The Things I Love

Letters in the Jade Dragon Box and a Giveaway

2012-02-01T04:53:00.000-08:00

I love history…but I have a hard time reading history books. I really like to learn about history by reading novels. I was excited when I received this book from Deseret Book. China is a place I don’t know a lot about and I have been interested to learn more about. This book, by Gale Sears, who also wrote The Silence of God, wrote this book The Jade Dragon Box moving from writing about the Soviet Union to China and the hardships of Communism and the rule of Mao Tes-tung and the time following his death. I really enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot about communism, the Church in Hong Kong and the hardships that people have gone through. Makes me grateful.

The book is based on real life events. It’s a story about a girls who at a young age was able to escape communist China to live with her Uncle in Hong Kong, who was also one of the first members of the church in Hong Kong. Somehow her mother, who still lived in China was able to send her a box, some art and letters when the girl was 15 years old. It was great timing for her because she had a lot of question about her life and needed some answers. Through the letters she reads she was able to remember her past, learn to forgive and ….{you will have to read the book to find out more}

The author shares a lot about writing this book here…

Deseret Book wants to give away a free copy of this book to one of my readers!

Here is how to enter…

Leave a comment telling me why you would like this book

For Extra Entries

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Giveaway will end on the 6th at Midnight

Are you Struggling to Juggle?

2012-01-31T04:51:00.000-08:00

{Picture from here}

I just wanted to thank those that left such nice comments on my last post. I needed them….so thank you very much! A couple of the things that were said that stuck out to me were…

“I told myself to just not even think about what I didn't do and instead think about everything I DID do this week. I made a short list of some wonderful things I did and experiences I had and felt good about. Then I reminded myself that there will ALWAYS be a list of things I want to do; but as long as I keep moving forward, there will ALSO always be a list of things I can be happy that I did and became... :).”

I am seriously going to do this on a daily basis in my scripture journal. I need to recognize the good that I do each day and not get down that I didn’t do enough….because you know what? I got up and I did my day and sure there is always tomorrow to improve, but I got through today!!

“I like to think that I can have it all, just not all at once. There are seasons in life and we're in the season of chaos, nothing will ever even resemble perfect until we're done with diapers”

That is soooo true, especially the diaper comment But really…I really truly can have so much, but maybe not all at once. And I need to be Ok with that.

“I would suggest some good chocolate and a good book. You can't do everything at once and you shouldn't try. A lot of your list is things you have put on yourself to do, but are not from outside sources. I would say narrow your list down to good, better, and best. What is going to release the most stress for you? Painting the high chair, going on date nights, exercise??? I would say pintrest could be low on the list, because it will be there, unchanged until you get to it and it isn't' cluttering up your house.”

I will get to the Chocolate in 21 days after I am done with my eating plan….and as far as a good book, I am excited to tell you tomorrow about one that I just read! As far as narrowing things down that is exactly what my husband told me to do. Do the most important things each day and then if there is time to do a little extra then do the most important first.

So I took a couple of days off from blogging to think about life and what my priorities should be.

The top on my list is to be with my kids, spend time with them and teach them.
Next is my gospel study and going to the Temple {at least once a month, but I would like to go every other week if I find the time}
Next is the house, keeping it clean, making dinner and doing laundry.
Spend good quality time with my husband.
Next comes anything that I need to do for my calling.
Then comes exercise and blogging {good for an out and good for my brain}
If there is time at the end of the day and my husband is still busy I can find time to read others blogs, scrapbook and read a good book. Sometimes reading a good blog is just as good as reading a good book!
As far as emails & Facebook I’m only going to check my emails 2 x’s a day and Facebook…only if there is time to waste {which doesn’t really happen all that often}
Pinterest and craft projects…I need to wait until summer to think about that stuff, so it’s going on the complete back burner!

Later in the day, after I had cried to my husband about how I felt {seriously, why do I get so emotional sometimes…darn hormones}, I put my kids down to bed and had some peaceful time to myself. I read from the Ensign an article, written just for me, called “Finding Harmony as we Struggle to Juggle”. This article was an answer to my feeling crazy.

He mentions 4 things we need to do to find “Harmony” in our everyday lives.

Increase Energy- by praying, scripture reading, exercising, and eating healthy, take a short nap, talk to a good friend, and turn on good music to lift your soul.
Simplify Your Life- ahhh….yup! Exactly why this article was written for me. “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and in order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength {Mosiah 4:27}. Combine things that need to be done. I am a women, I can multi task. Read while nursing the baby, walk/jog and listen to a good book on tape, make dinner with the help of my kids. There are really so many ways to do this!
Focus on the Most Important Things – My gospel study and family are the most important thing that need to be taken care of daily.
Center of the Savior – If my life is centered around Christ he will help me to get the things done that I need to and help me to know each day what I should do next.

Two of my favorite quotes from this article are

“I am aware that life presents many challenges, but with the help of the Lord, we need not fear. If our lives and our faith are centered on Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong” by Howard W. Hunter

I love that he writes “permanently wrong” because seriously things are still going to go wrong…but not permanently wrong!

When the primary focus of our life is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, everything else – employment, home and church – falls into place. Sheri L. Dew taught, “Coming unto Christ means walking away from the world.. It means placing Christ and Christ only at the center of our lives.

I need to learn to balance my responsibilities, set my priorities straight, center my life on Christ, and become a disciple of him. To me to become a disciple of Christ is to know him, to try to be like him and teach others like he did…and the most important place to start doing that is in our own homes!! Life probably isn’t going to get easier…with 4 kids and a busy husband and being a homeschooling family it will most likely get even busier, but I have learned just in these last 3 days that if I turn things over to God and focus my life on Christ that I can do all that he puts in my path!

Sunday Repost -

2012-01-29T15:37:00.001-08:00

I love primary music! It’s simple message always teaches something each time I listen to it. Here are two post about primary songs that I love.

I know that the Savior Loves Me

Primary Songs That Touch our Hearts

Here is the song for this new year, and here are the words.

My Mind is Going Crazy…

2012-01-28T13:12:00.001-08:00

Lately I have not felt great…not health wise, but just attitude wise. I feel a bit overwhelmed in life. I know I do this to myself. It’s hard to not want to be perfect and do everything just right. I need to feel a bit more balance and less being pulled in a million directions. Here’s what is on my mind…

Jack Jack is all sorts of crazy right now. He is happy one minute and then screaming angry the next…is it a 3 year old thing or just my son? I want to help him just be happy.
I need to finish our goal charts…maybe I will make a goal to do that
I want to print off our new family pictures that my friend took, but I don’t want to make more holes in the wall and I don’t want to redecorate.
Speaking of moving…I am really feeling the need to asap, which isn’t really possible until we get our taxes done.
I would like to organize my pins on pinterest and get rid of the ones I wouldn’t ever do even though they look fun. I only look at pinterest at night for 10 mins, so I need to organize instead of pin.
I did just finish my blog book for 2009-2010 and am half way done with 2011….now just to get the money to purchase them.
I need to get more motivated to exercise.
Serve others around me.
I wish there was a way for me to earn some extra money to purchase things I want {yes you read that right…things I want!}
I need to get back into scrapbooking on Saturday and Sunday nights….and purchase my 2010 book
I want to paint my high chair so that it matches our table..
School is going well, but I want to plan more fun projects to do during the week. I also need to be better at preparing over the weekend instead of scrambling it all together on Sunday night.
Go on date nights with my hubby and also take the kids out on individual nights.
Buy Coconut oil and agave
Start planning our R.S. Activities for the year.
I am on this eating plan until Feb 21st and it is driving me insane. I am considering quitting!
I need to figure out a better meal plan for our family…considering doing the Super Healthy Kids Monthly Meal plan.
I need to sort through kids clothes….and figure out their needs after that.
I would really like to change my blog up a little, I am not loving my header anymore. I still want it simple just something new on top and new tabs….any recommendations?

Wow…yup I feel like that’s a lot. Do you moms ever feel a bit overwhelmed. I know there are a few things on this list I could totally take out, like pinterest {which I am considering coming back to in the summer and after we move} but really all the other things are important to me.

I need to just take a deep breath and relax…right? Okay I will! Thanks for giving me permission! I promise I am a happy person…just feeling a bit overwhelmed.

What To Do With All Those Sweet Notes....

2012-01-27T05:58:00.000-08:00

When you get something like this...

What do you do with it?

I never knew what to do with it, I hated throwing them away, but I hate clutter. I had a big file folder of notes from my kids, birthday cards and letters from my husband that I knew I wanted to keep, but not in a messy filing cabinet. A couple of weeks ago I decided to go through that mess and de- clutter. I bought this nicer scrapbook binder from Walmart for $10 and then bought some sheet protectors for the bigger pages, and started filing the pages with sweet notes from my kids and family members, even some friends. I know I am going to love looking at this book in years to come.

What do you do with this kind of stuff?

Things We Say Wrong

2012-01-25T05:52:00.000-08:00

This is funny…

How do you say Milk or Warm?
I’m off on an adventure with my kids tomorrow, I’ll tell you about it as soon as I get back!!

Courageous–A Must See

2012-01-23T00:35:00.000-08:00

If you have not seen this movie you should. It’s about Dad’s, and being, not just about being “good” dads, but Better days. Being leaders, teachers, examples,and true Christians. It’s about a man answering his call as a father and husband. I watched it with my husband on Friday night and we both loved it and although he wouldn’t admit to it, it was a tear jerker for both of us. This movie was produced by Provident Films the same people that did Facing the Giants and Fireproof. Both of which are excellent films.

For some reason it is PG-13, which I normally would be skeptical about, but there was no language, just gangs and drugs. This is the trailer…

Basically the gist of the movie is about these Dads that come to realize that they need to step up a little, and become true Christians and better Fathers. The main character comes up with a “Resolution” that he gets all these other dads to sign. If there were more dads like these ones in the movie, this world would be an amazing place. This movie not only motivated my husband to want to be a better dad {which he already is, but we can all be better…right?}, it motived me to want to be better also. To want to teach my kids daily of Gods love for them, and to be there and to support them and spend time with them.

Here are the Resolutions that they commit to in the movie. They are all wonderful…can you imagine if all Men lived up to this!

THE RESOLUTION
I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my
children.
•I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the
spiritual leader of my home.
•I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my
life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
•I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of
their minds, and all of their strength.
•I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
•I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
•I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
•I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
•I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
•I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a
man answerable to God.
•I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His
will.
•I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for
the rest of my life and for His glory.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15

There is a line in the movie where he talks about how we only have a short amount of time with our kids at home to teach them and let them know how much we care about them and to teach the moral values to live by. We need to stop wasting our time and be with our families. {That is not a direct quote seeing that I took the movie back to Red Box, but it’s the gist of what he says.} So one of my resolutions that I want to commit to today is to become a better mother by focusing my time during my kids waking hours on them and their needs. To teach them daily of God and of righteous living. To help them to become amazing adults, and not waste the precious time we have to teach them on doing stuff I want to get done, but spend time with them and have them help with the things that need to get done!

The Book of Mormon and How it Can Affect Our Lives

2012-01-22T13:28:00.001-08:00

{This was my Relief Society Lesson I taught last week}

I am very excited for this year in Sunday school to Study the Book of Mormon. For the last couple of weeks I have felt impressed that this is what my lesson should be on. Three of the articles in the Ensign this month are about the Book or Mormon, one is called "The Book or Mormon and Gods plan for us" by Elder Stanley Ellis and the other one is called "Finding Answers in the Book of Mormon" by Sara Smith. and then also article called "Children Delight in the Book of Mormon" that talks about a Book of Mormon Exhibit for children at the Church History Museum. I am really excited to take my kids to that!Then I went and bought the October 2011 Ensign, Our subscription had ended and I hadn't seen it...After looking through it's pages I was wowed. If you don't have it you can read from it here.

Does anyone remember President Hinckley’s Challenge given in August 2006, to Finish the book of Mormon by the end of the year.

He said, "We studied the Book of Mormon in Sunday School this past year. Nonetheless I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon. If you will read a bit more than one and one-half chapters a day, you will be able to finish the book before the end of this year. Very near the end of its 239 chapters, you will find a challenge issued by the prophet Moroni as he completed his record nearly 16 centuries ago. Said he: "And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust? . . . "And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true" (Moroni 10:27, 29).

Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”

Leading up to hearing that talk, I had probably read the whole standard works...maybe from being in seminary and young womens, but hadn't really had a time when I just read the book of Mormon in a certain amount of time. I had just had my son that year, we had moved from California for two months and then back to Orem and then down to Saint George. I had ALL sorts of excuses to not "be able" to do it. But it kept pressing on my mind that I NEEDED to for my family and for me. It got to be about November and I decided I was going to do it. I got it on CD and followed along with it, underlining and just enjoy the peace of reading and listening to the Book of Mormon. I remember finishing it and feeling so peaceful and grateful that I did.
I have been thinking a lot lately about what the Book of Mormon has done for me in my life and what I can learn from it’s pages. I started thinking why? Why so much about the Book of Mormon in the last couple of months? Here are a few reason I came up with from numerous talks that I have read.

What can the Book of Mormon do for us?

#1 There are promises from God if we read it!

In the first article in the ensign by President Monson called "Precious Promises of the Book of Mormon" it says...
“From the Book of Mormon come other precious promises, including promises of peace, freedom, and blessings if we “will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).

From its pages comes the promise of “never-ending happiness” to “those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual” (Mosiah 2:41).

From its pages comes the promise of “incomprehensible joy” to those who become “instrument[s] in the hands of God” in rescuing His precious sons and daughters (Alma 28:8; 29:9).

From its pages comes the promise that scattered Israel will be gathered—a work in which we are engaged through our great worldwide missionary efforts (see 3 Nephi 16; 21–22).

From its pages comes the promise that as we pray unto the Father in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, our families will be blessed (see 3 Nephi 18:21).

From a study of its pages comes the fulfillment of the prophetic promise that “there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”

And from the pages of the Book of Mormon comes Moroni’s promise that through prayer, real intent, and faith in Christ, we may know the truth of these promises “by the power of the Holy Ghost” (see Moroni 10:4–5).

Wow, after reading all those promises why would I not want to read from it’s pages and find incomprehensible joy, never-ending happiness and have an added measure of the spirit in my home.

#2 We can learn more about God plan for our lives...
In the talk “The Book of Mormon and God's Plan for Us” by Elder Ellis Says...

"Nowhere in scripture is God’s plan more clearly defined and taught than in the Book of Mormon."
One of the common themes of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that God has a plan. It is described with various names reflecting its various parts—the plan of happiness, the plan of mercy, the plan of redemption, the plan of salvation (see Alma 42:5–31).

He says...

“Let’s examine the Book of Mormon for some practical implications of God’s plan for our daily living, looking for ways to “liken [it] unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).
For example, God has a plan for prayer—He asks us to “pray always”

God has a plan for scripture reading—we need to study the scriptures every day. As Nephi said, “Feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3). Some of us don’t like to read or have a hard time understanding scriptural language or would rather spend our time in other pursuits. The Lord’s plan, however, is that we read the scriptures daily.

God has a plan for family home evening—through His prophets, He encourages us to hold family home evening each week (see 3 Nephi 18:21; Mosiah 1:4; 4:14–15). This is not easy when family members have conflicting schedules. Some family members may not cooperate, but God’s plan is that we hold family home evening each week.

The Lord has a plan for worshipping Him—we are spiritually strengthened as we attend our meetings every Sunday. If we have to work Saturday night, we may feel tired. At times we may be frustrated with some ward members, teachers, or leaders. We may not have a ride or money for the subway or bus. The Lord’s plan, however, is that we go—even if we have to walk. The effort to attend weekly is part of the sacrifice the Lord expects of us (see Mosiah 13:16–19; 18:25; D&C 59:9).

God has a plan for service—each of us needs to serve in the Church and do our best to magnify our callings. The Church of Jesus Christ is not a church of spectators; it is a church of workers. We may not enjoy certain callings, we may feel incapable, or we may think we have done our part and deserve a rest. But God’s plan is that we serve Him by serving others (see Mosiah 2:17). As we serve Him, we come to know Him (see Mosiah 5:13).

The Lord has a plan for tithing—each of us is expected to pay a full tithing. We live in difficult times, and some of us are having a hard time financially. We may think that paying tithing would be easier if we were better off, but God’s plan is that each of us be a full-tithe payer regardless of our circumstances (see 3 Nephi 24:10). By paying our tithing, we give the Lord an opportunity to bless us materially and strengthen us spiritually.

God has a plan for fast offerings—each month we have an opportunity to fast and donate a fast offering to help the poor (see Mosiah 4:26). This wonderful plan blesses the needy as well as those who fast and make an offering. It is so much better than all of the world’s plans.

God has a plan for missions—every able young man should serve a mission. Some young men do not want to work that hard or would rather get married, go to college, get a job, or do nothing. But God’s plan is that every young man who is physically and mentally capable prepare himself to serve a mission. Many young women choose to serve also. We have personally witnessed the blessings of having our sons and our daughters serve missions. The Lord needs senior couples as missionaries too.

