The Beautiful Thrifty Life

Because Pinterest Is More Than Just A Time Suck

2012-02-06T08:38:00.004-05:00

Ha ha ha!! I love this cartoon. Come on, you know that's you.

Yes, I am one of the few pinners who actually USES the things I find on Pinterest! I'm here today to share some of my success stories with you!

I used this method to clean my glass cooktop- worked like a charm!

I now have over-the-door shoe holders on both my laundry room and linen closet doors. These are PERFECT for those of us who stockpile couponing deals. I love having so much extra shelf space freed up!

The following are all recipes from Pinterest that I have made:

Yes, these brownies are as ridiculously decadently delicious as they look.

As is this creamy cream cheese pound cake. (No joke, my brother found the crumbs of this dry and crunchy still on the cake plate over a week old and he said it was still delicious- gross, I know, but that's saying something.)

Made these delicious little potato morsels for our Superbowl party yesterday. I added some chopped chives to them as well. Mmm.

And these roasted cauliflower poppers made their debut at our Superbowl party last night as well. My adorable little nephew, who is two, has to eat vegan due to allergies and the kid couldn't get enough of these. They really do taste like french fries! Definitely making these again.

Last but not least, this queso blanco dip really is just like the kind you get in the restaurants!

Much to the joy of my husband and the other friends and family at our Superbowl party. :-)

So I've been quiet over here, but I've been busy! Now that our crazy month of giveaways is over at Mormon Mommy Writers I will hopefully be able to post more and reconnect with all of my beautiful thrifty friends!

How about you? Have you "pinned and then performed"? What have you been up to?

Where Am I?

2012-01-16T08:49:00.005-05:00

Where, oh where, has Kasey been?

Hello, dear followers! I have not left you, I promise. This month I've been very busy with my new gig over at Mormon Mommy Writers. I am the newest contributor over there and I've been thrown into the deep end because this month they're celebrating their blogiversary! To help out, I've been offering some of my crafty goodness to round out their month of giveaways.

Here are a few of my contributions:

Pride & Prejudice Book Bundle

Twilight Scrabble tile pendant necklace

Twilight clothespin magnet clips

"WRITE" scrabble plaque

Just my usual- tearing books apart, attacking them with mod podge, firing up my glue gun, etc. :-)

If you'd like to enter to win one of these or you'd like to check out the great book offerings over there ALL month long, visit Mormon Mommy Writers and say hello! We don't have a huge following over there, so the entries have been low- like, 10 people or less each day! So your chances of winning are very good!

Hopefully I'll be back to share more craftiness and thriftiness with y'all very soon!

An AWESOME giveaway!

2012-01-02T15:51:00.002-05:00

Do you see this lovely book bundle of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice? Do you want it? It will look very beautiful in your home for Valentines Day, don't you think?

Well, if you'd like the chance to WIN this gorgeous prize, head on over here to Mormon Mommy Writers (a writing blog on which I am a contributor) and enter to win it! But hurry- this giveaway closes at midnight tonight!

Mormon Mommy Writers is celebrating their "blogiversary" with an entire MONTH- yes, a whole month- of giveaways! They're giving away books and I'm adding to the mix with my crafty skillz. Because I'm not connected enough to know famous authors who will give me their books to give away. ;-) Someday, someday....

Come on over! Check it out! :-)

The Best of TBTL 2011

2011-12-31T06:43:00.000-05:00

I've been seeing these posts around and I think they're a nice way to close out the year, so here is my Year In Review for The Beautiful Thrifty Life. Thanks to all of you who have made it a great year, and have stuck with me through the quieter times. I am looking forward to getting more organized (and therefore more crafty) in 2012!

January began with me sharing the lovely Princess Party decorations for Starlet's birthday gathering:

In February we celebrated Valentines Day with an Invasion of Love Bugs:

March was my most prolific month of posting, with lots of fun spring crafts, but my favorite had to be these lovely tissue paper peonies:

In April I celebrated Easter with my very own homemade Edible Arrangement!

In May I celebrated the women in my life by creating homemade soaps for Mothers' Day:

June was a big month for me because I opened my Etsy shop! (which is currently closed due to my inability to keep up with orders and keep up with my home! But I'm hoping to reopen it in 2012!)

In July I was living Appley Ever After with the abundance of apples from my apple tree. At least I got some great fruit leather out of it! Mmm...that looks really good...

In August I held my 300th post celebration giveaway in which I introduced you to my line of infinity scarf & flower clip sets (which were the items that ended up being such a huge hit on etsy!).

In September I splurged. And this scarf still makes me feel like a million bucks!

