Light the World Bulletin Board

We wanted to find a way for members of our ward (congregation) to share some of their acts of service. We came up with a bulletin board, where anyone (any age) can write their act of service on a silver star and tape it up. These will be anonymous, and I think it will be so neat to read what others are doing to light the world this Christmas season.

It's kind of hard to see, but in the bottom left corner is a sign that says, "Share the light you have shared or received." We tacked two small cardboard boxes underneath the sign.

Box 1: holds a stack of blank silver stars and tape

Box 2: holds fine-line permanent markers

It will be fun to watch the board fill up with stars all month long! I'm excited to see how full it is by Christmas!

Covering the bulletin board ended up being a much bigger project than I anticipated. Mostly because none of the letters, the manger scene, nor the hundreds of silver stars we needed were pre-cut. We drew them on poster board, then cut them out with scissors. I am so grateful to the missionaries and Trish for being good sports and helping me set everything up last night.

Sister Withers, Elder Gifford, Trish, Bishop Dotson, Elder Mitchell, Sister Young, and my little helper. :)

These people are seriously awesome, and I'm so grateful to have them in my life. They truly let their light shine!

Sister Withers, Sister Young, Trish, Elder Gifford, and Elder Mitchell

I'm also very grateful for my good friend Martilda, who went shopping with me and helped me pick out decorations for the board. She knows shopping is not my favorite thing, and I was so grateful to have her with me. She also has a great decorator's eye, and put together some beautiful colors and decorations.

Martilda and Me

Light the World this Christmas!

I first heard about the Light the World initiative a couple of weeks ago, and I have been so excited about it! There are so many ways that we can serve and bring more light into each other's lives. The Savior is the light of the world and showed us the perfect example of how to love and how to serve.

December 1st (tomorrow) will be a worldwide day of service, and it kicks off the Light the World initiative where people across the globe will follow the Savior by serving others in 25 ways over 25 days. 

I am so excited about this! I know it will make this season even more meaningful as we focus on serving others in the way the Savior did. 

There are some really neat videos and service ideas to go along with each the 25 days of the Light the World initiative. We are going to watch one each night to go along with our family scripture study, and I think it will be a wonderful way to stay focused on the Savior and motivate us to serve.

Here's a link to the page with short, daily videos about Christlike service:

mormon.org/christmas





I will be posting service opportunities I can find in the Dayton, Ohio area throughout December. Let's fill the world with light!

Corsage Boxes Perfect for Fondant Toppers

I recently participated in a service exchange with the ladies in my church. I decided to give away fondant baby cowboy boots.

 

I made a denim colored flower to go along with the boots. I used small pieces of extra fondant to hold the ruffles in place while the flower dried.

Once the fondant was dry, I could remove the supports and the flower was ready to go.

To help speed the drying process along, I put the fondant decorations into my food dehydrator. If you would like to try this, make sure the temperature is set to off. You don't want any heat to melt all of your hard work.

I love trying to find new ways to package treats and decorations. I found a corsage box at a craft store, and these fondant toppers fit in perfectly.

See?

I really enjoyed spending time with my friends from church and participating in the service auction.

What are some creative ways you like to package your sweet creations? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Caking with Kids

I was asked to help teach a cupcake decorating class with the Activity Day girls from church. The Activity Day program is designed to help girls (ages 8-11) develop their testimonies, serve others, build friendships, and develop their talents.

Primary Activity Days

The girls learned how to mix food coloring into fondant, how to create shapes out of fondant, and how to pipe a two-tone swirl on top of a cupcake. The girls learned quickly and were so creative!

 

I love this blue swirl cupcake that one of the girls designed!

The Activity Day leader invited my children to join the activity last week, even though they're not eight yet. My five-year-old really enjoyed herself and cut this star out of fondant using just a butter knife.

I had a wonderful time with the girls, and I think they enjoyed creating their own designs. One of the girls who normally attends their meetings was sick that night, and the girls decided to deliver a cupcake to her house to cheer her up. They are sweet girls, and they really care about each other.

