Welcome baby Fredrick to the Hansen Family!!

Congratulations to the Hansen family on the birth of their 9.15 lb baby boy today!  We are so happy for Jarom, Kristen, Jerry & Ruby...what fun. Welcome baby Fredrick!!

August Weekday Meeting: Gospel Around the World!

Keeping it Simple, RS Thank You Brunch!

A SIMPLY mint Altoid SMALLS for each of our lovely sisters.

Gretchen went around and said wonderful things about each individual sister there.

We ate muffins and kiesh that were delish! 

Sister Franks and her daughter, Courtney.

Sister Gillespie and Sister Butler.

Sister Bullat and Sister Cope.

Sister Widmann and Sister Vann.

Sister McAllister and Sister Toller. 

Sister Ebert and Sister Gibson.

Sister Foster and Sister McKinley.

Little Lucy joined the fun.

A nice chance to visit.

Lucy even posed! 

Beautiful carnations

And juice, and fun! 

For those who enjoyed Jody's muffins as much as I did, here's her recipe! 

Thanks for coming sisters! 

In Loving Memory of Elizabeth Stepp

Sister Elizabeth Stepp, mother of Dawnella Carter, passed away the night of June 23. Her family loved her and though they will miss her, they are happy that she has been released from the bonds of this life and the illness she suffered with.

There will be a memorial service held for Elizabeth on Saturday, July 13th, time to follow. Whether or not you knew sweet Elizabeth, please join us and wish her well and support the Carter family. It will mean a lot to them to have their ward family with them at this difficult time.

Please remember them in your prayers.

The memorial service for Elizabeth Stepp is Saturday, July 13  at 2:00. This service will be "kid friendly". Elizabeth's body will not be at the service. There will be a short memorial service in the chapel followed by cupcakes and ice cream and a video in the cultural hall.

Even if you didn't know Elizabeth, please consider coming anyway. This service is important to the Carter's and they could really use the ward family support.

Please enjoy this memorial video created to honor Elizabeth, or to those who knew her best, "Teddy."

And this video from her memorial service

Provident Living --- Piggy Style!

Special thanks to all the sisters who attended our activity last night! 

We had a blast learning some practical tips...

 We heard from experts on all of the little piggies...

The piggy that went to the market, and the one that stayed home.

The one that had roast beef, and the one that had none.

And a special surprise for the piggy that went "we, we, we" all the way home!

Andrea  talked about smart shopping and "knowing yourself" while Melissa shared some fun no-cost family and dating activities. 

We had some new sisters come! 

And a lovely French dessert

Cream puffs which tempted those who went to the diet and fitness class by Amanda Price! 

Lots of fun.

And smiles

And visiting!

And pretty things from the home decor class taught by Leah and Juli. 

Thanks for a great night, sisters! 

•Theme of Activity: 5 Little Piggies

Purpose of Activity: Practical suggestions in 4 areas of provident living

Different Piggies:

•Went to the Market--discussion about smart ways to shop or spend money
Stayed Home--home decor on a budget, joy in motherhood
Had Roast beef--how to stay fit, eat healthy, and exercise beefy muscles!
Had None--no cost dating and family activity ideas
(We, we, we-- French dessert)

•Outline of Activity:

•7:05 welcome sisters
7:10 opening exercises 

•7:15 dismiss for classes (sisters can choose 2 classes to attend)

•7:15-7:40 class one (25 mins)

•7:40-7:45 transition 

•7:45-8:10 class two (25mins)

•8:15 dismiss sisters for dessert 

•8:15-8:30 visiting 

•8:30 closing prayer all together

•Where will I be presenting?

•You will probably have a group of about 10 sisters and we are having you talk to the sisters in the primary classrooms towards the end of the hall by the RS room. You will have chairs set up and a table where you can set up a display if you'd like. There is a chalkboard as well.

•What we'd like you to Prepare:

•We'd love for you prepare thoughts about smart shopping. This can include budgeting your expenses, how to find deals at the grocery store, where to find coupons, how to organize your shopping to be most effective, places to find good deals around town, etc. Anything that deals with money, the market, or shopping in general would fit into this topic. We'd like practical suggestions. Whatever you enjoy talking about most, go with that.

•Rotation

•Please stick to the time frame!! You will get to teach your class twice, to two different groups. 25 minutes each time. Sisters will get to choose which class they'd like to attend.

•Handout

We'd like to have a handout for every sister. I will send you a word document that has a PIGGY-themed header. You can type on this paper and add any info you want them to walk away with. Sisters who didn't attend your class can also have this as a reference sheet so they don't feel like they totally missed out. I'll send you this template asap, and then you can print out ONE and I can make the copies (60 copies BW) or you can do them on your own if you're working last minute. Sometimes the library is not too reliable, paper, ink, etc, so keep that in mind.
THANKS!

July RS Meeting

Join us for a night full of fun and provident living piggy-perfection!

We will have experts on all of the little piggies...

The piggy that went to the market, and the one that stayed home.

The one that had roast beef, and the one that had none.

And a special surprise for the piggy that went "we, we, we" all the way home!

You don't want to miss it! 

House Built Upon a Rock...Literally

Are you working hard to build your house upon the rock of Christ?

Well this family took it a step further.

Check out the article about a house that is literally built on rock!

Balancing on a rock in the middle of the Drina River in Serbia, the tiny one-room home was built in 1968. Pounded by floods and high winds, it continues to stand strong against the elements of time. The structure, located near the town of Bajina Basta, has become a well-known attraction for visitors to the area.

Stake RS Woman's Conference

Please support the Stake RS Woman's Conference 

Saturday, June 29 11:00-2:00 

Waco Texas Stake Center 

 "Let's get Purse-onal" 

 Theme: “Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies…” Proverbs 31: 10-31 

Purpose: To create a greater sense of sisterhood and stronger bond between sisters in the Waco Stake; to focus on the virtues, skills, abilities and talents of each individual sister; a time of sharing and celebration. 

The day will be filled with music, speakers, lunch, and a chance to view displays of women throughout the Stake. It'll be a great chance to get to know each other better, so please join us! 

 If you'd like to set up a display or share your talents through music, please send an email to temple2rs@yahoo.com

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to the wonderful women in our ward. This beautiful video is sure to touch your heart:


 

We wanted to celebrate and honor mothers, so we put on a mini luncheon during the third hour.

It turned out beautiful.

As part of our program, we gave out "Simply Lemonade" drinks to the sisters serving in YW and Primary to let them know how much we appreciate their sacrifice and service.

We even had a mini candy bar!

The room was full of love and smiles!

Sister Foster gave us a great message about being a woman and just how important our role is.

We love you sisters!

With love from your RS Presidency...

Service Fiesta Auction!

Thanks to all those who contributed fabulous items to our service auction!

We had a fun fiesta and shared a lot of laughs!

Also a big thanks to Kate McKinley for being our auctioneer...we couldn't have done it without you!

Let us know how it went goes with your service swap, and we hope you all enjoy your winnings!

Some of you asked about the recipe for the yummy Lime Cupcakes, so here it is!

It's taken and adapted from here.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 limes, zested and juiced
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:
2 cups sugar
8 large egg whites
Pinch fleur de sel (coarse salt)
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions

• To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir with a fork to blend.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in the lime zest, lime juice and vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Beat each addition just until incorporated.
• Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full.  Bake 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  If desired, brush the cooled cakes with tequila to emphasize the true margarita flavor.
• To make the frosting, combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together, though it may take a very long time!)  Stir in the lime juice and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
• Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.  Frost the cooled cupcakes with the buttercream.  Garnish with lime zest and lime slices as desired.