Brooke, Kristen, Michele, Kathryn

Brooke Ballstaed

Sometimes there are people that we see often in our ward, we recognize their faces and often know their names, but we just don't know, or haven't had the chance to talk with. This spotlight is about BROOKE BALLSTAED, who has been in our ward for about a year and a half.  I'm sure her neighbors on Buckeye View know and love her, and now we want to let others know more about who Brooke is.

Brooke was called to be in the Young Women's organization since not long after she and her husband moved into the River Rose Ward.  The Young Women love her and she is so fun and great to work with as the YW 2nd Counselor.  Brooke was raised in California where she competed on her high school swim team.  Her parents still live there and she loves to go back to visit whenever possible. 

She attended BYU after high school where she received her Bachelors degree in biology.  It was a very interesting adventure for her to take some time to study abroad in Nice, Italy, before she was finished with her studies at BYU.

Brooke worked for the church in the Media Services Department before she became a stay at home mom to be able to be at home with her 9 month old son, Wyatt.  She and her husband love their little family, and stay very busy  with caring for Wyatt.  Even though her calling is time consuming also, she tries to find time to do some of the other things she loves to do like reading, swimming and shopping.   We are so grateful for the time Brooke spends with the Young Women and for being such a wonderful asset to our ward.  If you haven't been able to introduce yourself to Brooke yet, you will find a fun and welcoming sister already settled in the ward.  

Let's remember, sisters, let's get to know any sisters we haven't spoken with before...we can all use new friends, and sometimes we just don't know who is new and who is not!!  Be as friendly as you would like others to be to you....YOU CAN'T LOVE SOMEONE UNTIL YOU GET TO KNOW HER!

Kristen Jorgensen

We had a delightful visit with Kristen at her home on Duncan Meadows Ln.  She is a warm and welcoming sister, who was born and raised in Georgia, lived there until she moved to UT in Sept 2006 (to Jan 2008), then moved back in Jan 2011. She served a mission in Mesa, Arizona and it was one of the great experiences of her life.

The first time Kristen met her husband, Zach, was on her mission. She ran into him again at her mission reunion, and then they started dating.  They were engaged about four months later, and have been married for about a year and a half.  They don’t have any children yet, but they have an Olde English Bulldog.

Kristen has an Associate’s degree in Business and currently works at a title company. She is planning to finish her bachelor’s degree one day, possibly in either business management or marketing.  For outdoor activities, she likes to go to the lake or the beach. She also likes dancing (hip-hop, jazz), watching movies, reading, being with family & friends, exercising and going out to eat.

Kristen had some real adventures in her life.  She was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was five, which she later overcame. Because of this, she went to camp and they did many fun things together. For example: she went to Washington D.C. and met George W. Bush.  She has also been to Maui.  She served her mission in Mesa, Arizona and she has also been an EFY counselor.

We really enjoyed getting to know Kristen, and she is looking forward to meeting more people in our ward. We are so happy to welcome Kristen to the River Rose Ward. WELCOME Kristen!!



Michele Briscoe

Michele has been a wonderful addition to the cluster homes on Duncan Meadows.  We are so happy to welcome her and her family into our ward.  She is a very dedicated mother and wife, who, before she became a stay at home Mom, worked for two "Question & Answer" websites, and sounds to us like she is somewhat of a computer genius!   She now spends time working with a wonderful organization that races to help local charities, called "5K Color Run".

Michele and her husband Brandon have three active and busy kids, one girl - Taylor who is 13 yrs old; and two sons - Jack who is 9, and Nate who is 7yrs old who all keep her very busy.  If that's not enough, though, she also has 2 dogs, Hank - a Shepard mix who is almost 10 yrs old, and Patrick, a chocolate lab who is still a puppy at one year old.  That in itself is like having triplet's!

For fun and entertainment, Michele and her whole family love to race and drive off  road cars.  They love  to race just about every off road and water vehicles.  The off road car race she likes to do the most is one that earns money to fight breast cancer.