In October I shared our Family Circus Train costume along with some past family costumes we've done:

In November the Twilight madness hit and I joined in the fray with this decoupaged Twilight mirror- the paper flowers were my favorite part!

And it seems fitting that, as the year began with a party, so it should end. December brought a Winter Wonderland Party and my incorporation of several of my pins from Pinterest:

Whew! What a year it's been! I have learned and grown as a crafter, blogger, and writer, and I am looking forward to expanding and growing even more in 2012! (and that includes myself physically- much expanding happening around my waistline until July!)

Once again, thank you for your support and love- I will see in you 2012!

Winter Wonderland Party (and pretty snowflake ornaments!)

2011-12-21T11:30:00.011-05:00

I just love how I don't notice things like wonky blinds until I'm reviewing and editing my photos after the fact. Nice.

A few weeks ago I hosted a Secret Santa reveal party for my friends. I decided to have some fun with the decorations and use the opportunity to finally do some of the things I've been pinning on Pinterest.

First, see that little cluster of ball ornaments at the very top of this photo? I found something similar on Pinterest and so I bought a container of ornaments at the Dollar Store and finagled a little "ornament chandelier". My kids said it looked like a big bunch of fat shiny grapes. Ha.

And notice those ornaments hanging from above (that are all conveniently turned sideways so you can't see them really well)? You'll never guess how I made them.

Toilet paper tubes! Did you know you can make really cool things from toilet paper tubes? Yep, just flatten 'em and cut 'em into little strips, then glue those together. Cool, right? Thanks, Pinterest.

Pinterest also inspired these:

Aren't they ghetto-fabulous? Ha, they didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped...the plan was to use some mini glass candleholders for the center "column" between the burner covers but they didn't have any at the Dollar Store, so I used plastic champagne glasses instead and hot glued them together. Like I said, not quite what I was going for...

And here's my lovely Goodwill-rescued Christmas tree! I remember when I found this beauty all mashed up and stuffed in a bin. All it needed was a little fluffing, some tinsel and sparkly snowflake ornaments.

This was a fun (and pretty easy!) little touch- I strung white lights between the table legs under the white tablecloth, which resulted in a really neat diffused sparkly effect. Yet another shout-out to Pinterest! ;-) Next time I think I'll iron the tablecloth first...did I mention I'm kind of lazy?

Hey, who is that under my table??

So, remember those toilet paper tube ornaments that I spray-painted white to hang from my ceiling fan? Well, I decided to take them a step further and embellish them with some sparkly glass beads. I cut a little circle out of white felt and then hot glued some beads on it in a circle (sorry this picture isn't great). Then I strung a few off the bottom and I added a white ribbon for hanging. They turned out really classy. Who'd have thunk toilet paper tubes were so stylish?

So that's the extent of my Christmas craftiness this year. Hope your holidays are lovely and bright as well! :-) Merry Christmas, everyone!

Homemade Gift Ideas!

2011-12-06T08:20:00.003-05:00

In years past I've done extensive posts about great ideas for homemade gifts, but this year I'm keeping it simple!

For my mom's birthday I loved all of the great horse photography on etsy, and I considered buying a photo for her from there, but then I got to thinking how much more personal and meaningful it would be if she had an artsy photo of one of her own horses.

So I took my little point-and-shoot Canon and did a little photo shoot in the barn and then picked my favorite photo and picnik-ed it! Here's the result:

(That's Chase. Isn't he a cutie?)

I purchased a nice but inexpensive frame and mat and had it all ready to go for her birthday. It's now hanging in her office.

Artsy photos are a great gift, and with great editing programs like Picnik, it's easier than ever to make something really cool.

Alida over at I Make Stuff had several great ideas for homemade gifts, thanks to Pinterest- click here to see how she's making 25 gifts for $39! (yes, that's $1.56 a gift!)

And for some oldies but goodies, be sure to check out some of my older posts for homemade gift ideas. :-)

Big Mac, anyone?

2011-12-01T14:00:00.002-05:00

I am not a big fast food eater, but every now and then when we're out and about we'll stop off at McD's and grab a quick lunch or dinner. Living Social has a great deal going today where you can get a voucher booklet for 10 big macs and 10 large fries for only $13!

If you'd like to get in on the deal, just click here.

:-)

Enjoy!

Spiritual Sundays: Secret Santa

2011-11-27T15:38:00.003-05:00

Last year I wrote this story as a submission to a blog about service. Because we're in the middle of "Secret Santa Season" right now, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share it with you! :-)

It’s just after seven o’clock on a Wednesday night as I drive slowly past the single-story brick house. There are lights on, but the blinds in the front window are closed. Excellent sign. Less chance I’ll be caught.

