Ancient Chinese Secret

My friend Michelle and I were talking about making Sugar Cookies once. She said "I've got the best recipe, they turn out so soft and crisp." I told her that I had also found a good recipe in an old Relief Society Cook Book . I said "They don't turn out tasting like biscuits." We compared recipes and it turns out it's the same one. She got hers from a town she once lived in and I looked at the Sister that added the recipe, she lived in that same small town. Funny how the R.S. sisters pass things around. Once we find something good, it's no longer a secret! I thought I'd share this recipe since it's Valentines time and that means good ol' yummy SUGAR COOKIES!

Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 Cup Sifted Powder Sugar

1 Cup Soft Butter

1 Egg

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Almond Flavoring

2 1/2 Cups Sifted Flour

1 tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 tsp. Baking Soda

Cream sugar and butter; add egg and flavoring. Mix thoroughly. Sift dry ingredients together and stir in. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Heat oven to 350. Divide dough in half and roll out on lightly floured surface. Roll thin, but thick enough to pick up. Bake 10-12 minutes. Frost with butter cream frosting.

This makes the best Cookies! Jaxten's face is all the evidence you need.

Renewed Faith

I witnessed something so special today I had to share.
One of my long time and close friends fulfilled a goal of going through the repentance process and being re-baptized. It was not an easy process to go through. I saw many tears and sorrow as she suffer shame, embarrassment, judgment from MANY people and family struggles and forgiveness. This has been an enormous trial. But I saw her faithfully believe in the love of the Savior and his atonement in her life. It was beautiful. The spirit was the strongest I have ever felt. I felt the love our Savior has for each of us. How much he loves her and the gladness he has when we follow the way back to him. I saw how each family member is loved and welcomed back into the eternal circle. Not only welcomed but rejoicing. Her Husband baptized her and I know that the font was full of as many tears as gallons of water. He wrapped his loving and forgiving arms around her and I'm sure felt peace, relief and happiness. How her father laid his hands on her head to pronounce her a member of The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints and the blessing of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. His voice cracked with emotion. She said that one of the biggest things she missed was having the Holy Ghost with her, to guide and direct her, that there is a huge loss when he is not with us. I am so proud of her. She is amazing and gives me and Bart hope. Trials are not easy, we all go through them but when you lose the most precious of all gifts, the blessings of being a member of Christ Church, all others pale in comparison. Being LDS is the greatest blessing and sometimes I know I take it for granted. I have always been a member, my family was always active. I didn't have to seek the missionaries out to attain it. It was my gift from the time of birth. I don't think I will ever take it for granted again. I see the pain and sorrow Bart suffers every day of his life if not every moment. He wants so badly to be re-baptized but because of his circumstances it will still be many years. Today was a happy sad day for him. He was so happy and hopeful but wishes that those blessings for him were around the corner. I told him to envision that for him someday and not to give up hope.
I wish every member of the church could witness a re-baptism of someone. It is the most beautiful thing. I learned so much today. To be less judging of someone, that what a person needs when they are down is love and encouragement not back biting and gossip. It could be anyone of us and what we would want most is to be forgiven and understood not talked about and discussed as the latest juicy story. I realized the love our Savior really has for us. I have been taught that all my life but to see and feel it so strongly is amazing. The Holy Ghost is truly a gift and what happens to a person when they go without him. Our Father in Heaven knows our needs and he knew hers. She had a wonderful friend move into our community just at the right time to help guide, strengthen and lift her at the right moment. Forgiveness is a blessing for the person who has made mistakes but also for the person who gives it.
I saw how many people love a person and who matters most. The song "Each life that touches ours for good" kept going through my mind. She has touched mine. We have share so much together. She has truly been like a sister and I am so proud of her and love her tremendously! She is a Daughter of God. I know, because of this, she will help many of our Fathers children. She can say "I have been down this road and I can show you the way, you will make it."
My heart is full, I am so grateful! What a Blessing!

Dad and Mom were so proud of our little boy!


Jaxten's interview with Bishop Martin

The excitement was building

Jaxten loves Granny and Grandpa

We love our little guy!

Jaxten's Special Day

January 3rd 2009 was a very important day in Jaxten and our families lives. He became the newest baptized member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. It was such a special day. He is usually really shy when it comes to showing any emotion but on this day he was all smiles. He couldn't hold it back. He was so excited. I know it was truly his choice, not just his parents choice, to be baptized. He has really been thinking a lot about gospel questions such as the Resurrection, and the baptism of Jesus Christ. We were driving home from Church the other Sunday with just him in the car. He spent the whole drive home asking his dad and me all sorts of random questions. It amazed me how much his little mind could comprehend. I just think of him as my little boy but he is growing up and thinking for himself.

The baptism was very nice. He planned the whole program. He wanted his Uncles' Erick and Brian to say the prayers. He asked his Granny Karen to talk on Baptism and Aunt Kami to talk on the Holy Ghost. I know that his sweet Grandma Bigelow and Grandma Carlene were there also. Grandpa Bill had the honor of Baptizing him and Grandpa Bigelow confirmed him a member of the church and blessed him with the gift of the Holy Ghost. He wanted to sing "Book of Mormon Stories" and we sang it after he changed out of his wet clothes. He was so happy. He didn't want to plug his nose to go under water so Grandpa Bill just dipped him in. As we were changing him into dry clothes he said "Mom this has been the funnest day of my life, I feel so clean." I felt his little spirit knew what just happened. I can tell that in a sense he HAS changed. We have always fought him with being wiggly during prayers. Sunday as we listened to the Sacrament prayer I didn't even have to remind him to fold his arms and be still. When we have family prayer, he seems to be a little more reverent.
The only thing he could have change was to have his older brother Landon baptize him. I told him he would have to wait another year for Landon to come home from his mission. He was willing to do that. We told him "WE" couldn't wait. He just wished Landon could have been here but when we told him that is what Landon is doing, baptizing people into the Lord's church, he understood.
Aunt Amie asked me if I saw him during his confirmation. She said he had the biggest smile on his little face until Grandpa Bigelow said something about taking a sweet daughter of God to the Temple. She said he kind of got a "not so sure look" on his face. Remember he is still 8. He wanted a pair of Nike's for Christmas so he could run fast to get away from the annoying little girls.

