My Favorite Story

TRAGEDY AT RAYAD
Once upon a time there was a little kingdom called Rayad. The tiny people who inhabited this kingdom were call Rayadites. They lived happily, sharing and caring about each other. Life was good to them. There were only a few things they needed to watch out for; for instance, chocolate cake or wearing the color red. If any Rayadite ever ate chocolate cake or wore red, his spirit would become weakened, and he would care less and less about himself and the rules of the kingdom.

Also living in this tiny kingdom was Zynock, an evil person who wanted to destroy the kingdom and all of the people in it. He hated for them to be happy and loving, for that made it harder for him to influence them. He knew what weakened their spirits and made them easier to capture. But Zynock also knew that he could not just offer the Rayadites chocolate cake and have them devour it - they were not that foolish! Nor could he make the most wonderful garment in bright red and expect them to wear it immediately. The Rayadites wanted to be good and strong. They had promised each other that they would help and strengthen each other in time of need. So how could Zynock weaken this people? How could he get them to succumb to him so that he could destroy them and thus the whole kingdom?

"Let's see," he said, "I can't get them to eat chocolate cake right off, but maybe I can get them to develop a taste for chocolate."

That's when chocolate chip cookies were introduced to the kingdom of Rayad. At first the cookies were ignored and scoffed at. Then some commercials and billboards were produced that showed handsome, wonderful-looking Rayadites eating chocolate chip cookies. And nothing happened to them, except they became more popular and sophisticated - at least that's what the message conveyed on the screens and billboards.

It wasn't long before a few Rayadites could be seen eating a chocolate chip cookies every now and then, and they seemed to be doing fine. They were still loving and caring and hadn't changed at all - so it seemed. So more and more Rayadites began eating the cookies. What they didn't realize was that the portion of chocolate chips in each cookie had been doubled. They were getting a double dose of chocolate, disguised in the cookie. You'd hear phrases like these: "That cookie is really good except for a couple of places where it tastes pretty chocolatey. But don't miss the cookie just for those two places. It's too good a cookie, and you can overlook the taste." "I heard that one of our friends has eaten a chocolate chip cookie, and she says it's nothing to be afraid of. It won't ruin your life if you eat it."

That was true: lives didn't seem to be ruined by chocolate chip cookies. Things were pretty much the same as usual. However, some of the teachers and leaders and parents in Rayad suggested avoiding the cookies because tastes for chocolate were being developed.

"Avoid the cookies?" came the cries of surprise. "What for? What's wrong with them? They're not chocolate cake! How stuffy can you get?"

Some who refused to eat the cookies were even laughed at and made fun of. Zynock himself started chuckling. He had no idea his plan would work so well. And Zynock was patient. He didn't care how long it took to destroy Rayad, just so it was destroyed.

Chocolate chip cookies seemed to be moving pretty well. Zynock didn't worry about the words of caution and counsel from the leaders, because his commercials and billboards were so exciting and enticing. He had to make them that way, or the truth of the leaders would have swayed the Rayadites away from the cookies.

Now it came time to introduce a new product of destruction. No, not chocolate cake, not quite yet. Rather, Zynock began advertising spice cake, white cake, yellow cake, carrot cake, any kind of cake but chocolate - but all with chocolate frosting, rich chocolate frosting. More commercials, more billboards, a few songs to hum and sing all day about how wonderful chocolate cake would be, although they're not eating it - yet! Get them thinking about it before they will actually succumb. Then in the kingdom of Rayad, you could hear:

"Have you tried that yellow cake with chocolate frosting?"

"Well, no. Is it good?"

"Oh, yes! Granted, it is chocolatey, but it's not chocolate cake. And it really doesn't have much more chocolate than those cookies we've been eating!"

"But the cake doesn't seem right. I mean, cookies are one thing, but cake?"

"Ah, come on! The important thing is the chocolate, and this is no more than you've already been eating. Everybody's eating it. You can't pass it up and be the only one left out."

In the meantime, the songs were subtly strumming away in the background, singing the praises of chocolate cake. Right, the words were not good, but the beat and the rhythm were so cool that many Rayads listened just for the music. After all, what can music do?

Zynock began thinking again: "One thing that strengthens those Rayadites is when they are together talking to each other. What can I do about that?" Then he reasoned, "Well, it's all right for them to be together. In fact, maybe there is some way I could use their gatherings and parties for my purposes. Aha! I've got it!"

So parties in Rayad began changing. Instead of the Rayadites talking to each other and playing games so they could get to know one another and share their strengths and talents, a new trend began. Everyone who was anyone had the new kinds of parties.

"Have you been to a party over at our Rayad friend's place yet?"

"No, I haven't."

"You should go. It's really cool!"

"Oh? What do you do?"

"Well, it isn't like any other party you've been to. It's pretty cool. All you do is go and sit down and watch stuff on the screen."

"Stuff on the screen? Like what?"

"Oh, exciting, scary stuff that's pretty good. There are a few scenes showing people eating chocolate cake, but no 'biggy.'"

"People eating chocolate cake? But..."

"Oh, it's not bad, and besides, there's nothing anymore without a little bit of that. It's just fun to get together with your friends."

So Zynock stood back and watched his plot unfold. "Let's see now. They're eating chocolate and they're eating cake. They're listening to songs and watching movies about chocolate cake. They're becoming weaker and weaker, although they're not even aware of it yet because they haven't actually eaten it - yet! They are falling into my trap! They think their leaders and parents are square and stuffy. It's very helpful when their friends tell them what I want them to hear. Friends are my greatest asset!"

"Hey!" says a friend Rayadite, "have you seen the latest movie?"

"No," comes the response. "I thought it was C-rated, for chocolate."

