facebook these days.  But- I am also a believer in actually following through with projects on Pinterest and not just looking at them.  Well- I am going to start reviewing different projects, recipes, and stuff that I find and do on the site.  Here we go:

PS- the titles are linked to the original links... so take a look for directions and recipes if you'd like.

Chicken and Dumplings

 My review: 10 out of 10... well sort of.  The recipe was quite easy to follow and the ingredients were few.  It took me about 5 minutes to throw it all in the crock pot.  The recipe itself was JUST chicken and dumplings.  I thought... yeah right- like that is gonna keep us full after dinner.  So I added carrots, baby red potatoes, celery, and a can of corn.  It was really tasty.  We ate it tonight actually.  There were tons of leftovers and I am excited to eat it again.

Mexican Casserole

 My review: 2 out of 10.  It was pretty gross.  I made it a couple of days ago.  I should have known that three... yes THREE cans of different creamed condensed soup was just gross.  It was really easy to put together but it just tasted bland and very cheap... which it was.  So- take it from somebody who tried... don't always trust Paula Dean.

Stain Remover

 My review: 6 out of 10.  I made and used this today.  I don't think it works as well as the reviews says it does.  I followed the directions precisely too.  I used it on a few different things to test it out.  FIRST- a white dress shirt of mine that had some sweat stains in it.  The stains were old... like 3-4 years probably.  The bloggers say that it doesn't matter if the stains are old or new... but it does.  I put the mixture on the stains and gave it a good scrub.  I then let it sit for about 2 hours before throwing it into the wash.  The shirt came out with lighter sweat stains, but they were not completely gone.  SECOND- my husband's dress shirt collars.  He always has me pretreat the shirts with soap before I throw them in the wash- but I did it with the mixture today.  The collars are REALLY clean!  Not even a small trace of neck dirt!  THIRD- some treating of some "unmentionables".  Girls- you will understand this one.  Well- the stains started to come out while I was scrubbing... but there was too many of the same unmentionables in the load of laundry so I couldn't find the exact one while I was tossing them into the dryer.  So- I don't have a grade for this one.  Something tells me though that the stain won't be completely gone... but better!

Phone Charger Clip

My review: 10 out of 10!  This has seriously been a life-saver!  Why didn't I think of it first?  HA!  My phone cord by my bed would always fall and get lost in the black hole between the bed and the night stand.  One clip and the problem has been solved!  I just had to make sure to use a medium sized clip so that the end of the cord that plugs into the phone fit through and stayed secure.  But really- this has been awesome!  DO IT TONIGHT!

OK- so there you go!  Try most of them!  They are worth it... except the casserole.  That was gross.  Don't bother.  Funny story about the casserole.  Harrison and I were determined to eat at home Saturday night.  We finally got to the store at about 8:45 that night.  We got the stuff we needed and got home.  The casserole finally came out of the oven at 10:30pm.  And we were hungry but we ate about two bites and that was it.  Bleh!  And- there is 3/4 of a 9x13 pan left of it.  Shoot!

Anyway- I hope you enjoyed this!

Spiritual Thought Sunday

Good Sunday Evening to you all.  Today was a great day at church.  I really enjoyed all of our meetings.  We had our fast and testimony meeting today (a fast and testimony meeting is a meeting where we as members of the congregation fast from two meals and we bare our testimonies to each other and share with others our love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truthfulness of His church).

In Young Women's today the lesson was on Finding Joy Now.  This has been something that Harrison and I have talked a lot about with each other.  I was able to read the lesson ahead of time and I loved the comments that the teacher, girls, and other leaders gave.

Why do we deprive ourselves of joy in the "now"?  I think as human beings (I know this happens to me all the time) we constantly tell ourselves, "I will be happy when ________ happens." or "When I finally get to ________ place in my life, I will be happy."  Why do we do that?  We set ourselves up for failure and gloomy days when we do that.

