2011 RS Meeting Summary

2011 RS Meeting Summary

I can turn lemons into lemonade from the inside out when I . . .

March—RS Birthday

·         “Celebrate RS, Celebrate You!”

·         Decorated cupcakes

·         Video presentation and clips about what sisters had done to serve each other

April—Happiness

. . . learn to be truly happy in my life, even as the world is teaching me that happiness is elusive.

·         Did the “Attribute Activity”

·         Brought something that made them “happy”

 May—Marriage Love Languages

 . . . help build a happy forever relationship with my husband, even though he's a man.

·         Quick overview of the Love Languages

·         Sisters rotated through 5 booths and learned about the love language. Also had something to take away and apply from each station

 June—Stake RS Meeting

·         Scratched this month’s activity to support Stake Meeting

 July—Parenting Family Feud

. . . nurture my children and love my calling as mother in a gospel centered home, even though it's the hardest work I've ever done.

·         Had sisters take a survey about common parenting problems, concerns, etc.

·         Took survey results to create a Family Feud game

·         Also had a panel of sisters in different stages of life to answer parenting questions

August—RS Health Fair 

. . . focus my family on healthy spiritual and temporal choices in spite of the obstacles and distractions the world provides.

·         Had sisters present on topics that they were “experts” in. Each had 2-5 minutes to present and set up a booth

·         Topics included: Meal Planning/Grocery Shopping Strategies/Healthy snacks, Family Activities, Exercise, Couponing, Gardening in Texas

September—Service Auction

. . . build loving friendships with my sisters in Relief Society, even though we are very different women.

·         Each sister filled out a certificate to auction off

·         Extra copies were there that night

·         Sisters filled out a “points” form, so they had points to use during the auction

 October—Casserole Swap and Cookie Decorating

 . . . reach out and serve in my community with the time and resources I am blessed with.

·         Sisters signed up ahead of time if they were interested in swapping casseroles. Those who chose not to, decorated Halloween cookies to give to others

·         Sisters in the swap prepared ingredients for 5 casseroles, and that night went from table to table making new casseroles to take home

 November—Culture Night

 . . . make an effort to seek out knowledge of people and cultures other than my own and broaden my appreciation for all of God's children.

·         Sisters met at the church and rotated through 5 rooms to hear about the church in different parts of the world

·         Food was from all over the world, and sisters snacked as they listened to each presentation

 December—Circle of Love

 . . . celebrate the birth and life of my Savior in a meaningful way during the craziest month of the year.

·         Sisters rotated through houses in Windmill farms to enjoy a snack and a Christmas message

**Note that most of these activities are posted on our blog. Each month has an invitation posting, and a recap posting. Just search for a date or keyword of the activity you want and it should pop up! Sorry they aren't hyperlinked to make your life easier. 

December RS Meeting

Hi Sisters,

Can't wait to see you for our RS Christmas Circle of Love this Tuesday at 7:00.

We will meet in the parking lot at Lakewood Elementary on Lakewood Dr. The school is on Adams Ave. less than a mile up the road from Windmill Farms on the right. We'll form up groups there and travel to different sisters home who live at Windmill Farms.

At each home we'll chat, have a Christmas treat and hear a Christmas message. We will all visit four homes that evening. I think it will help us grow closer together, feel the spirit and gain some much needed weight!

Please join us if you can. r!

2011 Ward Christmas Party

The entertainment was WONDERFUL!!

The company was GREAT!

A good time was had by ALL!!

... Okay, ALMOST all!!

Relief Society Spotlight: Angela Edwards

I am originally from Austin Texas. I am a Texas girl through and through. I like big hair, flashy jewelry, football, and good bar-b-que! I met my husband at a youth swimming pool party when I was seventeen. We have been attached at the hip since. We have been married eighteen years and we have two boys. Quinton is sixteen and Haedyn is five. My husband Robert is in the military and is a year away from retirement. We moved from Germany to Temple so that we could retire closer to family. We have lived overseas thirteen years out of his twenty year career. It has been a blast traveling places that I read about in history books as a child. I love to cook and own over 200 cook books that friends and family have picked up for me over the years. Right now I am busy being a Mom. Recently I took on a job at my son Haedyn's school as a lunch monitor so that I could be near him and earn a little pocket change. My motto is "family,food,fun and faith" The four things I emphasize in my life. My family and I have been warmly welcomed by you all and I look so forward to getting to know you all better. Please come by and say hello anytime!