He is excited to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost. He would tell me all the things the Holy Ghost does for someone. "As long as they don't do anything bad, huh mom?" We'll see how long an 8 year old little boy can be perfect, the next lesson will be on what to do to repent......stay tuned!

Jaxten's Birthday 12/26/08

Poor Jaxten. He kind of gets jipped when it comes to his Birthday. I went into labor with him 8 years ago on Christmas day. We drove to Showlow in the middle of a blizzard. That's why his middle name is Snow. We wanted some kind of Christmas, Winter connection. I know, weird but I tell him that it means "Christmas Snow" the most purest of all Snows. We tell him it is to remind him to live a pure life. He didn't come on Christmas but was born at 12:30 a.m. The Nurse's name was "Noel" and the Anaesthesiologist had a big fluffy white beard and smelled like ham. The Nurse's put him in a red stocking and placed a Santa hat on his head. It was a Christmas Story we will tell him every year and share with his children someday. It was our "Special Delivery"

Anyways, when his Birthday comes there is no cupcakes at School, everyone is tired of parties and money has run out. Mom is just plan worn out to plan anything else. He usually ends up with a little money to run and pick out his own presents. He did remember that Grandpa Bill gives money for birthdays so he kept asking Macie and Brayden "How much money did Grandpa give you?" He was excited for that. We were suppose to have his Baptism the Saturday after Christmas and that even got postponed. We will have it on the 3rd of January. I know I should plan more but it's a hard one to get through. He just gets everything in a lump sum. Poor Kid!

We gave him a card with his own money and Granny came through and reminded Grandpa Bill about his Birthday. We made a cake and Aunt Leah and Uncle Sherod came down that evening. It did make it seem like it was a real birthday. He wants to go to the movies and celebrate when he is baptized. He is still little so we can sort of get away with it but not for long!! We are so thankful for our little guy and we are so glad we have him. He still lets us love on him and gives us hugs and kisses. We still need them even if he is a big 8 year old. We hope the hugs and kisses never stop but sitting on our laps to do it is getting a little hard, he is getting so big!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas with the Wiltbank's

Christmas was super this year! We spent the 23rd at Rusty and Amie's house. Every year we celebrate a different countries traditions. We have done this from the time we were little kids in the Bigelow home. We started with Italy and have gone pretty much around the World. If anyone is going some where special we usually host that as the country or place. We have done the States also. This year we did Italy again. I'm sure we have done that a few times. It was delicious. We ate and ate. It was too good!! We had fun choosing gift from a basket. We played lots of silly games. We missed a few family members but were glad that Shaelyn and Brian could make it all the way from South Carolina, they live a couple of hours from where Landon is right now in N.C. It is also my Dad's birthday so it is one big Celebration. I love getting together with my family. It's big, loud and fun! Just one thing is missing, Mom. Things will never be the same without her. We sure do miss her especially this time of the year. She made Christmas special.
Christmas Eve was spent with the Wiltbank's at Kami and Erick's home. They have a nice big home and we can spread out. Kami always is willing to share her home. We enjoyed eating Hawaiian haystacks and Root beer floats. We had fun with our White Elephant exchange. We've found out how to help the kids not have hurt feelings with the gift exchange...give bonafide JUNK! No out of pocket money, true junk from the house. It was fun to see what people were willing to get rid of. We decided to give stuff that wasn't even worthy of a yard sale and no one walks away wanting anything. It was great fun. Grandpa Bill shared a spiritual thought of Christ which set the Christmas mood right.
The kids had a hard time getting in bed. Excitement was to much. We woke to Santa coming. He did a good job and I think everyone was pleased. Macie and Jaxten both got guitars, I think we will now have a Wiltbank band. Brayden was happy with his own T.V. to play new Xbox games on and so are we if you know what I mean! The noise stays in his bedroom.
The greatest and best Christmas gift came at 8:00 am. We got our phone call from our missionary. It is the most wonderful thing a parent can experience, hearing your child's voice. We tried to talk and hold back tears. Landon sounded so good and happy. He said that he is having one of the best Christmas' ever. He said that the members have been so kind. He had to make 3 trips to his car on the Sunday before Christmas, just to load his presents from the members. He said that he now has his 2 year supply of toothpaste and deodorant. We were able to talk to his companion. They both sounded so good. That was the best gift of all!!

Springerville Ward Christmas Party

Well my new Church calling is Activities Chairman and it came shortly before Christmas. Needless to say I was very busy planning and buying. We did "Christmas Morning". It was a lot of fun. We served breakfast for dinner. It was YUMMY! I didn't realize how many people are like us and eat breakfast for dinner. We wore our jammy's and slippers. We had a nice program with the Show Choir singing. Macie and Kylee Wilkins sang 'Silent Night' for the closing song. They sounded beautiful. The Bishop asked if the girl's would sing for our Christmas Sacrament meeting. They did and it really added to the Christmas spirit.
Bart and Steph helped me with the decorating. It looked really cute. We did goody bags for the kids and had Santa come. It was great! Springerville ward is such a good ward, they really helped me out a lot. I asked Wendy and Troy Burk if they would help with the cooking. I didn't even have to worry about a thing. They all did such a wonderful job.