Christmas EVE Bowling & Chowder Bash

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Swedish Meatballs & Bacon Wrapped Chesnuts

I am posting the recipes to these Jarvis Family Traditional Christmas dishes so all can enjoy!

Swedish Meatballs One batch makes about 20 small meatballs.

Meatballs
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 C Bread Crumbs (I used rice krispies that I ground up with a rolling pin)
1 egg
1/4 C Fresh Finely Chopped Onion
Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauce
1 (16 oz.) Jar Grape Jelly
1 (12 oz.) Jar "Homemade" brand Chili Sauce (in the ketchup section)

Form into balls. (I used about a 1.5" cookie scoop.) Place on broiler pan and bake at 400 degrees in oven for 40 mins or till nice and browned. (I took mine out at about 35 mins or so because I was going to be keeping them warm in a crock pot for a while and didn't want them too dried out.)

When the meatballs are 10 mins. from being done, combined Jelly and Chili sauce in a large low side pan on medium high. Once it starts to bubble turn down to low and wait till meat balls are finished. Add meatballs into sauce and coat. Simmer with lid for 20 min.

Or for a crock pot, I added the Jelly and the Chili sauce in the crock pot once I put the meatballs in the oven and set the crock pot on High. Once the meatballs where cooked I put them in the crock pot and let them warm on high for 2 hrs and then turned it down to low.

Serve
I serve this over rice for a main dinner dish.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Main
1lb. Uncooked Bacon cut in half
2 Cans Whole Water Chestnuts
30-40 Toothpicks

Sauce
1 C Ketchup
1 T Soy Sauce
1/4 C Brown Sugar


Wrap chestnuts with half length strips of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on broiler pan and bake at 400 degrees for 40 and nice a crispy. Move to an oven safe casserole dish or corning ware dish.

Combine sauce and pour over bacon wrapped chestnuts fold if necessary to coat. Bake at 400 or 325 (for glass dish) until sauce is bubbling and caramelized (about 30 min.)

Serve

Letters from Dad and Mom

Hey Fam, So I decided to stop posting all the letters from Dad and Mom that I send to you in emails. It took too much time to email them out and then post them. It's December and so things are a little busy. I figured you all get the letter in an email so you don't need to read it on the blog too. I hope that is ok.

Reading in Ether

Not that anybody really cares to hear from me but I figured this is as good a spot as any to post something I thought of while reading the scriptures tonight. I was reading in Ether 6 when the Jaredites arrive on the promised land. They began to live and decided that they needed to form a sort of government with which to rule their people. Sadly, they chose to have a king. This was advised against by Jared and his brother yet they continued with their choice. While their choice of king was a righteous man, this decision ultimately led to their downfall. A few things I learned here, these people gave up some of their rights when they elected to have a king. Generally it's not a good idea to give away your rights.

More importantly I learned, that our votes, however they manifest themselves, in life really matter and that we are accountable for who/what we vote for or if we fail to vote. Not necessarily voting, that may be a bad term, more along the lines of making our wills known. If we fail to do so I think we are held accountable for the difference we could make. We read often about the will of the people choosing good or evil, I think that is the essence of it. Do we choose good or evil, this is not in any reference to a political party or candidate but more that we have our duty to make our voices heard and let our will be known. I am grateful that we have the opportunity in this country to do so. I am grateful for our liberties and freedoms. We are remiss if we do not do everything we can to shape a better life and country with these blessings.

Grace made me proud today. Last night when I was tucking her in she told me that I should sleep in because she had a surprise for me in the morning. So, I heard her clanking around in the kitchen as I was lying in bed. A few minutes later, as I pretended to be asleep, she came in to my room. She had filled a small bowl with a little bit of raisin bran and a lot of milk. Than she had the bowl sitting on a large plate to act as a tray. On the plate she place a glass of water and a spoon. She balanced this all the way up the stairs and served me breakfast in bed. Not to sound too cheesy, but it definitely was a proud mom moment. She is such a sweetheart!

Katie

Grace made me proud today. Last night when I was tucking her in she told me that I should sleep in because she had a surprise for me in the morning. So, I heard her clanking around in the kitchen as I was lying in bed. A few minutes later, as I pretended to be asleep, she came in to my room. She had filled a small bowl with a little bit of raisin bran and a lot of milk. Than she had the bowl sitting on a large plate to act as a tray. On the plate she place a glass of water and a spoon. She balanced this all the way up the stairs and served me breakfast in bed. Not to sound too cheesy, but it definitely was a proud mom moment. She is such a sweetheart!

Katie

At the airport

It's so exciting to see Dad and Mom as missionaries!

Stupid Ambulance Chaser Lawyers

Hey Family,

Dad said it was ok to tell you the story about being sued by his patient since he doesn't have very much time to write emails.

