MY JANUARY RECIPE

SUPER BOWL SOUP
3 beef bouillon cubes
3 Tablespoons chives
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon savory
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
14 1/2 or 16 oz. undrained can of stewed tomatoes
Rinse 2 cups of multi-colored beans with cold water. Soak beans overnight or use quick method--boil for 5 minutes and let set covered for an hour. Then drain & rinse beans, return to pot and add 5 cups water plus seasoning. Raise heat until boiling then reduce heat. Cover & simmer 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Then add can of stewed tomatoes. Let soup boil then reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes longer.
This is a good food storage soup because it doesn't require any meat but you could put some ham in it if you wanted. I used to put the spices in a spice bag and mix the dry beans up myself, then put it all in a canning jar and give them away for Christmas. Enjoy!

26 YEARS TOGETHER

MY GRANDPARENT'S ANNIVERSARY

My maternal grandparents, Virgel McMullin & Cassie Stapp married 22nd January 1927. It was my grandpa's second marriage, my grandma's first and she was twenty-seven when she married. They met in California. Both their mothers had boarding houses on the same block in San Dimas. They raised my grandfather's two sons, Lewis and William and my mother and her twin brother Dorothy and Doyle. They are remembered for many things, one was homesteading property in the desert of Lucerne Valley California for three years which is still in the family. Virgel worked for the Pacific Electric Railroad for thirty years and they lived most of the time in San Bernardino. They lived their later years in San Dimas, my grandpa owned pool hall "Mac's". They also had a boarding house for several years. Cassie was a member of the Mormon Church and introduced her faith to Virgel. He accepted it and joined the church in his older years. One story I remember grandma telling was when the two of them got married. Grandma Cassie never liked her name and when grandpa and grandma were courting, she told him her name was "Billie" It wasn't until they got married and my grandma signed her name on the marriage license that grandpa knew that her real name was "Cassie". I have fond memories of getting in the car and driving about 2 hours to my grandparents house as a little girl. They had an old house and my grandmother was quite the "pack rat". My siblings and I used to have such fun adventures at their home, playing dress up in old clothes and playing different games with all their collectibles.

SNOW DAYS - FAMILY FUN

We woke up to snow on the ground yesterday and around here that means NO SCHOOL. So everyone took ad-vantage to have fun while it lasted because usually its gone before you know it. But, thats just the way I like it. Not too much and not too long. Its beautiful.

Falling down, gently down,

See the softly falling snow,

Falling down, gently down,

Covering the ground below.

Lois Lunt Metz

SNOW IN NORTH CAROLINA

JAKE "PERU-NESS"

FRIENDS, OFF AND ON THE COURT

CARSON & AUSTIN BEFORE GAME, SATURDAY

Carson and Austin are good friends that started playing basketball when they were seven years old and they were on the same team. They're playing for their 4th year now and they didn't get on the same team this year but are still buddies all the same, showing good sportsmanship, even when they play each others.

"You can discover more

about a person in an hour of play

than in a year of conversation. "

Plato

FUN YOUTH ACTIVITY

The

other
night
the
youth
did a
fun
activity.



They
got
refrigerator
boxes
and
built
cars.




Then
they
got
in
them and
watched
a movie.

It was like the old "drive-in movie theater" except you didn't have to pay or hide your friends in the trunk of the car. Pretty fun. Huh?

"Friends are the chocolate chips

in the cookie of life."

Anonymous

MY FAMILY HISTORY RESOLUTION

WILLIAM WALTER & LULA RENZA LINDLEY STAPP FAMILY

Grandma Cassie--girl far right&Harry--right in back

Another one of my resolutions this year is to work more on my family history. One of the ways I would like to do that is to tell stories that I know about people in my family. I thought I would try to blog stories on the day of each person's birthday. I'm a little late for the first person but it is HARRY ELMO STAPP, who was born on 12 January 1912 and died 5 January 1962. He was my grandmother CASSIE'S youngest brother. My grandmother's family was known for being very spiritual and there is a story that when Harry was a young adult, one of his cousins was killed in a tragic dynamite accident and Harry had told members of his family that this cousin had died before anyone had gotten word of his death. Most of my grandmother's brothers and sisters were uneducated and grew up working in the fields on farms in east Texas. They were hard workers. As a man, Harry worked at a packing company in Northern California and with hard work, he was able to work his way up in the company and make a good living for himself and family. He died young. He was nearly fifty years old and passed away during surgery.

"I have a family tree

with branches by the dozens,

I have grandpas, I have grandmas,

I have uncles, aunts and cousins."