"No, it isn't. It's R-rated for Red. There's no chocolate in it."

And so Zynock continues his plotting - this time a gorgeous garment, but not in red...yet. It's a luscious pink color.

by Ardeth Kapp

Something's Fishy!

This time of year is filled with the annual checkups - you know, the really fun ones... teeth and eyes! We did great this year and there are a couple of kids at our house that will take on a new look this fall...

With the checkups out of the way, Myles was eager to go off fishing. What a day it was for fishing. I don't think we could have ordered a calmer more beautiful afternoon and evening than we had. It was so serene. It was also a great day for catching fish! Myles came home with his daily quota filled!!! He immediately set to the task of cleaning and freezing his catch. He was so excited he requested a photo. As he did so he commented on how they had miscounted their catch because they were missing a fish!

Well that was a mystery I wasn't too interested in solving. It turns out that they had counted right, Myles had just forgotten to clean the last fish. It's amazing how fishy things get with just one fish in the house!!!

Speaking of fish, the kids have been anxious to catch and bring in the goldfish. The aquariums have been ready and waiting and are even inhabited by snails. This year we've got real plants growing on the surface of the water. I wonder how long it will take for the fish to eat them up!

 That's the big aquarium - the fish knocked over my fake coral only hours after they were introduced to their winter home.

This is the small aquarium. It has half as many fish in it and half as many snails.

I really enjoy the time of year when we bring the fish in the house. I love to sit and watch them swim - it is so peaceful and calm. I love to meditate as I watch them swimming around the tank. Their bright colors and quick motions are delightful to watch and always remind me of the many blessings that I enjoy. It reminds me of a story told recently by Elder Nelson. He said:

"Recently, Sister Nelson and I enjoyed the beauty of tropical fish in a small private aquarium. Fish with vivid colors and of a variety of shapes and sizes darted back and forth. I asked the attendant nearby, “Who provides food for these beautiful fish?”

She responded, “I do.”

Then I asked, “Have they ever thanked you?”

She replied, “Not yet!”

My fish don't thank me either. They too are oblivious to the hand that feeds them. But every morning when I feed my fish I am overcome with gratitude to my Heavenly Father who offers me continual nourishment. What joy there is in knowing that he is there, and continually offers nourishment (which brings peace and joy) to us every day - we just have to simply take advantage of it to be nourished. What a blessing!

Wax Fun

I recently started an art class that teaches how to paint with wax. It's pretty cool - the things that wax can do so after melting and preparing our wax the first week, the next week was a lot more creative. We learned how to layer colors, build up textures, mix colors and use normal 'junk' to create some really fun designs.

So here is the project after two weeks...

 I had a lot of fun mixing colors. I have to admit that I love color!

And here is my partially finished sampler. The wood you see on either side is yet to be painted with yet more techniques which I have yet to learn. I have to admit that I am really enjoying the class. Wax is a medium I've never used before for painting and of course it doesn't work the same way regular paints do. I look forward to being able to take some of these techniques and make them into pictures. I love to create and I love the opportunity I have to associate with others as they create as well. I love to see and share the joy that comes each time a technique works or better yet turns out uniquely with an unplanned but delightful result.

Stay tuned, there will be more coming. This one will be a fun technique to teach the kids!

Filling the Larder

The last week has found an abundance of food in our house... It has taken a lot of work to take care of it all and I go to bed bone weary - but I love it! What a wonderful time of year!!!

First there were the apples...

They made jelly and over 200 muffins!

I have the best husband! He spent the morning helping me peel, chop and prepare apples for baking and then helped me bake them even though he had tonnes of stuff that he needed to do as well. He is such a blessing in my home.

Then there were the tomatoes...

This is what they made! Yummy salsa and I even got it as thick as it is supposed to be this year in half the time that it took last year!

Chad spent a morning helping me prepare vegetables for the salsa too. He is an absolute blessing in the way he helps me. It is so nice to spend a morning with him as we work together. I love it!

The salsa used up a bunch of these...

Then we dug our vegetables and brought them in...

When the first frost came we picked gallons of these...

This year we had both red grapes and green grapes. The kids loved eating them!!! I love to blend off grape juice with raspberry juice. It is YUMMY!!!

I LOVE this time of year!!! It feels so good to bring in the harvest that the Lord has so generously provided us with and put it up for the winter in ways that make it usable all year long. Not only are we blessed with fresh fruits and vegetables right now, but by canning, storing and preserving them, we are blessed to be able to enjoy them all year long.

Life is so much like putting up produce. It takes work, effort and focus to accomplish the goal. In life, the sweetest relationships take the most work, effort and focus. We have to really want them to be worth the effort we put forth as we seek to preserve them. Sometimes contaminants will spoil a whole batch of preserves.(That is a nasty mess and such a waste!) If we let contaminants like bitterness, pride and criticism enter into those sweet relationships, they likely will begin to spoil and so much is lost. A new batch has to be made from scratch to replace the old and with relationships there has to be a lot of forgiveness to ensure that old contaminants don't corrupt the new batch.

Life is wonderful, the more I do preserves the more I have learned how to avoid contaminants that destroy lots of hard work and effort. I love to can. I love to watch my shelves fill with tasty food and treats. It is such a joy to help provide for my family as I work in the home where I am so needed. The blessings of life are so abundant - Heavenly Father is incredibly generous.

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

This week in family home evening we returned to working on our Plan of Salvation Booklets. This week we studied the topic of 'Mortality". Below you will find the PDF pages that we worked on but first a few fun images about LIFE! These images paint the picture of life so well especially the very last one...

Mortality Worksheets
Mortality Quotes - Glue Ins