Michele has lived in four different states during her lifetime.  She was born in Hyattsville, Maryland.  She grew up, however, in Virginia.  She eventually went to Huntington Beach, CA, and then moved here to UT from there.  When she was still living in Virginia, she had a very good friend who was being an awesome member missionary and started teaching her the gospel.  Not only was that a blessing in her life, but soon a very handsome young full time missionary came around and continued that process of missionary work in Michele's life.  Then....he was transferred!  Fortunately, the mission President allowed Brandon to return to the area when Michele decided, and was ready to be baptized.  What a great member missionary story, and a following the mission, a wonderful and romantic "getting together" story, also!!  We are so happy to have the Briscoe family in our ward and are anxious to get to know them better!


Kathryn Livingston

In meeting Kathryn Livingston, we realized that she has several different sides to her personality!  Kathryn loves her sweet family, and stays very busy caring for her cute 5 month old son, Mason.  They live in the cluster homes on Corbin Valley and I'm sure the group of young moms on the streets in that area will enjoy having Kathryn there as spring comes and they can get out and get to know each other better.

Kathryn has moved around several times in her life.  She was born in Delaware, and as she was young, she moved to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Springville and then when she was 15 she moved with her family to the Orem and Provo area.  It was there that she and her husband met, and were married in the Mt Timpanogos temple about four and a half years ago.  Before Mason came into their world, Kathryn worked for a bank for many years, and was constantly being promoted to better jobs.   However, when her sweet baby was born she just couldn't imagine leaving him each day and made the decision to leave her job and spend all the time she had with him.  Now she is an Avon representative, which she can do in her free time, or at least from her home.

Kathryn loves to sing (particularly in the shower when no one is around!), loves being artsy and also loves working out at the gym. Many talents and interests.  I hear she also has a streak of real adventure in her, illustrated by the fact that when she was in New York, she heard about a friend who needed some help in Utah, quickly left New York and what she was doing and drove in a moments notice all the way back to Utah to help her friend.  I think we're all going to be grateful to have a new friend like that in our ward, and are looking forward to getting to know more about Kathryn's adventures! So glad you are with us now, Kathryn!

May Enrichment Meeting

May's Enrichment Meeting was all about the family dinner.  Sister Oliver gave a wonderful lesson, first on the importance of the family meal, and then ideas on how to implement the family meal in your own family.

Here are Benefits of Family Dinners (from webmd):

• Everyone eats healthier meals
• Kids are less likely to become overweight or obese
• Kids more likely to stay away from cigarettes
• They're less likely to drink alcohol
• They won't likely try marijuana
• They're less likely to use illicit drugs
• Friends won't likely abuse prescription drugs
• School grades will be better
• You and your kids will talk more
• You'll be more likely to hear about a serious problem
• Kids will feel like you're proud of them
• There will be less stress and tension at home

Sister Oliver also used these articles in her research:

• "Preserving the Sacred Home" by Shirley Rucker Klein
• "Mealtime Matters"
• "Powerful Nurturing" by Julie B. Beck
• "Mealtime, Family Time" by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard
• "The Magic of the Family Meal" by Nancy Gibbs Sunday, Time Magazine -- June 04, 2006

Also included was a list of ideas for a "Yakity Yak" jar.  

Yakity Yak pdf file

February Enrichment Meeting

At our February Enrichment meeting Ralina K., led our discussion on parenting teens, which was an extension of her lesson the previous month. Many great ideas and points were shared by the sisters in attendance. 

In our next class, Kristen F.,  shared with us ways we can bring the spirit into our homes through our decorating.  Her emphasis, however, was less on the things we purchase and more on the types of family activities we encourage and participate in such as Family Home Evening, Scripture Study, and service to others.  She shared with us some family photo albums.  The memories and good feelings these simple  picture albums bring, have helped to contribute to the spirit she seeks to have in her home.  

Kristi C. then shared with us how to make homemade 

egg noodles for soups. 