We're so happy to have Angela and her family in our ward... Welcome Edwards family!!

November Relief Society Meeting

Culture Night!

Tuesday, November 15th 7pm

We'll have a great night learning about the church and different cultures around the world. We have some sisters who have been some amazing places, so be sure to come! Child care provided. See you then!

Relief Society Spotlight: Patricia Leonard

The Leonard's came to us from Wyoming this June. Patricia and her husband Dan have been married for 12 years. They have Hannah who is 10 and Logan who is 7. She also has two grown daughters from a previous marriage: Michelle, who lives in Nebraska and Kimberly who lives in England. Let's not forget her 3 STUNNING grandchildren, Jonathan (4), Aria (4 weeks) who are Michelle's and Kim's son Jack who is 18 months.

Patricia is a stay at home mom, working part-time as a substitute teacher until a full-time teaching opportunity comes. Dan is a contractor who works at Ft. Hood for Mantech International as a traveling IT guy.

In her spare time, you might find her watching House or Glee, eating Sushi - specifically oonagi, micro-managing (being bossy) or even trying to unpack all those boxes that have been in storage since 2001.

Raising her children would be what Patricia considers one of her biggest accomplishments!

She is very well traveled, having lived in 5 different countries - including Bosnia. Their family was sealed on the 4th of July in London. She would love to be able to go to Spain and do some genealogy, see the gorgeous Moorish architecture, and let's not forget work on a tan!

And because she's a proud grandma, we'll include one last picture of her and Aria:

We are happy to have Dan, Patricia, Hannah and Logan in our ward!!

Background to Daughters in Our Kingdom

Thought some of you may enjoy learning more about our new book Daughters in My Kingdom.

Here is a discussion with the Relief Society Presidency.

Relief Society Spotlight: Jennifer Drake

The Drake family comes to us from the Kansas City area. Bob, Jennifer's husband, is a train master for BNSF Railroad. They have been married almost 16 years and have 4 children. Their oldest daughter Nycole and her husband Josh live up in Missouri. Next is Melyssa, who is 18, Bethany who is 14 and Cammy is 11.

Jennifer hasn't decided yet whether she will continue substitute teaching here in Temple.



In and amongst getting TWO master's degrees, raising FOUR daughters, competing in triathlons and fishing for piranhas in the Amazon, Jennifer even managed to try out for her favorite TV show "Survivor."

(Jennifer in her 1st triathlon!!!)

She would love to travel to Hawaii someday, compete in a 1/2 marathon and get to know EVERYONE'S name at church - THAT she says, being the most difficult!!

Jennifer loves being here... the heat and all, and we love having her. Please join us in welcoming the entire Drake family here to Temple!!

October Casserole Swap!

Welcome Brigham!

Please help us welcome Brigham Jacob Bee to the world! He was born on September 26th. He weighed in at 7 ibs 15 oz and was 18.75 inches long. Perfect, right? Mom and son (and family) are well and happy. Well done, Bee family!

General RS Broadcast

Hi Sisters,

We hope you were able to join our stake up in Waco to watch the RS Broadcast. We know you are all very busy, so if you weren't able to make it there, you can also watch it LIVE online here.

If you missed it on Saturday and still want to watch it, they will also have it on LDS.org.

Also check out the new book Daughters of Our Kingdom. A beautiful gift from our First Presidency about the history and work of Relief Society. If you still need a copy, find a member of the RS Presidency and we will get you one!

September Service Auction

Thanks to all who participated at our Service Auction!

We had a great time!