I turn around at the end of the cul-de-sac and drive slowly back the way I came, past the house again, this time carefully planning my strategic approach. There’s a thick row of hedges right up against the wall- if I can stay low and hug the bush, I should be able to make a clean getaway.

I begin to slow the minivan and carefully pull off to the side of the road just past the house. I debate leaving the car running for a quick getaway or turning it off to avoid drawing attention to the lights…I finally decide to turn it off. I’ll lay low and wait, then I’ll go once it’s all clear.

I pull my long black coat tighter around me, then tug on a black cap that I borrowed from my husband, pulling it low over my ears. I grab the black scarf from the seat next to me and wrap it around my neck, pulling it up over my mouth and nose as well. Better safe than sorry.

“Mommy, you look like a ninja!!”

“SHHH!!!” I say. Then I stop. We’re in the car. Nobody can hear me. Boy, am I jumpy.

“I mean, I know Mommy looks funny, sweetie,” I say in a normal voice, “Just sit tight in the car for a second and I’ll be right back.”

I grab the gift bag from behind my seat and carefully open my door, feeling the rush of cold air as I step out into the night. I immediately get down into a crouch, taking long, swift steps as I slink sideways across the lawn, heading for the bushes. Suddenly, I bright light is shining in my eyes, illuminating the yard and everything in it- including me!

It’s a motion light! Curses!! Suddenly my swift slink turns into an all-out sprint as I fling the package onto the front porch while simultaneously ringing the doorbell. On the way off the porch I skip the steps altogether, taking a flying leap off the landing onto the walkway below and immediately breaking into an all-out run as soon as I hit the ground. The bushes!! The bushes! Must make it to the bushes!

Just before I reach the safety of the boxwood hedge I catch a glimpse of my minivan out of the corner of my eye. I can just barely make out my six-year-old son with his wide-eyed face pressed up against the glass, watching my manic sprint with what I believe to be surprised awe. I manage a quick smile and a wave before throwing myself to the ground out of sight.

My breathing is heavy as I wait, my heart pounding in my ears…I really need to get in better shape for this…I can hear voices inside, gradually growing louder as they reach the front door, and becoming clear as the door opens wide.

“Oooh!! I think I got something from my Secret Santa!!” she says. “Thank you, whoever you are!” she calls out into the night.

A smile spreads across my face as I hear the door close and the voices recede once more into the house. I peek around the bush just to make sure the coast is clear, and then I walk quietly but quickly back to my car.

As I slide into the driver’s seat, my son yells, “Mom, I’ve never seen you run that fast before!! That was AWESOME!!!”

I just laugh and say, “Yeah. Yeah, it was.”

And so it is every year in our ward. The little holiday tradition that started with a few friends has now grown to an annual event that involves nearly half the Relief Society. Young mothers, single women, even grandmothers have found themselves suddenly acting like they are twelve again, sneaking around leaving small gifts and planning acts of service for women they often didn’t even know before their name showed up in their e-mail inbox.

Every year these six weeks of secret service culminate in a holiday party where each participant learns the identity of their Secret Santa, and sisters laugh and cry and hug as seemingly silly tokens of affection take on a greater meaning when the givers learn how much a particular boost was needed that day, and when recipients learn how much the giver went through to share an act of love.

For those six weeks every year, we are all sisters in the gospel, warm in spirit and young at heart. We “delight in service and good works”, and we find ourselves loving women we barely know because we are serving them. We expand our capacity to love and we discover our ability to run- really, really fast!

Because a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2011-11-25T20:27:00.000-05:00

:-)

Random Acts of Kindness Week: How Did You Do?

2011-11-19T13:39:00.002-05:00

How FUN it was to look for opportunities to perform random acts of kindness this week!! Here's how my week went:

Monday- Got my hair done and gave my hairdresser an extra big tip.

After that I went to a store and I overheard a grandmother talking to her young grandson who apparently had to go to the bathroom. She seemed flustered and told him they would have to look around and try to find the restroom. I was familiar with the store (it was Michael's. Ha.) so I told her where the restroom was.

When it was time to check out the line was kind of long and I had several things in my cart. There were two sweet ladies behind me who only had two things so I offered to let them go ahead of me. They were so grateful!

Friday- My kids are doing a food drive at their school and the class with the most items in their box in each grade wins an ice cream party. I was going to be going over to the school anyway to help out in my daughter's kindergarten class so I stopped by the store on the way there and picked up about 50 non-perishable items. It was great to know that I was helping the hungry and making my kids happy at the same time! The teachers were a little shocked to see me lugging all that food through the door! :-)

So I probably didn't do as much as I could have, but it was just great to have that constant attitude of service. I'm hoping to make it last beyond this week!