God has a plan for marriage—after a mission, the next step is temple marriage. Some young people don’t feel ready for the responsibility of marriage, or they think they cannot get married because they don’t have a house or a car or a job or a degree. Remember that Nephi was living in a tent and was no longer enjoying his family’s former wealth when the Lord sent him and his brothers back to Jerusalem so that they could take the daughters of Ishmael to wife (see 1 Nephi 2:4; 7:1–5; 16:7).

God has a plan for families—“The family is ordained of God” and is “central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”2 Children are a blessing from the Lord. They are a lot of work, but they are worth it. With our nine children we have learned that the work and challenges of family life are nothing compared to the joy that comes from having a posterity. Some couples may think they can’t afford children or that they cannot love or care for more than a few. There are many plans, but God’s plan is that we exercise the faith necessary to marry and welcome children into our home. The Book of Mormon—an account of families, from Lehi’s to Mormon’s—is replete with examples and teachings for parents and children.

The Lord has a plan for the temple—He expects us to worship in the temple regularly. President Howard W. Hunter (1907–1995) urged us to make the temple the symbol of our membership in the Church.3 He and other latter-day prophets have counseled us to have a current temple recommend even if we cannot attend the temple. Sometimes we feel unworthy or don’t have the means to go to the temple, or we rationalize that we will go tomorrow, next week, or next month. There are many plans, but the Lord’s plan is that we have a current temple recommend and use it often. When the resurrected Savior visited the Nephites, He came to the temple (see 3 Nephi 11:1–10). We too can feel close to Him in the temple.”

This year as I study the scriptures I want to find these “plans for our lives” in the pages. I had never really thought about how Gods plan is shown to us in the pages of the Scriptures.

#3- The book of Mormon Teaches about the Love of God and how to be more like him.

In this article in the Ensign by Elder Nelson it says....
"In these latter days we who are privileged to have the Book of Mormon, to be members of the Lord’s Church, to have His gospel, and to keep His commandments know something of God’s infinite love. We know how to make His love our own. As we become His true disciples, we gain the power to love as He does. As we keep His commandments, we become more like Him. We broaden our personal circle of love in reaching out to people of every nation, kindred, and tongue.

With profound gratitude for His exemplary life, we can make this scripture our standard: “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons [and daughters] of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (Moroni 7:48).5”

There is a testimony written by a convert on the side of this article….

To Know Is to Know Love
“I am a new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to me the Book of Mormon is not just a book. It is solid proof that Heavenly Father loves us. It is proof that earlier Saints loved us and wanted us to come home. It is proof that God’s plan of happiness exists and is perfect.

To know that this book is true is to know that Heavenly Father and His Son live. It is to know that life is beautiful and eternal. It is to know that as long as you keep trying to be your best and repent when you fall, then you will always be forgiven. It is to know the true meaning of family. It is to know that you will never lose a loved one, as he or she waits for you. It is to know the blessings of Heavenly Father. It is to know the comfort that whatever storms come your way, you can face them, as they are for your benefit. It is to know the Holy Ghost is your constant companion. In essence, it is to know love in all its expressions.”

It is proof of his love for us…amazing proof that he is there, that he cares and will be there when we struggle, when we need his help the most. But that he is also there for us daily in our lives no matter what we are going through!

#4 The Book of Mormon Strengthens our faith in Jesus Christ
Elder Neil L Anderson says...”We need our own secure and settled faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we need help in strengthening our families so that this faith flows into the hearts of our children and grandchildren. Faith in Jesus Christ, when solidly anchored in our souls, brings true conversion, and in its wake come repentance, honest discipleship, miracles, spiritual gifts, and enduring righteousness. This is an important part of the divine mission of the Book of Mormon.

#5 Great Power can come from memorizing scriptures.
Elder Scott says, “To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change. “
A scripture I think about on a weekly basis is D&C 6:36 “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” I remember small little moments in my life when I was in a situation and words from a scripture came into my mind and I felt comforted and strengthened in a hard situation.

Elder Scott went on to say…
“Pondering a scripture like that gives great direction to life. The scriptures can form a foundation of support. They can provide an incredibly large resource of willing friends who can help us. A memorized scripture becomes an enduring friend that is not weakened with the passage of time. Pondering a passage of scripture can be a key to unlock revelation and the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Scriptures can calm an agitated soul, giving peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one’s ability to overcome the challenges of life. They have potent power to heal emotional challenges when there is faith in the Savior. They can accelerate physical healing.
Scriptures can communicate different meanings at different times in our life, according to our needs. A scripture that we may have read many times can take on nuances of meaning that are refreshing and insightful when we face a new challenge in life.”

I am grateful for my “friendship” that I have with the scriptures,and hope to strengthen that friendship. I KNOW they are true. I hope to better my study of the scriptures so that I can become closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ and try to become more like him. It is true what he says about how “Scriptures can calm an agitated soul, giving peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one’s ability to overcome the challenges of life.” Even just reading a few verses a day brings peace into my life and help me through my days!

I am linking up to the Book of Mormon Forum here at We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ.

What to do for our 10 year?

2012-01-20T07:07:00.001-08:00

So my husband and I have never left our kids for more than 1 night. Yup I know, call us crazy. We just haven’t. We went on a trip to San Fran for our 1 year anniversary when I was 2 months pregnant. And then 2 years ago on our anniversary we went to Park City while my sisters watched my kids for just one night.

I don’t really want to leave my kids at all, but I think it would be good for us to go on a trip. I asked my mom 2 years ago if she would come to our house and watch our kids while we went somewhere for our 10 year, she said yes. So, now we need to plan something.

Sooo, my question is…where should we go? March is our 10 year anniversary and we totally want to do something fun, but what should we do? If we go somewhere far I will probably have to wait until I am done nursing my baby in May. So in May…where should we go. A cruise? An all inclusive resort? Florida? Idaho? I need suggestions.

My other concern is that I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg. I don’t even want to spend half an arm! So we have to do this on a budget, and we really haven’t saved a ton for this. So we need to get saving…we’ve got 4 months.

Saving Money by Making Your Own....Not Money Silly!

2012-01-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

I got my hair cut and colored a few days ago. I haven't done that forever. I actually just went in to get a cut, and the sweet girl looked at my hair and side, "um....when was the last time you colored your hair, it needs it." I knew it needed it, but not that bad. With the sun shinging through the window I realized my regrowth was like 3 inches and looked HORRIBLE. Thanks to all my real friends that said something to me about it...I guess I don't have any. My problem is I absolutly despise paying more than $20 bucks on my hair. She told me the price and I about DIED. But she was super nice and suggested some things and I sat there thinking about how much I missed my blond hair and was sick of the dirty dishwater color that comes in after having a baby, so I text my husband and said "can I color my hair" he text back and said "whatever makes you happy dear" Ok not really, but he said it would be fine. {I didn't tell him the price until later and he about killed over}. No worries, we worked it out and he still loves me and my hair! She told me I needed to come back in 8 weeks, I am hoping it takes longer to grow out, but we shall see.

I just wanted to look more like my beautiful daughter...

So anyway on to my real reason for this post. I had to figure out another way to cut cost....So I went back to making my own Laundry Detergent. OK my hair is not really why I went back to making my own. We just ran out of the other box of stuff that my husband bought when we ran out last time so I made it this time around. This time I used my blender to mix it all together and I LOVE how it turned out and it smells so good.

If you make it... here a a cute tag you can put on your bottle that I made! I like to double this recipe and then it last so much longer.

Have a wonderful day! Oh and leave a comment, I love reading peoples comments. So if you have never commented on my blog and you have been reading it for a while...at least say "Hi!".

Spelling Time

2012-01-18T06:26:00.000-08:00

Spelling...It's not always the easiest thing to work on around here. Last year there were many a tear after being frustrated about spelling time. Over the summer I just kept trying to think of a better way to do spelling, and here is what I came up with.

On Monday we get our spelling words - I have a huge list of grade level words. I get through about 25-40 of them and I asks her if she knows how to spell it. If she spells it correctly we skip to the next word. When she spells one wrong, I tell her how to spell it and she write it in her Primary Spelling / Vocabulary Notebook. When she fills the page with 11 that she doesn't know we are done.

Tuesdays are Copy Days - She has to copy the words into the other column on the paper in her notebook.

Wednesdays are Sentence Days - She writes 3 sentences with 2 words in each sentence or 2 sentences with 3 words.

Thursdays are Creative Spelling Days - She loves this day. I give her the white board and a few different colors of markers and let her just creatively write each spelling word. She has had so much fun doing this.

Fridays are Review and Spelling Days - I give her about a half hour to look, spell out loud and review all her words. Then is the test. If she misses any of the words we just add them to her words for the next week!

This has been a great way for us to do spelling. Do you have any creative ways that your family works on spelling words?

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

2012-01-17T05:54:00.000-08:00

So you might think these look like ordinary pancakes, but they aren’t. They are A. MAZ.ING! I got the recipe in my Blendtec cookbook and adapted it to the way I like it.

I always hate to take food pictures, It’s not like food is photogenic and since I don’t have a really nice camera and can’t really make it “look” better, it is what it is!

On this picture I said, “smile” and it actually did…

Anyway, onto the recipe. These pancakes are super moist, delicious and pretty darn healthy.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes {from the Blentec Cookbook}

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 t olive oil

1 apple cored and quartered {leave peel on}

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 T Agave or Sucanut

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1 Cup Wheat Grain Flour

Mix all in blender and blend until ready. These were sweat enough that they really didn’t need anything on them. We did put a little agave on top though.

The Adventures of Off Roading in a Mini Van

2012-01-16T10:29:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine had told me about this Gypsum Mine out in the middle of no where {if you live in the area, I can send you directions} They call it Glitter Gulch. I told my family and some friends about it and we decided to go find it on Saturday….at 3:00, time is important here! Let’s just say the directions we got were WAY off unless there are two Glitter Gulches. We found it, or what we think it is and the kids had a blast. My son thinks he is going to be rich and famous because he collected a whole shirt full!

Oh and pockets full…

I wish the pictures showed how much it glittered but it was 4:00 by the time we got there. So just pretend these pretty rocks are glittering in the sunlight

My baby loved chewing on his first rock…

We hiked around a bit…

Carried crying kids, and hyper babies, and then decide to get in the car again…and that, my friends, is where the real adventure began…

My sister and her husband decided to drive down the road a bit and see if maybe there were 2 Glitter Gulches. We (our friends and us) decided to follow. We got to a fork in the road and decided to go left. It wasn’t to rocky…yet. Then we got to kind of a dead end…well sort of. It was a fenced opening, but it looked narrow. Our friend had a GPS and said that it would eventually loop around into the city right by ours and by some dinosaur tracks. We thought…ok why not. Had we been by our selves we would have for sure turned around. But hey we were two white minivans and a pathfinder…we would be just fine!

My kids thought the bumpy roads were fun and they were cheering and happy as can be.

Our friends little girl puked

It was pretty and still day light and we were enjoying the drive.

Then it got a bit rockier, but we had already driven so far and it wasn’t going to be easy to turn around. The rocks weren’t huge, but it was probably not the best drive to do in a mini van. {Don’t Judge}

Our friends got a flat…{see now its getting dark, it was about 6:00 right then}

But we did find this pillow on the side of the road, and considered taking it home…yuck. I wish I new the story behind the random pillow in the wilderness. Maybe it was an old pioneer pillow…he he

I kept teasing my husband that the road we drove on was an old wagon road for the pioneers.

Around 6:30 the kids were getting grumpy and hungry…ok I was also feeling the same way plus sick in my stomach from all the bumping around. I was surprised we all didn’t get a flat tire and have leaking oil pans.

We decided to play a game with the kids and apply this situation to our lives.

My daughter said that it is like life because it is rocky and sometimes not, but we can get through it, if we just keep going. {pretty good for and 8 year old}

My husband and I came up with this….This journey would have been a lot harder and a lot scarier had we been alone. Like life it is better to be surrounded by good friends and family. We are going to go through hard “bumps” in our lives, we are going to get “flat tires” along the way, but we are never alone if we surround ourselves with good people who will help us, and if we pray to our Heavenly Father to help us get “home safe”. Which we did!

I guess you could also apply this situation with being more prepared also…

During the drive my friend sent me a text saying “The only thing giving me hope is the light up ahead” Sure enough there was a light off in the distance. According to my friend GPS we were close, but it didn’t feel like it.

And here we are at 7:00 at night getting on to a paved road. We had driven 33 miles in 1 1/2 hours.

We all pulled up next to each other as we pulled out of there and my husband said “I didn’t see the dinosaur tracks can we go back?” ha-ha funny! We all just laughed. It was an adventure to remember and never go on again unless we all own Hummers…{which should happen as soon as my son makes his millions selling Gypsum}

As tired and hungry and grumpy as we were, this will make us laugh in the future {actually I am already laughing} and we made some fun memories I bet my kids will never forget.

Sunday Repost -

2012-01-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

For todays Sunday Repost, I am actually going to link you to some great post that I have read in the last week that have really uplifted me and helped me to appreciate life!

This is NOT My Dream Home - From Power of Moms
A Food Processor or a Cute Coat - From Power of Moms
Extraoridnary - Time Out For Women Blog
Why Complain - Time Out For Women Blog
Ask in Faith - Joy in the Journey

An Adventure Worth Telling…{but not today}

2012-01-14T20:12:00.001-08:00

We just got home from an adventure that involved 2 White Minivans, 1 Pathfinder, 33 miles in 1 and 1/2 hours, a flat tire and a trunk full of really cool rocks! Get excited to hear about it. But for now I will leave you with this really cute picture of the Little Mister!

He is almost 8 months old. Can you believe it!

Come back Monday and I will tell you all about our adventure.

Grandma N’s Sausage Corn Soup

2012-01-12T20:55:00.001-08:00

Pin It

I know this sounds weird, but this is SOOOOOO yummy! My kids even ate it and loved it, and they aren’t big soup lovers! Grandma made it for us when we were at her house. I don’t think she made up the recipe, but hey, she made it. It tasted good. So I am naming it after her!

1 lb. Sausage or Bacon cooked (I used sausage)
Sauté Green onions {I didn’t use them in this batch, but I would highly recommend it}
2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Cans regular milk {Chicken soup cans}
2 cans corn
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Simmer in pot. until hot. Top with Cheese!

This really is so so good! I hope you try it, and let me know if you do and what you think….K!

The Sweetest Gifts are the Ones From the Heart

2012-01-11T19:48:00.001-08:00

I can’t believe I forgot to share this with you. On Christmas Eve my kids gave me these gifts…

My sweet little 6 year old Cowboy had been begging his dad to help him write me a poem all week {I had no clue} I got all teary as he read/sang it to me. He said it’s a song, but didn’t really have a tune figured out yet!

And my daughter, who thinks I need to become a quilter and has been saving the lids to our hairspray, made me some thimbles….let’s hope they work when I start up quilting.

I remember as a kid giving my parents pictures, small notes and homemade gifts. I now know how much those gifts really touched their hearts. I got all teary when they gave these to me. Such a sweet gesture of love to a mother to know that her kids were thinking of just her and wanted to give her something special. I love being a mommy!

The Piano Guys

2012-01-10T10:50:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of the Piano Guys? Well I just did {OK I have loved John Schmidt for a long time) They started right here where I live. You can read more about them here. And this is their newest work, it’s awesome…

You can get a free MP3 download here.

Sunday Repost - Teaching Kids

2012-01-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

I taught Relief Society today. Not a good combination to be nervous and also fasting for the first time since before I was pregnant. Thought I was going to pass out. Actually felt light headed and dizzy there for a bit. But I pulled through and I felt good about it!

Here are some post from the past that I picked to share with you today..

Teaching Your Kids to Be Independent
Teaching our Children to Pray
Teaching your Kids the Importance of Saving Money

Being pulled in all different directions…

2012-01-07T22:11:00.001-08:00

Just when I think life is going to slow down for me….it doesn’t really. It just gives me enough of a break to start back up again! This week was my little Cowboys birthday, and I had his birthday party! I’m excited to tell you about it {soon}. It was a “Mad Scientist” party and turned out great!!
My sister and her family are moving here {Well not here, but to the area}…like right now, they should be here any minute. I am excited! They are only going to be here for 4 months, but it will be nice to have family around for that time!
I have to teach Relief Society tomorrow, my stomach feels sick and I am super nervous, but other than that I am prepared and am hopeful it will go well!
Oh and guess what I wrote a profile, you know like an “About me” when you click on my name after I leave a comment. So here it is for all of your viewing pleasure.
I'm Kendra. I am mom of 4 kids. And am married to the best man in the world who loves me and takes such good care of me! I love hot baths, books on tape, watching my husband do projects for me, cold water, having a planner {but not really using it}, the gospel, notebooks to write random notes in, blogging, having my grandma as my best friend, having uplifting friends, standing in the rain, hiking, swimming, running {or trying to}, old movies, Little House, playing games, staying up late, keeping my counter clean, talking with old friends, anything with caramel and chocolate, cheese of all kinds, having a clean house, homeschooling my kids, cinnamon bears {even better if they are covered in chocolate}, family, getting mail {packages are better}, fried ice cream, warm blankets, being barefoot, snuggly babies, kid kisses, nights out with my husband, pedicures, flip flops, fruit shakes, vacuuming, peanut butter, digital scrapbooking, crafting {if it's not to technical}, the Book or Mormon, cleaning the bathroom, my husband and my family!
I don't like olives, dishes, plain mushrooms, sweet pickles, socks, exercise videos, shopping for clothes, and cats!

