November 2014 Primary Theme {Free Printable}

The Primary theme for November also comes from The Family: A Proclamation to the World. "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ." I have seen this principle at work in the life of my own family. When we take the time to read scriptures together, pray together, & teach and learn together, I see a real difference in the way we interact with each other. That doesn't mean our home is rainbows and bliss all the time...I mean, we're only human. But it does mean that we try a little harder to be a little kinder, and who couldn't use a little more kindness in their life? Why do we try so hard to make our families better? Because we believe that we will be together for eternity. No one wants to spend eternity with someone they don't like. I love my family, & because I want to spend eternity with them, I'm going to work as hard as I can to make our family a happy one.

Get the free printable by clicking {here}.

The Book of Mormon App

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as Mormons. As a Mormon, I believe in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is similar to the Bible, but is written by people who were living in the Americas before and at the time of Christ. Jesus Christ visited them after his resurrection and taught them many of the same things that he taught to the Jews while he was alive. Recently, the church created a free app that contains text and audio versions of The Book of Mormon. To learn more, check it out here. To download it from the Apple store, go here.
I've read The Book of Mormon many times in my life, starting as a small child reading with my family. I first read it on my own around age 14, and have read it over again many times since. I want you to know that I know that it is a true book. In my current reading, I am in 3rd Nephi, which is when Christ visits the people called the Nephites. It is beautiful scripture, and always touches my heart. I know that I can come closer to Christ by reading The Book of Mormon, and invite you to do the same.

And hey, if you read it and don't like it, you won't be out anything, as it's totally free!

Time Out for Women

I was able to attend Time Out for Women on the 15th-16 of October with my sisters, mom & cousin. I always love TOFW & look forward to the break from life to be able to sit & listen to inspirational talks about how amazing I am as a woman, wife & mother. If you've never been, check it out for next year! This is my scrapbook page for the event.



Turning my heart

Today I am excited! "Why?" you ask. Well, I'll tell you! It's because of Patriarchal Blessings. If you aren't familiar with what a Patriarchal Blessing is, feel free to click on one of those links to find out more. A Patriarchal Blessing is specific to each person. It contains advice and blessings for the Lord, and also reveals your lineage from Abraham. I received my blessing when I was 15 and it has been a great source of comfort, joy, direction, advice, and so much more, throughout my life. Even though it always contains the same words, I feel like I find something new each time I read it. I love it! It's like a chapter of scripture written specifically for me, which is pretty neat! So, why I am I so excited?
Last week, I was checking out the new LDS.org website. It has recently be redesigned and is amazingly easy to use. It has some new features, including a certain button under the Tools menu called "Patriarchal Blessing: Request a Copy." There are two ways to use this button. If you've received your own blessing and would like another copy, you can request your own. Or, if you have deceased ancestors who received their blessings, you can request a copy of their blessing. Obviously you have to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to use this, and you do have to log in to make the request.
I haven't done much research for my family history, but I am so excited about this feature, because in reading the blessings of my ancestors, I can come to know them in such a personal, spiritual way.
So, I requested a copy of my grandfather's blessing, and it arrived in the mail today. Such a neat experience! So go ahead, check it out, and request the blessings of those of your family who have passed on. Today I requested the blessings of my great grandmother and grandfather. I can't wait until they arrive.

Fashion Show

A New Ward

I know it's shock, but we are in a new ward. We've only been in our current (well, now previous) ward for about 8 months, 4 of which we were in Phoenix with Sharon at the hospital. But, tonight the ward boundaries in our stake were realigned, and our little chunk of a subdivision was put into a new ward. Long Mountain Ward, here we come! I am glad it's not just us & that we have at least a few familiar faces coming with us. We'll attend there next Sunday. Wish us luck!

Happy Easter

Check out this amazing video, with the message from a talk that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave at the April 2009 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is so beautiful!

If you haven't already heard

The Young Women's program in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a change. A new value has been added to the 7 original values of Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice & Accountability, Good Works & Integrity. That new value is Virtue. It's color is gold & the scripture that goes with it is Proverbs 31:10 which says: "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." The focuses for Virtue read: "I will prepare to enter the temple & remain pure & worthy. My thoughts & actions will be based on high moral standards." I am really excited about the value experiences & the 10 hour project associated with this value as it really helps the girls practice living virtuous & chaste lives in preparation for entering the temple to take out their own endowments. The 10 hour project is reading the entire Book of Mormon with a focus on what those who followed the Savior did to lead virtuous lives.

I am going to be working on these experiences & the project, & I invite all of you to do it also. Not only will it greatly bless your spiritual life, your marriage or other relationships will benefit & you will be working toward attending the temple if you haven't already gone, or you will be keeping yourself worthy to return. These goals aren't just for the young women, they are for all the members of the church, and I hope that you will take the challenge & do this as I do.

If you want a copy of the insert you can order it for free at the distribution center, or you can click on this link for the PDF version.

YW Daily Challenge Reminder Card

I saw something similar to this online on an LDS idea website, and decided to design my own so that I could give them out to my Young Women at our New Beginnings. I think it is so cute, and thought I would share it with all of you! I actually have about 20 different styles, using different background paper.