PUMPKIN PAINTING

Is there any better way to celebrate the welcome of Fall and cooler weather (finally in San Diego) then eating yummy treats, painting pumpkins, and girl talk? I think not. 

GRANOLA NIGHT

This month for Enrichment, we were lucky enough to have the pleasure of hearing about essential oils and herbs in the home. Mary is very skilled in this area and thrilled us all with the many uses of these natural products in our everyday lives. To go along with the topic of healthy living, we set up a granola parfait bar with Lela's delicious granola. (I make this recipe every week or so and we love it at our house) There is just something about fresh berries, yogurt, and a little bit of chocolate that makes everything seem so right. Coupled with good conversation, education, and food, this activity was another great night had by all.

A NIGHT OF LOVE

A new year means a new slew of relief society activities! What a better time of year then February to come together as women and celebrate love of all kinds! We invited everyone to assess and find out their primary love language and come prepared to discuss and share ways we can both show and feel love for ourselves, spouses, children, family members, friends, and ultimately relief society sisters. After the discussion, it was time to feast on all things sweet-- red velvet cookies, cake donuts, and sparkling pink lemonade. It was a night of great fun, food, discussion and love. I love my calling and all of these (and many more!) beautiful ladies I am lucky enough to call friends! 

WARD CHRISTMAS PARTY

This year, my awesome enrichment committee & myself were able to throw the ward Christmas party. The wheels for this started spinning months ago-- we wanted all things classic with a punch of glitz & glam. Thanks to the many talented people in our ward, Lela & I were able to plan a delicious menu, sparkly decor, and a spiritual musical program using all the resources in our ward. I can't even begin to count the musical talent we have in our ward, let alone the amazing gourmet cookies we had brought for dessert. The night was a major success thanks to the help of so many talented people. For the most part, I was running around, serving food, and cleaning up that night, so most of these photos are just of the decor, which was the brunt of my piece to the big puzzle of the party. 

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Derek and I have always lived in very transient wards--Arizona was full of students, Michigan had quite a few move outs all at once, and now our wonderful San Diego ward is filled with military and law students galore. I love that there are always a slew of new people coming in, but at the same time, it's sad to see ward members leave. This month, per request of members, we held activities all about getting to know one another. We served pies and cobblers--Lela & Brittany stole my taste buds with their Apple Crisp & Pumpkin Pie-- and had great conversation about everyone's loves and talents. It was  a great evening where we all learned fun facts about each other & shared some of our own. 

HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST

Something I love to do is play hostess. Luckily, our ward is filled with many talented women who enjoy doing the same thing, and a lot who wanted to learn more tips and tricks when doing so. We decided this would be a great activity to learn from the many talented women in our ward and make a party out of it. We invited all to participate in an hors d'oeuvre contest, and view examples of hosting ranging from centerpieces to fruit displays. Lela, as always, pulled out all the stops with our beautiful display table, which made it almost impossible to think we were in the seminary room. It was a great activity filled with fun, friends, and too many yummy foods to choose from. The winner (and one of my favorites) was Stephanie's mini chicken & waffles, which I'm still craving to this day. 

KAYAKING ON THE BAY

I think one of the greatest things about living in San Diego is being able to enjoy the weather year round. Thankfully, sweet Lela, our ward enrichment leader took this into high consideration for our enrichment activity for the month. I love working with her and she is so very talented-- I have a feeling all our activities for the year will be up to this caliber of fun and creativity. This month, she planned for us to kayak in the bay--and it was a major hit with all the wonderful ladies in the ward. It was the perfect evening for chatting, snacking, and getting out on the water. There's just something about the freedom of being out on a {tiny} boat, paddling into the sunset that just sets your mind at ease. Ahh, take me back.