Thoughts and stories, by Pal

This is a change of pace!  Sounds like great ideas for dessert!  A cobbler made in a skillet, and baked in the oven.  A lot like dutch oven cooking.  Have fun and try it.  I think I will!  From Meridian Magazine. How to Make Skillet Cobblers By Dennis Weaver  · July 7, 2015 I love cobblers with their crusty tops and sweetened fruit. My “go to” cobbler recipe for years has been our “Mormon Peach Cobbler” recipe.  Fifteen, maybe twenty years ago—actually now, it’s more like thirty years ago–we found an old Mormon pioneer cookbook at a little store in Yellowstone Park.  It had a recipe for peach cobbler that we liked.  We’ve tweaked it over the years and it still makes a very good cobbler.  That recipe is the basis for our skillet cobbler mix, one of our bestselling mixes.     How to Make Skillet Cobblers Skillet cobblers are made with a sweet cake over a filling.  There’s more cake to fruit t...

What Happened to the 3 Witnesses?  They NEVER did deny their testimonies! What Happened to the 3 Witnesses? by Jannalee Rosner, in LDS Living The names of Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris are familiar to most of us, notably because of their role as witnesses to the reality of the Book of Mormon. (Note: the three witnesses, unlike the eight witnesses, were shown the plates by a heavenly messenger, not Joseph Smith.) But though their testimonies are still printed in the beginning of every copy of the Book of Mormon, all three of these men left the Church at some point—only two returned. Find out what happened to the three witnesses after they signed their names to their testimonies. Oliver Cowdery Before Oliver Cowdery first came in contact with the gospel in 1829 while boarding with the Smith family as a school teacher. He quickly embraced the story of The First Vision and found himself eager to be a scribe for Joseph during th...

First I will tell briefly the story of Wayne's ancestor, Phillip Kirk.  He was living in Arnold, Nottingham, England, not far from the well-known Sherwood Forest which is in the famous story of Robinhood.  His full history is posted in entry # 197, which was printed on July 24, 2014.   Mary Ann was 17 years old when she married Philip Kirk, 20 years old. They had 10 children, four of whom died young. Early in the 1840’s, Mormon missionaries had been sent to England to tell the people there of a new religion in America.   In 1849 some traveling Elders found the Philip Kirk family in Arnold, Nottingham, England.  He was then a baker with a pastry shop.            His conversion to the Latter Day Saint religion was the result of a dream.   He dreamed that as he was standing by his gate, he saw two men coming down the road toward him.  He then awoke.   Several days later he saw the two men of his d...

A Letter in Memory of Boyd K. Packer By Scot Proctor  · July 5, 2015 Dear President Packer, Though you passed from this life just three days ago, I already miss you and want to thank you for the influence you have had on my life. I am writing you this personal note to thank you specifically for something I recently experienced. About eighteen months ago I had the impression that I should study your words and to begin with your first talk as an apostle and then carefully read and ponder every talk you have given in General Conference for the past 45 years. I started in 1970 and made my way through each and every published talk until your last conference address. This was a delightful and amazing experience. I loved re-reading all these talks and immersing myself in your teachings, your stories, your insights and your testimony. I want to tell you what a blessing you have been in my life and how consistent and powerful your influence has been on me. Th...

This was in LDS Living: Sustained April 9, 1970, age 46 Photo from  moroni10.com May 2014, age 90 Photo from  deseretnews.com Though we are saddened to hear of President Boyd K. Packer’s death, we are grateful for the legacy of faith and family he has left behind. Here are five things we loved and will miss about  President Packer . 1. His Analogies Some of our best-known and most-beloved analogies used in the Church came from President Packer. We remember that he taught us that our  minds are like a stage , explained the Atonement in the analogy of  the Mediator , and compared mortality and the plan of salvation to a three-act play. And, of course, one of his most powerful visual analogies is from his talk  Spiritual Crocodiles :  2. His Love of Nature and Art We will remember President Packer for his love of animals, particularly birds . He raised many types of birds, from peacocks to pheasants to pigeons and began sk...

July 4th, a special anniversary for us, besides celebrating our INDEPENDENCE! ! The first part is from blog # 180, written a year ago 59 years from when Wayne came home from the army.  Today is 60 years!   Our first real date was going to see "South Pacific" on July 6th, 1955, on an outdoor stage at the University of Utah.  Today, July 4th, 2015, we are going to "South Pacific" again, on stage in Cedar City, Utah, with free tickets provided to veterans!  What a coincidence that the same musical was offered to veterans exactly 60 years to the day he came home! Pal (me) and Wayne in Sept. 1955, on our honeymoon in Zion's Canyon. ------- This is the entry as it was a year ago today, with years changed, then 59, now 60!. FOR MY HUSBAND, WAYNE, THE 4TH OF JULY IS QUITE A DAY!  HE WENT ON A MISSION TO SWEDEN IN DEC. 1950, TOGETHER WITH HIS TWIN BROTHER, BLAINE.  THEY  ARRIVED HOME ON JULY 4TH, 1953!    WAYNE AND I MET ON ...