"A Missionary Heart!"

Dear Family seeing that some are having a hard time opening the files I have decided to post it here in hopes that all will get it.....

“The Missionary Heart”

D&C 4:2-You have served with all your heart, might, mind, and strength!

(Wake times and Bed times following a missionary schedule)

Parrish Family Homecoming Retreat

What to Bring:

I would like to invite each of you to start now and prepare your HEART for our weekend together. Mark August 21-23 on your calendars; you won’t want to miss it! (see the attached Schedule of activities)

As we prepare to welcome home our family missionaries, whom have served the Lord with all their Heart, Might, Mind and Strength. Our arms are open and welcoming. our hearts are full of gratitude for their examples, service, and impact on our lives.

I want to ask each of us to prepare for this special weekend! Please take time to BE PRAYERFUL, OPEN YOUR SCRIPTURES, READ YOUR GENERAL CONFERENCE ENSIGN, HOLD FAMILY PRAYER AND FAMILY HOME EVENINGS, AND MAKE SURE THAT YOUR TEMPLE RECOMMEND IS CURRENT (see schedule) DO ALL YOU CAN DO TO “FILL YOUR HEARTS” SO YOU CAN COME PREPARED TO SHARE, LEARN, and BE EDIFIED BY THE SPIRIT that will Unify our hearts in love.

Expenses and Meals:

For Friday Night the Meat and Buns will be provided. Each Family has been given an assignment to bring a Side dish or a dessert to serve 15 people.

For the remainder of the meals It is asked that each family contribute funds to help with the cost. We are trying to do low-budget meals that everyone enjoys. If you can contribute $25 a family. I will go to Costco and get the supplies. If there are fund left over they will be equally divided and redistributed.

My hope for doing this is that it will give everyone one less worry and avoid last minute trips to the store so we can spend the time together.

With Heartfelt Love and Excitement ~ Jill

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday AUGUST 21, 2009

6:00pm BBQ/Hot Dog Roast Family Gathering time!

Fire, BBQ Grill, Meats, Buns, and paper goods will be provided.

Bring a Side to Share to serve 15 Odd

(Odd # Kids: Lori, Kelly, Stan, Jill)

7:30pm Songs of the Heart: Sing songs to invite the Spirit

All Siblings of Sister Kimberlee Parrish and others who know the song “Pass It On!” to sing!

7:45pm “Treasures of the Missionary Heart” by Sister Kimberlee Parrish

8:30pm “Feelings of the Heart”

Open time for anyone to share their testimonies as prompted by the spirit.

9:00 pm MILK and COOKIES -- Dessert to serve 15

(You can make our Homecoming staples Fudge Nut Bars, Kiss cookies, etc. or share something new)

(Even # Kids: Sherri, Scott, Chad, Tyler)

10:00pm Family Prayer

10:30pm Retire to beds

SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 2009

6:00AM Care for your Heart! Workout time (optional)

6:30AM Scripture Study Time (Everyone esp. youth encouraged to do at least

5 minutes, have personal prayers, and smile like the general board leaders have asked them to do daily.)

8:30AM BREAKFAST Pancakes/Waffles and Cream (Family Tradition!)

Served with seasonal fruit and milk (Or Maybe a Southern breakfast!??)

9:00AM Desire of a Missionary’s Heart

With Faithful Hearts: The Mountain of the Lord

(Temple session)

Fulfill Sister K.Parrish request have the family to go to the temple with her.

11:30AM Return home and change clothes/load cars and kids for Dell experience

12:00Noon Family Picnic at Mutual Dell

1:00PM Mutual Dell Low-Ropes Challenge Course

3:00PM SNACK TIME

4:00PM Back to Grandma &Grandpa Parrish’s

4:30PM Temple Blessings UNITE Families

Kortnie--White Chain lesson--P.P. (5-10 min)

Small Devotional and Temple Craft--

5:30PM Dinner: Taco Salad and a Hard roll

7:00PM M&M Time--Memories of Our Mother Missionaries Heart

A Mother Who Knows --Sister Joyce Parrish

7:30PM “Pass It On! Every Member a Missionary” Elder Lafe Parrish

8:30PM MILK and COOKIES-- Desserts

9:00PM Dismiss to prepare for the Sabbath

Sunday AUGUST 23, 2009

ATTEND TEMPLE DEDICATION Time TBA

KEEP the MEALS SIMPLE--Yogurt and granola,

Oatmeal and Germade with toast

Dinner Time: Crock-pot Lasagana with French Bread and Salads

Or Bake Potato or Pasta Bar “Raise the Bar.” ;-) Dinner

There is no set schedule for Sunday because we don’t know what time the temple dedication will be that we will be assigned to at this point. We also want to make sure we have the family fun wrapped up so that those that have a day of travel ahead of them to get kids home for school can leave when it works best for them.

Going on a BUG HUNT? Do you LOVE BUGS too?

Do you love bugs at your house as much as we do? Do you save empty Peanut Butter Jars to act as "cages" or "houses" for the creatures of the day?

Well last night I discovered the best recycled bug jar yet! We buy the large Kraft Parmesan Cheese containers at Costco. We empty one last night and I thought to myself--"You can't throw this away! It's the perfect bug jar. It already has two flaps that can be opened one for putting the captured into the jar and one to give our prisoners air." We are so excited about this new find that we can't wait to go out and hunt bugs.

Go GREEN and Capture Bugs! Enjoy your day!

How Do You Weed Your Garden? With A Pastry Blender!

I thought I would share an idea that I had; it is working out great for me. Do you all remember the little hand weeder that Brother John Pulley used? For the last two years of gardening/flower gardening too I have wanted to make my own. This year I have come up with a new use of a cheap pastry blender (I got mine at the dollar store). I tried a cheap cheese cutter to and it works okay but I can get much further down to the root of the weeds if I use the pastry blender. I use this pastry blender as my little hand weeder when my large hoe styled weeder is to big to fit between my plants and it has worked great. The only thing I really think would improve this would be to add a small pad around the handle so that it doesn't give me blisters when I have to weed for a long period.

After I got the garden weeded to my satisfaction I added PREEN (I bought a large box at Costco last year and fell in love with it!) a weed preventer for vegetable and flower gardens down which does an amazing job then I have simple weeding to do for the next 9-12 weeks.

I am all over the idea of using PREEN and a Pastry Blender. Give it a try and see how they work for you. I have spent far less time weeding the garden in the this year. Lov'n it!

Stinky Feet?!

Hey Girls I thought I would share a stinky feet tip with you that I recently learned. If you or your kids (or yourself for that matter ;-) )that have stinky use an anti-perspirant on your feet (doesn't matter if it is the spray, roll on etc.). I thought it was far out there so I asked Jack if he had ever heard of this and he said that he learned about it in his primary care rotation.

I don't have a problem with stinky feet very often, but come on people why are you holding out on this good advise! I thought that you too might find this enlightening and helpful.