I remember living in Provo while Harrison attended BYU.  At times it seemed that we didn't have two nickels to rub together... and it seemed to be cold and snowy more than anywhere else in the world.  I thought many times, "Once Harrison graduates, we will be happier." and "Once we get out of the snow, I will be happier."  To tell you the truth, I had many miserable days in Provo and it was because of my attitude.

We need to find joy in our journey!  Find joy in the NOW!  I look back and remember the times I would pick Harrison up from school at night and I loved doing that.  Harrison would jump into the truck with his hat and gloves on and be thankful to be in the warmth again.  I really loved doing that for him.  I also remember the lunches we would share together at the Cannon Center.  I would meet him in the parking lot and he would be standing in the closest space he could find so I didn't have to walk a long way.  We would eat like 6 donuts and 4 glasses of chocolate milk and talk and laugh.  We even ate breakfast there before a flight to (I don't remember where)... but the oatmeal was amazing!

Why didn't I stop to think about those great times then?  I spent a lot of days writing in my journal about how cold and gloomy and ugly it was in the winter.  Why wasn't I thankful for those "donut dates" and such?

It is important for us to be happy NOW.  Stop wasting away our days waiting for better ones to come.  It isn't healthy for our psyche.  Our loving Heavenly Father has placed us on the Earth to have joy.  There is a scripture in The Book of Mormon that expresses this plainly.

2 Nephi 2:25 says:
Adam fell that men might be;  men are, that they might have joy.

In my scriptures I have a little note that says "to become like Heavenly Father"

Heavenly Father wants us to have joy.  He placed us on this Earth to be joyful and happy.  He doesn't like us to be sad and mope around life.  He wants us to experience life for good.

So- find joy NOW.  Find joy in your journey!  You will be blessed for it.  AND- you will just be an overall more happy person!

Thankful Thursday

How has your week been so far?  Mine has been BUSY!  I have been thankful to lay my head on my pillow every single night!  Here are my thankfuls for this week:

Bedtime
Seriously- It has been a GO GO GO kind of week.  I am thankful for the comfortable fluff that is my bed.  And- I have been sleeping quite soundly too (except for last night).

Perseverance
I gave up soda a week ago.  Like all together.  That is a hard thing for me.  I am not the strongest person when it comes to this sort of thing... but it has been a week and I have had a few sips of Harrison's sodas but that is it.  YAY

Easter Colors
I love pastels.  I love seeing the window decor at the stores and I love seeing all the Easter goodies inside the stores!  It makes me nothing but happy.  AND- I have already eaten my fair share of Reese's peanut butter eggs... so good!

Brazilian Music
We have been listening to Samba and Bossa Nova music in the evenings while we get homework, church lessons, knitting, and other busy work done.  I love it!  It makes me miss Brazil a lot.  Who wants to contribute to a "Send Jaala and Harrison back to Brazil fund"?  Anybody?

Rolled Down Windows
The weather has been beautiful here in the City of Sin!  I have had my truck windows rolled down while on the neighborhood streets (the freeway is too windy for me).  We have also had our windows open at the house.  I love it!  The sound of the birds and the light breezes that come in.  The neighborhood dogs kind of get annoying when they bark incessantly though.

Mormon Messages
Seriously- there are some good "pick me up" messages! Whether you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or not, some of the messages are just nice to hear.  They talk about being kind to others, strengthening family bonds, and the love our Heavenly Father has for us.  I have been making it a habit to watch at least one or two a day.  FUN.

My challenge to you is to find at least five things you are thankful for.  It will make you feel a lot better... even if you are already in a bad mood.

SMOOCHES!!

Spiritual Thought Sunday

Sunday was great.  I am sad I didn't get around to posting this yesterday.  Harrison and I had our last week of our Member Missionary Training Class.  We had a really good discussion.  We talked again about why it can be so hard for us to tell other people about the gospel and our beliefs.  Our challenge was to make a profile on Mormon.org and tell somebody about being  member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I left the class so excited to share the gospel with somebody.  I felt like I had the courage to talk to ANYBODY and tell them why I am so happy and excited about my beliefs.  Well- I haven't actually come in contact with anybody to share it with... YET... but I thought I would share a bit of it with you today.

