Tribute to President Hinckley

*Together Again*

President Thomas S. Monson:

“It was my privilege to know and love President Hinckley long before either of us was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Presidency. Through the years I have sat next to him, have served with him and have learned from him. I am a witness to his prophetic calling.

“President Hinckley was prodigious in his work ethic and was totally dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a friend to one and all and a leader who inspired spirituality. His outreach on an international scale was unprecedented. He was truly a prophet for our time. Like the Master, he devoted his life to doing good, and God was surely with him. His life was a gift to the world.”

President Henry B. Eyring:

“President Hinckley had the gift to make people want to do better and to feel that they could. Last Tuesday I sat in a meeting with him as he considered and then decided matters of great importance, some about individuals and some affecting the entire Church. He was pleasant, incisive, and clearly inspired. For me, he raised the standard of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, giving all.”

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles express our heartfelt love and admiration for President Gordon B. Hinckley and the singular life of service he lived. He was our prophet, our leader, our brother and our friend. We feel a deep, personal loss at his passing. He unfailingly demonstrated his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose witness he was at home and abroad.

“We will miss his wit and his wisdom, his leadership and his love. However, we cannot but rejoice in his reunion with his beloved Marjorie, with his parents and other family members who have gone before, and with the prophets of God, both ancient and modern, among whose eternal ranks he now stands. As the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles we echo the voice of the Master, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. … Enter into the joy of thy Lord.’ ”

We'll miss you, President Hinckley but echo the words of those who knew you best- thank you.

Those silly girls

So yesterday was a very bad day...basically due to my children misbehaving. :) Anyhow, when I was changing their sheets before bedtime both of them climbed into Sydnee's bed & pretended to be asleep. It was nice to end the day with them with a smile because otherwise I was thinking they might be possessed. :)

Cute cuts!

Both girls got their hair cut yesterday- they did awesome! And they turned out really cute- take a look! I don't have as many pictures of Sydnee because hers took maybe 2 minutes. :) Aren't they DARLING?!! Just want to pinch those cheeks! They got their cut at Kids Kuts, where they got to sit in a chair in the form of a car & watch cartoons- love that!

Because I AM Elayna Enrichment!

Well, since it isn't "homemaking" anymore I took the liberty of changing Susie Homemaker's name. :) Last night I made a fabulouso dinner with some breadsticks I learned how to make at Enrichment last week. It was so exciting to put my new skills to work! These little puppies were delish! And because you love me, I'll share the recipe. Here's a picture of my fine skills.

Breadsticks by Andrea Keller

Yields 12 breadsticks

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ cups warn water

½ tsp salt

3 cups flour

½ cup butter

garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and/or salad supreme

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix together yeast mixture, sugar, salt, and flour. Knead for about 3 minutes. Add flour as needed. Let stand for 10 minutes, or longer. Melt butter on cookie sheet. Cut dough into fourths, then into thirds. Roll & twist. Roll in butter, sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan cheese and/or salad supreme. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly browned.

The Prices Strike Again

For Family Fun Night we decided to pick up a pizza and a movie. The Price's were very kind to let us "rent" from their library. We only intended to get a movie for the girls and another for us for our double feature, but we ended up coming home with 6! In fact, they found a couple of un-opened movies they already have, so they gave them to the girls. I don't think we will ever get even with their extreme generosity.

So stinking busy!

So it's 5:46am. I'm up b/c Sydnee wanted to be held- shocker I know. She's asleep now, so maybe in a bit I can get some shut-eye.
This week has been crazy busy trying to catch up with being gone. It's been like 70% Relief Society, 10% Stamping to keep my sanity & blog updated, & 10% everything else. Should be a (keeping my optimism up) great Sunday with my first round of welfare meetings, my lesson, & visiting teaching conference after church!
Today I have to finish everything with little time to do so. Some of our Nacogdoches friends are coming to see us today! Don, Vanessa, & kids plus Joe & Mindy with their baby. We're excited to see them. Yeah! Should be a fun-filled day...so I should go rest. :)
Have a great weekend!
Lindsey

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

I sent out this e-mail New Year's letter today, so I thought I would post it here as well. Here is our family portrait we took at Sears this year as well...it's better in person.

