Mindful Monday

I love the idea of starting the week off with a reminder of how to prioritize things...some sort of inspiration of one kind or another. So I've decided on Monday's I'll share a thought. Here we go with the first one:

"The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls. Indeed, it is easier to 'find' ourselves because there is so much more of us to find."

~Spencer W. Kimball

We made it through the "Whirl Wind Week" ! Actually I have renamed it. It truly was a "Wonderful Week"! We love the new Orthotic's Office. Thanks again to Laura for getting us there! Hope will have her new brace in two more weeks and she is really excited about it. The new one will open in the front instead of the back. That alone will make her life so much better! The whole process was completely different this time. She didn't have to be cast. I could read Hope's mind when they told her.... "yay!" Their process is more scientific. They explained everything every step of the way. It was all about measurements and balance.

On the way home we stopped at Marci's to help with Joy School. It was perfect timing.

Preston had just decided to wake up from his nap.

Those little girls are so cute and Addie was so excited to see Hope.

That afternoon the Mia Maids came over to frost the cupcakes for New Beginnings  and make little "Courage and Strenght" flags.   Miss Kayli, our Mia Maid president, is quite an amazing little baker.  She made 3 types of cupcakes and all from scratch.  She brought lemon, raspberry and peanut butter (of which happens to be her VERY OWN recipe) Yes, she is all of 15 years old.  

She had specific instructions of how she wanted each cupcake to be frosted. 

The raspberry cupcakes were frosted 

with icing pastry bags to give them a pretty ruffled effect.

   The lemon cupcakes were frosted and then the rims

were dipped in pretty yellow shimmery sugar. AND ... 

THEN the peanut butter cupcakes...

She frosted with a Gnash frosting

and topped each cupcake with a halved miniature Reeces Peanut Butter cup.

Kayli  had extra lemon and raspberry frosting and left some with me.  It was a delicious butter cream base that she added fresh raspberries and fresh lemon zest.   I had grahm crackers with frosting in the middle for breakfast ... okay .... and lunch!

I hid the cupcakes  in the oven and had to peek at them every few hours. The oven was ooooozing happiness!  I found this cute little template HERE and the girls put together the flags lickety split.

New Beginnings was BEAUTIFUL. Heidi found Jenni Phillip's website and we based our program from her script and music "Strong and Courageous". We have some very talented girls. We loved all the music and incorporated it with several musical numbers. Three duets from our Young Women, a song that all the leaders sang to the girls (we could barely get through it) the lyrics are so poignant. Heidi showed some video clips from Jenni Phillip's program as well. We have three laurels and they were asked to talk about how reading the scriptures has increased their faith and to share their favorite examples in the scriptures. Their thoughts and testimonies were so uplifting and warmed our hearts. They are beautiful girls inside and out.
Of course everyone loved the cupcakes and Heather made a delicious punch.  I don't remember what all she put in it but it was very pretty.  I'll have to get the recipe from her.  Favor bags "Live Like You Believe", the title of the song the leaders sang to the girls.  More to be posted HERE.... soon I Promise.

Hope did really well at her Ensemble Recital. Her competition is this Saturday.

She and David are the two bassoonists in the Symphonic Band.

Cassandra's wedding was wonderful.  Cynthia really should be a wedding planner.  I don't know how she managed to pull it off.  Her mom made all the table toppers, the ring bearer pillow, the flower girl dress, just to name a few with no patterns.  She is like my grandma.  Just show her a picture and she's good to go.  Must be nice!  Sharon, Cynthia's sister, made the cake.  Beautiful three tiered fondant cake.  It was very sophisticated... all cream with little edible pearls and a monogram.  She made all the beautiful picture (that her husband Scott took) ornaments of Cassandra and Dan that we hung on the branches for the table centerpieces. What a talented family!  I wish I had more pictures, but I  was busy being a worker bee.
I took a couple before we loaded everything to take to the location.