Christmas Stockings

I bought these three stockings at Target. 

Saturday the girls used fabric paint to 

put their names on and decorate them. 

Just a few bucks spent and 

these will last for quite a while.

Home grown Bell Peppers and Watermelon

In the summer in Mesa, Arizona many plants live through it but not all produce. Bell Pepper plants do very well despite the heat.

Colander filled with delicious green and red bell peppers. 

I love it!!!

This picture was taken on September 19th and a week or two later my family and I enjoyed the wonderful sweet taste of a fresh watermelon. 

This was my second watermelon. 

This watermelon was delicious.

A walk to the Temple

I snapped this picture with my phone last night when I walked to the Mesa Arizona Temple. It was a little humid last night, but I enjoyed my walk.

The day before I was in the temple doing ordinance work and felt very blessed. I love going to the temple. Afterward I ate lunch in the small cafeteria there. I have been going in that temple for almost two decades and never ate there before. I figure I go there to get spiritually fed, not to be fed a meal. It was nice though especially since I had to leave and attend a baptism right afterwards for a girl in my primary class.

I am thankful to live only a mile away. I have walked there since I was a small child. Always a welcoming place to be.

It's all about the sunflowers.....

Look at all these beauties!

This one is getting heavier and soon ready for me to cut off the head to let dry.

Some of the flowers got knocked off when my head bonked it. 

The mammoth sunflowers live up to their name!

Sunflower growing in the garden by the citrus tree.

I sure love sunflowers! I have them all over. Many haven't bloomed yet.

My testimony

I wrote this four and a half years ago and I came across it today on my computer and thought I should post it on this blog.

Thoughts for the day written on 11/15/09 
by Kristi Harmon 

~I am thankful to be who I am. I am thankful for the wonderful heritage that I have and all the wonderful blessings here on this earth. I am thankful for my loving Father in Heaven and his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and our beloved Redeemer. So many things are recorded in the scriptures, but as in Jacob he writes about the prophets of old and he himself can only record but a little.

~A few days ago I was picturing in my mind the Saviors life and all He did and I had the thought and feeling come over me that He most likely did so much more, yet there are no other records besides what we have in the scriptures. We know of His life through the prophets and apostles. We can feel of His life through the help of the Holy Ghost. We can prayerfully study the scriptures.

~We have such beautiful literature, true and wonderful. We have the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants. We also have the help of the Topical Guide and the Bible Dictionary. Each month we can enjoy the Ensign, The New Era and the Friend. Twice a year we have General Conference and can read it online on the church website even before it comes out in the May and November Ensigns. I can not forget to mention all the inspired literature from leaders of the church.

~The list can go on. There is so many ways to become more edified and our spiritual growth can increase ever so much. I always pray before I read my scriptures. I ask for the spirit to be with me and help me to understand and to also remember what I read. I do not only expect to understand the scriptures with prayer alone. I must also take the time to study what I am reading. Cross referencing is critical to comprehend and learn.

~It is amazing to me how the Holy Ghost is a guide and we can have the sweet promptings and personal revelation that we need in our own lives as we read the scriptures and the spoken word from our prophet today and other leaders of our church. So many times as I am reading the scriptures thoughts come to mind, answers to things I had been praying about.

~I feel impressed to mention that I thank my Father in Heaven in prayer for the desire to read my scriptures and prayer to have that desire continually. One sweet pleasure I have is before an endowment session in the temple I choose to get there early enough to read the scriptures before we are led to the session. Afterwards I love to sit in the Celestial room and continue to read. It is so great and the spirit is so strong.

~I love to be in the temple and I grow so much each time I am there. As a youth I thought it was the neatest thing to do Baptisms for the Dead. That was a choice and blessed experience. Two months before my twentieth birthday on May 11, 1996 I went through the temple for the first time. I had worked hard to be worthy. I knew I was worthy.

~I balled as I went through the veil. Family and friends were there. My young women leaders and one of my friends from my ward that I grew up with was there. Even one of my friends from my singles ward was in attendance also. VerRona and Erika wanted to know what was wrong. I said nothing was wrong. I felt so wonderful and great. I was so happy. I felt like I got my first glimpse of Heaven. I am crying now just writing about that and my memories. I have cried many times in the temple.

