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Show •—: N & W S Spanish Fork Covering what matters most WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2007 • B5 LDS fiction vs Christian fiction Out of the Best Books Lu Ann Staheli Courtesy photo FRINGE BENEFITS: Zipns Bankers Barbara Sheen, J. Wyatt Andersen and LuAnn Hansen received thank-you notes from local third grade students after teaching them summer savings skills. X, Zions teaches third graders Before they started -their summer chores and lemonade stands, third grade students from Larsen Elementary, Field East Meadows and Brockbank Elementary Schools learned the importance of savings from Zions Bank. On June 12, 2007, hundr^dg.rpf .students, toured the bank's Spanish Fork office during field trips led by LuAnn Hansen, Barbara Sheen and Wyatt Andersen during May. Students learned concepts of interest, "needs" versus "wants," and received coloring books titled "Saving Your Pennies." The community outreach effort was part of National Teach Children to Save Day, when more than 200 Zions employees volunteered to teach 11,000— plus students in Utah and Idaho. For the first time since the Great Depression, the average savings rate of Americans has dropped into negative numbers in 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Americans spend $L22 for every $1 they earn, according to the Myvesta Foundation. "At Zions Bank in Spanish Fork, we hope to encourage tomorrow's generation to learn good savings habits so that they can reverse the negative savings trend," said LuAnn Hansen, customer service manager. "It's never too early for kids to learn how to pay themselves first by saving money and earning interest." Just ten hours of financial education can help students learn to manage their money better, according to a 2004 evaluation by the National Endowment for Financial Education. Julie Felshaw, economics and financial.education specialist with the Utah State Office of Education, believes volunteer efforts from local bankers can make a difference in the financial futures of students. "The lessons we teach Utah's students today create good habits for consumers tomorrow," said Felshaw, "Kids like to learn about money because they see the things their parents do with it. They can be very impressionable. The prospect of being able to save their money for a special toy can help them learn the importance of setting financial goals and understanding willpower." Reservoir pavilion open VIEW FROM THE TOP: The city recently opened the Mountain Country Foods Pavilion at the Spanish Fork Reservoir. In addition to providing a gathering place for families and groups, the pavilion provides a great view of the valley, above. Steve Hardman / Spanish Fork News ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT: Above, two boys row their inflatable craft. FUN IN THE SUN: Right, Ryker Wing, age 2, of Spanish Fork enjoys the refreshing waters of the Reservoir. According to his mom, Brandy, they visit about once a week, because it's usually just a bunch of moms and their kids. • LDS author Trista Pinkston ("Nothing to Regret" and "Strength to Endure") wrote a recent blog about Christian fiction that got me thinking. Like Trista, I read a lot of books fjom both classifications. Although LDS church members seem to be willing to read good Christian fiction, members of those same Christian churches don't always seem to be as willing to embrace LDS fiction. Both groups of novels seem to share the same basic themes. 1. Both carry uplifting messages. 2. Neither uses explicit language. 3. Romantic encounters are tastefully and modestly handled. 4. The characters face situations- and decisions that might test their mettle, but their faith gets them through. 5. The scriptures play an important role in the lives of the characters, albeit the LDS stories do use all of the standard works, not just the Bible. The differences between the two kinds of fiction are present when LDS characters talk about missions, the temple and Relief Society, but Christian novels have their own unique attributes as well, including allowing stories about the Amish to fit into the general Christian classification. (See books by Beverly Lewis.) When it comes right down to -it, Christian and LDS fiction have a lot more Lu Ann Brobst Staheli is in common than not. Readers a Christa McAulliffe Fellow, who wouldn't hesitate to 2005 Nebo Reading Teacher read a Jewish novel ("The of the Year, andformer Utah Chosen" by Chaim Potok) English Language Arts or a Catholic novel ("Last Teacher of the Year. Find Call" by Laura Pedersen) more information about seem to avoid LDS fiction literacy issues at www. like they would, as the cliche