"No Decorated Nursery or Designer Crib"

2012-01-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

I felt a little down yesterday about really silly things. Do you ever have pity party moments like this or is it just me? My SIL is painting her living room gray. It's gorgeous, I want a gray room. A friend of mine had a baby and decorated her babies room SO cute. I have to squish a white with blue bedding crib in a room with my daughter who right now just has pink sheets and her blankets. These are all really silly things that really don't matter one bit, but at times I felt like they do.

Last night when I went to bed I decided I needed to listen to a conference talk. This one was the one I decided on... {As you can tell, I really liked this conference talk}

I loved this quote....it was exactly what I needed to hear last night...

"In the most beloved story of a baby’s birth, there was no decorated nursery or designer crib—only a manger for the Savior of the world.

I have 4 kids, and guess what? I have never been able to "Decorate" a nursery for them. I remember when my kids were born and I had friends who had the most beautiful cribs, and most gorgeous nurseries, and I wanted that, but financially and because of where we lived I couldn't do much but buy some semi cute bedding and a functional crib. Well after 4 kids, I have finally realized it just doesn't' matter. It's ok that I had to have all 3 kids in one room at one time in our life. It's ok that they don't have designer furniture and decor. Sure, I, like anyone would love that, but it really isn't that important. Having children, and loving them, and providing for their needs and being there for them is all that matters.

I do have to tell you how excited I am about what I found today. I have needed a high chair for some time. After owning a very large plastic one that now won't fit in my kitchen, I decided I would just wait and save up to buy one of those nice wood ones that don't take up a lot of room. Today I was looking on craigslist, just hoping there would be one, and guess what....there was!! And it was only $20. Can't beat that!! I was SO excited. It was about 45 mins north of us and my cousin was actually on the road driving this way and was able to pick it up for us. Seriously awesome!

The Lords hand is in all things in my life. Even thought I can't paint a room where I live, or buy a designer dresser or crib, I got a really cute high chair that will make my baby not have to sit in our laps while he eats. To which I am most grateful!!

Goals–It’s just something you have to blog about in January

2012-01-04T05:31:00.000-08:00

Last year I set out to achieve A LOT of goals. Probably to many! I didn’t achieve all of them to my dismay, but I learned a lot from the year 2011. But the main thing I learned is Life isn’t always as you expect it to be! Gods plan is different than my own I mean I kind of already new that, but I had so many hopes and dreams for 2011 and a lot of it didn’t happen.

To name a few things, we didn’t get a house of our own. We are still living in our small 1000 sqft home that I love and am very grateful for, but we are hopeful that the house thing will happen this year {crossing everything that it will happen}. We didn’t pay off our last debt, a small student loan. Stuff came up and the money we thought we could use to pay our last student loan didn’t come through. My husbands new job that he quit his good job for, ended up not working out so well. It’s really sad how people can be such liars and deceive others. But the good thing is he got a new great job and we are hopeful and excited about it.

But when I look back at 2011, God took care of us. Things worked out and I am very grateful they worked out the way they did because we learned a lot and had some great opportunities come up in our life!

I started to think about my goals with my family on New Years Eve. I thought about healthy eating, mostly because all self control goes out the window in November and December because I LOVE yummy food that time of year. I also thought about giving all treats up and decided to just really watch my intake. Until I am done nursing my baby I can’t really do that diet {I mean I guess I could, but it would be hard} so I decided that I would just eat healthy, have a couple treats a week, but not do the diet until April.

Here are my goals for 2012…

Work out 5 days a week – Do a triathlon in November
Pray daily, and ask God to direct me in helping others and seeking his plan for my days especially with school
Don’t speak negatively about anybody
STUDY Scriptures Daily
Go to the temple at least once a month
Study the lessons for church each week.
Read one good book a month
Do better at meal planning
Get completely caught up on my digital scrapbooks and blogbooks!
Get my husband to take me on a cruise for our 10 year anniversary {this is very wishful thinking, and will only happen if his new job goes well} OR at least go on a date out once a month {we usually have dates in}

I am going to put these up on my mirror in the bathroom to see every day. I did that last year and it was the best place for me to read them while blow drying my hair.

Our New Years Eve Eve Eve Party

2011-12-31T05:38:00.000-08:00

How was your Christmas? I just have to say….ours was awesome! Not just because I finally got a case for my guitar and some new shoes, but because my kids were so excited to give {not that they didn’t like receiving just as much, if not more, they were so excited to give others their gifts!} On Christmas eve after we did the nativity… Aren’t they so stinking cute! Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus and the 6 year old that played every other part from the inn keeper to the 3 kings! {he is very talented!}

the kids got in their jammies and we deiced we would open one gift…a game we could all play together. Then my son insisted he give us his gifts early. He had written a poem for me {With that help of my husband that totally made me cry}, and then my daughter made me some thimbles out of plastic hairspray lids! I just love these guys so much. They wanted so bad to give each other their gifts but we decided to wait until morning. In our house we watch each other open up each present one by one, I know many families do it different, but I like it this way. The kids were so excited to give their cousins their gifts and be with their extended family…so after church we got in the car and took the 3 hour drive and arrived just in time for dinner and more presents and 5 days of spending time with family!

I love being with my family, but once I am gone more than 3 or 4 days, I get a bit antsy to get home and get back to life….so I asked my family if instead of us staying until New Years Day, like we usually do, if we could just have it early. They complied…to my great excitement! My mom and I came up with a really fun party together. Here is how it all went down!

Our New Years Eve Party

We started out the night with my oldest niece babysitting the kids 2 and older while they watched Dolphin Tale and all the adults all went out to dinner! It was pleasant and enjoyable!

Then we came back and started the party with the kids!

We had lunch sacks with numbers on them for each of the kids to pick. In each sack was a game or activity to do. Here are the fun things we had in each sack.

Apples to Apples – This was really fun. We actually played the Jr. Edition because we had 14 grandkids {the 4 babies didn’t count I guess} and 13 adults! YUP! That’s a lot of people….27 to be exact!

The Animal Game – You make slips of paper with 2 of each animal for the amount of people there. {i.e. 2 pigs, 2 cows, 2 horses – if you are playing with 6 people} and pass it around secretly. Then when the person says go you have to make the sound that the animal makes and find your partner. The last ones standing are out. This game is hilarious playing with a ton of people!

The Water / Squirt Bottle Game – One person is it and every one is sitting in a circle. The person has to pick something from a category {i.e. a state, like California} and then say I am thinking about a state and then he goes around and every one has to say a state. The person that says California gets sprayed in the face and then it’s their turn to go pick! {you can choose tons of different categories}

The Great Puzzle Race - This game was the biggest hit! My mom bought 12 puzzles from the $ store. We divided everyone up into 3 groups with 4 puzzles {1 hundred piece, 2 twenty four piece, and 1 forty eight piece} and mixed them all up in a Gallon bag and cut out the picture that was on the box. Then we had a race as to which team would finish first! It was really fun, especially since my team won!

In the Manner of the Adverb Game – This is a family favorite! One person goes out and picks a couple of scenarios. All the people in the room pick an Adverb. {a word ending in “ly” – like happily} then the person that wad out of the room comes in and picks a few people to act something out in the manner of the adverb. For example she could say “you 3, go to school in the manner of the adverb” and those people talk and act “Happily” and the person has to try to guess. If they don’t guess it then they pick another scenario. It is really fun, and can be really funny!

Pictionary – We actually skipped this game because it was getting late, but it would have been fun.

White Elephant / Or Dollar Store Gift Exchange – Last year we did a white elephant with all of us and the kids and a lot of the kids left sad because they got something dumb, and other kids got cool stuff, so we didn’t do this this year, but it would have been really fun if we divided it, or just did $ store gifts!

A Grandma and Grandpa’s Message – Then my mom and step dad gave a great message. My mom had put all the people in the nativity in a bag and each grandkid got to pick one out and she talked about what we can learn form them all year long {It was heartwarming to hear my daughter say when she picked the shepherd “It’s to remind us to be ready and watching for the second coming of Jesus Christ”. She talked about how Jesus is the most important part of the story, and that he should be the most important part of our lives. Then she talked about how we need to choose to have a happy new year, and we all wrote something we would choose to do better this next year and then put it in a can to open next year and read it!

“Chews to have a Happy 2012” – She gave everyone a pack of gum with a tag on it that said “Chews to have a Happy 2012”

Happy New Year Hidden Jesus Cake and Ice Cream – my mom got a cake from Costco {YUMMY!} and hid a wooden baby Jesus in it. Who ever had it in their cake is supposed to have good luck for the new year! She just did this because some of her friends have this tradition. It was cute, and my son was really excited when he found it in his piece of cake!

And last is the Big Family Sleepover – My mom has this big room in her up stairs. This was the first year we let all the kids sleep up their while grandma read to them and sang them songs, grandma slept on the couch up there to supervise little ones that might get scared. All the adults played Quelf until 2 AM and then found space throughout the rest of the house to sleep. It was a crazy, silly, and very fun night!

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year! I am excited to start working on my goals for this new year. I will be back blogging on Monday with a really yummy recipe!

Oh and I almost forgot…my blog was on Sugardoodles Random 10 list today so go check it out and visit the other 9 sites. They all have great stuff!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T23:15:00.001-08:00

It’s 11:55 Christmas night. It has been a wonderful and busy day. I have really enjoyed this month. I hope you have also. Everything hasn’t gone as planned with all my 25 days things, but for the most part we did great and the kids, I think, really understand the true meaning of Christmas. They have thought of a lot of fun services to do for each other, for me and for others!

I wanted to share one with you. Saturday we went to a big lunch to help serve food to the needy. They had WAY to many volunteers and told us they couldn’t use us. My kids were really sad…so we decided to go buy flowers {2 small bouquets} and took them to the Recovery Floor and the Cardiac floor of the hospital. My daughter handed the bouquets over to the nurses station and asked them to give them to someone that didn’t have very many visitors. The kids left with huge smiles on their faces and my husband and I walked out feeling very touched by our kids and their kindness this month. This is definitely something will do every December. And hopefully one day we can do more for others.

We have been so blessed this year, and are so grateful for our family and friends. Thanks for following my 25 Days of Christmas! It has been fun to get to know more of you and read from all these other wonderful Guest Bloggers! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Lessons From the Stable All Year Long – Guest Post by Nannette

2011-12-25T23:12:00.001-08:00

I am excited to introduce to you my last guest that will be posting on my blog for the Christmas season. Her name is Nannette, and yes she is my amazing and wonderful mother! She is an LDS Addiction Recovery Missionary, and is an amazing writer and mother . You can read more from her here at LDS 12 Step Reflections. Head on over there and read some of her wonderful Christmas post!

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For many years we re-enacted the Christmas Story at my mother’s house. As young
girls my sister and I traded off taking the part of Mary, the angel, or a shepherd and my
brothers filled in all the male roles. Being the oldest I was the narrator many times.

During my motherhood years I didn’t usually take a part, but every year, on Christmas
Eve, about the time all the other adults had collapsed on sofas and in chairs, being
overcome with preparation and food, my sister and I called all the cousins into
Grandma’s bedroom and we costumed for the Nativity Scene.

“Mom, my shepherd hat won’t stay on!”
“You were the wise man last year, give me grandma’s jewelry!”
“Where’s Uncle _____ robe?”
“Sheets, we need more sheets.”

My mother totally left this preparation (which was always more dramatic than the
presentation itself) to my sister and I. I’m sure she determined that she had put in enough
time as director of this yearly pageant. I doubt if she enjoyed her retirement as she
heard the sound of 15+ children in her bedroom fighting over her beads and robes and
rummaging through her drawers for this or that important prop.

The issue of who was to take the role of baby Jesus was usually pretty clear-cut, but one
year we had to line up four baskets, two baby boys and a set of twin girls. We even tried
to involve some of the adult men, uncles taking the part of camels and donkeys.

Today the tradition lives on, only now it’s my jewelry and towels and robes they’re
using. I’m the grandma who allows her daughters the opportunity to do the directing.

This yearly event gives each of us a few minutes to pretend we are there. Christmas time
seems to shorten the years that have lapsed since the audience actually participated as
part of the cast. Our childlike love for the pageant is easily accessed. For a few short
minutes we have relived more than just a story. The thousands of miles and years that
separate us from the most wondrous people, events, and symbols in the history of man,
are diminished.

This year, as I sat watching the Christmas Story come to life in my living room it
suddenly occurred to me that putting on this humble family pageant each year is really
our first taste of placing ourselves in the shoes of scripture people and seeing what we
can learn about our own mission. As grown-ups we don’t dress up like those ancient ones
as we take time study the scripture each day. Instead we place ourselves figuratively in
their shoes and consider the principles that are being taught and how their experience
applies to our own. As I watched the children take turns being part of each act of the
nativity play a question came into my mind. “Nannette, what can you learn from the
people, events, and symbols of the Christmas story through the eyes of recovery? Are
there recovery lessons in the stable?” These are the thoughts that came to my mind:

The Angel: The message we are called to carry to those who suffer on this earth is not
unlike the Angel Gabriel’s message to Mary. The message is that the Lord loves us. He
desires to be with us. We don’t need to be afraid, and we each have a unique work to do
on the earth. You and I can be like Gabriel as we carry the message to others! (Step 12)

Mary: I wish my response to the Lord’s request was always like Mary’s, “Be it unto
me according to thy word.” But it’s not. You and I can be like Mary as we grow in the
ability to trust Him absolutely! (Step 3)

Joseph: When Joseph takes Mary as his wife he is literally saying, “I care for my
Heavenly Father and His plan more than I care for any earthly honor. Am I willing to be
the hands of God no matter what the cost? You and I can be like Joseph as we become
willing to bear the shame of the world! (Step 11)

The Inn: Although I wasn’t there, the opportunity to provide a dwelling place for the
Lord is still very much available. The room He has asked me to give Him is my heart.
That’s the place where He longs to dwell. He can only “move in” with my permission, at
my invitation. You and I can be willing to make room for Him today! (Step 6)

The Stable: Sometimes my heart feels like a stable, not nearly clean enough, pure
enough, to provide a dwelling place for the Son of God! Am I humble enough to invite
Him in anyway, with my heart in disarray, so cluttered and imperfect? Sometimes I find
myself filled with embarrassment at the thought! “Please, just give me a little more time
and maybe I can get my heart all spruced up and ready for divine occupancy!” But it’s a
job beyond my single-handed mortal ability. Will I invite the Son of God to come in and
dirty His perfectly clean hands with the work of my salvation? Will I allow the Lord to
empty my heart of all the things that crowd Him out, the things that are “outside of Him,”
all the lesser things I have come to depend on, instead of Him? You and I can be like the
humble stable as we let Him in! (Step 7)

The Star: If there was a star in the heavens with my name on it, and it hung over and
illuminated the principal object of my love and worship (the thing of greatest importance
to me) would it be a Christmas star? Would it shine on the Jesus Christ? Would it
illuminate His life and His mission? Would it serve those who are lost and weary? Would
it point others toward Him? You and I can be like the star as we point the way! (Step 12)

The Shepherds: I’m so grateful the shepherds didn’t doubt their own experience. They
didn’t stand around after the angels departed saying, “Wait a minute! This kind of thing
doesn’t happen to shepherds?” No, they sought out the Christ child. The scriptures say
they went with haste. I must seek Him too, and immediately, no matter how ordinary
or unfit I think I am, because the Lord reveals himself to shepherds and other ordinary
people like you and me. You and I can be like the shepherds as we do not doubt and go
with haste! (Step 11)

The Kings: These earthly kings offered their riches to the Christ. That’s what I wish I

could take to Jesus too—things that are beautiful, all shined up and smelling lovely. But
He asks me to offer my whole soul. Some of that package isn’t very pretty. Will I offer
Him the best I have along with the worst? Will I offer Him all I have, all I am? He says
He is like a refiner’s fire and can turn me into gold. To the Lord, you and I are gold in the
making, gold in process. We can be like the Wise Men as we offer our whole souls as an
offering unto Him! (All Steps)

The Journey: Too many of us are convinced that the distance between Jesus and us is
literally insurmountable. It’s really not so very far to “Bethlehem,” to that place where
we meet up with Jesus. The imagined miles between the Lord and us shorten every time
we admit our need for Him. When we turn our minds and our hearts to Him for the
direction and power we need so badly we invite Him to be our traveling companion, and
He joins us on the road! Every day I have to let go once again of the fear and pride that
reduces my speed, delays my progress, and keeps Him at arms-length, unable to work in
my life. Our recovery, our healing, our progress on our road to Bethlehem and thereafter
was His sole purpose in coming to earth that first Christmas night. Our primary work is to
not stand in His way. (All Steps)

It had never occurred to me before that all the elements of the story of the birth of Christ
teach powerful, practical lessons for me.

Now lest you think our family nativity experience is unlike your own, I’ll tell you that
it’s not! Alas the play, my thoughts, and the evening must come to a close. The signs are
always clear. The baby Jesus starts to cry because he or she just can’t lie there and be
that good any longer, a strand of Grandma’s favorite beads breaks, someone’s costume
completely falls apart or one of the uncles who has been playing the part of a camel
realizes that he may never walk upright again. We quickly sing one verse of “Silent
Night” and then spend the next hour folding up towels and sheets and hanging up robes
and searching for Grandma’s lost jewelry.