I think the most exciting part about my beliefs is the knowledge of The Plan of Salvation and the knowledge that my family will be a forever family.  What does a forever family mean?  It means that even after death, my family will be together in the eternities.  This Earth life is but a small section of what eternity will be.  I was able to enter the temple when I was married to Harrison and we were sealed together for time and for all eternity.  I will still be married to Harrison even after we die.  The children that we will have someday will be our children FOREVER!  What a great comfort that is to me.  Isn't that a great thought?

When I was in high school, I had a friend of mine die in a car accident.  My mother and I attended the funeral services. I remember the preacher speaking to the family and telling them that they would never see their son again.  I also remember that he spoke to my friend and said, "Darren, if you are even out there and if you can even hear us..."  I felt like jumping up right there are shouting to all.... NO!  THIS IS NOT THE END!  YOU WILL SEE YOUR SON AGAIN!  HE IS WAITING FOR YOU IN THE ETERNITIES!  I understood right then and there how important and comforting the knowledge of my family being a forever family was to me.  I would be devastated (just as Darren's family was devastated) if I thought that when life was over on this Earth, that it was the end.  There was nothing after this Earth life.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a life after the one we are in right now.  We will be reunited with our loved ones that have gone on before us.  Grandparents, children, parents, aunts, uncles, dear friends, brothers and sisters... we will be able to see them again and hug them once more!  I feel very calm and optimistic when a friend or family member passes from this Earth life.  Though we are sad when they leave our presence on Earth, I know that it is not a true good-bye.  It is more of a see-you-in-a-while.

I have a testimony of these things.  I know them to be absolutely true.  Our Heavenly Father is a loving Heavenly Father.  He wants nothing more than for us to be obedient and to also be happy.  What a wonderful thing He has done for us... to make it possible for us to return to live in His presence again and to be reunited with our loved ones after this Earth life.



I am glad I got to share these beliefs of mine with you.  If you have any questions about anything I have posted today, please let me know!  I would love to help answer them.  Oh- and PS- I did complete my Mormon.org profile but I have not had a confirmation come back letting me know it is officially online.  I will let you all know when that happens!

My name is Jaala.  I am kind of quirky and like old stuff... and I'm a Mormon.

Thankful Thursday

Good morning!  As I sit here watching the 6am news and eat my Frosted Mini Wheats I thought I would blog a bit as well.  Here are a few things I am thankful for this week:

Shorts Weather
Yep- I have been able to wear shorts and flip flops the last few days.  That is really exciting!

Teenagers in my life
They keep me feeling young.  Well heck- they even think I am young!  Last night we had "80's Workout Night" at mutual.  One of the girls brought a friend that is not LDS to hang out with us.  We were chatting away and the friend asked me "Oh, do you go to Silverado High School too?"  I about died!  I hugged her and told her that I definitely loved her!  The other girls broke the news to her that I was a leader and not one of the "young women".  She felt embarrassed but I assured her that I was very much flattered by her compliment.  We had a fun (and sweaty) night.

Family
I love when family visits.  Especially when we can get out and "play" around Las Vegas.  We had tons of fun with Jason and Julie!  We also had a fun lunch with Harrison and Jason's Dad, Frank, and his girlfriend Cindy (but we were terribly lame and didn't get a picture with them).  I, for one, was very excited to introduce Jason and Julie to the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino.  It is seriously my favorite property.  We had a fair and honest appearance appraisal taken of us, too!  Mine was almost dead on... calling out my BBC obsession and we are now calling Harrison by his rightful name "Angel Face in the Turquoise Tee".

Service
We had a ward service project last weekend and it was great fun.  My job was to help make lunch for the actual workers.  What a yummy lunch it was...

My Job
I really am thankful for the work I have... which reminds me... it is 6:45 and I need to get my hair done and clothes on and out the door in 25 minutes!  SEE YA!

