Yep...It's Mingi!

I think everybody got it. Korean Barbecue and books...who else could it be?

A New Guess Who

This person's favorite food is Korean Barbecue.This person's favorite movie is Pirates of the Caribbean. This person's favorite dessert is a hot fudge sundae.

This person's favorite books are the Percy Jackson Series.This person's favorite thing to do is read. This person's favorite primary song is "This is my Beloved Son."

This person's favorite color is green.

Guess who!!!

You're awful smart!

Did you guess Ryder?
Well, you were spot on. Congrats.
I've got another guess who in the works, so stay tuned....

Guess Who Bonus Round

We're having so much fun with Friday favorites, why wait for Friday? It's Saturday night, and we've got a new mystery guest! (If anybody wants a chance to be featured, e-mail Aunt Erin at vsmylroie@aol.com)

Are you ready to make a guess?

This person's favorite sport is basketball.

This person's favorite movie is The Mask.

This person's favorite dessert is strawberry ice cream.

This person's favorite basketball player is Kobe Bryant.

This person's favorite dinner is pepperoni pizza.This person's favorite animal is a lion.

Leave a comment and make a guess!

Mystery Guest Revealed

The mystery guest is......ELOISE!

Who's next? Stay tuned!

FRIDAY FAVORITES ALERT!!!!!!!!
Attention all readers of this blog: We have a new friday favorite!!!

This persons favorite food is Mini choclate chip cookies.

This person loves all of the I love Lucy episodes.

This person loves to read Ivy and Bean.

This person's favorite place to go on vacation is St. George, Utah.
This person's favorite primary song is "I am a Child of God."
This person's favorite ride at Disneyland is Splash Mountain.
Any guesses???? Leave a comment everybody! It's more fun if everyone leaves a comment.

For The Girls...

(FROM MOM)

Dear Girls, these quotes were from a book I purchased for a graduation gift for Mallory. Of course, being the aivd reader and a curious student of anything in print, I was impressed with its message; I think it is worth sharing with all of the girls and moms in our family. Love, Mom

What might happen?

If adult young and older Latter Day Saint Women all over the world individually decided to “retrench” from the destructive aspects of worldly culture and join in setting a new standard and a new vision for “all women” everywhere?

This woman would have a sense of personal mission. She asks “How can I maximize my contribution to God’s work at this stage of my life and in the future? She knows her worth as a daughter of God and knows that she has unique personal gifts and special female strengths that the Lord has given her to magnify in fulfilling her mission.

She is willing to support her male counterparts in magnifying male strengths and their roles in God’s kingdom. She seeks to be educated, to be self-reliant, and to prepare herself in every way for the work God intends for her to do.

She sets a new standard in her dress, wearing attractive, modest clothing. She looks for creative ways to set a new standard in entertainment; she refuses to spend her money to support or subsidize the adversary’s campaign material. She is willing to take a stand against the evil influences around her and is alert for opportunities to do so.

She is proud of the role of mother and homemaker. She is willing to prepare for it and place it above her own career achievements. She knows the crucial part she can play as a civilizing force in society and that her influence is needed as a does of good and leader in her community.

She knows she has a crucial mission to fulfill, whether she lives her life as single woman or a married woman, a mother of her own children or a mother-er of other’s children. She looks to for ways to succor the downtrodden, in her neighborhood and beyond.

Finally as a follower of the Savior, she strives to be an example of righteous womanhood, and in loving tolerant ways to be a light to young and older adult women who do not have the blessing of the gospel to protect them from the all-out attack the adversary has aimed at them.
[Where do I go from Here?] Page 143

Mystery Guest Revealed

I think just about everybody guessed our mystery guest, although I thought maybe the Jazz would throw off the scent. Happy Birthday, Dad! It's no mystery why we all love you so much.

Mystery Guest

Hey Scooby! Cue the spooky music and the fog machines....we have a new Mystery Guest for our Friday Favorites. Zoinks!

This person's favorite movies are The Quiet Man, Giant, and Big Country

This person's favorite dinner lately is salmon, asparagus, and a baked potato.

This person's favorite I love Lucy episode is the chocolate factory.

This person's favorite way to spend a Friday afternoon is a little R and R around the pool, followed by a scenic drive.

This person's favorite games are Chess and Uno.

This person's favorite sports team is the Jazz.

Anyone out there solve the mystery??? Leave a comment with your very best guess!