The magic of that night 2000 years ago is suddenly filled up with thoughts of getting
home, hanging up stockings, and wrapping one last gift. We wonder if 7-11 sells
anything that will do for neighbors we barely know who just dropped off a beef stick,
assorted cheeses, and a bag full of homemade caramel popcorn balls. And finally, there
is the fear that Santa might leave something that requires assembly. Oh dear! The world
crowds in quickly, doesn’t it!

Christmas Day has come! The family nativity is all cleaned up, but this year I’m taking
something with me. As I go into the new week and the new year I’m going to take the
lessons I learned from the family pageant with me. I can be like Gabriel, like Mary, like
Joseph, like the star, and the inn, and the stable, the shepherds, and the wise men. I can
take the journey to the King too, and so can you. Recovery lessons from the stable bring
the miracle home!

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year to you all!

By Nannette W.

Copyright 2008 by Nannette W. All right reserved. Making or sending copies is
permitted if the page is not changed in any way and the material is not used for profit.
This notice must be included on each copy made or sent.

My Favorite Things about Christmas

2011-12-24T13:32:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas Eve…Here are some of our traditions that we do every year. And here are some of my favorite things about these next two days!

The Yummy Dinner
Watching my kids do the Nativity Play and reading from Luke 2
The smell of my pine candle in the air.
The anticipation of Santa and him coming to our house.
Giving all the fun presents.
I am excited to get to go to church on Christmas day!
Getting {come on you all know it’s fun to get presents} present from my husband and kids.
The smiles on my kids faces when they see what they got for Christmas.
The magic of Santa.
Remembering Christ and his birth.
Remember the Mother Mary, what an amazing woman she was!
Being with Family.

What are you family traditions on these 2 days?

A Sweet Message

2011-12-23T18:28:00.001-08:00

Put Christ Back Into Christmas

2011-12-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

I am missing my families Christmas Sing-A-Long right now. I was just cooking dinner and thinking about being at my Grandma's house eating yummy appetizers, chatting with all my cousins, aunts and uncles and singing songs for a couple of hours. It made me sad to miss it. It's hard to be away from family during the holidays.

My favorite songs we sing are
Rudolf...my grandma's favorite with actions and all!
Mele Kalikimaka....my brother sings this!
Jang Jang...a song my uncles made up.
The Hallelujah Chorus....yes we really do sing this, and it sound awesome!!

In just a min we are going to have a miniature sing-a-long with just my little family. I know call me silly, but that's ok, we are! Each kid is going to sing their favorite song, my kids have been "When Christmas Comes to Town" they are so cute when they sing it, and we are all going to sing one of my favorite songs written by my uncle...

“Put Christ Back into Christmas”

She glanced through tattered curtains,
Out at the falling snow,
And all she could see were people outside
With so many places to go.
Alone in her small apartment,
One room on the second floor,
She new she’d be spending Christmas alone
Like so many times before.
It’s funny that nobody comes to call.
Could it really be that no one thinks of her at all.
She watches for the mailman
for a letter every day,
Just a Christmas card from her son would do
The one who moved away.
She walks down to the corner
To buy a Christmas tree.
But she turns around and walks back home
Wondering what the use would be.
With all the Christmas spirit in the air,
You’d think that maybe someone that she knew
Would let her know they really care…
And put Christ back into Christmas
The way He used to be
Put some tinsel and some holly
And a start upon her tree
Fill the air with Christmas music,
Light a candle in her heart.
And put Christ back into Christmas time
‘Cause that’s the way that Christmas had it’s start.
She sits beside her window,
Hears footsteps down the hall
And a tiny fist knocks at her door
Saying someone’s come to call.
There outside her doorway.
Much to her surprise,
Is the little girl from two doors down
With a question in her eyes.
I was wondering if you’d like some company?
Could you come on back to my house and help us trim our tree.
Several hours later
When the decorating’s done
The lights adorn the branches now,
And the ornaments are hung.
They read the Christmas story
And they all sing ‘Silent Night',
Then tears well up in the woman’s eyes
As she tells them all ‘Goodnight.”
And as she walks back home she starts to smile,
‘Cause she found the Christmas spirit though the caring of a child.
Who put Christ back in her Christmas
The way He used to be,
Hang some tinsel and some holly
And a start upon her tree.
Fill the air with Christmas music,
Light a candle in her heart
And put Christ back into Christmas time,
‘Cause that’s the way that Christmas had it’s start.

and then we are going to play games! It's nothing like being there, but it will have to do.

Snowflakes

2011-12-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

I thought I would repost a post from last year on Snow Flakes. We always have a blast making these!

Cut around edges and then open and TaDa!

These ones turn out square like this..
If you want them rounded on the last triangle for it like this instead…

Then cut around it

and Wala!!

These ones are my favorite!

We taped them to the kids ceiling in the bedrooms with string! They were quite excited!!

And here was the mess we had to clean up!

But it was worth it, because they had fun, and so did I!

I taught my kids one of my favorite poems from when I was a kid

“I saw a little Snowflake falling from the sky,
It played a little joke on me and hit me in the eye.”
Isn’t that so cute? I love it!

We talked about snowflakes and how everyone that falls is different. Everyone we make is different! Not one the same, just like us. I found this poem and think it is really sweet…

Each of us a Snowflake
We are each of us a snowflake, not two of us the same.
Reflections of the endless loving Source from which we came.
Unique in form and beauty. Crystallized at birth.
Little flecks of heaven born to melt into the earth.
We are each of us a snowflake of infinite design.
Transitory dancers on the widow panes of time.
Author: Emily Warburton

Oh and if you don't have TV like me but are missing out on all the fun Christmas specials you can find some here or here!

Kissletoe

2011-12-20T19:07:00.001-08:00

My brain isn’t working today! Does that ever happen to any of you? One of the many things that I did is I thought I scheduled a hair appointment today and when I went in no one was there and I looked at the paper and it said next Tuesday….urgh! Oh well, I will just have poofy crazy uncut hair for the next 2 weeks, it’s fine…really….it’s been that way for months!

Anyway like you all needed to know about my forgetfulness. Oh and on that note, if I forgot to get you a present…sorry, but I am officially done and if you have been forgotten….uh….there is always next year! Yup I am done shopping, wrapping, neighbor gifts have been passed out, and the 20 cards I printed have been mailed! Now I have 5 days to just relax, spend time with friends and family!

Today we made these…

What are they you might ask? It’s a Kissletoe! I did a tutorial on them last year here

And of course I let the kids eat them leading up until Christmas!!!

Don’t forget to enter the headband giveaway and if you share it on facebook and let me know of my facebook page you get another entry!!

More on Christmas Traditions by Courtney

2011-12-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

Growing up, my Christmas's were a little unorthodox. I don't remember ever having a Christmas tree. I know we did because we have pictures, but I don't remember any. My dad claimed to be allergic to evergreen trees but I'm fairly sure at this point that both of my parents were just allergic to the mess and hassle of the Christmas season in general.

For years I remember using a wooden doll cradle as our "Christmas Cradle". Some friends of ours made it an annual tradition of theirs to decorate a Charlie Brown tree with baggies of Christmas Cookies and to deliver it to our little Grinch of a family. Years later we children had decided we had had enough. When my parents were gone, we blew the dust off of the Christmas decorations and decorated the plastic ficus trees. A new tradition was born. Though once I left for college even that custom was forgotten in the fathoms of Scroogiosity. The low point I think was when I came home for Christmas break my freshman year and our festiveness consisted of a paper drawing of a Christmas tree that I had taped onto a lamp in the living room.

Needless to say, the lack luster Christmas traditions made me a little less than passionate for the holiday in general. My husband, however, grew up in a highly picture perfect family that seemingly lacked all traditional dysfunction. Trying to mesh my lack of enthusiasm with his sunshine and lollipop Christmas memories wasn't easy. You should have seen how sad he was that first Christmas morning we spent together when he had nothing but candy in his stocking. How was I supposed to know that most people put presents in their socks? We certainly didn't. But over the years we have somehow made it work out.

I have given a little, and he has given a lot. We managed to come up with our own family Christmas Traditions that contain the basic hallmarks of the season for him, and just enough dysfunction to placate my neuroses.

My favorite Christmas tradition by far is the Christmas Eve Feast. This is the one that I can proudly proclaim that I brought into the family. On Christmas Eve we would make a feast of Hor d'oeuvres for dinner. Pigs in a blanket, chips and dip, cheese trays, crackers, shrimp cocktail, some crazy delicious Velveeta cheese dip, pate, deviled eggs and all sorts of sweets. Once I was in charge of my own feast, I nixed the gross things (shrimp cocktail and pate) and kept the rest. Over the years I realized that I wasn't in fact, feeding an army and so I have whittled the menu down a bit. I added some vegetables, subtracted most of the stuff that would cause an immediate heart attack, and kept only our most favorites. This year I am quite looking forward to fruit and vegetable trays with homemade dip, pigs in a blanket (for him) and deviled eggs (for me). We will feast while we read from the scriptures and then open one family present, which coincidentally, always contains a family movie that has just recently been released. Last year it was Toy Story 3, this year it will be Kung Fu Panda 2. The kids will fall asleep while I OD on deviled eggs.

This year I also look forward to watching the wonderful Bible videos that the church has recently released. What a wonderful gift to the world!

A tradition I hope to start is one of service. For my family, it's difficult to remember Christ when we are focused so much on presents. So we are keeping it small (not non-existent, just small). I know some families who go all out on Christmas, and I'm happy that they have made it work, but for us, too big of a Christmas is a distraction. The time that we spend watching Christmas movies or would have spent shopping for presents we will be spending on making diapers for Teeny Tears (http://teenytears.blogspot.com). Lucy (my nine year old) also wants to start making rag dolls for the poor children in Africa. We will be forgetting ourselves and getting to work.

Family traditions are a funny thing. It seems that when you try and force something so that your holiday can be "picture perfect, no one ends up happy in the end. I love how our family traditions have evolved into our own perfect little family celebration. No one family's Christmas looks just like someone else's though I admit that our family Christmas usually looks more like the Griswold's than the Baily's, but that's ok with me. No matter what you do to make it special, just do what works!

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You can find more of Courtney at her wonderful blog My Ordinary, Every Day, Happily Ever After

Thanks Courtney! It's always interesting coming together as a couple after you get married and learning to adjust to each others family traditions, and then coming up with your own!

What are some traditions you got rid of when you got married?

Have a great day! Christmas is less than a week away! Wow that went way fast!

Don't forget to enter our giveaway for the headband below!

Just Sisters Headband Giveaway

2011-12-18T10:13:00.001-08:00

Winner is#4 Gilbert Family

My amazingly talented friends just started selling these headbands last week. They are seriously so adorable! We got this one for my daughter {and me} and love it!

They are very well put together with some that have frayed edges and some that have straight finished edges. I like both, but my daughter really liked the frayed one!
Let me tell you why I LOVE these headbands….

You really don’t see anything like them around…just yet
They are flat, and by that I mean, they don’t poke out of your head. They are pretty flat against your head so I think they even look cute on adults.
They have 2 pieces of Velcro to keep them in place so they don’t slide around!
They are carefully handmade and sewn by some pretty professional seamstresses!

You can find Just 2 Sisters on Facebook here, and also on their blog here
Just 2 Sisters has offered one of my lucky readers a chance to win one of these beautiful headbands!
Here is how to enter…

Follow The Things I Love on Facebook or GFC
Follow Just 2 Sisters on Facebook or their Blog
Go visit the blog and tell me which one is your favorite.

Please leave a separate comment for each one! Giveaway will end Wednesday the 21st at Noon!

Holiday Parties

2011-12-17T05:49:00.000-08:00

I love a good Christmas Party!! Who doesn't?! I wish I could host more. If I had all the money in the world, and a bit more space in my house, I would have a Christmas party every weekend leading up to Christmas! I would host one for my kids and their friends, I would host one for adults and then I would have a girls night with the moms I know that just need a night out!

One year I hosted an Ugly Sweat Party! Those are so fun! If you don't know what that it, it's just a Christmas party where all your guests have to wear an ugly festive sweater! They are really fun!

Last night I went to a girls night that my friend hosted! We went out to dinner {and ate WAY to much food} and then came back to her house for games, treats and a White Elephant Gift Exchange! It was so much fun. I haven't laughed that hard with a bunch of girls since high school! We played this really fun game called Quelf! It was so much fun that after the game was over, everyone was on their Smart phones {except me because I don't have one} trying to find out where to buy it! Which by the way they are sold out all over town, which must tell you really how fun it is. It's a game where you have to "obey the card" and do what it says! It got so funny that I was crying I was laughing so hard! I had to spend a whole round sitting under the kitchen table waiting for my next turn! It's always good as moms to get out and have a good laugh with other moms!

After the game we had a White Elephant Gift Exchange, which are always a blast! The only problem was I was the only one that brought a White Elephant Gift, for some reason everyone else gave nice stuff...boring :) My friend was pretty excited when she saw these beautiful slippers! {the funny thing was I had actually borrowed the "supplies" to make these eariler in the day from the same friend that got them!) What were the odds she would get them? It made it even more funny!! I am so funny!

So go plan a holiday party, it's not to late! You could even have a New Years Party! You can even just do it for your own little family! Just have some fun this holiday season and forget all about the hustle and bustle of the season and laugh a little!

Gingerbread Houses - An Annual Tradition - Guest Post by Montserrat

2011-12-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

I am excited to have Montserrat AKA Cocoa, from Chocolate on my Cranium be a guest writer today! I found her blog a couple of years ago when I started homeschooling and I was so impressed! My first thought after reading it was, "Wow, if she can do it, so can I" She is a mother of 9, and she cooks, sews, runs a family farm, blogs, you name it she does it! She is a great example to me and I am so excited to have her guest blogging for me! Now onto one of her wonderful family traditions!
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Gingerbread Houses - An Annual Tradition

I began making gingerbread houses when my two oldest were 2 & 3 years old. It has become a tradition we all look forward to every year. It is always a blast! And now 13 years later it is still as fun as can be.

I made up a basic template years ago. The house is just big enough to decorate with plenty of candy but not so big I have gingerbread dough coming out of my ears and I'm baking all day.
Gingerbread House Template (small) pdf
Every child gets their own house to decorate. Nobody has to share! That does make for a lot of baking and candy but ....it's tradition!

What our table usually looks like before we begin the decorating. This was from 5 years ago. My how my kids have grown!

Here's my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe. I cut it out of a Martha Stewart magazine years and years ago. Each recipe of dough will make about 4-5 houses. I make the dough, cut out and bake the pieces the day before our decorating day, and let them sit out overnight to harden up. Each child gets their own to decorate. I give them each their own small Ziploc sandwich bag with a corner snipped off filled with royal icing and let them have at it.
Gingerbread Cookies

1 cup margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
Cream together margarine and sugar. Add molasses and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients. With mixer on low speed slowly add dry ingredients and 1/2 cup water to molasses mixture. Mix until smooth. Divide dough into two equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle. wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. On floured surface roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters or use template to make gingerbread house pieces. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes 4 dozen cookies or 4 gingerbread houses.
Royal Icing
3 TBSP. meringue powder*
4 cups confectioner's sugar
7 TBSP. water
Beat with electric mixer for 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form. If icing is too thick add 1 tsp. of water at a time until you get better consistency. I usually end up making three batches of this so there is enough for everyone. (We do have nine children after all).

* I buy the Wilton's Meringue Powder that comes in a can in the cake decorating aisle.
Tips:
♦ I cut up old boxes and cover the pieces with foil to put our houses on.
♦ Assemble the house first and let set for about 15 minutes so the icing has time to harden a little before decorating your house.

♦ Use your imagination to find candies, cookies, cereal, and other edible goodies for your house. We use sugar cones turned upside down for trees, shredded wheat for snowy rooftops, tootsie rolls for a pile of logs outside the house, swirled chocolate chips, gumdrops, red hots, M&M's, candy canes, wafer cookies, the possibilities are endless.
♦ Don't stress! Letting each child have their own to decorate however they want is part of the fun. I love seeing the uniqueness of each house each year. It does get messy but that's okay!
♦ Make extra house pieces to use in case someone does happen to break one of theirs. Honestly we've only ever had three pieces break in the 10 years we've been doing this.
♦ Invite friends over for a grand party! One of my daughter's birthday is December 18. For her eighth birthday we had 12 kids gathered round the table making their own gingerbread houses. It was so much fun!

I made up the template I used for my house two years ago. I was going to crush up hard yellow candy (jolly ranchers) and sprinkle it in the windows to bake when I cut out the front of the house but ran out of candy. That would have been a neat stained glass effect. If you do that make sure to bake your dough on a foil lined baking sheet for easier removal of the house piece off the pan.

This year we've decided we want to create a village. Several of the kids will make houses, a couple will make shops or stores, one wants to make a church, another a temple. Now I need to figure out an area big enough to display it!

Also don't be surprised if you find a scene similar to this after making your gingerbread houses. That's the fun of it!
Slice of Heaven also has several free printable gingerbread house, church and elf house patterns to try.

Have fun, make a memory, and enjoy!