So tell me, how did you do this week? Any random acts of kindness going on out there? Leave a comment and let me know!!

More Twilight Delight!

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Behold, the latest addition to the Etsy shop! Isn't this one just lovely? I just mod-podged my way into Twilight bliss with this mirror/frame.

I also took some cues from other crafters around the internet and created these fun flower embellishments. I would share the link, but Pinterest seems to like deleting things from my boards lately...

Anyway, to make the rose I basically just used a similar technique to my tissue paper peonies- just make a bunch of petals in various sizes, and then this time I curled them a little bit (didn't do that with the peonies). Then I started with the smallest petals in the center, kind of spiraling them around, then just gluing and adding more petals as I went along. I used my hot glue gun on a low setting.

For the medium-sized flower I simply used my scallop-edged scissors and cut out a circle, which, because I used those scissors, looked like a flower. I cut out 3 sets of circles (3 layers of paper in each set), small, medium, and large. I stacked them on top of each other (largest on bottom, smallest on top) and then poked through them with a paper piercer and inserted a brad to hold them together. Then I just lifted each layer, one sheet of paper at a time, and scrunched them around the brad. Then I just kind of fluffed the whole thing. Nice, huh?

Here are some close-ups so you can read the juicy text. ;-)

And there is my mirror! Oh, and I painted the outer and inner edges black, because really- who wants to mod-podge a beveled edge? ;-) I also like the nice contrast.

Can I possibly mod podge anything else with Twilight? Why yes, yes I can...stay tuned!

Random Acts of Kindness Week! Nov. 13-19th

2011-11-13T15:57:00.002-05:00

Wow, 3 posts from me in 3 days? What's going on??

Well, what's going on is RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS WEEK!! I found out about this from a post that my sweet bloggy friend Alyssa did over at Live. Love. Craft. She got the idea from another friend who got the idea from another blog...well, anyway, I've decided to jump on the bandwagon.

Alyssa posted:

"From November 13th - November 19th, I challenge all of blogdom to complete just ONE random act of kindness (or more if you like). Do one thing that you know will help someone other than yourself and blog about it. Then on Saturday, November 19th, we will have a weekend linky party and everyone can link up thier Random Act of Kindness and we can all see the good that was done in the world for just that week. With all the pain and suffering we see everyday on a very regular basis, wouldn't it be beautiful to see a linky party filled with nothing but good?

* * *
What could you do for your Random Act of Kindness? Is there someone who could use your help?

Join us in this venture to spread just a little bit of kindness and cheer in the world in the name of Thanksgiving."

I am totally in! Let's all look for ways to brighten the world this week!

Spiritual Sundays: Do the Impossible (or Part II of My Thoughts are not Your Thoughts)

2011-11-13T14:46:00.007-05:00

This is me approaching the finish line at the 10k. My shirt says, "You don't have to go fast, you just have to go."

Sorry about the hiatus in Spiritual Sundays posts- I have been trying to get over bronchitis and last Sunday I was only semi-conscious most of the day...Anyway, I promised a Part II to my last Spiritual Sundays post, My Thoughts are not Your Thoughts, and I am excited to share that with you today!

In that last post I mentioned another story that I thought fit with my topic. This story was told by a sweet and very funny woman, Laurel Christensen, who confessed that she had been struggling with her weight. She ended up going to a "Biggest Loser"-type camp, and the experience was really tough for her. She told about a particular experience she had one day on the treadmill. Her coach was having her and her group set their treadmills for the highest speed they could possibly go for two minutes, then she gave them a 1 minute recovery. Then they had to go hard again for another minute and a half, then rest for less time than before, and so on. She started running her hardest and then she started to falter. She said that she didn't just think she couldn't complete the two minutes- she KNEW it, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Her coach saw her difficulty and she "got all Gillian" on her and said, "Don't you dare be the one thing standing in your way." Laurel recalled that she was pretty sure that was something inspirational and she'd appreciate it later, but it wasn't helping her a bit in that moment! She still knew she couldn't do it, but she kept on. Before she knew it, her coach said, "30 seconds." Laurel thought, Okay fine, but I'm not going to make it 30 seconds. Her coach said, "15 seconds." Laurel thought, 15 seconds? How am I still alive? And then before she knew it her coach was counting down, "3, 2, 1, and stop."