Take a look at some fun things the sisters donated!

Sister Gleason--How to make an apron and a loaf of whole wheat bread

Sister Fullenwider--How to jar chicken

Sister Dewey--Six 1-hour sessions for Spanish tutoring

Sister Moore--ASL session with your whole family

Sister Tatum--Canning

Sister Hammell--Family history consulting to help you achieve your goal

Sister Bluth--Frilly handmade scarf

Sister Young--A fun, full FHE lesson for your family

Sister Anderson--Homemade burp cloths for babies

Sister Burgumey--Homemade Christmas stocking

Sister Mann--Homemade burp cloths for babies

Sister Drake--Free meal, homemade bread/jelly

Sister Lenord--Mexican dinner

Sister Mendoza--Homemade lasagna dinner

Sister Martinez--Homemade Arabic dinner

Sister Kelly--Baked goods and bread

Sister Mason--Cici's Pizza for your family

Sister Kitterman--Homemade chicken pot pie

Sister Foster--Lunch date with her at a restaurant

Sister McKinley--Browsing Antique shops with her

Sister Vann--Lunch date and healthy menu choices

Sister Bullet--Volunteer time to play games, etc.

Sister Frost--Babysitting for date night out

Sister McKinley--Babysitting

Sister Heidenreich--Organizing and cleaning help

Sister Taylor--Video slideshow of your family pictures

Sister Drake--3 hours of cleaning, babysitting, weeding, oil change, etc.

Sister Carter--Party planning help

Sister McHorse--Room decorating help

Sister Klepacz--1-hour massages, babysitting for temple trips

Wow!! What talent we have in our ward!

Relief Society Spotlight: Anna Flores

If Anna could describe herself in one word, it would be: HAPPY

Anna and her family recently moved here from Corpus Christi.

One of her biggest accomplishments is her family. She and her husband Noe have been married for 8 years and have two children, Nesi who is 7 and Rebekah is 5.

Something else Anna is proud of is getting her college degree in English. She's working to be certified to teach bi-lingual education which she should complete in about a month.

She hopes that someday we will be able to find her retired in Corpus Christi where she loves the weather, the people and that she would be close to family.

Anna would love to visit Switzerland someday, where she would hope to find out a little bit more about her family's roots.

If you want to get to Anna's heart, help her with the laundry... she always appreciates when her husband lends a hand and helps out around the house. OR... you could surprise her with her favorite food: pizza!

One interesting fact about Anna is that she likes to go to garage sales!

We are excited to have the whole Flores family in our ward!!!

I am His Daughter

My friend from college put this video together of beautiful pictures of women all around the world.

Enjoy!



Love, Jill

Join us for Stake Temple Day

Mark your calendar and join us for Stake Temple Day on Tuesday, October 11th.

September Service Auction!

We are going to have such a good time at our September RS Weekday Meeting! How about a Sister Service Auction--how awesome is that! We had a little bit of a rough time getting it on the calendar. Our usual date conflicted with with one of our assignments at the Bishop's Storehouse. Nevertheless, we have a date! Thursday, September 22nd at 7:00. We will meet in the Primary Room.

Here's the scoop: decide on a service that you can offer--almost anything is welcome. Baked goods, babysitting, photo session, makeover, teaching a skill, making a dinner for someone, being a walking or exercise buddy, tutoring something, really anything that will make someone else's life happy and help you and she to get to know each other better. Feel free to think outside the box! Feel free to auction a service even if you can't attend that evening. It really will be a nice way to connect with another sister in the ward. When you come on the 22nd, you will fill out a questionnaire that will give you a point total. Those points are the "currency" you will use to bid with. We will, of course, have yummy snacks and plenty of time to visit. Come and have a great time with us on September 22nd!

Relief Society Spotlight: Jen Kitterman

Originally from Utah where Ryan's uncle (also Jen's home ward Bishop) set the two of them up, Ryan, Jen and Lily Kitterman came to us here in Temple from Northern California. Two of their greatest accomplishments happened in California: Ryan completing medical school and Jen giving birth to their daughter Lily, who is now 2. Jen mentions on a side note that... well, at least it's one of her most painful accomplishments! Ryan is currently working at Scott & White as a Podiatry resident.