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Wow, That looks like so much fun and so much candy! My kids would LOVE it! Next year I am going to attempt this for sure! It might be my only project but I would really like to do this!

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway for Chrismtas With the Prophets here and come back tomorrow to enter to win a really cute headband!!

Christmas Traditions by Heather

2011-12-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

I'm Heather and I'm honored to be doing a guest post on The Things I Love Most. I'm a mom of three and a Pediatric Nurse. I write about things that I have found helpful in my adventures in motherhood at secretsofmom.blogspot.com. These "secrets" include ways to stretch your budget, build and use food storage, things to do with your kids and how to keep your family healthy.

Christmas Traditions

Awhile ago at play group several moms and I got on a discussion about traditions. Traditions are one of those things that help you come together as a family and help you connect with one another. There are many traditions and not just the ones at Christmas, spending time together as a family can be a tradition. Birthday activities and Sunday meals also make great traditions. I think the most important thing to remember when making and keeping traditions is that it is about building relationships and sharing love. If it causes too much stress, it's probably not worth it. For example, when we lived near my family they like to visit the lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Once we had small children we began to hate this tradition. It's far away, it is frigid cold, close parking is never available, my husband gets grumpy and with small children it turns into quite the ordeal. So we let it go. Now that we live in St George seeing the lights at the temple is a little more doable. It never gets as cold, there aren't as many lights to see (making the trip much shorter), it's not far, and there is plenty of parking. So we picked it up again. Adapt traditions to your family and your circumstances. If it doesn't work out let it go.

Here our some of our favorite Christmas traditions (many of which you can do with your kids on a low budget):
1. Baking cookies!
2. Decorating. This can get expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Some of my favorite memories as a child were making our own decorations. We made paper snowflakes and festive paper chains that we hung from the ceiling around the borders of the room. And to this day my mom's favorite Christmas tree ornaments are the ceramic mice that we painted when I was three. Decorating the tree and home and creating ornaments can lend itself to dozens of holiday activities.
3. Looking at Christmas lights. It's always fun to see the displays that your neighbors have up.
4. Reading the Christmas Story Found in Luke 2:1-20, also Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:1-14, & Luke 1: 26-35
5. Reading Christmas Books One tradition that I have started with my kids is that every day starting December 1st we read a different Christmas book. I have collected several through the years from after Christmas sales, but the library also has a wide selection to supplement my own.
6.The Twelve Days of Christmas This is a favorite tradition from my husband's family, something that was passed down from his mother's family. Starting December 13th we put our shoes out and every morning "the Christmas elf" puts a tiny gift in our shoes. As a general rule I try to keep the items under a dollar. I find that the earlier I start on this the better, otherwise my kids just end up with a whole bunch of crap from the dollar store. (Don't get me wrong, there are a few good deals to be had at the dollar store, but you know what I mean.) Some shoe gift ideas: candy, coloring books, crayons (bought a few boxes at the back to school sales), lip gloss, small toys, socks, finger puppets, hats and mittens.
7. Visiting Family What would the holidays be without family? Even if they may drive you a little crazy. ;)
8. Serving Others This is the most of fun if it is done in secret. Growing up we were poor, but I didn't realize to what extent until I was older. You don't miss what you don't know. Despite this my mother made it a point each year we would pick someone in need to serve. Often we would find someone in our neighborhood who lived alone and drop gifts on their doorstep for The Twelve Days of Christmas. They were simple things, a 6-pack of ginger-ale, 5 cookies, 4 fresh oranges, etc., but there were times when we learned that it really made a difference to the person that we were serving. And it was such a thrill to try to deliver them without getting caught. There are many other ways to serve others this season and there are many in need. Toys for Tots, Sub for Santa and the Food and Care Coalition are just a few organizations that appreciate donations. Here in St George there's also the Dixie Care and Share and the Dove Center. Even if you don't have money to give you can still serve. Donate old coats, donate your time. Find someone out there who needs some cheering and share the Christmas spirit with them!
9. Christmas Shopping I love shopping for Christmas. Buying stuff for my kids is always fun. Finding a the perfect gift for a friend or family member fills me with excitement. Finding a good deal is even more thrilling, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to lose any sleep over it and risk being trampled. Not when there's Amazon.
10. Singing Christmas Carols Whether you do this with friends, family, neighbors or by yourself, it really makes the season.
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Thanks for sharing Heather! I to love to sing Christmas carols…even if I’m by myself in the car! And the whole husband getting grumpy about a certain tradition, totally with you on that! Come back tomorrow for a really fun Giveaway and another great guest post!

Christmas with the Prophets and a Giveaway

2011-12-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Winner is #2 Ten Cow said...

Oh, and I'm following you on facebook now. I hope I win! It looks like a nice book!

Because we are talking about Christmas Traditions this week I was very excited to receive this book Christmas With the Prophets from Deseret Book last week. A book written by Laura F. Willes. It is GORGEOUS and very well written and put together with great pictures and wonderful stories.
My daughter was actually the first to pick it up {she is 8} and has really enjoyed reading it. Here is her review of it…

It teaches me about certain Christmases the prophets had. That they went through some terrible Christmases {Joseph Smith}, but also had some wonderful Christmases. Brigham Young, one Christmas, had almost 100 people over for Christmas Dinner! Can you believe that!? The reason why I like this book is because it helps me understand Christmases with the Prophets and the hard and good things they went through.

She is so cute! I love that she is reading books like these now!
There are great stories about each prophets life and also some of their traditions and memories and even hardships! I thought the account about the St. George temple and that the saints worked hard on it even on Christmas day was very touching.
And I LOVE this pictures of President Hunter…

And I always love the stories that President Monson shares!
The inside cover of the book says…

How did Joseph Smith celebrate Christmas? What did John Taylor say about the pioneers’ first Christmas in the Salt Lake Valley? What was the heartening message that George Albert Smith included on his 1945 Christmas cards? Christmas with the Prophets provides glimpses into the individual Christmas celebrations of each President of the Church, with recurring themes of missionary efforts, Church work, family, and service. Some of the vignettes are personal, others soul-stirring, poignant, and tender. Often their experiences and messages reflect the world conditions at that time and serve as little snapshots of history.
In this Christmas keepsake, illustrated throughout with historical photographs, paintings, and drawings, each story of a Christmas past is a testimony of the Messiah, borne by one of His special witnesses.

This book is a treasure and one I will read with my kids forever. It teaches us the true meaning of Christmas by telling us stories of service, love, kindness and giving! Right now you buy the book here for $21.99 with free shipping!
Guess what? You guessed it, you have a chance to win this book! Are you excited?
Here is how to enter! {leave a comment for each one}

Share about this giveaway on Facebook, blogs, or twitter
Follow me on Google Friend Connect or Facebook!

Giveaway will end Saturday the 17th!

The Nature of Traditions - by Corine Moore

2011-12-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

I am excited to introduce to you one of my blog friends Corine! She is a fellow homeschooling, blogging mama of 4. Yup and she also has, you guessed it....3 boys! You can read more from her at her wonderful blog Joy in the Journey! Take it away Corine...

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Some may describe a "tradition" as being a custom, ritual, practice, habit; or simply a set of "norm's" as to the way a person or group of people live their lives or celebrate events...

I say, traditions are the backbone of our very existence – they give us a sense of character, strength, purpose, identity, unity, belonging..., and create a sense of “coming home” in a way that nothing else can… Traditions set communities apart from each other. In Fiddler on the Roof the effects of traditions were stated like this...

"Because of our traditions, we've kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything... How to sleep, how to eat... how to work... how to wear our clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered, and always wear a little prayer shawl that shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, 'How did this tradition get started?' I'll tell you!... I don't know. But it's a tradition... and because of our traditions... Every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do."

I have two favorite lines from this quote. One is this... "Because of our traditions, we've kept our balance for many, many years."

I have found this to be true in our home. My husband and I have our family traditions on a printed schedule hanging on a wall in our home. Why? Because we have noticed that when we lose sight of our traditions - we also lose sight of our goals and life purpose... and the blessings of living a balanced life come to an end. Because we want much balance and happiness for our family, we expect much of our family in the way of righteous traditions...

The second line I love in the above quote is this... "and because of our traditions... Every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do."

The traditions in our home help our family to receive the blessings of living a Christ Centered life, because that is the main purpose of most of our traditions... to ensure that we make time in our days and in our hearts, to live Christ centered lives. These traditions are simple things like going to church each Sunday... studying the scriptures daily, and kneeling together in a circle for family prayer each morning and night... Thankfully, these righteous traditions can help a child to know what is expected of him before he has grown in wisdom and insight to expect it of himself...

Now, because it is a holiday season, I wish to turn our thoughts now to holiday traditions...

When I was still very young, I believed that ALL holiday traditions held strong year after year, after year.... And not only that, it was the tradition that made the holiday, THE HOLIDAY! How could we possibly celebrate “that” holiday without “that” tradition?

You can probably guess how many traditions I had… That’s right, too many to count!...

If a tradition lost its appeal to part of the group – oh what a tragic day it was! The holiday - was, after all, ruined by the lack of appeal to a once cherished tradition… almost like a thief in the night, some traditions loose popularity. Children grow out of childhood traditions by becoming teens, and spouses begin to ask questions like… “Are we the only ones in this town who still do this?”

Some of these traditions begin like a new romance… They seem so incredibly perfect, and you think the perfectness will last forever.

But newness doesn't stay new. The excitement of wondering anticipation wears off when you no longer wonder what something will be like. And even when you are excited, because you do know what something is like, and you liked it... the new enactment of an activity is NEVER exactly the same as it was the time before; that can be a disappointment when one assumes that enactments "can and absolutely 'should' be" the same!

And yet... traditions continue. What are the benefits of traditions, which are so compelling as to keep us "traditioning" despite the lack of predictability? There are many! Let me name just a few...

For those who do not expect exact replicas of a cherished experience, traditions offer bonds of strength and stability to a group like nothing else can. They give experiences to a group which are shared only by the group... this is sacred. Sharing activities with the same group of people, and looking forward to doing so with that same group of people - is a very powerful, unifying and bonding phenomenon... :) I suppose that is why traditions are so fervently shared among families; on some level, we all know we love each other MORE because of them...

And thankfully, we learn that SOME “traditions” don’t have to last for eternity to be of value, in the same way that “childhood play” is a blessing only during childhood, and “teen drama” may be unavoidable in the teens, but is gladly left behind in later years...

Another benefit is that while many traditions are created with a special purpose in mind, and these matter... What we make into a tradition isn't the only thing that matters - it's the fact that the tradition brings our minds back to the warm familiarity of the ones we love. I have worn a red shirt which says "I believe in Santa" since I was 17 years old. And yes... though Santa is clearly NOT the focus of the day or season, he did play a role in our family's past celebrations... after over two decades, I still have and wear that shirt. :) With this in mind, wearing my Santa shirt sometime during the holiday season became a very small and accidental tradition; but no matter what time of year I see that shirt, warm feelings associated with gathering around loved ones during the Christmas season flood over me. Wearing this shirt was clearly a seemingly inconsequential tradition that I had, for me...

"Fun" traditions are usually like that; we do the same things over and over again because WE treasured the experience; that is how traditions are made! And it doesn't take long for this to happen. Take childhood, for example. A few short years in the life of a child can feel like the biggest MOST IMPORTANT segment in a child’s entire life; what we do only two or three times will often be seen in these fresh young impressionable minds as strong and sturdy traditions which have gone on for half if not most of their young lives! If you do it more than once, you better make it count; for you are probably creating a “tradition!”

Some traditions are also performed as an act of service FOR ANOTHER, like grandma or grandpa, for example. These "other individuals" have a seemingly sacred tradition... one that they are bursting at the seams to share with us... and which usually teach something important or special about the day being celebrated (along with adding immeasurably to their own sense of happiness and well being). Because we love them... we selflessly oblige. :) (And if we're lucky... we catch the vision and come to cherish the tradition, too. ;)

We all know parents who insist that their kids participate in such traditions. It is good for youth to learn to think of others and be willing to perform a ritual which is important to another. In our family we have a tradition in which we each trace our hands onto green construction paper. We then write one activity we want to do as a family during the Christmas season on each paper hand. Since there are 6 people in our family, the 12 hands make up our activities for the "Twelve Days of Christmas." Each day, our family does what ever was written on one of the hands, then we place the hand on the ring (or flip the hand over if we create it from the start with paperclips). By Christmas time, we have created a wreath of family unity and never ending love, by taking time each day to do something that is important to someone else in the family.

Traditions such as this one offer practice and opportunities to make time for the people we love and in perform some selfless giving... a character trait that blesses individuals and their families for generations to come. And isn't that what Christmas is about, really? Remembering our Savior Jesus Christ and all He does for us... then striving ourselves to be a little more loving and giving... like Him... Learning to think of others, do for others, give to others, and discover joy in doing it?

I believe that is what traditions are about remembering the purpose or significance of a day or holiday, building bonds of unity and love, AND making memories to last a lifetime. To me, traditions are just THAT SIMPLE, and simply that wonderful! :)

I hope that as we create traditions for Christmas, we are blessed with inspiration to create traditions which help us and our loved ones to remember the significance of the birth and life of Christ... I hope our traditions draw you nearer unto Him and help us to become more like Him (fine purposes indeed!); and that you build bonds of love and unity, and memories to last a lifetime!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Corine :D
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Thanks Corine! Come back tomorrow for more on traditions and another giveaway! Look at the side bar for those you still want to enter!

My Kids Are Best Friends

2011-12-12T06:10:00.001-08:00

I just have to tell you all how wonderful this month has been. Sure there have been moments of “wait this isn’t how it was supposed to be” but for the most part, our whole 25 days of Christmas has been going great! Last week a friend dropped by to bring something over while my kids were having quiet time. I had got out all our different Nativities for the kids to play with. My friend said to me, “Wow they play so good together” and I was happy to respond that they usually do! I am so glad my kids like to be around each other.

Last night we decorated our gingerbread village. This has been one of or most favorite traditions, except usually we do a house. The village was perfect and what we will do from here on out because everyone will get to decorate it how they want to. We loved eating candy, licking the frosting of our fingers and talking with each other.

I am grateful for the traditions that stick and work for our family. This week we will have 2 great guest post on family traditions and also a couple more great giveaways!!

What are some of your favorite traditions to do with your family this time of year?

Good Tidings of Great Joy and a Giveaway

2011-12-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

Winner is #5 Emily who said...

I'm just beginning to collect my christmas books... I'd love to add this one. I facebooked about this. :)

We have had the best weekend. LaLa was in her first play...I think it is totally something she is going to keep doing and loving! My parents were in town and it was so fun to have them here. They have never come to visit in the Winter so no one ever gets to see my Christmas Decor, so I was excited for my mom to see how we decorate for Christmas!

Now onto todays post! Have you seen this book?

It is fabulous! It goes through each aspect of the story of Christs birth. The section I liked best in the book was Chapter 5. A whole chapter dedicated to teaching about Christmas from the Book Of Mormon. The Story of Christ birth is not just found in the Bible, it is also told through out the The Book of Mormon another Testament of Jesus Christ.

In the book it says...

"Latter-day Saints find important confirmation and explication of these vital truths in the Book of Mormon prophecies, which provide further "glad tiding of great joy" As another testament of Jesus Christ, this volume of restoration scripture corroborates the fundamental details of the story of Jesus' birth. But perhaps more importantly, Book of Mormon passages provide expanded understanding of exactly who this promised Savior would be and help us realize that the "glad tidings" have more to do with what Jesus accomplished for us than they do about the understandable joy that surrounded his birth."

That is exactly how I feel about the book of Mormon " It gives us"expanded understanding" of exactly who Christ is and what he came to this earth to accomplish!

So who wants to win a copy of this book? {I am sure you all do!} It is a great book that you can use for many years to come.

Here is how to win a copy

Simply share about this giveaway on your Facebook, blog or twitter and come back and leave a comment here or on my Facebook page telling me you did this!

Good luck! Giveaway will end Wednesday the 14th!

I am also linking up with Jocelyn at for her Book of Mormon Blog Hop!!

Our Gifts to Christ - Guest post by Emily

2011-12-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

My daughter is in a play this weekend. Two shows last night, Two tomorrow and Two monday...So yeah I am busy. I am excited to introduce to you Emily from My Crazy Bliss A Little Piece of Heaven on Earth! Emily is a stay at home mom with three boys
{What is it with three boys and all these guest bloggers, blogging must be our outlet!} Thanks Emily for guest posting for me today!!
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I am so excited to be posting at The Things I Love today! I love Kendra's blog and her 25 Days of Christmas. I wanted to share with you today one of the things we do to invite the spirit into our home at Christmas time.

Having 3 small children, it is very important to me that they know the real reason of why we celebrate Christmas. I don't want them to think it's all about Santa and the gifts that they will receive. I try and do small, simple things that will remind us of Christ's birth and to have the spirit in our home.

One of the things that we have done, is to have this "gift" that we put under our tree, along with all the other gifts. This special gift is to Christ.

On Christmas Eve as we are done with our other festivites, we read the story in the scriptures of Christ's birth. Then we have small pieces of paper that we write our "gift" to Christ on for the upcoming year. It may be something like trying to do more service for others. Of course, the kids need help thinking of things.