Laurel was shocked. She hadn't just thought she couldn't do it- she had KNOWN she couldn't. So how on earth did she finish? The realization that she could do something she had been thoroughly convinced she could not do was astounding to her. She began to wonder, What else have I been wrong about all these years? How many things have I told myself I could not do?

Laurel then went on to explain that we all spend a lifetime putting limits on ourselves that are just WRONG! I really appreciated her story because I have taken my own journey with running that has completely shattered some lifelong limits I've had. Even as a kid I struggled with the required mile run in school. I KNEW that when I got older it would just be harder. If I couldn't do it as a kid, then how could I possibly do it as an adult? But then one day I got a tiny inkling of a thought in my head- I want to run a 10k. It was a completely ridiculous idea, and I knew it was entirely unattainable, but I thought hey, if I shoot for the moon then maybe I'll land among the stars, right? If nothing else I'll get some good exercise out of it.

Well, long story short, I started training and soon I was able to run for more than a minute without stopping- huge accomplishment. Then I was able to do a mile! Then I could run my neighborhood- without stopping!- 2.2 miles. After that it seemed whatever farther distance I aimed for, I reached. 3 miles? Check. 3.5? Sure. 4? Heck, it's just 1 more than 3. And then I ran the 10k (6.2 miles)- the whole way, without walking. It was slow, but I did it.

It's amazing to me how pushing yourself to do something that you really don't think you can do and reaching your "impossible" goal can just fling open doors in your life. Without that 10k, I don't know that I would have started my etsy shop. I probably wouldn't have finished and submitted my book to a publisher. I was able to blow the top off my tightly-set limits for myself and realize that I am a child of God. He is limitless. He has given me talents and abilities not so that I can tuck them away for a day when they might come in handy, but so that I can magnify them and begin to scrape the surface of His purpose for me.

One of my favorite quotations is by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

God has created us for greater things than we can imagine for ourselves. If we allow our thoughts to rule our lives rather than His thoughts, then we can never reach our true divine potential.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

What is our divine potential? What are His thoughts for us? One more quotation that I LOVE:

“The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him … He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Ch. 31

"With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." - Mark 10:27

So what is the impossible thing you know you cannot do? Isn't it about time you did it? ;-)

To learn more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www. mormon.org.

Get outta town! Look what I made!!!

2011-11-12T18:13:00.011-05:00

You know that feeling you get when you see an idea for something you can make and it just looks so simple and doable that your heart starts racing and you run to find your supplies and get started??

Oh, well maybe it's just me.

Anyway, that's what happened when I saw this tutorial for making Christmas bows! And since I've been all Twilight-y this week, I decided to use book pages from Twilight!!

Is it not just so adorable?

And in case you were wondering what I meant by Twilight-y, here are the newest additions to my etsy shop, just in time for the release of Breaking Dawn and the upcoming Christmas season!

I'll admit it, I am a Twilight fan. Not the screaming and crying and woooo-hoooing at the movie theater kind, just the kind who loved the books and is really enjoying the movies. I thought I'd combine my Twilight love with my crafting and make some pretty things that other fans would also enjoy!

Stay tuned to see what else I can do with a $0.25 paperback copy of Twilight... ;-)

Linking up to:

Because I'm Hungry

2011-11-07T17:41:00.002-05:00

I've done it! I've joined the cult! I have succumbed to that devilish guilty pleasure....

Pinterest.

We all knew it was just a matter of time, right? Well, I've found it a lot of fun, mostly when I'm sitting on the couch with my husband at night and he lets me commandeer his iPad so I can pin away. I love showing him the fun, funny, beautiful, yummy, and sometimes crazy things that pop up on pinterest.

So today I thought I'd share a few things I've pinned for the upcoming holiday treat season.

You might remember my tendency toward small, ball-shaped, bite-sized treats like my Easy Decadent Truffles and Cake Balls. Here's a new delicious round morsel:

No-Bake Vanilla Cake Batter Chocolate Truffles. Say it with me now: Mmmmmm....

Up next is some more raw-flavored goodness: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge. That title right there may have all my favorite words in it.

Okay, I'm going to TRY to be a little bit healthier. Apple nachos, anyone?

And since I was totally kidding about the "healthy" part, here's some ooey-gooey goodness of the smooshy deliciousness kind:

That's right. Deep Dish Cookie Pies.

I feel fatter already.

BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS!!!

A Milestone!

2011-10-28T19:35:00.005-04:00

As I have mentioned before on this blog, I am an aspiring writer (that's code for someone who likes to write stuff but has never actually been published). Well, this week I hit a milestone: I submitted my first manuscript!! AAAAHHHHH!