In April a new patient came in to see Dad. (It was a week or two after Mom and Dad decided to go on a mission) This patient had been in a car accident and his back was really bad. During his first visit Dad told him he would need to come in every day if not twice a day or else he would need surgery.
TWO WEEKS later the patient comes back complaining that his back still hurt. Dad gave him a treatment and again told him that if he really wanted to get better than he would need more treatments.
The patient who is a friend of Jean Barr (the father, not the seminary teacher), went to Jean's house after his treatment. Dad received a call that afternoon from Jean saying that the patient couldn't get off the floor because he was in so much pain. Dad made a house call and took over pain medication. He told the patient he would also need to monitor his urine output because his back problems could affect that. Dad even tried to find a canning jar or something at the Barr's house so the patient could measure his urine. He said if his back pain didn't get better than he would have to go to the hospital and have surgery because Dad had done all he could. The patient said he did not want to and could not go to the hospital because he didn't have any money.
That night Dad called Jon and asked him if the patient was ok. Jon said he felt better and had gone home.
I'm not sure if it was the next day or couple of days but Dad got a call from the hospital. The patient had gone to the hospital. His back was hurting and he couldn't pee. Dad informed the person on the phone that he told the patient to measure his urine and go to the hospital if his back pain worsened. They catheterized him at the hospital and decided he needed surgery.
The patient went to Utah Valley where he underwent back surgery. In the medical report it said he was able to urinate afterward.


This summer (Mom and Dad can't remember when-it was the day Mom was pouring cement in the cinder blocks at the lot) they received papers from the patient's lawyer saying they responsible for him having to have back surgery and from the back surgery he has become paralyzed. (Hmm....can we say car accident.....non compliant patient....duh!)
The craziest part is that Mom and Dad saw him in Day's Market after this and he walked out of the store. He looked normal....no problems! They even talked to the patient's friend who said he works full time in another state and doesn't have any problems.

Luckily Dad has really good malpractice insurance. They met up with their Attorney and went to a licensing panel hearing. Dad had great documentation from the patient's two visits. Dad gave his honest side of the story. I'm not sure if the patient was there or not but his lawyer was and their side of the story was full of lies...of course! Dad said as the questioning went on the patient and his lawyer's accusations just got more and more ridiculous. (stupid ambulance chaser lawyers!)

The licensing panel is made up of a lawyer, a chiropractor,....and one other person but I can't remember right now. After the debates and rebuttals the panel met to make a decision. They only met for minutes before they had made a decision. (Dad said the longer they meet the more likely it won't be in your favor but since it only took them minutes to decide it looks like it would be in his favor.) Sure enough it was because they voted the case had no merit.

The patient can still take it to court but his chances of winning have decreased. Dad has seen all the medical reports and knows his side of the story so he could find evidence against it. Dad's attorney said he would hire a private investigator to film the patient walking around and working if they took the case to court.


Charlie and Angeline- if you have anything to add to the story please do!

2nd Week in MTC

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Story of our week, here.

Our second week has been as interesting as the first week.
The best parts are the firesides on Sunday and the Devotionals on Tuesdays. When you think of tht 2,000 missionaries in the room all singing loud and anxious to serve, it humbles you and makes you realize how important the work is. When you look across the room and see all the sacrifice it took to get that many people on missions, then you realize that Heavenly Father is watching and waiting to bless those who make the effort to go.

Two nights ago, we listened to a Bro Johns talk about the 9 foot Joseph Smith statute at the Joseph Smith Building. It was the suggestion of a regular member which prompted the leaders to go into a warehouse and find the 4 ton statute that had been at the Independence visitors center.

President Hinckley was concerned that the cost of the renovation was more than should be expended and needed to stand for something. He had a flash of inspiration one day six months before the 150th anniversary of the martyrdom and realized that the building should be a tribute to not only Joseph Smith, but his father and brothers and famly. Once he realized that this should be the purpose of the renovation, he was much more at ease about the cost of the building. The placing of the statue was a problem as the weight had to be supported.
Pres Hinckley had looked at at the Blue Prints and realized that a major girder was direclty under the spot where the statue was to go and needed no further support. Nobody else had caught this. He didn't want the statue in the middle of the room and where it ended up
was exactly over the steel girder.

We are driving up to Heber early Friday if Alison is okay with that and we'll pick her up at Pat's house and then she can drive the car back to Pat's house and leave it there while we are on our mission, but we need to pick up some more things and do some tax work and then check out the new kitchen floor damaged by a leaky refrigerator water purifier.

We hope that works out with everybody.

We met a lot of people from Portland and all parts of the U.S, heading off on couple missions all over the world. The farthest away missionary we met so far is one going to Australia.