LuAnnsLibrary.blogspot. goes, "a plague." com. She can be reached at I suggest we all build LuAnn @ LuAnnStaheli.com, The many uses of popcorn but cornbread is inherently per person, per day for a twocrumbly and somewhat week period.) And what would our food difficult for kids, and me, to Dawn Van Nosdol handle. I have found that by storage be if we couldn't use serving it up muffin style, it to make dessert? Useless. The last time that I bought it is easier to pop off the Not really, but certainly not popcorn I bought 50 lbs. of it top and butter it while still as delicious. Remember, for only $9.88. And so you maintaining its shape better we want to make our food say "Big deal, why in the than the traditional cut square storage nutritious, easy and world would you want to eat style. Muffin style also makes good tasting. 50 lbs. of popcorn?" Well, it easier to eat on the run or as Caramel Corn it's- because I like popcorn. a snack. 12 to 14 cups popped That and I can grind it and Another really quick, popcorn have fresh ground cornmeal yummy, easy recipe is 3/4 cup packed brown and popcorn stores for a Tamale Pie. This is especially sugar very long time in your food good for camping out or for 1/2 cup butter or storage. When grinding scouts that want to cook up margarine popcorn, it is important that something quick, easy and 1/4 cup light corn syrup you use an electric grinder delicious in the Dutch Oven. 1/2 teaspoon salt and preferably a cooler one. I Tamale Pie 1/2 teaspoon baking soda tried to grind the popcorn by 6 cups Chili - homemade Divide popcorn between hand once, but it got too hot or your favorite brand two un-greased 9x13 pans. and started to pop. 2 cups cornmeal Cook brown sugar, butter, One of my favorite corn 5 cups water corn syrup and salt over bread recipes uses fresh 1 teaspoon salt medium heat, stirring ground popcorn kernels. Place water, cornmeal occasionally until bubbly Mom's Cornbread and salt in a double boiler around the edges. Continue 1 1/2 cups flour and cook covered . for cooking five more minutes, 3/4 teaspoon salt about 30 minutes, stirring and then remove from heat. ; 1 1/2 cups cornmeal occasionally until quite Stir in baking soda until it 3 eggs stiff. Line the bottom of a goes all foamy (For your '-. 2 tablespoons baking greased deep casserole dish information, use one of •; powder with 1/2 of the prepared your larger saucepans or : cornmeal. Pour in the chili you'll have a mess on your ' 3/4 cup oil ' and then spread the top with hands.) Pour over popcorn 3/4 cup sugar the remaining cornmeal. and stir until coated. 11/2 cups milk Pre-heat oven to 400 Bake for about 30 minutes For crunchier corn, bake • degrees. Mix all ingredients at 350 degrees. uncovered in a 200 degree just until well moistened. Pour This is so very easy, why . oven for one hour, stirring into a greased 9x13 pan and wait to try it. And really, look every 15 minutes. I have bake for 20 minutes. I actually at how many ingredients never had the patience to ; prefer to pour my batter into a there are only four. If you do that and- so we have greased or sprayed muffin tin. have your water stored, then just always eaten it sticky, : This is a very moist cornbread you will be able to make this gooey and yummy. Happy :' and it tastes really good, in an emergency (two gallons, food storage eating! * Ready or Not >\ bridges instead of running away, and a good place to start might be by reading about characters who believe something different from what we do or not, depending on the way we understand the theme of the story to really be. . Unsung Lullaby by Josi Kilpack (Deseret Book, 2006) is about Matt and Maddie Shep who have long wanted to become parents. But Maddie lost an ovary due to medical reasons, and she knew it would be hard to have a baby, even with the most valiant of efforts. The stress of fertility treatments creates stress between them, taking the romance out of their lives, but nothing like what Matt's secret about his past could bring. Why didn't he take care of this back when it happened? He went through the repentance process based on the facts he had then. But now the facts have changed, and a child may enter the Shep's life after all, but not in the way they had hoped it would be. Hidden Places by Lynn Austin (Bethany House, 2001) is about a woman named Eliza Rose Wyatt who becomes a widow. The likelihood of her keeping herself and her three children alive, let alone Wyatt Orchards, seems slim. But no one has truly estimated the desire of this woman to survive during the Great Depression. Her determination is to succeed alone, no matter what it takes. Even if that means ignoring the advances from the handsome hobo, Gabriel Harper. |