STATS:

How to pipe a two-tone swirl

http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=152756&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

Rhonda's Ultimate Marshmallow Fondant

http://cakecentral.com/recipe/rhondas-ultimate-mmf

Donations for the Local Food Pantry

Our church has been working with a local food pantry to serve the community. In October, the members of our Relief Society decided to donate baked goods to the pantry.

I made Coconut Pumpkin Snack Cake. The food pantry asked that the donations be individually wrapped in plastic sandwich bags. This cake is delicious and holds together well when packaged.

 

Some of our members were able to assist at the pantry by organizing food and helping people collect and bag their groceries to take home. Since I have young children at home, I am not always able to help with this kind of service project. I was happy that, even though I could not assist inside the pantry, I could still serve by baking treats to donate.

My house was the drop-off point for the donations last year. I just had to take a picture with all of the donations together. This is what 21 1/2 dozen baked goods look like - all packed up and ready to go.

Pumpkin Coconut Snack Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

8 oz. pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

6 oz. white chocolate chips

2 cups shredded coconut

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

-Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13" baking pan with foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

-Combine cake mix, pumpkin, oil, eggs, and cinnamon in a mixer on medium speed until well combined 

  (about 2 minutes). 

-Stir in white chocolate chips.  

-Pour cake mixture into prepared pan and spread evenly across pan.

-Sprinkle coconut over the top.

-Bake for 30-35 minutes. 

-Check to make sure the middle is done by inserting a toothpick and making sure it comes out clean. 

-Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy!

There's Nothing Better than a Brownie on a Paper Plate

My husband served a mission for our church in Danetsk, Ukraine from 1999-2001. The president of his mission once taught the missionaries using the analogy that "There's nothing better than a brownie on a paper plate."

Now, why would he say that? I mean, aside from the obvious reason that brownies are just straight up delicious. The thing is, we're not talking about just any brownie. It's a brownie that you didn't have to bake. It either magically appeared on your doorstep (adorned with an anonymous bow), or your neighbor brought it over because she "was just thinking of you and wanted to share." It's that kind of brownie. And, to top it off, once you've eaten every last crumb of that chocolatey goodness, there's no plate that needs to be washed and returned. You can just sit back, relax, and feel grateful for a friend that took the time to show she cared and expected absolutely nothing in return, not even the plate on which the brownies were received.

There are many things that bring me joy in this world. At the very top, though, are my faith, my family, my friends, and service. I've found that making food for others is one of my favorite ways that I can serve. Delivering a meal to a friend in times of need can significantly ease her burdens and lift her spirits. There are countless times the gift of a meal can be a wonderful service - when a friend is sick, has a new baby, has a family member in the hospital, has lost a loved one, or is feeling overwhelmed by her responsibilities at home and work.

When my son had his tonsils removed recently, I was unprepared for the level of pain he would endure and how much extra care he would require during his recovery. A friend brought dinner to us, and it was enough food to feed our family for two days. I was so grateful. That was one less worry for me, and it freed up the time I would have spent cooking and allowed me to better care for my son. Her service truly lightened my load.

It doesn't always need to be a big meal. Sometimes, it's just nice to know you've got a friend who cares. And, really, there's nothing better than a brownie on a paper plate.

Service Opportunities

Follow the Savior by serving in these simple ways:
https://www.mormon.org/Christmas
#Lighttheworld

Refugee Resettlement Assistance - Dayton
http://www.cssmv.org/services/refugee-resettlement/

Harvest for Hope - Dayton
http://www.harvest4hopedayton.org

Icing Smiles 
http://www.icingsmiles.org/icing-smiles-inc

35 Random(ish) Acts of Kindness
http://ticklestogiggles.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-birthday-was-awesome.html

Get Well Candy Bars with Sweet Thoughts
http://mandydouglass.blogspot.com/2011/09/get-well-soon.html