Free BYU courses

I found an interesting class that anyone getting ready for the upcoming Israel trip might be interested in. BYU offers free personal enrichment Independent Study classes for anyone interested. I'm always toying with the idea of taking one and the other day I saw a "Peoples and Cultures Of The Holy Land" class. Click here for more info. And for information on the other free classes click here.

Anyone interested? It might be fun to do together. There's no grades or tests, so don't be afraid.

And the Mystery Guest Is . . .

♥ MOM! ♥

Was there any doubt in anyone's mind? That charming personality just cannot be hidden even for a Friday Favorites Mystery Post. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. We Love You.

Feel free to wish Mom/Grandma/Babs a Happy Mother's Day in the comments section.

Friday Favorites

This week I (Catherine) am posting the Friday Favorites. I conducted in an innerview with our mystery guest and this is how it went.

Do you have a favorite anything that you would like to share with us?

"Oh I have a new favorite pie. Eagle Brand Lemon Pie. I just discovered it's my favorite. It's delicious. It inched out pecan."

Do you have a favorite I love Lucy episode?

"When Lucy is the witch in Little Ricky's school pageant. Because I love pageants."

What is your favorite game?

"Isn't it scrabble? It could be a Charles Wysocki puzzle. Or Uno. But I only like to play Uno with children because the rules are more flexible."

How about a favorite song?

"The Grand Canyon Suite. And Merry Almost Christmas from Frog and Toad. And Canadian Sunset."

Do you have a favorite ride at Disneyland?

"It's a great big beautiful tommorow. It's from GE's carrousel of progress."

But that's not there anymore.

"I know. And my lifetime goal is to write a children's book."

A few minutes later our mystery guest contacted me and said,

" I think my favorite movie is Max and Ruby and Alice in Wonderland. I know I'm a dead a give away."

Any guesses? If you're feeling shy, you can always leave your comment as anonymous. Any volunteers for a future Friday Favorite?

Post edit: Our mystery guest just contacted me and told me that Peter Pan is also their favorite. I assumed movie, but no it's the song. As you may have guessed there is no song entitled Peter Pan. Our mystery guest meant the song, "You can fly." When I said to our guest, "You have a lot of favorites," our guest replied, "Oh almost everything I like is my favorite song."

If you feeling unsure as to who this might be, wait a little while. I'm sure our silly mystery poster will be calling me again with more favorites!

Here's another post edit: Not only does our mystery guest love all these songs, but has also requested that I put ALL of them on the blog!

Childrens Art Exhibit

I was reading The Children's Friend Magazine with my kids last month and we saw that in 2011 there's going to be a Primary Children's Art Exhbit at the Church History Musuem in Salt Lake City.

The Church is looking for art from Primary Children age 5-11 based on the theme, "The Gospel Blesses My Life." You can only submit one project. And it must be postmarked on or before July 31, 2010.

Your work should be on a flat piece of paper or fabric, no larger than 12 inches by 14 inches and you can use, "crayon, pencil, marker, ink, charcoal, acrylic, watercolors, pastels, oil, or any other two dimensional medium."

Your project could be used at the Church History Museum, in the Children's Friend Magazine, or online.

For more details and steps to submit your work, click here.

My little family will definitely be going to see the art exhibit next year and we're really hoping that there will be a work of art by one of their cousins there!

The Mystery Guest

And this week's mystery guest is. . . .

ANNABELLE!

Were you right?

Any volunteers to be next week's mystery guest? Email your favorites (or anyone in your family) to Heidi or Catte if you'd like a turn. If we don't get any volunteers, you may just see your name on a yellow legal pad, with an assignment for Friday Favorites.

Friday Favorites

We have another mystery guest this week. Can you guess who it is?

My favorite book is, "The Mouse and The Motorcycle." In the book, a boy named Keith has a motorcycle and a mouse named Ralph, loses the motorcycle in a big, huge, pile of sheets in a hamper.

One of my favorite movies is "The Ten Commandments." My favorite part is when Moses parts the Red Sea.My favorite episode of "I Love Lucy" is "Little Ricky Gets a Dog." And I love to crochet.

Can you guess who I am?

Any volunteers to do the next post?

Welcome Mishelle the Family

Introducing Mishelle and Jacob Montano!
Congratulations to the new couple. We are all happy to get to know Mishelle and welcome her to our family. We love her already.
Here are some interesting facts about Mishelle:

She is from Northern California, but was born in Los Angeles, CA.

Her favorite color is brown.

She is the youngest of four girls.

She is graduating from BYU Idaho in Political Science with a minor in Russian.

She enjoys running, the outdoors, playing the guitar, backpacking, snowboarding, fishing, skateboarding, and spending time with Jake.