Spiritual Thought Sunday

This is a quick thought.  I taught the lesson in Young Women's today.  It was on Strengthening Family Members.  We played Jenga... it was fun.

There was a quote by Marvin J Ashton that said in part,

"Leave someone better than when you found them."

I love that!  I immediately thought of making sure that you leave a smile on an individuals face when you leave.  I also thought that one of the best ways to leave somebody better is to serve them.  Another thought was to share a part of your testimony with that person.

There are so many ways to leave somebody better than when you found them.  My challenge this week will be to do just that.  Make sure that people have smiles on their faces and positive thoughts in their minds when I leave.

I challenge you to do the same.

Thankful Thursday

How has your week been?  Mine has been pretty good.  Here are a few things I am thankful for:

A Good Deal
I went to Banana Republic to check out the Mad Men Collection (which was fab by the way).  I tried on this fab khaki colored dress that was knee length and just about perfect for work wear, weekend wear, church wear.  But the price tag was not what I wanted it to be.  $130.  I decided I would save up for this fab frock.  We then headed over to H&M in Caesar's Palace (did you know we have the largest one in the world??) to check stuff out.  There was a khaki dress that was very similar to the one at BR and the price was right... $35.  SCORE!

Days Off
I took a day off today.  It has been fab so far.  I lazied around, finally got dressed after lunch, went and picked up some bits and bobs for the birthday decorations I am making for Harrison's Grandmother's 90th birthday next month, and started a new British drama series on Netflix.  It was a great day.  I even had a small nap!

Leadership
I love being a leader and teacher to some of the youth in our ward.  We had an etiquette dinner last night and it was great.  We served a 5 course dinner to the kids and they were dressed up in their best and they learned how to use all the plates, goblets, spoons, forks, and stuff.  It was great to see them using their new manners!

Church
I just love it.  I learn so much and I most of all love feeling the love that my Heavenly Father has for me!

British Dramas
Yeah- Downton Abbey seriously got me hooked!  I love watching British Dramas (and most of them are from Masterpiece... yay).  I just recently watched Land Girls, and I just started Island At War.  I also have Upstairs Downstairs in my Netflix queue as well.

I hope you have had lots of things that you are thankful for!

Wonderful Women

I have always been blessed with great people in my life.  Its no secret for those of you who know me that I don't have a lot of friends that are around my own age.  I usually gravitate towards ladies who are older than I am.  I love their wisdom.  I love that they are over the drama that comes along with being my age.  They are so comfortable with themselves.

These are a couple of those awesome women in my life.  They bring joy and a breath of fresh air into my life!

Shellie

I work with Shellie.  She is amazing.  She has been with our office for like 12 years.  She is LDS and I am thankful for having that in common with each other.  She has all sorts of answers for me when I come into her office and ask her questions about anything!  Life, church, work, family, and everything else.  She has a really great husband too.  She is always positive and a very honest person.  I really love her.  Today we had a conversation that lasted about an hour.  She is a really good listener.  That is another thing that I love about her.

Rose

I work with Rose at church. She is the Young Women's president in our ward.  She is amazing.  She is perfect!  Hee Hee.  But really.  She seems to be just perfect.  She is the most soft spoken and angelic person ever!  She has such a strong testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She is also very funny and quick whited.  I really look up to her.  I told her that I wanted to be like her when I grew up.  She can tie anything into a gospel teaching or standard.  She is just amazing.  She is somebody that I know I could call at 3 in the morning if I needed something... she would answer and run right over!

I am thankful to be blessed with women like this in my life.  Wise and compassionate women.  Caring and honest women.  Women who just beam.  They teach me to be patient, kind, and loving.

Spiritual Thought Sunday

Today's thought comes from our Sunday School lesson today at church.  Harrison and I received a special "calling" to attend the Member Missionary Training Class in our ward.  Every member of our ward from the age of 12-100 has been/will be called to participate in this class.  Our class was small today.  There were about 8 of us total in class... about half of all who are in the class right now.  The class is to help all the members in our ward understand that we are all "member missionaries" in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Over the next couple of weeks we will learn about ways to help the full time missionaries spread the word of the gospel to others.