Then, Christmas morning, we open the box and read what eachother has written. (We remain anonymous, so we don't know who wrote what).

It is just a small thing, but it is a fun activity that allows us to reflect on Christ and his birth.

A Wonderful Christmas Book - Jacob T. Marley Giveaway

2011-12-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

Winner is Entry #11

Corine

This month is going by way to fast, but guess what? I am almost done Christmas shopping!!!! My goal was before Thanksgiving....ha yeah right, like that was going to happen. So I made another goal to be done by December 10th, and I think I just might reach it. I would love to have 15 days of no shopping and just spending time with my family and maybe even read some good books!!

I love to read but don't find a lot of time to do it in-between studying what to teach for school and being a mom. I listen to some books on CD, but even then I wish I could just sit down with a good book and read.

When I received this book from Deseret Book I was hoping I could find the time to read it! When I found the time {during quiet time} I realized this was one of those books you don't want to put down. I was a bit hesitant how into this book I would get, but by the end of the first chapter I wanted to sit and finish it. It took me four days to read and I didn't even have to ignore my children :)

This book was AMAZINGLY good, and I am not just saying that! Who doesn't love the story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? I love hearing or watching the movie of it every year at Christmas time. It teaches great things to remember around the holiday season. The story goes back to Jacob Marley, Scrooges boss, and tells why this whole story of "A Christmas Carol" came about. Have you ever wondered "Why Jacob Marley haunted scrooge that night?" "Who was Jacob Marley and why was he concerned for Scrooge?" This book answers it in great story and in a way that teaches great life principles. Here is the description of the book from Deseret Book...

“Marley was dead to begin with . . .”

These chillingly familiar words begin the classic Christmas tale of remorse and redemption in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Now R. William Bennett rewinds the story and focuses the spotlight on Scrooge’s miserly business partner, Jacob T. Marley, who was allowed to return as a ghost to warn Scrooge away from his ill-fated path. Why was Marley allowed to return? And why hadn’t he been given the same chance as Ebenezer Scrooge?

Or had he?

I learned so much from this book, but the main thing I learned was how we treat others doesn't just affect us, but everyone around us! If you love the Seasonal Classic A Christmas Carol , you will love this story! Written by R. William Bennett, Jacob T Marley is sold through Deseret Book and is only $16.19 It's not even a book you have to read at Christmas time, you can read it all through out the year!

So now onto the Giveaway of this great book. Deseret Book has offered one of my readers a chance to win a copy of this book.

Here is how to enter...{please leave a separate comment for each entry}

Follow me on Facebook or Google Friend Connect
Tell your friends about this book with a link back to this blog post!

That's it. Giveaway will end Monday the 13th!

{Disclaimer: I received this book free from Deseret Book to review. All opinions presented are my own}

"Away in a Manger" Craft - Guest Post by Jocelyn

2011-12-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

Today is the Nativity day! Like last year I am going to get out all of our different nativity sets and let the kids play with them each individually during quiet time. My kids love it, and it is fun to see them interact with the different nativities.

I am very excited to have Jocelyn as a guest writer today! I found her amazing blog last year and then later found out that she actually knows my sister from when my sister lived out in DC. Small world!

Joceyln is an amazing mother, writer, crafter, and missionary you can read more about her here. Her blog We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ is spiritually uplifting and something I look forward to reading daily. So go check it out!

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"Away in a Manger" Craft

My daughter made a manger/baby Jesus ornament just like this one year in the nursery at church. She loved it so much that she ended up carrying it around with her. It was so special to her, and seeing it on our tree was special to me. We made a few more the following year to go along with our family's reading of The Animals' Christmas Eve and this craft has been a yearly tradition in our family ever since!

Here is how you make this "Away In A Manger" craft:

Here's what you'll need:

14 wooden craft sticks, 4 1/2 in. long

white felt

spanish moss

yellow (straw-like) raffia

doll pins cut in half

a hot glue gun

First, place two craft sticks 2 1/2 inches apart.

I placed them on a piece of construction paper and marked the measurements with a pen, making it easier to keep my sticks parallel and to keep each side uniform.

Spread glue on the top half of each stick, and lay five other wooden craft sticks across your

two sticks like this. Use the top edge of your paper as a guide to keep everything aligned.

If you are using hot glue, you might want to add the glue as you go.

Repeat this process to create the other side of your manger.

When both sides have dried, pick up both sides of the manger and hold them together with the smooth sides facing.

Line up the legs so they are next to each other but not directly on top of each other.

Now, open the manger in your hand like you are opening a greeting card.

Add a dab of hot glue to the "joints" on the underside of the manger.

It will dry quickly in your hand, so make sure that you have your manger positioned the way that you want it.

Tie a small amount of raffia around the "legs" of the manger just to hide the glue.

Set your manger aside. Pull out your doll pin, which has previously been cut in half.

(Note: You can also use an extra wooden craft stick instead of a doll pin, if you do not have access to a saw. If you do this, just add some batting around your craft stick to create a "body", and continue following the instructions as shown.)

Cut a piece of white felt that measures 2 1/2 by 2 inches.

Wrap your baby Jesus in it and glue to secure.

Add a face with markers if you wish.

Add a small bit of glue to the inside of your manger and line the manger with spanish moss.

Place baby Jesus lovingly in the manger...as shown.

You might choose to glue your baby Jesus into the manger.

I did not because my kids like to play with him.

Adjust the moss until he is nice and comfy.

When you are finished, you should end up with something like this.

Looking for more Christmas crafts and books to read with your children this season?

Check out my list of the best Christmas Books for Young Children for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

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Thanks Jocelyn, what a cute idea! I think we will make this today!
{Actually I know we will because I'm going right now to buy the stuff to do it!}

And don't forget to enter the giveaway for the "When I Grow Up, I'll Go on a Mission book Giveaway!!

When I Grow Up, I'll Go on a Mission Giveaway

2011-12-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

I have a few family members and some friends children that are out on missions right now. One day my boys will be on missions and oh I will miss them so much, especially during the holiday seasons. I used to think it would be so hard to be a missionary away from home at Christmas time, but maybe it's not really the kid on the mission that has a hard time being a way, but the parents that miss them so much. From what I have heard and from what my husband had told me about his mission, Christmas on a mission was actually the best time of year for missionaries because peoples hearts are open and you get the most letters and packages, and lots of people are willing to feed you good food! :)

A few months ago I was reading a friends Facebook status saying that her cousin had just written a book about Missionaries, called When I Grow Up, I'll Go On a Mission. I went to go look at the site and was totally impressed by this book, just from what I read on the site and because I have 3 boys who I hope will all one day go on a mission! How great it is to actually have a book that really talks about what a mission is and what goes on while you are on your mission.

Valine sent us a copy and we love this book! When I read it to my kids they didn't even want me to turn the page because of all the great pictures. She used real photographs of missionaries to portray what life is like on a Mormon Mission. I love how each page flowed with words that rhymed. My kids favorite page is when she writes about food they have to eat! I got all chocked up reading it thinking about my boys one day serving a mission, and also my daughter who REALLY wants to go on a mission and has actually been saving up. I realized my two oldest will actually be on a mission at the same time if she does go on a mission!

This book is actually going to be a series of books about "When I Grow Up...". I am excited to read them all! You can buy the book here, and you should also go read her story, it is very touching.

Valine was nice enough to send me a copy to give away to one of my lucky readers! This book would be great as a birthday or Christmas gift to any future missionary!

Here is how to enter the Giveaway!

Focusing on CHRISTmas Guest Post by Cari Osborne

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

How is everybody doing on their 25 Days of service? I have to say yesterday was a bit of a stretch, but for the most part we haven't had that hard of a time coming up with things to do! I was nervous it was going to be hard to do, but things have just fallen into our laps. It was the sweetest thing to watch my kids hand the garbage man a cookie we bought from the Sugar Cookie Shop. He doesn't always look very happy and he's a pretty grungy dude, but the smile on his face when they yelled "Merry Christmas" over the roar of his engine, and handed him the cookie, was priceless! It has been fun each day to hear my kids come up with things to do!

I am excited to have my first guest post of the month! I don't know how I found Cari's blog, but I am glad I did. She has tons of great ideas and is just down right amazing. Cari is a mom to three wild boys and wife to an army lawyer who is currently serving in Afghanistan. She love Photography, running, food, and homeschooling and blogs about all these and more at http://carianthony.blogspot.com. I bet my 3 wild boys and her 3 wild boys would get along great!
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Focusing on CHRISTmas

Christmas morning in my home growing up was pretty much like the running of the bulls. We would wake up around 5am, and wait for hours for our parents to FINALLY wake up. Once they gave the o.k. we all charged full speed ahead (mind you I grew up with 10 brothers and sisters, you would not want to get in the way of that) and burst into the front room to find our individual mountain of presents. And mountains they were. We never had a lot of money growing up, but you sure wouldn't know that by the number of presents we each had. Anything and everything that could be wrapped and considered a gift, was. I mean ANYTHING. It was not uncommon to open a package of socks on Christmas morning. Or underwear. You remember the kind that had the days of the week on them? So if you wore them two days in a row and were sitting real ladylike on the couch your brother would yell "Hey! it's not Monday, it's Tuesday!" Ya. those kind. Got 'em for Christmas. I even remember wrapping deodorant for my dad. And shaving cream. I'm sure he was super excited to open those presents. And the time my sister wrapped up two rocks? That was awesome.

Anyway. When I had my first child I was sooo excited to have our "first Christmas" together. I envisioned the mountains of gifts and the glow on his little cheeks. Then I realized, wait a sec, he's only two months old. He will eat the paper, choke and ruin everything. Christmas morning came and went and he didn't even know it was Christmas! So rude. It finally dawned on me that maybe Christmas wasn't really about the presents... I mean, he seemed to be ok without getting anything. Or at least without REALIZING he got anything.

As the years passed (he's a whopping five years old now) I started to have a different vision of Christmas in my mind. It started with a trip that my husband and I took to China. He had a three-week legal training in Beijing and I tagged along. We'd been to Mexico and the Bahamas before and thought we kind of knew what to expect as far as poverty. Not even close. I'll never forget the day we rode in the car of this INSANE driver weaving in and out of traffic, slamming on the brakes every few minutes, and multiple heart failures later, dropping us off in this remote village in the middle of who knows where, pointing to some trees at the top of a hill and saying "wall". "I pick you up later". And walking away. We were looking at each other praying that the Great Wall was really on the other side of those trees. And I had to pee! A nice little lady who was living inside some pieces of stacked up wood let me use her toilet. She pulled aside a curtain and pointed to a hole in the dirt. Yup. THAT is poverty. No tv. No plumbing. No refrigerator. No washing machine. So...I started picturing the holiday's volunteering at soup kitchen's, taking cookies to the widows and building a well for children in Africa. I envisioned teenagers who would rather give Christmas to children in need than to want the latest electronic device for themselves. So maybe that will never be reality, but it's something to shoot for. I started to realize that MY attitude and beliefs about Christmas would essentially determine what their attitudes and beliefs would be.

My husband and I discussed ways we could encourage them to appreciate all the things they've been blessed with and not just be spoiled rotten kids. We figured we'd start by donating to charities ourselves. Once our son was old enough to write we started having him write the checks to UNICEF and LDS Charities. When natural disasters strike such as Japan last year, we donate a little to help. We don't have a lot of money, but we choose to reserve a certain percentage of our income to help others. We hope that this will teach our children that helping others is important and that everything we have is a gift from God and not really ours.

So, I started to think about ways I could teach my children that Christmas is really about Jesus and the miracle he gave us rather than gifts and presents and me me me. Don't get me wrong, I love presents as much as the next person, but let's face it, at the end of the day I am the one who has to put away all that junk day after day, so really more is less. That was our first decision. Limiting gifts. I think one or two well chosen gifts is enough for a child to enjoy the excitement of Christmas without becoming a spoiled *you know what* and building an ever-increasing list of Christmas demands.

The next step was thinking of ways we could make each day leading up to Christmas feel special. I came across this article that shared the meaning of Christmas traditions and thought it would be fun to link all of these traditions back to Jesus. I also found a great downloadable book from Discovering the Scriptures that shares a Christmas tradition, story and/or activity for the 25 days of Christmas and a scripture countdown chain. We are going to go through this book together this year.

Next we let our extended families know that rather than adult gift exchanges as we've done in years past we would prefer to either work together to provide service for someone or we would like to use the money we would have spent on a ~~useless~~thoughtful gift for them and buy something to help others in need. Last year we purchased some vaccinations from Unicef in lieu of a family member's gift. It felt good. Another great organization for holiday gift giving is Heifer where you can purchase a farm animal (among other things) to provide food for a village. There are dozens of good causes, just pick one and support it!

We also want to perform some kind of service for others. My children are not soup kitchen age yet, but they CAN go to a nursing home and sing Christmas carols. We can choose a family in need to give money or gifts to. They can drop a few coins in the Salvation Army bucket. They can write a letter to or visit someone who is lonely. There are many small ways that even small children can show others they care. One thing I want to do this year is to create little kits to hand out to the homeless people we see downtown. Rather than ignore their pleas for help as we pass by pretending we don't notice, we can provide them with a small backpack of food and essential supplies.

Lastly, I tried to think of ways we could remember Jesus on Christmas day. On Christmas Eve we do the traditional nativity and reading from the bible but Christmas day has always been about Santa Claus. This year we decided that the gifts under the tree were family gifts. The gifts in the stocking would be from Santa. And we saved all the "thankful" notes that we wrote in the month of November, are going to wrap them up in a box with a note "from Jesus". On Christmas morning we will open the gift and read all the things that Jesus has blessed us with.

These are just a few ways our family is trying to come closer to Christ this Christmas season. What things do you do to make Him part of your Christmas celebrations?

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Thank you Cari for sharing! Please leave a comment and go on over and visit Cari's Blog The Osborne's. Cari also has some amazing free art work she shares here and I think I just might make this fudge of hers as soon as possible!

The 5th Day of Christmas - Santa Day

2011-12-05T22:31:00.000-08:00

Yup today is Santa Day, he is coming to our clubhouse tonight and I think it is the real one. We don't push Santa like crazy around here, but we do believe! He represents love and giving and serving others. I love this picture by Greg Olsen and the poem he wrote to go with it! It basically sums up how I feel about the whole "Santa Thing" {as people say}.

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

By the magical light of a small Christmas candle
A little old man tries to carefully handle

The small porcelain manger which serves as a bed
For the wee Baby Jesus to lay down His head.

In wonder he brings the manger up to his view,
Smiles at the baby and whispers, “I love you!

I love you for bringing this season of joy,
I love you for growing to a man from a boy;

For being our light and leading the way,
For being the spirit which makes Christmas Day!

You’ve been my mentor, my model, my hero and guide,
Please continue to help me and stay by my side.

I’ve tried to follow your teachings and give as you gave,
Reminding all to be kind and that it’s wise to behave.

Help me to serve others and bring them your light,
Especially the children, please bless them tonight!

Some have so very little, scarce food for their table,
You know how it feels - you were born in a stable!

Bless all their mothers and fathers with a knowledge that’s sure,
The best gift they can give is their love, strong and pure.

That’s the Spirit of Christmas when all’s said and done,
God’s gift of love, that came as His Son!”

Then back to His mother the child is returned
The Nativity glows as the candle is burned.

In a wink the little old man slips quietly away
Some say he goes up the chimney and climbs in a sleigh.

Whatever the case, His mission is clear -
Give unto others, bringing love and good cheer.

He flies into the night and bids us adieu
Doing for others what Jesus would do!

Greg Olsen - 2009

We found these cute Santa Letters and are going to do these this afternoon for our activity before we head down to visit Santa.

source

The 4th Day of Christmas & Winner of Giveaway

2011-12-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

We're home from our long drive and definitely happy to be back, but we always miss our family when we have to leave. We were supposed to go look at lights tonight, but got home late so it didn't happen, but we did see some great lights in my parents neighborhood last night. We always LOVE this star that my step dad puts up! We call it The Star of Marvin, we love it!

Tonight for our Spirit of Christmas Activity We talked about the tradition of outside Christmas lights, which by the way we love since that is my husbands job every November and December. What we read from Discover Christmas was really interesting. It brought up how Christ is a light and we need to “Let our Light Shine”. Our Testimonies, our examples, and not hide our light.
Like it says in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

I asked them how we can let our light shine and they said “sharing our testimony, being an example and being kind” Perfect Answers! Sometimes I put up fears and insecurities, when I should be letting my light shine especially when it come to sharing my testimony. I need to do better at this, and share my testimony even if it is scary or awkward.

Now I am going to go watch this and wrap up in a warm blanket and drink some hot chocolate!

Oh and I almost for got to announce the winner of The Things I Love Gift Pack.....{drum roll please}

#2 Christy said...

I posted your link to Facebook and I'm telling my family!

Thanks for entering and sharing this with friends and family. Please email me ASAP and let me know your address so I can ship you this fun pack! Come back for more giveaways and great post this next week!

The 3rd Day of Christmas

2011-12-03T15:48:00.001-08:00

We are out of town again and had to do our Christmas fun activity here so I went simple and went to Hobby Lobby and bought these…I talked to the kids about Christmas trees and ornaments and what they symbolize and where the tradition started. I was happy my kids mostly already knew. They turned out cute and Jack Jack gave one to grandma and she hung it right in the middle of the tree!