Last Night Jeffrey Holland spoke to a capacity crowd in the Lorenzo Snow building. As usual he was very good, but tired and told us that it had been a hard week at church headquarters. I gathered that it had something to do with the Proposition 8 problem and the fact that California itself has appealed the referendum to the California Supreme Court. I pity California if it succeeds in overturning the vote of the people twice, I wouldn't want to be on any of its earthquake faults when the Almighty decides to vent.

DAD

A look back at the last 12 years

Sunday, November 16, 2008

It was great going to Heber yesterday and picking up all of the things we thought we still needed, but doubly hard to say good-bye again. Especially to the grandkids!!!

It is hard to miss all the growing up they'll do in the next eighteen months. But as we have talked to other couples and learned how it was that they ended up going when

they did, the stories are almost all the same, they felt moved by the spirit to do it, despite the impossible situations they thought they were in.

All had obstacles to overcome and some were much greater than ours. In April right after we decided to go---an incident occurred in our office which led to a man suing us. The stress of it dragged on all summer long as we were trying to focus on going. We thought we were crazy for continuting to try to get ready with this hanging over us.

And just a month ago, we had to go to a hearing in Salt Lake where the panel unanimously ruled that the case had no merit. I had talked myself into the fact that this case was going to go all the way to court and I had to pinch myself several times when I heard that the panel from the state of Utah had unanimously ruled that the case was meritless. I feel impressed to tell you all this now so that you can pray at Thanksgiving dinner that this thing can be over. A person can still sue even though the licensing panel has ruled that the case is meritless, but the chances are much slimmer. So think of us in your prayers and pray that it is over and done with.

The adversary knew where to hit us in our most vulnerable spot, attempting to disrupt our plans. I can hardly talk about it without realizing we were supposed to have it happen to test us and then have it removed just as quickly. The last couple of weeks have been much less stressful as we prayed it wouldn't go on through the farewell and our entering into the mission. Our lawyer had given the go ahead months ago to still go, but we didn't want to go with something like that hanging over our head.

If we seemed stressed out, we were because we didn't know where it would all lead.

But tonight we watched the Joseph Smith movie that has played at the Joseph Smith building and realized again that every great new thing is almost always preceded by a trial and this one of ours was no different.
In the case of a couple we talked to today, they had told their bishop they weren't in condition to go when he asked but they put their affairs in order as soon as they could, realizing that it's never a great time to do such a thing. But just as the bishop had asked them, this brother developed a herpes infection on his eye which took his vision out of the left eye. This was a wake-up call for him and despite unfinished business, they are on their mission, going to San Antonio where he served as a youth. He, like me, will return again to his home in St. George and work again. I may have a German homeopathic which we used to help Chelsea P. a few years ago, and it may be the answer he needs as herpes infections (shingles in his case) tend to go dormant and then come back. All the medications they have given him haven't worked. If any of you reading this know that someone is coming to Provo before Tuesday night, have them bring a German ten vial series for Herpes Zoster with ten syringes so that we can give them to this brother. It may clear up his cornea just as it did for Chelsea P.

As far as thinking back about the accident twelve years ago, as early as 1997, I started having dreams and seeing my grandkids in them and this made me realize that I would live to see them grow up even though on many occasions, I didn't think I would and didn't even want to stay on earth. But as each of them has come, it has been great to know I was supposed to stay because some days---I felt it would be better to go on. This was especially true after the gall bladder surgery and a couple of times when I faced the endoscopy, I just thought I had had it. I also didn't feel all that great in Miami when we were there. To come home just in time to bury Grandpa was no great fun either.

Your mom has stuck by me and this mission especially is going to be a great adventure and experience for her. As we talk to more missionaries, we know that this is what life is all about, having faith to do the impossible and then seeing it happen. Every missionary has a story of things to overcome so that they could get on their mission. It seemed like the theme for the whole day seemed to be the sacrifice that goes into it. Then the blessings seem to flow in great abundance after the trial, as they seem to be for us righ now.

I am going to let mom type a few things.

Hi! It has been a great week here at the CCM (that's what it is called in Spanish.) I am overwhelmed at times when I think of all of you that have been here and get a little weepy. I have a great companion that I would never change for all the money in the world. It has been a long road getting to go on our Mission, but it has been worth it. Tonight at the Fireside the Elders sounded so good when we sang the closing song, I just listened.

Well I hope you all have a great week, we will be praying for all of your safety and good health.

Please give all of the grandkids a hug and kiss for me, I am very blessed to have such a worderful family. I love you all. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Mom

Mom and Dad

Hump Day in the MTC

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Today was hump day. That means that we really have done the most intensive things and now we can relax a little in that our schedule won't be quite so intensive. Hardly any time to contact anyone.