Scary stuff. Anyway, it's an exciting step for me to take. I decided to send it to Deseret Book, an LDS (Mormon) publishing company because the material is about the Mormon faith.

It's a book called, "The Grocery Store Under My Bed and 50 More Fun Poems for LDS Kids." Think Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" meets the "LDS Primary Children's Songbook." It's been about a year in the making, and I wrote around 65 poems and just picked my favorites.

The title poem is about a kid whose family keeps their food storage in his room- Latter-day Saints are big on food storage and it's kind of a running joke in the Mormon community that we put it wherever there's space!

Yes, I did the "artwork" on the front cover myself. I sketched illustrations for most the poems, not because I'm an illustrator (or an artist) by any stretch of the imagination, but just so that the publisher will have an idea of my vision for the illustrations. They're all pretty cheesy.

Anyway, now that I've sent my baby off to the big leagues, I'm working on a new project- a YA Fiction novel. Exciting, no? Well, it's one of those things where the characters are constantly writing their story in my head and I can't get them to shut up. Yes, apparently if you hear voices in your head it doesn't mean you're crazy, it means you're a writer. Well, that's what I tell myself, anyway! Just go with it, people.

Fortunately, it's an incredibly fun project and so it will hopefully keep me very busy in the 12 or so weeks that it will take to hear back from Deseret Book. Hopefully.

By the way, remember that surreal video clip I posted a few weeks ago? Well, last weekend I got to meet Jason F. Wright! As luck would have it, he was a presenter at that Time Out for Women conference that I attended. He spoke at the Friday evening session, which I didn't get to go to, so I was a little bummed because I had hoped to meet him. Then on Saturday I was sitting having lunch with my mom and stepmom and suddenly he comes walking in to the food court at the conference center. I had that, "Do I risk appearing weird and pushy and go introduce myself or do I not and then regret missing a great opportunity?" Yeah, I went with weird and pushy. Well, he was very kind and friendly and I was able to tell him how much he had inspired my writing. I went to sit back down and then he brought his sweet wife over to meet me! Such a pleasure. They are a great family, I can tell. :-)

I just feel like God has been whispering in my ear my entire life that I was meant to be a writer, and for some reason I'm just now listening. I know it will most likely be a long road (I have an empty frame all ready for that first rejection letter!) but I am just happy to walking it, one step at a time.

Join me, won't you? :-)

A Homemade Halloween: Family Circus Train Costume!

2011-10-26T06:23:00.001-04:00

Every year our church has a Fall Festival, which is basically just a fun get-together with costumes, games, food, and a Trunk-or-Treat at the end in the parking lot. Usually for Halloween we let the kids choose their own costumes, but we like to do a family costume for the annual Fall Festival.

My son loves trains, especially Thomas the Tank Engine, and he thought it would be really fun for us to be a train. I liked the idea, but I thought it would be more interesting to take it a step further and have us wearing costumes *in* the train cars! I'm not sure how I came up with the idea of a circus train, but as you can see above, that's what we ended up with!

My husband brought home some boxes from work and we had a great time making a big painting mess in the kitchen one night. My son was our engine, my husband was the clown (my son decorated his train car with him), my daughter Starlet was the Amazing Acrobat, Little Boo was the Monkey (she wanted to be a monkey for Halloween anyway), and I was, of course, the Ringleader. I always think it's fun to have us in costumes that are kind of fitting to our roles anyway. ;-)

For my costume I just used stuff we already had- my black boots, my running leggings, a white button-up blouse, a red velvet blazer, and a hat from an old Zorro costume we used once that I just made taller and fancier with black and red paper. Oh, and some white gloves we happened to have (I wanted my hubby to wear them but he wasn't interested. Oh, well).

For Starlet I picked up a gymnastics leotard and black tights from Target. It was a little bit of a splurge, but she may be taking gymnastics again soon, so I figure she might get some use out of it. My husband got his clown hair and nose/glasses from Wal-Mart, and I picked up Little Boo's costume from Old Navy- 50% off sale, so I got it for $12! And lastly, Monkey had his Thomas costume from many years ago when he was Thomas for Halloween.

Here are some photos of our family costume 2 years ago (just after Little Boo was born):

Our teams don't exactly match (Starlet is a Virginia Tech cheerleader!) but it had the overall effect we were looking for. And I loved that I was the referee. How fitting, right?

Can you see how I put Little Boo's hair up in tiny little pigtails? How cute is that!

This Halloween, be creative! If you have little ones who aren't TOO opinionated yet, then a family costume is a really fun way to go. Or, you could do like we did and do a family costume for a special function and then let the kids wear their own costumes for Halloween night.