We had to travel a few hours from our home last night to attend a baptism. Our December Fun Activity yesterday was to watch the Polar Express wrapped up in blankets while drinking hot cocoa. Well we had to adapt a little so I bought chocolate milk and the kids watched it in the car as we drove. It was perfect!

This morning we went to a baptism for my niece. It was beautiful. My brother got to baptize his first child. It was very sweet and we are happy for her and their family. We got this great picture of my siblings. I pretty much think I have the best siblings ever, and am grateful to be so close to them {even though I am the only one that lives out of town}, I still feel close!

Today I just have to say how grateful I am for my grandma. Yesterday she was having some pains in her neck and chest and was not feeling good. My aunt went over to her house in the morning and while she was there my grandma fell to the floor and because of her past heart problem about 12 years ago my aunt thought she had maybe had another heart attack. My sister ran over to my grandma and the ambulance came. Well to make a long story short she is home and did not have a heart attack, in fact they said her heart looked great, which is great. But they don’t know what caused her pain and to fall over.

This sweet grandma of mine is one of the most amazing people I know, and one of my greatest friends ever. I want her to stay here on this earth forever so I can call her up and laugh and cry with her or visit her and take her shopping!Her husband died when she was 40. Leaving her with 7 kids between the ages of 16 and 2. She raised them all by herself and did a fabulous job. I know I am biased but I have some of the best aunts and uncles known to man! I am extremely grateful she is okay, and that while being here staying at her house this weekend she is here at her house with us and we don’t have to go visit her at a hospital!

So if you haven’t done your service today call up your grandparents or go visit them if you life close and tell them how much you love them! Have a wonderful day!

My Top 25 Christmas Movies

2011-12-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

You know how when you plan something and you want it to go perfect. Like this whole 12 days of Christmas thing. We forgot to read our first book last night and then I had Little Mister that kept me up most of the night with a fever and when I woke up this morning to look at the clock it was 8:57, 3 mins away to when my son was supposed to be as school. So no Family Devotional and Christmas Scripture {yes we can do that later, and we will read two books tonight!}, but it made me realize that even if you plan something it doesn't always go perfect and you have to adapt!

My baby isn't feeling great and has now learned to say "Mama" I love it, but it sound like he is whining it....wonder who he learned that from? {quite possibly the 3 year old in the house?}

I bought a new book last night when I was wandering through Walmart at 10:30 at night just needing a break from the day and to get a few groceries...I know what you are thinking, "Sad, you go to Walmart for a break" Yup, sometimes I do! Hey I enjoyed it because there were about 10 people in the whole store. But I bought this book for only $8.99!

At borders it sells for $40? Crazy, who would pay that! It's so cute because it has all the music and lines from the movie! My kids are going to love it, and if they don't I will!

Anyway onto the real reason of this post!

My Top 25 Christmas Movies

{in no particular order}

Miracle on 34th Street
Elf
Polar Express
While you were Sleeping
A Dog named Christmas {I love Hallmark}
White Christmas {I watched this every year with my family}
Silver Bells {Hallmark}
The Grinch {The old classic one}
Home Alone {the first one}
It's a Wonderful Life
The Santa Clause
Rudolf
Frosty the Snowman
Cal me Mrs. Miracle
Meet me in St. Louis {this is probably my favorite}
A Christmas Story
The 12 Dogs of Christmas
Annabel's Wish
A Christmas Carol
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Ernest Saves Christmas
Prancer
The Best Christmas pageant Ever
Charlie Brown Christmas
Mr. Krueger's Christmas

So there you go, my top 25 favorite Christmas movies. There is a great list found here, and more links at the bottom of that site!

You know what I love to do. Get one of these movies from the library, put my kids to bed and sit and watch it out by the tree while sipping hot chocolate, and wrapping up in a cozy blanket!!

What is your favorite Christmas Movie? Oh and check out this blog that is also doing a 25 Days of Christmas!

Glad Christmas Tidings CD Giveaway

2011-12-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

Giveaway Closed

Winner is #21 Melanie said... And I follow Deseret Book on FB. :) Please email me to claim your prize at thethingsilovemost at gmail dot com

It's December 1st, probably my most favorite day of the year because I get to start doing all these fun things with my kids! They were so excited when I handed them their Chocolate Advent Calendars today {and so was I because they were the last 3 on the shelf at the $1 store last night!} and we got to pull off a scripture from our scripture chain! I am excited to focus on Christ this December and really help my kids understand the true meaning of Christmas! I have a lot to teach especially after we read our scripture this morning in Luke and my 3 year old son said "Did Luke Skywalker write that?" Oh Boy! Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful 1st Day of December!

Last year I was able to attend the most amazing Christmas concert at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It was Phenomenal! It featured the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square and the famous David Archuleta. I remember sitting there wishing I could bottle up all the music and listen to it all year long! Here is a little from that night!

I was excited when I received Glad Christmas Tidings in the mail last week to review! Can I just tell you, it felt almost just like being there {ok minus all the amazing decor and actually seeing all the dancing and stuff that goes on during the concert} I enjoyed just sitting and listening to it. There is also an amazing story on it about how the Tabernacle Choir came to be! This is a great gift or Christmas CD to have around. You can buy it here for $15.18 or enter the giveaway and hope you win!

Deseret Book has offered to Giveaway one CD of Glad Christmas Tiding {Autographed} to one of my readers! There are 4 ways to enter and you can do them all, just leave a comment for each entry!

Tell me your favorite Christmas Tradition.
Follow my blog either by Goggle Friend Connect on the right hand side or through Facebook.
Blog, Facebook, or Tweet about this giveaway.
Follow Deseret Book through Facebook.

Giveaway will end Monday, December 5th!

Our Other Christmas Traditions

2011-11-30T23:45:00.000-08:00

It's almost here...December 1st! I am excited to get started doing all these fun things with my kids! I thought I would share just a couple other traditions that we do in our family!

25 Christmas Books…I have collected Christmas books over the years and I was able to start this tradition with my kids. I got most of these books at garage sales and the DI, but some I bought because they are really special, and I wanted to have them to share with my children. One of my favorite is The Giving Chest by Dick Van Dyke. It is a sweet story that my kids love to hear each year. We also love the simplified story in the My First Story of the First Christmas. We have lots of fun ones and also some more spiritual ones! I like to mix them up and trade off nights! I wrap these books and put them in a basket by the tree and let the kids trade off picking out a book to read each night!

Gift Giving and Gift Exchange…
My kids will each receive 3 gifts on Christmas morning {Plus what is in their stocking}. Three to remember the 3 gifts given to Christ by the Wise men. One that Santa will bring, one picked out by Dad, and one from Mom. I don’t want to spoil my children, but I also want them to have something nice. Since we really don't buy our kids anything extra except for presents on their birthdays I think that 3 gifts is just perfect. We are also going to pick a family member for them to get a gift for and then on Christmas Eve we will do a small gift exchange between the 6 of us.

Here is what I am using for Day 1 of the 25 Days of Christmas Spirit. There are 4 pages in no particular order. If you click on each page and make the picture big or right click and save you can print it and make a paper chain! There are 24 scriptures and then one that is the last one for Christmas day {but it's on the first page}.

I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if these don't work for you and I will fix it! Also don't forget to tell your friends to follow my blog and the 25 Days of Christmas and enter the Giveaway here!

Oh and come back tomorrow for a really fun Giveaway from Deseret Book!!

25 Days of Christmas Service

2011-11-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

New this year included in our 25 days of Christmas Fun and The Spirit of Christmas we as a family are adding 25 Days of Christmas Service. I am sure you are all thinking wow this is way to much...but to me, it's not. It is at the most an hour out of my day to teach my kids the true meaning of Christmas!

I want my kids to understand this scripture found in Mosiah 2:17 "And Behold....learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow being ye are only in the service of your God". When we serve others we are serving God!

Through the years my family has been blessed so much by many kind acts. One year, after a particularly hard year financially we received so much from others. Small things and big things. From food on our porch, to neighbors bringing me something I really needed that day, to a big check in the mail from who know who! We were and still are so blessed each day by kind and loving people. This year at Christmas I want to come up with 25 ways to serve others and have my kids help me perform each act of kindness. Most of these are going to be small simple things that only take a couple minutes a day! I want to teach my kids daily to pray to know what we should do for someone else and then follow the spirit in our service to others.

I searched on the web and found so many great ideas of Random Acts of Kindness that I think would be great. I am not going to tell you what ones we are doing, because who know maybe you will be a recipient of some :)

There was a great website here with tons of ideas. These were just some of my favorites!

Drop off a toy or game at a hospital
Put something you no longer need on Craigslist for free
Compliment a stranger sincerely
Put change in a row of vending machines at the college
Leave a book you have already finished somewhere for someone else to read
Reach out to people in other countries.
Give care packs to the homeless
Donate used books to a library
Offer a couple hours of free babysitting to parents.
Help someone whose car is broken down.
Put a comment on someones blog that you like and let them know how much you love reading it
At the post office leave some extra stamps at the stamp machine
Drop off a toy of a game at a homeless shelter
Send a picture you have taken which includes a friend and send it to them with a note remembering when it was taken
Open the phone book, pick a name, and send them something (movie tickets, thank you card, you are appreciated card, book, etc.) anonymously.
Send someone a hand written note of thanks.
Share your umbrella with someone who doesn't have one.
Drop off a teddy bear to police department to give to traumatized children.
Tape some change to a payphone with a card saying it is for whoever needs it.
Drop off cookies at a random establishment.
Bring cookies or some snack to work for office
If you know someone who is having a hard time financially, pop a $5, $10 or $20 note in an envelope, disguise your writing or type the envelope, and post it to them.
Send a card to a friend or relative you haven't seen for some time. Include a photo your family.
Write anonymous, loving post-its for strangers to find.
Write letters of appreciation to groups who are helping the community, the environment, etc.
Buy a copy of your favorite book and donate it to your local library or hospital
Drop a few coins in an area where children play, where they can easily find them.
Express kindness to those who are healing. Leave a stuffed animal for a child in a hospital.
Write a thank-you note to a person from your past who has made a difference in your life.
Walk your friend’s dog.
Give a compliment about your waiter / waitress to his / her manager.
Send someone a small gift anonymously.
Stop and help someone replace their flat tyre.
Treat a friend to the movies for no reason.
Give a tip $ to someone when they least expect it.
Give up your seat for someone, not just an elderly person.
Pick up some rubbish in the road which would otherwise be lying around.
Tell all your family members how much your appreciate them.
Leave a copy of an interesting book on a train / bus.
Buy an inspirational book for a friend.
Send a thank you note to a person who has helped you in the past.
Smile a lot.
Invite a couple of neighborhood kids over for a cooking class.
Collect can goods for a food bank.
Leave a note in your mailbox letting the mail delivery person know you appreciate them and all their hard work.
Clean up litter on a street in your neighborhood.
Neighborhood Cleanup
Drop off a plant or some home-made baked goods to your local police or fire department.
Leave a kind note for a family member or friend.
Tell you're children/grandchildren why you love them.
Cheer up a friend you know who needs it by surprising them with a quiet lunch out and listen to what they need to talk about. Think about what is bothering them and try to offer something to help them with their issue.
Donate blood.
Hug a family member.
Smile and say "Hello" to people you don't know.
Offer to babysit for free. Perhaps you know a couple or a single parent who could really use a short break.
Offer someone behind you in the grocery check-out line to go in front of you.
Volunteer to read to students at a near-by school. Volunteer once a month to provide instruction and guidance in the arts department. Better yet if the school doesn't have an arts department.
Open the car door for your passenger.
Pull out someone’s chair for them at the dinner table.
Take a neighbors newspaper laying out on their driveway to them or leave it at their front door.
Let a neighbor know how much you value their friendship. When preparing dinner make extra and drop it off for them.
Let a manager know you compliment a sales clerk for their pleasant service.
Give your pocket change to someone who is needing it.
Pick up small florist vases at thrift stores or yard sales for about 10 cents and buy wrapped flowers for a few more dollars. Then arrange the flowers in the vases. Get the local phone book out, pick a few names and deliver them to their door step anonymously early in the morning before everyone is awake.
Leave your change in the soda or snack vending machine for the next person. It's a nice surprise.
Purchase a meal for a homeless person.
If you see you're neighbor hasn't set his or her trash can out for that mornings pick-up, wheel it out to the curb yourself.
Add some quarters to a parking meter you notice is getting low.
Pay for the persons order behind you when in a drive-through at a fast food place.
Leave change in a public pay phone.
Do as many things as you can by being anonymous. It's a wonderful feeling.
Run an errand for someone.
Make an extra serving when preparing dinner and take to a homeless person in your area.
Call a parent just to say you love them.
Take blankets or warm clothing to a homeless person.
Help an elderly person care for their pet(s).
Purchase a couple extra bags of dog or cat food and take to the animal shelter.
Volunteer to help at an animal shelter.
Watch someone’s children for a couple you feel needs some alone time.
Take a meal to a family you know.
Check in on someone you know is alone.
Offer to pump someone’s gas at the station. If you can, pay for it.
If you notice a neighbors lawn is becoming over-grown that otherwise has been nicely groomed in the past, go mow it without them being aware.
Send a bouquet of flowers to a hospital and let the staff know it should go to someone who doesn’t receive any visitors and is alone.
Stop into a nursing home just to spend a little time with the residents.
Drop off books and magazines to hospitals, nursing homes and doctors offices.
Volunteer at a homeless shelter.
Call or text a friend and tell them you are going to the store and see if they need anything.
Do a service for each member of your family!

25 Days of The Christmas Spirit + Giveaway

2011-11-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome back everyone! Last year I decided I wanted not only to do fun activities leading up to Christmas, I also wanted to do some teaching and learning to really help my kids understand the true spirit of Christmas! This year like last I added 25 Days of the Spirit of Christmas. We will do this part of it during school. I changed this up just a little bit from last year, but am mostly using stuff from Discover Christmas through Discover the Scriptures for only $7.99. It has 25 days of great stuff to help bring the spirit of Christmas into your home. It also has stories, memory verses, recipes, crafts, hands-on projects, service ideas and hand-made gifts.

I have some great stuff coming up in December as part of my 25 Days of Christmas Celebration. Some really great giveaways and wonderful guest post! So, get excited!!
Now onto our Giveaway for today. Like last year, I am going to do a giveaway prize pack of Things I Love!
Here is how to enter: Leave a comment telling me that you told your friends, family, facebook friends, whoever, about The Things I Love 25 Days of Christmas . Then come back and tell me how you told your friends! So for the next week tell your friends and family all about it, and come back here and leave me a comment telling me how you spread the news! I will pick the winner on December 4th!
Have a great day!!

25 Days of Christmas Fun

2011-11-27T07:19:00.001-08:00

Every year for the past 6 years I have put together a list of 25 fun things to do leading up to Christmas! My kids look forward to this every year, and every year they ask me when we are going to start, and every year the answer is…December 1st! The main thing for me in making this list is that I wanted to do fun activities with my kids that don’t very cost much money, are fun, and will get us in the spirit of Christmas!

This year I made a list that wasn’t just specific to our family, but that you could also use! Double click on the list and you should be able to print it off! You don’t have to do them in order. We try to do them all with Dad, but that doesn’t always happen depending on his work, but most of these things only take an hour. So we wait until we can do them when dad is around! Also if something comes up in our day and we can’t do them, then we usually make up for it later in the week or on the weekend!

Coming up this week more about the 25 Days of Service and The Sprit of Christmas, and a GIVEAWAY coming up tomorrow!!

25 Days of Christmas 2011

2011-11-25T23:20:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had a great Thanksgiving day with LOTS {58 people to be exact} of family who I love so much! It’s good to be home after a long and somewhat hard day though! As promised here is the start to my 25 Days of Christmas. Remember last year? I had 25 posts of things we did leading up to Christmas! Who is ready for Christmas? Well if it’s all about presents…I am certainly not, but I am ready and very excited for our families 25 days of Christmas! Come celebrate with us as we enjoy The 25 Days of Christmas Fun, The Spirit of Christmas and new this year, The 25 Days of Christmas Service!My kids look forward to this every year and I think yours will also! Come back tomorrow for my 25 Day lists of things we do each day leading up to Christmas!! Also we will be having our first giveaway of a many!!

Happy Holidays!!

Happy Thanksgiving…my talk in church on Gratitude and Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I wanted to post my talk I gave in church last Sunday! have a great day baking, eating, shopping and spending time with those you love!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was having a really hard time this week in starting to write this talk and I wondered to myself if it was because I wasn't feeling very grateful and I was having a slight pity party about life. I prayed and tried to figure out what I should talk about regarding this subject and came across two amazing talks that helped me a lot. The first talk is by Vaughn E. Worthen called "The Value of Experiencing and Expressing Gratitude" and the second is "Finding Joy in the Journey" by President Monson.

So what is gratitude? The Dictionary states that gratitude is appreciating what you have received.