Delicious Homemade Egg Noodles

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4-1/2 cup water

Directions:
1. Measure flour into bowl; make a well in the center and add egg yolks, whole egg and salt.
2. With hands, thoroughly mix egg into flour
3. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
4. (Add only enough water to form dough into a ball).
5. Turn dough onto well-floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
6. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
7. Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
8. Roll dough, 1 part at a time, into paper-thin rectangle, keeping remaining dough covered.
9. Roll rectangle around rolling pin; slip out rolling pin.
10. Cut dough cross-wise into 1/8-inch strips for narrow noodles and 1/4 -inch for wide noodles.
11. Shake out stripes and place on towel to dry, about 2 hours.
12. When dry, break dry strips into smaller pieces.
13. Cook in 3 quarts boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt) (We use chicken broth.) 12 to 15 minutes or until tender.
14. Drain thoroughly.

January Enrichment Meeting - Gnocchi Recipe

Marta shared with us her recipe for making Gnocchi (pronounced NYO-kee),

a traditional dish from her country of Argentina.  

Gnocchi are fluffy, Italian-style dumplings made of potatoes and flour.  You can serve gnocchi with any of your favorite pasta sauces, or even with a simple sauce of melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese.

The key to making good gnocchi is to use dry, mealy potatoes like Russets.  And we want to keep the potatoes as dry as possible. 

Ingredients:
2 pounds whole Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra flour for dusting)

1.  Boil the potatoes in a large pot until they can be pierced through with a knife.

2.  Drain and then mash the potatoes until a smooth, uniform texture is achieved.

3.  Turn out the cooked potato mixture onto a lightly floured surface, and add about half of the flour.  Knead until you have a sticky mass and keep adding flour a little at a time until the dough is smooth.  You won't necessarily use the whole amount of flour.

4.  Cut the dough into smaller sections, and roll each piece into a long cylinder about 1/2 inch in diameter.  Then cut each cylinder into individual pieces about 3/4 inch in length.

5.  Fill a large pot with water and generously salt the water with a good handful of Kosher salt.  The water should taste like seawater.  Bring the water to a boil.

6.  Meanwhile, shape the gnocchi by pressing each piece between your thumb and the tines of a fork, using a slight rolling motion.  One side of the gnocchi should have the imprint of the fork and the other side a small indentation from your thumb.

7.  When the water comes to a boil, drop the gnocchi into the water.  In about two minutes, the gnocchi will float to the surface of the water.  Let them cook about fifteen seconds more and then skim them out with a slotted spoon.

8.  Drain the gnocchi well and serve immediately topped with a basic tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese, or with any of your favorite pasta sauces.

January Enrichment Meeting

Thanks Carol B. for sharing your card making talent 

and supplies with us!

 

 

Emergency Car Kit

Emergency Car Kit

At our January Enrichment meeting Liesl  shared with us items we might want to consider placing in an emergency car kit.  She broke the items down into summer, winter and a middle of nowhere things to place in your emergency car kit.

Summer Car Kit 
water/food, flashlight, batteries for flashlight, first aid kit, tools (gloves, leather-man) jumper cables, toilet paper, baby wipes, hazard triangles/flares, cell phone, money, entertainment for kids and or grand-kids.

Winter Car Kit
In addition to the summer car kit add a blanket/hat, hand warmers, gloves, ice scraper, birthday candle, toilet paper heater (See picture below)
  
Middle of Nowhere Kit
Winter car kit plus more food, more water

Toilet Paper Heater

Toilet Paper Heater 
Penny demonstrated how to make a toilet paper heater by using an aluminum paint can, a roll of toilet paper, matches and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. I have included a You Tube video link showing this process as well.  Just click on the title to link to the video.

January's Relief Society Meeting - Marriage and Family Report

Parenting the Teenager - by Sister Ralina Kellis
Below are a few of the highlights from Ralina's lesson at Thursday's Relief Society meeting.