I'm getting more creative later this week with Monkey's costume...stay tuned to see how it turns out!

Have you ever done a family costume before? Leave a comment and tell me about it! We need ideas for next year!! :-)

Spiritual Sundays: My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts

2011-10-23T10:10:00.003-04:00

The view from Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville, Virginia. Amazing how the view from above can give you such a larger picture than what you can see from below...

I had the INCREDIBLE opportunity yesterday to attend an amazing event in downtown Richmond called Time Out For Women. It was an all-day conference for LDS women (and any other women who wanted to be uplifted and inspired!) and we heard some wonderfully funny, motivational, and spiritual presenters along with beautiful music as well. This will probably be the first of a few Spiritual Sundays posts that will be based on the things I learned there, because truthfully, it was so hard to choose just ONE topic!

So for today's post I drew from a few different things I heard at the conference. The first was a story told by a member of the "boy band" Jericho Road. He told the story of the birth of his first child. Prior to the baby's birth, doctors discovered the child had holes in his heart. The family prayed that the holes would close so that the child might be healthy. The singer described the scene surrounding the delivery as one straight out of an ER drama, with everyone rushing around. When the baby was finally born, it was discovered that the baby had an overflow of blood inside one chamber of his heart, and that the holes were what were actually saving his life- without them his heart would have stopped. The singer reflected on the fact that the very thing they were praying for God to remove was the very thing that God, in His ultimate wisdom, was using to save the child's life.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

So many times in our lives we might pray for that which we believe to be good, only to discover that our own view is so limited that there might actually be something greater in store for us.

Another speaker, Brad Wilcox, told a very funny, yet very moving story about how he had to do a lot of soul searching while on his mission. He told of the day he felt he had lost his testimony, and how that night he knelt down on his bed and prayed to the Lord that He might show him a sign. He figured Joseph Smith got to have a vision, why couldn't he? Suddenly his room filled with light- and then the car passed. Joseph Smith got God and angels and he got headlights. Go figure.

Well, he was disappointed, but he was determined to discover what the truth really was. Suddenly, his biggest problem was not trying to stay awake during his study time- it was finding enough study time. He read the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price. He prayed. He read Jesus the Christ, the Miracle of Forgiveness, and other books by prophets and apostles. He prayed some more. Finally, he had a moment when his mission president asked him after an interview if he had any questions. He paused, then said, "President, is there a God?" He said, "Yes." He asked, "Does He know who I am?" The mission president replied, "Yes." "Does He really love me?" "Yes."

Those simple responses suddenly filled Brother Wilcox with the Spirit and he knew it was true. In his presentation, he reflected on his journey. He pointed out that if God had answered his prayer and showed him a sign that night in his room, would he have done all of that studying, pondering, and praying? The Lord knew what he needed, and that night in his room the Lord knew that he needed to not receive an answer. The Lord knew it was a journey Brother Wilcox had to take on his own, to gain more knowledge before he could have that testimony he was so desperately seeking. Once he had completed the journey he was meant to take, the Lord answered His prayer in a sweet, simple, unmistakable way.

Consider this Part I of this post...I realized as I was writing that there was another GREAT presentation from Time Out that will fit right in with this one, but there's too much to write to fit it into this post.

For now, think about that scripture, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts...", and think about how you might seek to better trust in God, and know that He has a better plan for you. More on that next week.... ;-)

To find out more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org.

...and I'm a Mormon.

2011-10-16T14:27:00.004-04:00

My family and me at the LDS Temple just outside Washington, D.C.

With Mitt Romney on the ballot, there have been quite a few news stories coming out lately about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka, the "Mormon Church." If you've been following my blog for awhile now, you've probably figured out that yes, I'm a Mormon! I decided to take today's Spiritual Sundays post and tell you a little bit about my background in this religion and what it means to me.

Both of my parents are converts to the church. They converted before I was born, so I have grown up in the church. Even with that upbringing, however, my parents have always encouraged me to gain my own faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, quite simply, I don't believe just because they do, and I don't just go to church because I'm used to it. I have a real strong faith that it's the true church.

Some say that our church is a cult. By the popular definition of the word cult, that is untrue. However, if you look at the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of "cult", you could certainly categorize Mormonism under that definition:

1. formal religious veneration

2. a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also its body of adherents

3. a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also its body of adherents

4. a great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work

I clarify this definition only to point out that virtually any world religion could be labeled a cult, and that Mormonism is really not that different.

So why do people think we're so different? Here are a few questions you might have and some explanations straight from a Mormon!

Q: The "Mormon" label- are Mormons Christians?