Howdy friends & family!
Despite my best intentions, Christmas cards were not sent this year again! And to curb my guilty feelings, I wanted to send out a little update for us in hopes that you can "feel the love" through the Internet. We do sincerely wish all of you a happy, safe, & prosperous new year. Now if you're craving that yearly Christmas newsletter with all the nitty gritty, read on...but otherwise best wishes to you & your family from us. And don't forget you can get regular updates & see recent pictures right here!
Love,
The Blackhursts


A note from Todd: The year started out moving from a rent check to a mortgage check in February. We instantly started making changes to the kitchen (the night before closing) by replacing wallpaper with paint. It's the perfect house for us right now, especially the large backyard (except when I have to mow). In April I turned 30, which didn't turn out bad at all. We celebrated 1977-style with Afros and disco duds to boot! My big present was a grill, which has been well used throughout the year. I still enjoy working for Mars, and so do Ava and Sydnee because we tend to have quite a bit of chocolate around the house. I am still serving on the house council for the stake, which is a great learning experience that I enjoy. 2008 looks like a significant year for our family so we will be sure to keep you updated.

A note from Lindsey: As usual it has been an insanely busy year for me- all in the best ways. I still stay home with my sweet girls, which is just as fun & even more challenging than when I worked in the "real world." I have had a successful year with my little side business as a scrapbooking professional and even won a contest where I had my winning layout published in a magazine. My blog http://stampwithlinz.blogspot.com/ is also doing well and approaching 40,000 hits from visitors all over the world. Amazing, who knew that many people cared! As far as church is concerned, I experienced a first recently- I was released from my responsibilities as choir director after this year's Christmas program. Todd & I figured out that I had been serving in this capacity since 2000 with a few months off here & there, so I'm grateful for a change. However, I didn't expect the change to be SO drastic! I am presently serving- and have been for a whopping 2 1/2 weeks- as the Relief Society President. For those of you unfamiliar with this organization within the LDS faith, it's the biggest female responsibility within our congregation. It is in 2 words- humbling & overwhelming. There's a lot to learn, so I'm praying my memory can keep up with the tasks before me. I'm excited about 2008 and hope that it will be an amazing year. I will turn 30 in December, so I hope that the last year in my twenties is a rip-roaring good time!

A note from Ava: It's hard to believe that I will be 3 in February, time flies when you're running around the house in dress-up clothes all day. I spend my days playing with Sydnee while watching my favorite cartoons, "cooking" delicious meals for Mommy, and writing songs about my princessness. I am told that I am tall for my age (in the top 75%) and skinny (bottom 25% weight), no doubt my name is Ava Blackhurst. My hair, which has grown a lot this year, is blondish and curly but everyone always talks about my big blue eyes. I love spending time in nursery, singing with Mommy, dancing with Daddy, & spending all waking moments with Sydnee- my best friend. For 2008 I hope to become fully potty-trained, learn how to ride my big wheels I got for Christmas, & to watch all Disney princess movies several times before January 30th. Happy New Year!

A note from Sydnee: No doubt that I am the shyest member of this family, but once we're friends- we're friends for life, just ask my grandmothers- I let them hold me all day long. I am not 100% sold on the whole princess thing, but I am always willing to look through books or feed my babydoll. Since we moved into our new house in March, I have also learned to build sandcastles & swing on the monkey bars. I am quite the climber! And speaking of monkeys, my Daddy made me the coolest Halloween costume this year- a monkey (my favorite animal)! Ava was an elephant, everyone was impressed with Daddy, but he's no secret to me- he's the best. I recently started attending nursery on Sundays during church & think it's very fun- it's even better since Ava's in there with me. This year I am hoping to achieve great feats such as beating my sister to being potty-trained & learning all the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Happy New Year!