1. Parents should have individual time with children.
2. Be Flexible and have individual interviews.
3. When interviewing:
Seek Divine Guidance - pray together
Show Love - Show by hug or an arm around shoulder. Praise often.
Encourage Discussion - Ask questions that can't be answered with "yes" and "no"
Listen - Listening requires patience and concentration, keep things confidential
4. Elder Wells counsels us to "seek the Lord's help in understanding each other, resolving challenges, and reaching appropriate decisions - all without becoming defensive. Even more important, we must seek his help in changing our behavior and our hearts... As we draw near to the Lord, he can help us grow closer to one another"

10 Parenting tips:
1. Give kids some leeway.
2. Choose your battles wisely.
3. Invite their friends for dinner.
4. Decide rules and discipline in advance.
5. Discuss 'checking in.'
6. Talk to teens about risks.
7. Give teens a game plan
8. Keep the door open
9. Let kids feel guilty when they do something wrong.
10. Be a role model (Your actions -even more then your words- are critical in helping teens adopt good moral and ethical standards)



We welcome your comments on effective ways that you have found to strengthen your children. What has worked best for you in creating those opportunities for either formal or informal interviews?

Anna, Juli-Ann, Stacy, Jessica, Jamie

Anna Gibb

Sister Anna Gibb and her beautiful new baby boy, Parker, welcomed us into her home to meet her and Parker, and their "friendly" dog, Daisy!  Daisy was very happy to have someone there to play with as we enjoyed getting to know Anna.  We first 'toured' the bedroom where we were introduced to the first "4 level bunk bed" I have ever seen!  And found out that those beds are used frequently by Anna's step-daughters, who also share the room with Daisy when they come over. 
Anna and her husband have been married about 18 months, and Parker is their only child together.  She is a beautiful and loving first time mom, who spent the time we were there walking with him, putting the binky in, and wiping spit up from the floor as new mom's always do.  Parker was born a preemie, at only 4lbs and spent several weeks in the NICU.  So they are so grateful to have him happy and healthy now.
Anna's career for several years has been a dancer.  She graduated from SUU with a BA degree and has been dancing and teaching dance ever since.  She now works at two different dance academy's two nights a week, while holding down a 40 hour a week job working from home, being a new mom, and a step mom to three daughters, and a wife, too!  Talk about having a great supply of energy, and a determination to make your life work.
Anna has had some real adventure in her life.  The highlight for her was to spend three weeks with her mom in Europe, especially in Germany.  She is only a second generation German and was thrilled with the blessing of being able to tour Germany and spend time finding out first hand where the family originated, how they lived and what their life was like.
Another real thrill for Anna was that she was able to participate in the Shakespearean Festival.  It was a real privilege to have her company win a Tony Award each of two seasons at the Festival.  She also is able to claim the title of actress, because she is in the LDS movie, "Singles Ward". 
  

Juli-Ann Smith 

We were delighted to be greeted at the door of her home, by Sister Juli-Ann Smith.  She is a warm and welcoming sister, who was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, as one of five girls in her family, and was baptized into the Church in Brisbane.
Marriage and motherhood was a joy to Juli-Ann, as she brought forth those beautiful babies, 5 girls and 2 boys.  Juli-Ann had her hands and house full, and then a surprise came into her life.  When she was 28 her husband died of cancer, and she found herself for the rest of the growing up years for her children, a single mom.  Fortunately, she is an energetic and determined woman, and handled this challenge with faith and courage.
Eventually, she felt the definite prompting to move to the US and relocated to Colorado, still with five of her children living with her, then to Salt Lake, then to Idaho Falls, ID, then back to Salt Lake City; although CO actually continues to be her favorite because of how beautiful it is and how many outdoor activities and things there are to do there. 
Juli-Ann's strong spirit and will to thrive, kept her family going and growing, as she progressed in her career life, and her children were each married and became independent.  She now has 8 grandchildren, and another one do in a few months. 
Juli-Ann is a very young at heart, energetic and independent woman.  She was just married for the second time in August and moved into her new husband, Roger's apartment with him.  She is most at home doing outside things; almost anything that is outdoors, she loves; or anything that is active or athletic, such as  Women's Basketball!  Yes, women, you have a new team member, as soon as Juli-Ann gets her cast off!  In fact, her love of being outdoors was the cause of her breaking her ankle and spending Christmas Eve in the emergency room; all because she would rather go on a walk in a beautiful blizzard instead of staying in on Christmas Eve!  You will LOVE getting to know Juli-Ann Smith.  I felt her strong spirit, her amazing determination, and her love of really living life and finding courage to do all of it with a beautiful and contagious enthusiasm  for her family, church and friends.
 