We wish them the very best!

Mystery Person

Our mystery Friday Favorite Visitor is.......

SAILOR!

(In retrospect, I should have mentioned the visitor was under 12. Sorry. I certainly thought the spinach would throw you all off.) That was fun though.

Thanks Sailor. We love you. Any volunteers to be next?

Friday Favorites

This week's post is from a surprise visitor--see if you can guess who it is by their Friday Favorites:

Hello! Ready for this week recomendations?

1.Fresh spinach salads with strawberries, lemon, salt , pepper, and oil have been a hit at my house and with me.

2."Walk at Home" with Leslie Sansome. You can walk 3 miles in your pajamas or clothes, right in your family room. And it's fun!

3. I Love Lucy episodes. "Tennessee Ernie Ford" visits is my all time favorite episode.

What do you love this Friday?

Can you guess who I am?

Any volunteers to do the next post?? :)

Are you ready for the next adventure?

I've often wondered if I would ever see the Holy Land again.
I can't wait.


I want to compile a list of good books and movies to start studying.

The Mylroies discovered that if you read about 7 pages a day you can finish the Old Testament and New Testament before the trip. These really were our textbooks while we lived there, so bring a good set that you can mark up (and a small hymnbook).

Also, the LDS church's Old Testament Manual and New Testament Manuals are full of clear insightful explanations to clarify anything confusing. They are too heavy to bring, but studying them would get you in the mood.

Surprisingly The Bible Dictionary contains helpful brief explanations. I really 'discovered' my Bible Dictionary in Israel.

2 Nephi 25...Lots of reasons why understanding the history of the Jews and the geography of Israel can contribute to your testimony of Jesus Christ.

Do you have any suggestions on the studies of Judaism and Mormonism or Islam and Mormonism? Please share.

Meanwhile, this is a quote from Rabbi David Rosen, a Jewish professor we all knew at The BYU Jerusalem Center.

"Bishop Krister Stendahl (former presiding Lutheran bishop of Sweden and formerly of Harvard Divinity School) proposes certain ground rules for interfaith dialogue. One of them is, "Leave room for holy envy." That is a beautiful idea. The fact that I can see something beautiful in another's religious tradition should not make me feel disloyal in any way to my own tradition. On the contrary, as I suggested above, it seems obvious to me that no one tradition can encapsulate the Divine totality. At the BYU Jerusalem Center, I saw some very special, beautiful things in LDS religious life that testify to God's presence, which it has been a privilege and pleasure for me to witness."

One of the amazing things about Israel is the diversity there. There are many strong faiths coexisting in this small land. There is a very ancient civilization, living alongside a completely modern world. It is overwhelming to witness, and like Rabbi Rosen suggested, you will find beauty and strength in their traditions and faith, in addition to your own.

Here is the link to Our Israel tour if you want to check it out: http://www.funforlesstours.com/israelEgyptjordan102310.html

I will try a do a few posts about this upcoming trips so if you have ideas, let me know. For example, what to bring, what were your favorite places (if you've been), any good books or thoughts you have.

**If you are listening to the music bar, the first piece is "The Call To Prayer" that you will hear five times a day in Israel. The Muslims play it from their mosques, calling their people to stop whatever they are doing, lay down their prayer mats towards Mecca, and bow down to pray. I love the sound of it. I loved waking up to it, and seeing these dedicated people kneel down to pray. It is a beautiful ritual. (Incidently Roy and Jack must have been professional prayer callers in another life--they replicate this exactly.)**

REMINDER: Call me SOON with your passport info!

Welcome 2010!

I thought these quotes from President Hinckley were appropriate as we move forward from a hard year, and look towards a better 2010. Happy New Year Renouf Family!

"What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak of one another’s faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: “Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve (from Ensign, Apr. 1986, 2–4)."

"Let us go forward in this glorious work. How exciting and wonderful it is. I do not know how anybody can feel gloomy for very long who is a member of this Church. Do you feel gloomy? Lift your eyes. Stand on your feet. Say a few words of appreciation and love to the Lord. Be positive. Think of what great things are occurring as the Lord brings to pass His eternal purposes. This is a day of prophecy fulfilled, … this great day in the history of this Church. This is the day which has been spoken of by those who have gone before us. Let us live worthy of our birthright. Keep the faith. Nurture your testimonies. Walk in righteousness, and the Lord will bless you and prosper you, and you will be a happy and wonderful people (from Ensign, Aug. 1996, 61).