Since Jen would love to retire to someplace warm with a swimming pool, they've most likely come to the right place! When asked what was most memorable about her high school years, she said playing sports (softball, swimming and track) and meeting new friends.

When it comes to food, Jen loves just about anything she can get in her mouth, one of her favorites being Thai. That will come in handy when we bring them meals after the birth of their second baby in October. This time, they await a precious little boy.

When asked who she admires, she responded with, "There are too many people to mention, but we've been reading in Alma about Captain Moroni. I'm always amazed at his conviction and ability to choose the right in any situation."

If Jen was given a million dollars she would pay off student loans, save for retirement and buy a boat... not necessarily in that order.

Maybe someday we will all get to hear the 10 minute speech of her choice:
HOW TO BREATH IN THREE EASY STEPS

But, until then, please help us in welcoming Jen and the rest of the Kitterman family to our ward! It's great to have them!

Welcome Kashlynn!

Kashlynn Raelee Sorenson (granddaughter of Jenny Anderson, great granddaughter of Launa Larson) was born on July 12th. She weighed in at 7.3 and was 18 1/2 inches long. Mother Kristi and daughter are doing well. Congratulations, Kristi and welcome to the world, Kashlynn!

August RS Activity

Hi Sisters, we have a fun activity coming up. We are focusing on healthy choices and it should be a lot of fun.

Mark your calendar and can't wait to see you there!

We'll have topics like

• Meal Planning/Grocery Shopping Strategies/Healthy snacks
• Family Activities to stay active
• Exercise
• Couponing and finding healthy options on a budget
• Gardening in Texas

and more! Come check it out and get to know the sisters in the ward!

YEEHAW!

The ward hoe-down was held on June 24th. It was great to get together for food, line dancing and FUN! We dined on hot dogs, cookies and chips. After dinner the Young Women taught us some line dances. There was also lots of time for talking, laughing and did I mention FUN?

Thank you to all those who attended and those who helped make this event a success.

June Relief Society Meeting

We are going to follow the counsel of our Stake RS Presidency who have suggested that we not hold a ward weekday meeting in June.

Instead we want to encourage you to attend the

Stake RS Women's Conference on Saturday, June 25th, in Waco from 11:00-2:00.

The theme is "Ready, Set, Grow!"

Lunch will be served and our own Heidi Heidenreich will be the keynote speaker. Childcare is available. (But you must have a reservation for childcare, so let us know if you need that service.) Please wear Sunday dress.

Can't wait to see you there!

Also, be sure to check out our June birthdays!

May Midweek Meeting

Thank you to all those who attended our May midweek meeting. It was a great night. We spent the evening learning about how to communicate more effectively with our spouses and about the five languages of love. A big thank you to all those who helped make the evening a success by volunteering their time and talents. We hope to see y'all in June!

We Love Our Military Spouses

May Relief Society Meeting

We hope to see you at our next Relief Society weekday meeting! Details are on the invitation below.

Click the image to enlarge.

Introducing....

Isabella Lee Williams

Born April 29, 2011 at 11:20 am

7 lbs. 14 oz. 20.5 inches long

Please join us in congratulating Savannah, Rory, Jackson and Josh and welcoming little Bella to our ward. Congratulations Williams family!

An Easter Message

Happiness

Thank you to everyone who attended our mid-week activity on April 19th. We had a great time learning how to find true happiness in our lives.

We were entertained and uplifted

We were fed spiritually, and literally fed these delicious lemon poppyseed muffins.

We also enjoyed homemade lemonade.

And we had a great time bonding with our Sisters in gospel.

Thank you to Sister Heidenreich for her message

and to Sister Fullenwider, Sister Foster, Sister Shoenroeck and Sister Taylor

for all of your hard work!