Monday, June 30, 2008

RS Weekly Update: Monday, June 30th through Sunday, July 6th

First and Foremost: Big Texas welcome to President Todd and Sister Sharon Hansen. We're looking forward to a great three years!

Sadly, this week we're losing

John and Laurie Armour
Gary and Nancy Conners
and Stacie Anderson (congrats! Stacie)

See our Contact Information page for their new information.

This week:

  • Newsletter Deadline! Please, get the calendars and announcements for your auxiliaries and committees to me as soon as possible. July's issue comes out on Sunday.
  • Dry Pack Day: Tuesday, July 1st, 8:45am for the morning shift, 6:45pm for the evening shift. Check out Lucy's full post on her temporary blog.
  • Suggested Family Outing: Thursday, July 3rd @ 6:30 pm: Admission is FREE. "A Star-spangled Salute", concert and fireworks by the Houston Symphony, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands. (map it) A great way to kick off the holiday weekend.
  • Olde Oaks Ward Annual Independence Day Pancake Breakfast and Parade. Friday, July 4th @ 8:00 am. This one you don't want to miss! Bring your tykes on their bikes for a patriotic start of the day.
Sunday's lesson:

Fast Sunday: Presidency Lesson

Upcoming Ward Events:

4th of July Pancake Breakfast. See you there!

Visiting Teaching:

Summer's got everyone running, to make your appointments early. If schedules don't coincide, remember a letter in the mail or a phone call to ensure all is well.

Preparedness:

I received a treasure trove of information on hurricane preparedness and food storage from Cheryl Driggs this week as hand-outs for the Spring Creek Ward joint meeting. You can find them all on our group page at http://oldeoaksrs.googlegroup.com. Follow the links on the first page.

Enrichment:

What's upcoming in for your personal enrichment:
  • Friday July 11, @ 10:00 am Learn to crochet at the church
  • TENTATIVE: Friday, July 11, Gardening Club Field Trip to Heiden's Feed Store (map it), the fruit tree experts; further details TBA.
  • Friday July 18,@ 10:00 am Jewelry making: necklaces and bracelets taught by Melissa Bowcutt
  • Friday July 25 @ 9:00 am Houston Children's Museum field trip. Meet at the church and we'll go downtown together. Cost: children museum $ 5/ person, under age 2 free. Contact Marsha Johnson for more information @ 281-353-7930.
  • Friday August 1 @ 8:30 pm Suggested Family Outing: Houston Shakespeare Festival, Miller outdoor theather @ Hermann park. no cost.
Remember: participation in any of these activities is strictly voluntary. Participate in what you like or are able, and ignore the rest. If you have ideas for low- or no-cost activities, if you'd like to learn something we're not offering, or if you have a skill you'd like to share, please, let us know. Enrichment Committee: Jeanette Schadler, Claudia Del Papa, Marilyn Bullock.



Olde Oaks Relief Society Group Site:

What's new? Just about everything. We've got a new look, a new home page, lots more information and more to come. Everything is a work in progress, so have patience with us while we get everything up to speed. Here's a rough sketch:
  • An easy index right up front for better navigation.
  • Easy access to the Olde Oaks Relief Society Calendar linked right on the home page.
  • Members' map. This is still in it's conception phase, so please be patient. Also, be assured that no one will be able to access this map unless they are members of the Olde Oaks Relief Society.
  • The Olde Oak monthly newsletter now in pdf format online.
  • Lesson Schedules and Links to lds.org, recommended reading, etc.
  • Preparedness hints, helps, handouts, and links, from our two sources of all knowledge, Lucy Stern and Cheryl Driggs. Lucy will have her own blog up soon, just as soon as she sits still long enough to set it up. For now, I'm posting them on our Weekly Update blog, and on a special page on the group site.
  • Contact information for families who have left our ward but not our hearts. If you have addresses that belong on that list, please, let me know.
  • An Enrichment section which provides not only information on upcoming activities and events, but also on those in the past, including the Cooking and Gardening Club. Look here for hand-out and recipe files to download, announcements, tips and more.
  • A spot for good uplifting material you may want to share whether or not it is "scripture and verse". You be the judge and I'll put it up, so long as it is virtuous, lovely and of good report or praiseworthy.
  • Links of other good stuff, including blogs of ward members past and present, as well as those you may find of interest or are related to the classes, such as scrap-booking or recipe blogs. If you have great ideas for family helps or fun activities, or know of other bloggers out there that aren't listed, let me know. This is just the barest conception of a list, and I'm sure there are others out there.
  • Finally, a Weekly Update blog, where these posts will appear. Also, because this site is so new and growing so quickly, and because the larger it becomes the more difficult it will be to know what is knew that you haven't seen before, I will be noting new pages, changes to old ones, corrections, etc., on the blog. This should enable you to tell at a glance what's cookin'. If you're really a fanatic (which I seem to be) and you know how to use it (which I don't), you can even subscribe to an RSS feed for up-to-the-minute information.
Remember. This site is yours, including the blog and the email list. If you have something you think needs to be added, or I've overlooked something or am in error (highly likely), please, let me know, post a comment or start a discussion, and I'll get it up. Or, you can even contribute pages and files yourself. You've already got the necessary permission.