We told you about the Fenns. Well we started studying Spanish with them at night from 6 to 8 pm. We have learned more about their life. They live in Montana, though they met in Lake Arrowhead California. Bro. Fenn's father took his family of seven kids to Argentina in the 1960's to build chapels for the church. Now Elder Fenn is going to do the same as he is in charge of the local construction on the El Salvador temple. So they stay for two years. Their children are all grown.

We also met a couple today who are going to Mendoza in February. she has been a pediatric nurse at University Hospital and just retired 8 mos. ago. They were here having language classes and wanted to meet us. So we took them to the cafeteria for lunch. That gave us more time to talk. Their last name is Brown. He has worked at the Tooele Army Depot and she at U of U hospital as I said.

We are probably going to Heber on Saturday to take care of a lot of loose ends pertaining to the things we really want to take to Argentina, but we got our Visa yesterday and know that we can travel without a hitch. But the layover in Dallas next Friday will be short. Just an hour and Dallas is a big airport, so we'll see.

The classes are great and give insights into a lot of things. They showed us a lot of information on the Book of Mormon. Clearly the convert baptisms were rising the fastest when Pres. Benson was pushing the Book of Mormon to the front burner. The convert baptisms have slacked off a little since he has died.

So we feel strongly to put the Book on the front burner. In practice sessions, we are surprised that many missionaries don't have the investigator read passages from the book. That would make Bro. Bankhead sad, but much of what is in Preach My Gospel about the Book of Mormon is from the subject matter Bro. Bankhead always pushed. So that should make him feel good from the Spirit World.

Well, we started skypeing now that our Wireless Internet is working well. So leave your computers on tomorrow night with Skype loaded so that we can try to call you.

Love Mom and Dad

Our First Day at the MTC

Monday, November 10, 2008

Our first day at the MTC went like this, We got checked in by 12:30 pm and had to rush to say good-bye to those who came to the MTC. It was a big help to have help with the bags. Dan said it reminded him again of his MTC days. Coby had to get back to work which was understandable as we made everybody wait for us to check in not knowing what the procedures were. We rushed through lunch and it is a large dining hall with many choices of food. WE still haven't met the dietician who is supposed to help us with gluten-free. So far, so good.

At 1 pm we attended a meeting with the MTC presidency and all twenty-five couples entering the MTC for this week stood and introduced themselves and had to answer five questions: Your names, your home town, your mission, your assignment, whether you have served before. Well, the people in the room were from all over the United States. No one else was going to Mendoza or Argentina, but one couple, the Fenns were going to El Salvador. I immediately recognized the name and thought his brother might have been an Elder from my old mission.
After the first break, we went to the bookstore to get materials we needed but there was too big a line so we went back to a second hour of meetings this time a worker told us our schedule for the next eleven days. AFter that break, we walked back to the bookstore only to find out we couldn't get our materials without a certain paper which was back at our meeting room, so we rushed back to a third hour and this was a missionary health class. they should us some ingenious ways to purify water. After that, we did finally get to the bookstore with our paper in order to retrieve materials and mail for today's classes.
After that a fourth hour was conducted by our branch president, the Alsops, wherein I was called to be district leader over two single sisters and two couples. I had to get with them after the fourth hour and take down their room umber and cell phone number and they got mine in order to have for emergencies. We are able to go anywhere in Utah County without permission, but out of the county we need to obtain permission.

After the fourth hour, your mother attended a language training orientation and her language classes go WEds, Thurs, Fri from 6- 8 pm. Tonight we have a general authority coming to speak to us. Our rooms are small with just the bare necessities.

We sat at dinner with the Fenns. He is just two years younger but lived with his family when he was a youth in ARgentina while he dad built chapels for three years. One of the chapels was in Tucuman where I was a zone leader. That chapel has since been torn down. It was on a street called Mate de Luna (must have been a last name of some war hero).

Elder Fenn's older brother was in my mission and I think I have pictures of him which I am going to try to retrieve from my Gorton reunion CD. Elder FEnn himself did not serve a mission as he married in high school to a girl he converted to the church in Lake Arrowhead California. They since moved to Montana, to Kalispell where they worked until coming on this mission.

So you get connections. Another single sister named Sister Romney also approached us as she lived in the Rock Creek Ward up until ten years ago. She wanted to know everything about the ward since she left and I told her I could only tell her about the last couple of years.

Today we start classes at 8 a.m. I have to assemble my district into a classroom at night at one of the buildings. We are taught in small groups during most of the day.

Love Mom and Dad

P.S. We were told by the MTC president:

There are three kinds of sins:

Sins of comission

Sins of omission

Sins of no mission

Going on a couple mission is better than sitting at home watching your birth certificate expire.

The Lord will supply all the losses caused by leaving behind your family

In the gospel the Lord has one sure way of letting you know when your service is over.