  

Stacy Peterson

Have you ever met someone who was friendly and very cordial, and then she tells you how shy she is?  I could relate to Stacey Petersen as she invited me into her comfortable and cozy living room and was as welcoming as anyone I've met, but says she becomes more reserved in larger groups.  Stacey and Ben Petersen recently moved onto London Bay from St. George due to a job change for Ben, who works for Utah Truffle Co.  Along with them came their five children, who are a wonderful addition to our Young Men's and Primary organizations.  Stacey has also just been called to serve in Young Women's.

Stacey has lived in the St. George area almost her entire life, where many of her family still live.  This is the first time they have ever moved away from St. George and they have found it a little difficult leaving their lifelong friends and family.  They like it here, however, and are looking forward to meeting more people.

Stacey has some fun hobbies, which include roadbiking, and has been on some fun trips with Ben; touring Zion's Nat'l Park was one of her favorite.  She also has tried out her "feet" in running 5K races.  Stacey and Ben met when she was fourteen, but didn't start dating until he returned from his mission to Italy, and she was attending Dixie College. Soon after their marriage, she found her favorite occupation to be a mom and homemaker.  And just from what I've observed in her home, she is GREAT at both of those professions! You will enjoy taking a chance to introduce yourself to Stacey Petersen and family, who are officially a very important part of our ward!!

Jessica Chappell

If you would like to take a stroll and have an enjoyable chat with a really fun couple, take a walk over to London Bay and meet the Chappell Family, Jessica and Randy.
Jessica was raised in Provo and Randy grew up in Murray, but their paths unexpectedly crossed on a blind date, which opened their eyes to marriage! Jessica attended college at BYU-IDAHO and has been a coach/teacher of PE and Health for seven years at South Jordan Jr. High.  Randy is still enjoying his education in the math and PE fields.  They both love sports and Jessica's hobbies include coaching and playing all kinds of sports, including soccer particularly.  One of Jessica's most valued memories was a humanitarian trip to Thailand with a group of High School young people, as their mentor.  They went for a couple months to help rebuild the drinking water systems into the homes of the Thai people.  That was an extremely humbling and gratifying trip for Jessica and the group of people she was with, and a lifesaving act of service for those Thai people in need.  Jessica is currently serving in the YW's as the Personal Progress Coordinator, and the proud couple is expecting their first baby (a boy) in January. 

Jamie Sackett

Jamie, and her husband Joe Sackett, were married in April and that was when the newlyweds moved their new family in with Jamie's mother, Diane Graham.  Jamie was born while her family was living in Murray, then moved around somewhat in the Salt Lake Valley, graduating from High School in West Jordan. 

Both Joe and Jamie plan to further their education and go on to college courses as soon as possible, and would like to someday move to California and pursue her love for creative arts. She has worked in retail mostly, but right now she is busy pursuing some very creative hobbies that she has while she is at home with a sewing maching and a love for design.  Jamie is experimenting in what is called "upcycling" clothing.  I was excited to have her show me a piece which she created from an old tank top, a bed sheet, and some very beautiful hand embroidery of her own.  She is actually re-creating some beautiful and unique vintage clothing.  Her creativity has come from years on practicing her hobbies of sewing, creating, drawing, sculpting, and even singing and dancing.  If it's creative, you will find Jamie involved in it!
I asked Jamie what her most fun trip EVER was, and she described to me what would have been an ideal trip for me, too!  She was able to vacation in New York City with her family, where she had the privilege of experiencing FIVE different Broadway Shows, enjoying what she found was great hospitality from New Yorkers, and seeing the Statue of Liberty.  I discovered if you want to meet someone who has so much enthusiasm for life, then enjoy a FUN conversation with Jamie Sackett, and watch her face light up as she talks about her dreams and experiences.  WELCOME JAMIE & JOE !!