To post on the Google Group site, address your email to oldeoaksrs@googlegroups.com. You can also post discussions from the website directly. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.

More Summer Resources:
  • Today's Mama, Houston Mama: a great resource for free activities in and around Houston from our own Jennifer Hatch. Check out her calendar of events here.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

RS Weekly Update: Monday, June 16th - Sunday, June 22nd

This week:
  • Monday-Friday, 06.16-20: 4th-year girls' camp.
  • Wednesday-Friday, 06.18-20: YW Girls camp.
  • Tuesday, 06.17: Cooking club @ the Johnsons'. Theme: easy barbecue, taught by Marsha Johnson & Penny Freeman. Time to bone up on some good Texan cooking! Bring your favorite BBQ side with recipes to share.
  • Friday, 06.20, 10am: Hair-bow class, taught by Sister Julie Tucker; call for list of materials required.
  • Saturday, 06.21: The Steward Send-off. Come help us wish the Steward family well as they return home from their three-year mission. The Activities Committee are offering food, fellowship and entertainment. What more could you want?!
Sunday's lesson:

Teaching for Our Times by Sister Kelly Swanson, on Pres. Eyring's April sermon: The True and Living Church (click here).

Upcoming Ward Events:
  • Tuesday, 06.24, 10am session: RS temple day. For sisters with small children, please contact us and we will be happy to provide childcare services, including families with multiple children.
  • Tuesday-Friday, 06.24-27, 2pm-8pm: Webelos Twilight Camp
  • Wednesday-Friday, 06.25-27 8am-1pm: Bear & Wolf Day Campe
  • Friday, 07.04. 8am: Annual Olde Oaks pancake breakfast & patriotic celebration. Watch for further announcements.
  • Friday-Saturday, 06.27-28: Houston North Stake Youth Conference for YM/YW 14 and up.
  • July 10-22: The Houston Temple will be closed for cleaning, so please plan ahead.
Visiting Teaching:
  • If you have not yet met or chatted with a member of the Relief Society Presidency regarding the needs of the sisters on your visiting teaching route, please take the time to do so. The ward's visiting teachers are the eyes and ears of the Relief Society, and it is through you that we meet our mandate of charity, service and compassion.
  • New visiting teaching routes were passed out on Sunday, June 15th. We are also mailing those routes of the sisters we missed. If you have not yet received yours within the next few days, please let us know.
  • Summer's here and schedules vary. Pull out those calendars and plan ahead to ensure contact with your sisters. You can find this month's visiting teaching lesson at LDS.org (click here).
Preparedness:
  • 3-month supply: dry-pack day for the Houston North Stake is the second Tuesday of every month. However, due to high demand, it's wise to check on items available prior to arriving at the Family Storage Center.
  • Tomato truck: The produce ordered will arrive on Thursday, June 26th. Also, due to the positive response, the farmer is willing to establish a permanent co-op with the Houston North and Klein Stakes. Watch for further information.
  • Blackberries and blueberries are currently on. Visit Matt Family Orchard or Moorheads Blueberry Farm for more information, or visit this map search for more locations.
Enrichment:

Our marvelous enrichment board have planned a terrific summer of activities, so, pick what suits you bests, mark your calendars, and come on out for some summer fun!
  • Cooking Club: Tuesday, July 8th, 7pm, Chinese cooking (tentatively).
  • Garden Club by Paul Johnson:
    • July, 7pm (date unavailable): Field trip to Heiden's Feed Store.
    • Thursday, Aug. 14th, 7pm: Learning about fruit trees.
  • Homemaking 101:
    • Thursday, July 10th, 7pm: Easy cafe curtains and valances.
    • Thursday, 7pm (date unavailable): Canning and freezing fruit.
  • Big Girls' Day Camp:
    • For daytime activities, bring a sandwich and the RS will provide drinks and chips.
    • FAMILY RECOMMENDATION: Thursday, July 3rd, 6:30pm: A Star Spangled Salute @ the Cynthia Woods Pavilion in The Woodlands. Admission is free.
    • Friday, July 11th, 10am: Museum trip.
    • Thursday, July 17th, 7pm: Girls' Night Out with pizza and a movie, location to be announced.
    • Friday, July 25th, 10am: Learn or teach to crochet and participate in a service project.
    • FAMILY RECOMMENDATION: Friday, August 1st, 8:30 pm: Houston Shakespeare Festival, Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park. Admission is free.
Communication:
  • Special thanks to those sisters who have already signed up for the Olde Oaks RS Google group. If you have not yet done this, please visit http://groups.google.com/group/oldeoaksrs and join.
  • Also, if you have already joined but have yet to receive any email through the group, please check your email for an email address verification from Google groups. All you are required to do is click on that link and Google will know that the address you submitted for the group won't bounce.
  • Watch for more features on the Group site (click here), including a membership map.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.

More Summer Resources:



Weekly Update: June 9-15

First: new mailing list.
  • You should have already received a note from me about our new Olde Oaks Relief Society google group. This has been established to eliminate the difficulties of managing a list as large as ours. If you have not yet signed up for the group, please visit http://groups.google.com/group/oldeoaksrs. This will help streamline the process immensely.
  • If you have already subscribed to the OORS google group and are receiving this email, please REPLY to freemom@gmail.com. This will help me ensure you are receiving email through the group.
Next: Events this week:
  • Visiting Teaching interviews. You should have been contacted by a member of the RS Presidency to schedule an interview. If you have not, or if you need to make other arrangements, please contact either myself (281.320.0912), Sister Johnson ( 281.353.7930), Sister Brighton (281.288.8604), or Sister Schadler ( 281.397.0311). Hours:
    • Wednesday, 06.11, 7-9 pm @ Hafer Road.
    • Thursday, 6.12, 9:30am -12 pm @ Hafer Road.
  • Gardening Club: Thursday, 7pm @ Hafer Road. Husbands are welcome! Please note: the bow-making class which was announced is actually scheduled for the following week.
Other Calendared Events:
  • Sunday, 06.15: Father's Day.
  • Monday-Friday, 06.16-20: 4th-year girls' camp.
  • Wednesday-Friday, 06.18-20: YW Girls camp.
  • Tuesday, 06.17: Cooking club @ the Johnsons'. Theme: easy barbecue, taught by Marsha Johnson & Penny Freeman. Time to bone up on some good Texan cooking! Bring your favorite BBQ side with recipes to share.
  • Friday, 06.20, 10am: Hair-bow class, taught by Sister Julie Tucker. Watch for further information.
  • Saturday, 06.21: The Steward Send-off. Come help us wish the Steward family well as they return home from their three-year mission.
  • Tuesday, 06.24, 10am session: RS temple day. For sisters with small children, please contact us and we will be happy to provide childcare services.
  • Tuesday-Friday, 06.24-27, 2pm-8pm: Webelos Twilight Camp
  • Wednesday-Friday, 06.25-27 8am-1pm: Bear & Wolf Day Campe
  • Friday, 07.04. 8am: Annual Olde Oaks pancake breakfast & patriotic celebration. Watch for further announcments.
  • Friday-Saturday, 06.27-28: Houston North Stake Youth Conference for YM/YW 14 and up.
  • July 10-22: The Houston Temple will be closed for cleaning, so please plan ahead.
If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to contact me.

Penny Freeman
Olde Oaks Ward Relief Society
Secretary