Vaughn Worthen says
“Gratitude is a positive experience that comes from recognizing gifts or blessings and feeling thankful. It is also an attitude, a way of perceiving life, in which individuals are willing to receive and acknowledge the beneficial actions of others on their behalf. Those who consistently display such an attitude are said to have a grateful disposition. Gratitude is also a habit that can be cultivated, causing one to focus on the blessings of life. Finally, gratitude can be defined as a coping response to challenging or difficult circumstances. Gratitude can have a profound effect on perspective, completely determining or altering the way we look at an experience. "

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 it says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

So In ALL things we need to give thanks. That's not very easy especially when dealing with hard things.

In Alma 37:37 it says, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”

President Thomas S. Monson said, “We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude.”

And Elder Robert D. Hales said “in some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. … Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure. Truly, following the words of prophets to live with a sense of gratitude invites a spirit of happiness into our lives.”

President Monsons talk Finding Joy in the Journey was an amazing talk...he says,

“Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, such as the unexpected passing of a loved one, an unforeseen illness, the loss of a possession we treasure. But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us.Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.

Recently a close friend of mine had her mother pass away. This has been a very hard thing for her to go through. She was very close to her mom as most girls are to their mothers, but she was also the only girl of 6 boys in her family. In a recent conversation I had with her she mentioned how people say they are grateful for their trials and that she doesn’t understand why anyone say that. It is kind of an odd statement to say, “I a grateful for my trials” Why would you be grateful your mom died, or you lost a child or a family member went astray. As I started to ponder her question I thought about why anyone would say that, and the thought came to me that it is not the trail they are grateful for, but the things they learn from going through that trial. And sometimes the things you learn from going through a trial might not even become apparent until years down the road long after you have gone through that trial.

Brother Worthen says,

"Current case studies and research show that cultivating and practicing gratitude can reduce symptoms in cases of mild to moderate depression and anxiety. Practicing gratitude can also lead to increases in optimism, vitality, happiness, a sense of well-being, and a greater satisfaction with life. Grateful people tend to generate more positive memories, reminding them of the good in their lives. Those with higher levels of gratitude are viewed as more empathetic and supportive, more forgiving, and more likely to assist others. Grateful people also report feeling less envious and more generous with their possessions. They thus enjoy better quality relationships.
Gratitude also helps in coping with adversity. Those who practice it in times of adversity are more likely to seek and find a “silver lining” in their experiences. Finally, those who try to feel greater levels of gratitude report fewer physical complaints, more time spent in physical exercise, and better sleep duration and quality.”

He goes on to talk about different ways we can cultivate gratitude in ourselves and others...he says,"Even if we are not currently in the habit of feeling and showing gratitude, we can make it a way of life.

About 3 years ago our family decided to start something new before we went to bed. after we read our scriptures together at night we "say our gratitudes" It has been a great thing for our family each night to think about a couple of things that we are grateful for and express them to each other. It is also fun to hear what they come up with...our Jackson could go on all day!!

The following are some ideas for recognizing blessings and expressing thanks from Vaughn Worthen…
•Keep a Gratitude Journal-Record daily or several times a week three to five blessings or “tender mercies” you have felt or experienced
•Make a Gratitude Visit-Think about someone who has been kind or has done something for you whom you have never properly thanked.
•Express Prayers of Gratitude-Regularly dedicate an entire prayer to your expressions of gratitude.
•Train Yourself to Use Gratitude Language-Make a habit of writing letters of appreciation. Say thank you frequently to your loved ones and also to cashiers, postal workers, and others who serve you in any capacity.
•Recognize That Things Could Be Worse
•Enjoy the Journey

•Learn the Art of Being Content-
Paul declared, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11). He further taught, “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). It is tempting to complain and murmur when life is challenging and things don’t appear to be working out as we wish. We learn from Nephi in his great afflictions on his journey: “I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions” (1 Nephi 18:16). The people of Ammon “praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword” (Alma 24:23). The act of thanking and praising has great power to help us endure and is one of the surest methods for increasing happiness. It is also a way to define our relationship with God, from whom all blessings flow.
Recognize the blessings that a loving Heavenly Father so generously bestows on us. And as we acknowledge these gifts of grace, our expressions of gratitude can become an expression of faith in Him.

•Eliminate Ungrateful Thoughts-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wisely counseled, “No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.”10 Identify and list your complaining and ungrateful thoughts, and replace them with grateful thoughts and problem-solving strategies. We are prone to be more grateful when we recall how others have contributed to our success and happiness and when we focus on positive action rather than passive complaining.

This last weekend I was at Time Out for women and Hillary Weeks was one of the speakers and she talked about our thoughts. She had heard a statistic that we as humans have over 300 negative thoughts per day, so she bought a clicker and tested it out. She did it for 6 days and clicked between 100-150 negative thoughts a day {knowing she had probably missed some.

She said she "After several days I felt down, depressed and discouraged. I was really surprised by the effect that simple, tiny act of “clicking” each negative thought had on my mood. I guess that is why King Benjamin told us in the Book of Mormon to “watch ourselves and our thoughts.” And maybe that is why we are told in the Doctrine and Covenants to “let virtue (or power) garnish our thoughts unceasingly.” So I switched. I quit counting negative thoughts and started counting the positive thoughts. It was SO. MUCH. BETTER. I loved “clicking” all the positive, uplifting, inspiring, gratitude-filled thoughts I could fill my mind with."

Life is not perfect it is not easy...so how can we feel gratitude daily in our lives and not let hard things, change or daily struggles get to us. A few months ago I was having a regular morning of trying to get to the library...i wasn't particularly grumpy, but just in a hurry to get things done and get to the library with my kids. When we got there I opened the door and Maddie looked up at me and said, "Mom you need to enjoy your life while you still have it" Wow I thought. What profound words coming from a 7 year old. I do need to enjoy my life here on earth.

President Monson closes his talk by saying “Said the Lord in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, “In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things.”10 May we be found among those who give our thanks to our Heavenly Father. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey.”

And I just want to add my testimony to that and tell you how grateful I am for my life, for all that God has given me and for the many great examples in my life who help and teach me daily. I am grateful for good friends and neighbors who help me with my kids, who go on walks with me or just chat with me when I need to talk to another adult. I am grateful to serve in my calling and for the wonderful people I get to work with. I am grateful for my husband and his love for me and the daily things he does for me. For my kids and how awesome they are and how much they teach me. I am grateful for the gospel in my life and for the scriptures and the things I learn from them. I am grateful for the temple and the peace I feel when I am there. I am grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, and for the companionship of the Holy Ghost in my life. I am grateful for the things I have learned in preparing this talk and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!!!!

School Thanksgiving Party

2011-11-22T13:57:00.001-08:00

I know what you are thinking…”Where is her 25 days of Christmas post?” Sorry, I am changing things again…cuz I can. I am SO exciting about posting the 25 days of Christmas, but I need to hold off until the day after Thanksgiving! So be patient because with it comes a lot of fun giveaways!!

I was asked to do the Thanksgiving party at my sons school. Yes I do homeschool, but I let my kids go to half day kindergarten. It ended up being a really fun party!

The teacher started the party with a fun little feast and made Mini English Muffin Pizzas. That was a lot of fun! I think the kids would rather eat that then the real thanksgiving dinner!

Then I read a little story about Thanksgiving and asked the kids what their favorite food was to eat at Thanksgiving…90% of them said pie!! {Kids after my own heart. I would rather have pie than anything else!}Then we divided into 3 groups and did these little projects

Handprint Turkey Card..

I got the idea and poem here.

What I am Thankful For ABC’s…

Oreo Turkey Treats…

I got this idea from a friend but instead of M&M and Candy Corns I used M&M’s and Mike n’ Ikes!

They turned out pretty cute I think!!

It was a really fun party, and I was glad I was able to be there to help and take LaLa with me so we could count it as our Thanksgiving party for school!!

Oh and guess what….

This little man is 6 months old. Can you believe it! I sure love him and his silly little smiles and sweet snuggles! I don’t want him to grow up, but I won’t think about it or I will cry {you know me and my issue with my kids growing up}!

Time Out For Women

2011-11-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was able to go to Deseret Books Time Out For Women. If you haven’t ever been it is a big event just for women…member or non member. It is an inspiring 2 days of listening to great speakers and music. Every year they have a theme and this years theme was, “Choose to Become - All things are possible to him that believeth”
I loved it and really needed to hear all that the speakers had to say. You sit in a huge room with tons of women who are laughing and crying and even dancing to the music. The people that do the music that day come on and off stage in between speakers. I would say they make Time Out!!
It started on Friday night at 6 and went until 9. That night we heard from
Jason Wright- If you haven't read any of his books I totally recommend the Christmas Jars and The Wednesday Letters. He talked about his dad and what a kind and amazing person he was always doing good for others. He told stories about his dads “Billboard Moments” which were moments where he did something huge to help someone. Then he talked about all the small little things his dad did for people. He wanted to be like his dad for the billboard moment, but realized those kind of moments don’t matter if your not doing small little things for others. He had us stand up and open our eyes with our hands and look around the room and told us to keep our eyes open to others around us.
Heidi Swinton- The author of President Monsons Book “To the Rescue” She told some pretty amazing stories about writing a book for a prophet. I can’t wait to read her book. I didn’t know President Monson went to church by himself for many years as a young child. She was a great speaker
Jenny Oaks Baker- Amazing, really. I wish my daughter that plays violin could have heard her. She was fabulous, and I love her new CD Wish Upon a Star. Truly a talented humble girl!
So that was Friday!!
The next day it started at 9 and went until 3:30 with a 80 min lunch break during that time they did a service project for a local women's shelter in the area putting kits together. {I actually didn’t stay for that, I know bad, but I did donate…but we went out to lunch}
The first speaker was
Mariama Kallon – WOW is all I can say about her. She talked about forgiveness and told all about the struggles she has gone though. She is an AMAZING women. She is the lady along with Nie Nie in the new Hillary Weeks music video, Beautiful Heartbreak
Brad Wilcox –Talked about the atonement. He said the miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can get black marks erased, It’s that we can be transformed. I really like the spirit about Brad and his amazing understanding of the gospel and the atonement.
Wendy Ulrich- I really liked her talk. She gave us 6 things to do in our lives to help us be happy.

Stop Worrying about your weaknesses – Build your strengths
Don’t motivate yourself to exercise – just start exercising
Don’t try to find friends – just be a friend
Celebrate Failure
Don’t get help with your problems – help others with their problems “Who did you help today
Don’t endure to the end – “Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured” Savor Everyday Delights

Deann Flynn – She talked about how the little things we do as mothers mean the most. She called them “Mother’s Mites”. Choose to become more aware of those around us. Look someone in the eye and notice something new about them. If we Hurry Less we notice more. I as a mother bring the mood into the home.
Emily Freeman- I really like to listen to her talk. She is so sincere and tells great stories. She talked about service and told the most amazing story you can read here. One thing she said is that we need to “Choose to write the name of the Lord in your heart.” She talked about how we are disciples of Christ.
Hillary Weeks – all I can say is she is SO FUN! I will tell you more of what she talked about in my post on Wednesday because I used what she told us in my talk I gave in church on Sunday. She is an amazingly talented entertainer and is really fun and funny! I really could just listen to her sing and speak the whole Time Out…Although everyone else was really amazing also!
Anyway, I came home from Time Out realizing these things that I want to do better in my life….

Keep my eyes more open to those around me that might need help
Work on my own talents and to choose what I want to become.
Enjoy the little moments I have with my kids.
Serve others more
Always try to do the right thing, even if it is hard.

I went with some great friends and had a really good time. Hey it even made me miss my kids A LOT!

Sunday Repost

2011-11-20T18:18:00.001-08:00

Todays theme is Finances and Budgeting…

Thank Goodness for our Emergency Fund

Financial Planning 101

Clothing our Children Not Decorating Them - Becoming a Barging Shopper

I spoke in church today and life had been a bit hectic the last few days, but I am getting ready to post the 25 days of Christmas on Tuesday and am so excited. Coming up tomorrow Time Out For Women Recap, then onto Christmas!!

Have you ever just felt dumb?

2011-11-18T21:54:00.001-08:00

I know it’s a strange question, but it is how I have felt a couple times this past month. A few weeks ago I was sitting in on a conversations between our friend who is a paramedic and my sister who is a nurse, they were using all these words I have never even heard and it was all WAY over my head…I felt dumb. Then about a week later I was at my moms house at a party my sister was having and this girl, who is only 24 {I am so much older being the big 29 that I am} started talking all about being a news anchor and radio broadcaster, and that she was just recently in a play and….yadayada. I felt completely like my life was not very interesting. I feel a little that way when I am around my cousin who is my age and my best friend all growing up who now has his doctorate, knows a few languages and is just plain smart.

Now you might think, “Oh Kendra, you are smart you got a Bachelors degree at BYU” Well, yes I did , and I don’t disregard that at all, but it was in Home and Family Life, which again I don’t regret at all. But I am not exactly sure how “book smart” I got from going to college.

I mentioned this to my family and my sisters and mom just said, “Oh, you are smart” yah, yah, yah! Well, on the day of Time Out for Women I was talking to my friend, who was going to go with me to Time Out, about this same thing. She actually brought it up and said because she didn’t go to college and stuff that she felt like this. Then I realized I am not alone in my thinking, I bet a lot of women feel like this at times. It’s not that we want to go back to school, or even have jobs, it’s just that sometimes, at least I, feel like I don’t know very much. I wish I had the time to read and study more, but I don’t really.

Then I went to Time out for Women and it was exactly what I needed to get me out of felling this way. At first as I sat there listening to the amazing talent, I thought “Oh great I get to sit here and listen to all the musicians, scriptorians, and great public speakers and wish I had their talent…great this is going to help how I am feeling”. But as I sat and listened I realized that these people are just good humble people sharing their talents with me. They probably aren’t even the smartest people in the world. And like me sometimes they might even feel like they are “dumb”.

I started thinking about my talents as I sat there listening. My talents might not be to play the violin amazingly or sing and write music or be a motivational speaker. Everyone is born with natural talents and we learn from the parable of the talents that if we don’t build upon them we will lose them. If we don’t know exactly what our talents are we can pray to find out. I started thinking about things I wanted to improve on. I love to sing, write, run and can play the piano a little and would like to work on those talents more. Then I thought about talents that I have had that I am ok with losing….like being a clogger I think I am ok with losing that talent…although sometimes I really do miss it.

I started to think about who I really want to become {that being the theme of Time Out} and realized that really it doesn’t matter how “Book” smart I am. The only thing that matters in Gods eyes Is that I am a good, loving, and kind person and that I am working hard to be better and more like Christ. I also learned that it is important for us as SAHMS {Stay at Home Moms} that we do improve on our talents and abilities. I might not be as smart as my cousin who lives for school, and I might not know very much medical terminology like my sisters, but those are their talents and hey I can keep my house in order, balance our money, be a good mom, make random crafts here and there, sew some things, and sing a little and play a little guitar and I can write a blog . I also love homeschool for this reason because I can relearn things that I have forgotten.

So if you ever feel a bit on the “dumb” side, just know you are not alone, but also forget what you don’t know and think about what you do know. If you are struggling thinking of things, ask God because he will help you figure them out. And if you want to learn something new, then do! There are so many great resources to learn to become a (insert what you want to become).

Hope you all have a great day. More tomorrow about Time Out For Women!

No internet...

2011-11-17T23:38:00.000-08:00

It's a little hard writing a new post on a smart phone...we are without internet for a couple of days. So hopefully soon!

He Really Does Care!

2011-11-16T20:30:00.001-08:00

Do you remember last week when I blogged about Learning Lessons from Losing Things? Well I think I figured out what I was supposed to learn from losing the handle bar to my stroller. {No I didn’t find the earrings or binky clip}

{This is my biker/ jogger combo with no handle bar}

The day after I wrote that post, my husband was out putting up Christmas lights {a side business that he does each year with my cousin} and someone was getting rid of a jogger stroller and told him to take it to the DI or that we could have it. He told them “he knew someone that might want it!” He didn’t say anything when he got home so when I went out to the garage the next morning I saw this…

Yup! A Double Jogger Stroller!! I couldn’t believe my eyes and besides a little bit of dirt and dog hair {I know it sounds gross, but it was actually not bad at all} it was perfect!!

I started thinking about what I could learn from this. I learned that God really does care. I don’t think that it is coincidence that a random jogger stroller was placed in my husbands hands. Maybe I won’t ever find the handle bar for my other stroller. I mean some kid could have come walking past where it was and grabbed it and now it is in Nowwhereville. Or the lawn guys might have thrown it away…I don’t know, but God does and he knew how much I really wanted it. So he provided a replacement. He didn’t help me find it, He knew we didn’t have money to buy a new one, but He still wanted to help me so He so randomly placed one in my husbands hands! I like how He works!! We used the jogger last night and it worked great!!Don’t these boys look happy in this jogger while their mommies try to get fit!!

A Sneak Peak

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

My baby just slept 6 1/2 hours!!! This is huge. I just might run around the block 10 times I have so much energy!! Ok not really. 6 1/2 hours isn't that much sleep, but it is the most he has ever done!

Here is a little sneak peek of what I got to see this last weekend {I am just finishing my post about it Cornine!}

{This is not at Time out for Women, but she played this song and it was amazing!!}

Sunday Repost

2011-11-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

I thought since I don’t blog on Sundays I would repost links to some old post I have written. Hope you have a wonderful day!
God’s Perspective or View of our Lives
Mothers Teaching Children In the Home
Establishing Family Rituals and Traditions