Today we talked about the things that make it hard for us, or obstacles, that get in our way of sharing our beliefs as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  We talked about things like, feeling that we may offend someone by sharing our beliefs, not being in social situations where we are able to share our beliefs, not knowing answers to questions that are asked of us, and the fear of rejection.

My thought was, why am I afraid to share my beliefs with people when those beliefs make me so happy and really shape my entire existence?  Think about it- if we find something in our life that makes me happy, we usually share it with people.  For example, when we find a hair product that just knocks our socks off... we share it with others.  When we discover a new restaurant that we just think is fantastic, we make sure others know so that they can also try it out!  If I am so willing to do things like that, why is it so hard for me to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others?

Well- I will share with you right now some of the things that I love about being a member of the LDS church and why it makes me so happy.  I am thankful for the knowledge of The Plan of Salvation or The Plan of Happiness.  With this knowledge, I know that my family will be a forever family.  When I was married to Harrison, there was no part of the ceremony that said anything like "till death do you part".  I was sealed to my husband FOR TIME AND ALL ETERNITY.  We will be married forever!  After we die and leave this Earth, our marriage and commitment to each other will live on and last through the eternities.  The children that we will have in the future will be our children forever!  This knowledge makes me so happy.

I am thankful and I have a knowledge of a living prophet.  I sustain Thomas S. Monson as a prophet, seer, and revelator that is alive on the Earth today.  I know that he receives inspiration and guidance from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  He guides and directs The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I believe him to be just as much of a prophet on the Earth as prophets of old like Moses, Abraham, Noah, Nephi, and Helaman.

I have a knowledge of The Book of Mormon.  I know that this book is true and is very much another testament of Jesus Christ.  I learn so much by reading this book.  I have read some of the same pages hundreds of times it seems, and every time I read it, I learn something new.

I am thankful for my faith and for my beliefs.  I am thankful for the opportunity to have the freedom to choose what I believe and the ability to worship freely in the way that I believe.  What a wonderful time to be alive dear friends and family.

Thankful Thursday

How has your week been?  Mine has been great.  Here are some things I am thankful for.

My Church Calling
Seriously!  How fun is it to hang out with teenagers once a week and get to feel their spirits and ENERGY!  We went to In-N-Out burger together this week and I could not believe how much these skinny girls could eat!  Animal fries, double-doubles.... it was amazing!  What I would give for my 17 year old metabolism again!  After dinner we went over to the Institute Building at UNLV to learn about the Institute program and play some ping pong!

Springtime
Oh it is seriously one of my favorite times of year.  I am so glad that Las Vegas gets spring sooner than most people!  The trees and flowers are in full bloom.  I even got a bangin' deal on daffodils at the grocery store this week!  $5 for 30 stems!  WHAT!  I am also thankful for that good deal!

The Temple

I am so thankful for the blessing it is to have a temple close to us.  Harrison and I went and did sealings again at the temple last weekend.  Wait- did I tell this story already?  I don't remember.  Anyway- we always go to the temple at about the same time on Saturdays.  When we are there to do sealings there is an older gentleman and an older lady there also doing sealings.  They are not married, but they are always there on Saturday at about noon to do sealings.  Well- we saw the sweet lady at the mall last Friday night and I asked her if we would see her the next day.  She said yes... and we did.  It is almost as if we are part of this little family.  It is neat.

Sales
Dillards had their semi-annual sale last weekend.  I scored an awesome pair of shoes for cheap.  They were like $130 and I got them for just over $14.  SOCORE!!!!!!  It was awesome!  I also got a pair of really hip Steve Madden tights for like $1.70.  So awesome.

My challenge to you is to find 10 things that you are thankful for right now and write them down.  You cannot have feelings of anger when you have a thankful heart.  I believe that.  Have a wonderful day!