~I know it is important to be worthy to enter Gods Holy Temple. There is so much to learn and the Holy Ghost will help when we are worthy and ready. I love the fact I get to do for someone that has no chance to do it on earth. They are not here on the earth to partake of the everlasting covenants that we by proxy have the sweet blessing to serve them and do the work for them. Then and only then do they get to partake of those ordinances. What a great act of charity we do. God loves His children and set the way so all His children can have the opportunity to receive all that there is. We all can have the chance to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and our loved ones. Through temple work families are bound to each other.

~There are many ways to serve as member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Our callings and positions can be such a wonderful learning and spiritual growing experiences. Some may seem hard or we may feel inadequate. I have felt that way at times. Yet there is hope if ever you are in doubt. If you live worthily and repent continually, pray always and study the scriptures and do what you can then it becomes easier. Then you are not doing it alone. We have God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. Those three will help and they do help in countless ways.

~We can be so blessed when we serve and love others. We have been counseled to pray for those we serve and we will love them. It is true. Try it and see how great it can be.

Mothers Day 2014

This Sunday is Mother's Day. 

I love my mom!! 

Thankful for her and her desire to be a mom. 

I am the middle of seven children. 

I have an older sister, 

two older brothers and three younger brothers.

It is nice being an adult and still 

honor my mother while being a mother myself. 

I have five daughters who I love very much 

and I am forever grateful to be a mom.

Being a mom isn't easy, but so worth it!

I also am thankful for all the women in my life 

who have been an influence in my life 

whether you are a mother or not.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

May you have a great day!

Love, Kristi

Spicy Lentils

After a few attempts of making 

Lentils taste good to me 

I finally found a way to make them taste really good. 

At least in my opinion.

I added minced onions and minced garlic.

Then a mixture of a few dry spices.

I actually didn't have any fresh ingredients on hand. 

I had used what I had to make salsa a few days before.

Hot peppers, onions and herbs, 

lemon and black pepper and a very small amount of salt. 

I also added one 8 oz can of tomato sauce.

I boiled the lentils, water and spices 

and then covered and let simmer 

for about an hour or so. I didn't time the process. 

I just every now and then I would have a sample 

of the lentils to see if they were cooked long enough.

By the time they were soft enough I was 

partly full in sampling the lentils. 

So here is a picture of a small amount in a bowl. 

I also ate chips and salsa I had made.

Lentils are a healthy food, 

but it's hard to eat if they are not appetizing.

I am very thankful to finally have a 

recipe to cook them and love them at the same time.

Happy Easter of 2014

I love the Savior, Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for what he did for me.

I have plastic eggs and candy for the kids. 

We'll have a nice dinner. Yet the main reason for Easter 

is not to hide eggs and see what candy you can get. 

When the Savior died he fulfilled His mission. 

He suffered and died for all of us.

He was resurrected and He lives.

So eggs are a way to think about new life.

A chicken hatching out of her egg.

A cute little bunny entering this world.

Lots of pretty flowers are blooming everywhere.

Our family will go to church like we do each week. 

Yet on Easter the messages will be all about Jesus Christ. 

Most of our household participates in the choir 

so we'll sing a beautiful song about the Savior.

I hope you all have a great Easter this year and remember why we have Easter. To celebrate the life of our Redeemer, Jesus the Christ.

Night in Italy

For a Young Women's Girls Camp fundraiser the Solomon Ward Young Women girls and their leaders organized and put on a nice dinner and entertainment.

The decorations were nice too. It took a lot of work, 

but the guests that came were impressed.

The leaders worked hard

All the Young Women had their share of the work. Pretty much spending the entire day at the ward building, minus a small break to get dressed.

 Rebecca in front in the polka dot shirt

My Kindsey girl!

My Kallee! 

Dale and Raina (two awesome people)! She is over the Beehives and I have twins in her class.

Just admire that beautiful sight. It was nice later for the lights were dimmed. 

My Kendree girl!

For garlic bread lovers here you go...

The girls did many music and dancing numbers. I recorded a few.

All in all that was a great night! It was a spaghetti dinner with salad and garlic bread. Dessert was brownies and cookies the girls all made. Oh, and the delicious Italian Soda!

I didn't want to miss out on spending my Saturday without my daughters so I volunteered to help decorate.