Mary Ellen Jex Jolley

JAKE IS OFF TO PERU

JAKE WITH FELLOW INTERNS

WORKING AT EMPLOYMENT CENTERS

Jake flew out to Peru today but not without a little glitch. After visiting Angie in Provo last night, he left his passport on her desk while getting his ticket printed. Of course, he didn't realize it until he was at the airport in Salt Lake. Angie was typing a paper for class this morning and didn't have her cell phone on, so we were frantically, trying to find someone to go over to her house and get her help. Lucky for FACEBOOK, I was able to write a message to friends of hers in Provo and her friend Daren J., who I don't even know, was able to go by and alert her of the dilemma. She was able to get Jake his passport, just in time, so all is well. Hopefully that will be the only glitch of the trip. He's going to be in Peru for three months on an internship to teach people how to get jobs and start businesses, etc. Its something that the church does to help people in distressed circumstances. He's really excited and we hope he has some good experiences there. Last week, Jake spend the week in training up in Salt Lake but he's been out of his apartment in Provo since the Christmas vacation so I'm sure grateful to family and friends who have let him spend the night, eat, etc.

"The little unremembered acts of kindness

and love are the best parts

of a person's life."

William Wordsworth

THE TEMPLE NOW & THEN

Yesterday I had the privilege to escort a dear friend, Connie H., through the temple for the first time. She's a dear sister in my ward that I've known for a while and that I'll always remember for the wonderful gospel doctrine lessons she taught in Sunday School.

Seeing her go through the temple for the first time reminded me of my "first time" temple experience. I was getting ready to serve in the Florida Ft. Lauderdale Spanish Mission. I told Connie how I felt so pure, after I went through, kind of like the feeling one has right after baptism. I knew the Lord was there in the temple and how important the ordinances that are performed there truly are. I love the temple.

CONNIE H. & BETH

AT RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA TEMPLE

JANUARY, 2009

BETH AT LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA TEMPLE 1977

". . .temples are sacred, holy places.
They are a source of
spiritual power and strength.
They are a place of revelation.
They are the house of the Lord."
Silvia H. Alred

FUN PRIMARY ACTIVITY

Valiant 9's - Andrew J., Cassidy G., Carson G.,

Rachel E., Madeline C., & Lauren H.

Saturday for our Primary Activity we had a "Meet Your New Teacher" activity. Everyone came in their pajamas and we ate waffles and sausage. We got to get to know our new class a little bit. I teach the Valiant 9 Class. This is my second year teaching 8 going on 9 year old children and I love it. One of my most memorable experiences in primary happened about twenty-four years ago when we lived in Las Vegas and I was teaching the nursery children about the birth of the Savior. . .the Spirit was so strong and I can still see those little toddler's shining eyes in my mind as I taught them this marvelous event of Jesus Christ's beginning. There truly is no greater calling than to be a teacher.

"Come little child and together we'll learn

of His commandments, that we may return,

Home to His presence to live in His sight,

Always, always, to walk in the light."

Clara W. McMaster

WHO AM I, SIR, A UTAH FAN AM I!

What can I say except that it'll be a game I remember for the rest of my life. After hearing the national media trash Utah's football team like they we're some glorified high school team, "I am a Utah fan." Ever since it was announced they were to play Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and no one has given them a chance to win, "I am a Utah Fan." And because dear Elder Joseph P. Wirthlin, apostle of our church, recently passed away, played for Utah and was such a dear fan of the team for that "I am a Utah Fan." Well, at least for this game and except when they play BYU.

It was a great game. Utah was prepared, well coached and like I always say if you have a good defense and a good offensive line with a great quarterback, you can give anyone a game. My biggest observation was how unprepared FOX Sports announcers were. They had nothing to say because they had come to the game totally prepared for an Alabama domination and instead they got a Utah annihilation.

Congratulations Utah!

You beat them. . . no excuses.

"I am a Utah Man, sir, and I live across the green,

Our gang it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.

Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star,

Our yell, you'll hear it ringing through the mountains near and far!

Who am I, sir, A Utah Man am I!

A Utah Man, sir, Will be 'til I die.

Ki-yi!

We're up to snuff, we never bluff,

we're game for any fuss.

No other gang of college men dare meet us in a muss.

So fill your lungs and sing it out

and shout it to the sky,

We'll fight for dear old crimson for a Utah Man am I!

Ki-yi!"

UTAH FIGHT SONG

MY 2009 RESOLUTIONS

• EAT HEALTHIER & EXERCISE MORE--I've struggled with this all my adult life and now that I'm seeing the affects of lousy eating and exercise habits take a toll on my parent's health, I feel more and more that I need to lower my sugar intake, eat more fruits and vegetables, and exercise daily, oh and get a physical exam this year.


• HAVE BETTER PERSONAL PRAYERS--I always have a prayer in my heart but sometimes I feel that I'm doing just a quick chit chat with my Heavenly Father rather than really having a heart to heart and taking the time to listen. Take more time for morning and night for prayers.
  
• BE A BETTER VISITING TEACHER--My tendency to be anti-social has really kicked in lately and I need to repent and move on to be the visiting teach I know I can be. I WILL do my visiting teaching every month.

Well that's my three big ones that I believe I can really make a conscience effort to work on. I believe they are GOOD GOALS and of course:

". . .if there is anything virtuous,

lovely or of good report, or praiseworthy,

we seek after these things."

The 13th Article of Faith