Beautiful Quote

Why Should We Love God?

God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become.

--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Farewell to Summer

I'm gonna miss you…

In my family, one of the best parts of summer is enjoying Grandma B's Strawberry Cake. My adorable, 86-year-old, Italian grandma bakes us this delectable treat. We've been lucky enough to eat it at least three times this summer. I should have posted this recipe earlier, since strawberries were in season. But I was bit busy having fun with my kids. This morning, I was working on my summer scrapbook and came across this picture so I decided to share the recipe.

Grandma B! We've always loved your cooking, but truly your Strawberry 3-layer Cake takes the cake!  I'm happy to share the cake recipe, but not the grandma.  She's one of a kind recipe and she's ours! 

 

Fresh Strawberry 3-Layer Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix

1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix

1 cup mashed fresh strawberries (off season you can use frozen)

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

 Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar



3/4 cup fresh strawberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 (9 inch) round pans.

1. 

   In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and gelatin mix. Make a well in the center and pour in 1 cup mashed strawberries, oil, milk and eggs. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Fold in the coconut and pecans. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.


2. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.


3. 

   To make the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting: Mash the 3/4 cup strawberries to make 1/2 cup, then drain well; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Blend in the confectioners' sugar and drained strawberries. Beat on medium speed until the frosting lightens and is well combined. Fold in the coconut and pecans. Frost cake between layers, on top and sides. Chill uncovered 30 minutes or until frosting sets, then cover and chill 4 to 6 hours before serving.

 

Created for Greater Things

You can email me at jodirobinson2182 at hotmail.com and I can send you the file.  I love the NEW book, Created for Greater Things by Jeffrey R. Holland.  It is is available at http://deseretbook.com/. 

The above photo in a frame along with Holland's book  is a perfect gift for a mother, daughter, sister or friend.  A perfect message! 

I am a Guardian of Virtue

Oh, how I loved the Young Women General Broadcast this past month, particularly Sis. Dalton's talk on being Guardians of Virtue.  Now, you might think I loved it so much because I happen to be the author of a book called Women of Virtue.  Not so.  Just take a look at this picture and you'll see my two best reasons why I love the thought of being a Guardian of Virtue.

These are my two oldest daughters.  To me they are precious, and bcause I am their mother I have the privilege of teaching them about virtue; how virtue brings true happines, strength, and wisdom to one's self and to others. 

Because of my book, I have spoken to hundreds of Young Women and Relief Society sisters on the subject of virtue, for the last two years.  I can attest there are many good and virtuous young women and women willing to stand as Guardians of Virtue.  For that I am grateful. 

In the words of Sis. Dalton, "Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to be happy. The way to do this is to 'walk in the paths of virtue' and 'cleave unto [your] covenants.  In a world ever growing in moral pollution, tolerance of evil, exploitation of women, and distortion of roles, you must stand guard of yourself, your family, and all those with whom you associate. You must be guardians of virtue."

My name is Jodi Robinson. 

And I am Guardian. 

And I will stand as a witness at all times, and all things, and in all places, as I strive to live the Young Women values. 

And I do all of this because I belive in being a Guaridan of Virtue.    

Do you? 

No Sew T-shirt Scarf in a Jiffy!

My cousin Becky and I made this easy, no sew jersey knit,        T-shirt SCRARF and it was soooo easy.  No sewing involved.  And it's ready to wear in 15 minutes tops!

Great craft activity for

Young Women.

What YOU need:  Use an old t-shirt

OR

do what we did.  We bought a 5X size T-shirt on sale at the Wal-Mart down the street then added a flower pin for personality.

Here's the Tutorial for No Sew Scarf.  Have FUN!

Making A Memory

Recently, I was invited to speak in Cedar City, Utah, so the kids and I took a road trip down south. On our way there, we, of course, had to make a stop at the BYU Creamery in Provo to taste some to-die-for ice cream! (Seriously it is soooo creamy gooood.)

I told the kids that no other ice cream comes close to BYU dairy ice cream. And, yes, I'm biased. I'm a blue-blooded, BYU graduate (from eons ago). But my devotion to BYU ice cream runs deeper than that.

You see, before I ever walked the campus as a college student, I became accustomed to eating BYU dairy ice cream at my grandparents' house on Fir Circle right across the street from the BYU campus.

Grandpa was a professor there and one of his most favorite things in the whole world was BYU ice cream. On any given day, you'd find at least two, maybe even three, 5-gallon buckets full of ice cream in the giant freezer down in his basement utility room. The buckets were filled with what you might call "seconds."

Is there such a thing as seconds when it comes to ice cream?

And the answer is "yes."

Mystery ice cream. Leftovers. Call it whatever you like. The creamery fills five gallon buckets full of whatever kinds of ice cream that doesn't get eaten and then sells them at a discount. Grandpa was always looking for a deal even when it came to ice cream.

Standing at the BYU creamery counter with my kids eyeing the rainbow of flavors, I asked the perky cashier if you can still buy a 5 gallon bucket of "mystery" ice cream.

"You sure can!" she said with a grin.

I was elated! I think I even giggled.

"What's the big deal?" my kids wondered as I admired the white and blue buckets behind the glass doors of the creamery freezer. (They seriously gave me a happy shiver! )  I tried to explain as the gal scooped up our mint chocolate, peanut butter fudge, raspberry cheesecake, and cookie dough cones that the reason I loved those 5-gallon buckets was because of my memories of grandpa.

How I loved to hear my grandpa say, "How about some ice cream, Jodi?"

I never knew what kind of ice cream I was gonna get. But to be honest it didn't even matter. I knew that with a dollop of grandma's homemade hot fudge sauce that even a mixture of pineapple peppermint with a hint of rocky road and orange sherbet was going to taste great. 

How I love those memories.

I love them so much I wanted to make a new memory with my children. So here we are. Me and my kids eating ice cream at the BYU dairy. Life has come full circle.

And believe me that was one of the best tasting mint-chocolate chip ice cream cones I've ever eaten.

Thanks to you, Grandpa. Thinking of you, ice cream never tasted so good.

A Personalized Family Proclamation

The Family:  A Proclamation to the World

Digital scrapbooking makes creating a personalized family proclamation a breeze.

For $3.00 at Costco and you're good to go.