Editor’s note: Daryl Hoole, the author of the best-selling book The Art of Homemaking and a Meridian columnist, has been a feature on the LDS lecture circuit for many years. She has taught generations of young women how to create happy, healthy, and organized homes. At the end of the current BYU Education Week, Daryl announced that at age 75, she was retiring from public speaking. Dian recently visited with Daryl and her husband Hank to talk about their journey together.

It is always a wonderful day when I get an invitation from Daryl Hoole to have dinner. A few weeks ago while I talking with Daryl on the phone, she asked me if I could come to an Indonesian dinner she was going to prepare for her family.

Daryl and her husband Hank are both Dutch, and they served a mission to The Netherlands together. There are many Indonesian people who live in Holland, and this has given them both a love of Indonesian food.

As we sat around the table, one of Daryl’s grandchildren asked me how I knew their grandmother. I thought for a few minutes and then I said, “I can't remember when I didn't know your grandmother.”

Daryl’s mother, Ada, was a missionary companion with my mother, and my mother had talked about Daryl and her mother as long as I can remember. My mother thought so much of Daryl’s mother. They were both 21 when they were companionsin the Northwest Mission (Seattle).

As I joined BYU Education Weeks and began traveling though the summers, Daryl and I had the wonderful opportunity of speaking several times at the same events. I remember that in the late '70s,Daryl and I were speaking together in Las Vegas. We were to travel from there to Phoenix in our cars in June, where were would be for two weeks doing BYU Education Week in the Arizona area.

Daryl was traveling with many of her (then) seven children. Since Hank was not with her and I was in my car by myself, we decided that it would be best if we traveled together. What a hot trip! I did not have any air-conditioning in my car, so Daryl's children took turns riding with me and spraying me and them with a spray bottle. This was our only way to keep a little cool as we crossed the desert.

We also tested out cooking a chicken on the manifold of the car as we drove. I am not sure that the chicken was cooked by the manifold as much as it was by the hot weather. All in all we had such a memorable trip.

Last week at BYU Education Week, Daryl gave her final presentation. She told me that it was time to hang up the shingle. This grand lady has done more than any other woman I know to help the homemaker of the Church learn the skill of homemaking.

I can remember my mother following Daryl to any event that she could and taking copious notes. Then she would come home and change the way we did things — all for the better. I do not know a person who has done more for families throughout her lifetime than Daryl. She is also the proud mother of 8 children and more than 30 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

If you want to learn more about Daryl Hoole and all her ideas and systems go tohttp://www.theartofhomemaking.com/. Daryl’s book The Art of Homemaking was written on an electric typewriter in 1962. After a bookstore life of more than 25 years, it was reissued in digital format. She and her daughters and daughters-in-law have written a more modern edition, The Ultimate Career — The Art of Homemaking for Today, which is also available on the website.

I thought it would be fun for you to see what a great cook Daryl is, so I took a few photos so I could visually share this delicious Indonesian dinner.

Daryl Hoole at home, enjoying a wonderful evening with family and friends.

Hank supervises the grilling while Daryl looks on.

Kroe Poek — dried shrimp in chip form

Marinated cucumbers, Indonesian-style

Bumbu, a special egg dish from Bali

Nasi Goreng(fried rice)

These vegetables look like any frozen vegetables from the supermarket, but there’s a surprise.

This peanut sauce, called Gado Gado, goes over the vegetables, turning them from bland to delicious.

Top Ten Reasons Why Daryl Hoole is One of My Top Ten Amazing People

1. She is always positive.
2. She freely shares her talents with others to help them live a better life.
3. She lives what she teaches. On several occasions I have had the opportunity of visiting her home and seeing her skills in action.
4. She lives her life with grace.
5. She had learn to juggle a lot in her life. I am sure that she (like everyone) started with one ball and has worked up to several.
6. She is always interested in me and asks question about what I am doing and where I am going. She always is interested in the world around her.
7. She never stops learning. At 75 she is very proficient with technology.
8. She is real and genuine.
9. She has raised a wonderful family and is very involved in their lives.
10. She is a master at work in so many areas of her life — home, family, organization, business (along with being a great host and cook).

Dian Thomas is the author of several bestselling books. She also takes people to China. To learn more and to sign up for one of her many news tips, go to
www.dianthomas.com.