A: YES! We are Christians. "Mormons" is really just a nickname derived from a book of holy scripture that is unique to our church, The Book of Mormon.

Q: What's the Book of Mormon?

A: The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It contains the records of the people living on the American continent a few hundred years before and after Christ's earthly ministry. It also contains a beautiful account of His visit to the people on the American continent after His resurrection.

Q: What about the bible?

A: We believe in the Bible, too!! Old Testament and New Testament, absolutely. We prefer to utilize the King James Version.

Q: So you do believe in Jesus Christ?

A: YES, YES, YES! I cannot emphasize this enough. The name of our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe that He is our Savior and Redeemer, and that it is only through Him that we can be saved. We believe in His atonement and we honor it and renew our covenants to be faithful to Him each Sunday when we partake of the holy sacrament.

Q: No drinking, no smoking, no coffee, no tea...what's with that?

A: We're not trying to be little goody-two-shoes (okay, well, I guess we are) but we follow a code called The Word of Wisdom. This "health code" identifies certain substances that are more addictive and therefore potentially harmful to our bodies. Smoking is a pretty obvious one, and alcohol is addictive enough that it's just not a good idea to even start. Coffee and tea contain high levels of caffeine that are mood-altering and addictive as well.

Q: I heard you have a prophet. Does he think he's like Moses or something?

A: Well, in the sense that he is God's mouthpiece on earth, then yes, he is like Moses. He does not, however, have a long beard and walk around in robes with a big staff. His name is Thomas S. Monson, he wears a suit, is usually smiling (he has a great sense of humor!) and he absolutely exudes love. We believe that God continues to lead and guide his people through modern-day revelation. We don't worship the prophet, we know he is a man, but we listen to what he says, usually gentle reminders that God loves us and that we can be better people.

What's interesting about the fact that we have a prophet on the earth today is that he leads the church much like prophets did in biblical times. We also have 12 apostles, just like then. Our church is organized just as it was by Christ's direction long ago.

If you would like to see and hear the prophet, you can check out his closing talk from our church's semiannual conference a few weeks ago. There's a place in the sidebar that says, "watch" and you can see the video.

Q: What's with all the secret temple stuff?

A: We prefer to refer to the things that happen inside the temple as being "sacred" rather than "secret." What's the difference? Well, because they are sacred they require a certain mindset. If we were to allow people to come in from off the street and watch temple ceremonies, they would most likely be confused and the ceremony would have a very different feeling to it. Before one is allowed to attend the temple for such ceremonies, one must be a baptized member of the church. That's not because it's an exclusive club, it's because when you are baptized you make certain covenants with God, and you promise yourself to His service. Even after you are baptized, you must wait at least a year before entering the temple (and you must be at least 18 years old for most of the ceremonies) and you must have an interview with your bishop (like a pastor) to determine your worthiness to enter the temple. He makes sure that you have been keeping your baptismal covenants and that your heart is dedicated to the Lord. Then, when you enter the temple, you are able to fully understand the ceremonies, and you are surrounded by others with a similar dedication to God. Within that environment, the Spirit of the Lord can be felt and wonderful truths can be learned.

Q: Okay, but what kind of ceremonies?

A: Because they are sacred, I will not go into detail. But let me say that there are no blood sacrifices, no weird chanting or anything like that. The two primary ordinances that take place in the temple are the sealing (marriage) ceremony and the endowment ceremony. They are quiet, teaching experiences as you learn more about who you are, where you came from, and what is in store for you in this life and the life to come. You make special promises to God to keep His commandments, and I always leave the temple feeling uplifted, like I have just experienced a bit of heaven on earth. I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit dwells in temples.

Q: So why do you believe it?

A: For me, I believe that God's affirmation of truth is a feeling of pure joy. Joy that is not tied to any earthly desire. The more I learn about this religion (because even now I am still learning!) the more joy I discover. I have the answers to life's questions- Who am I? Where am I going? Why am I here? And I feel the love of God in my life every day. The more I follow the teachings of this gospel, the happier I am.

I love that I don't need a cup of coffee to wake me up in the morning. I love that I never had to worry about STDs or teen pregnancy because I vowed to save myself for my husband. I love that I was able to marry a man who had promised the same thing, and that we both know we're in it for forever, not just till death we do part. I love that my husband celebrates my role as his wife and as a mother to our children, because our church teaches him what a special calling that is. I love that I respect him and honor him as my husband because this religion teaches me what a special duty he has to me and our family. I love that I have a clear moral path that I can teach to my children, about how to live and love as the Savior did. I love that I know that when I keep the promises I made at baptism and in the temple that God will keep His promises to me, and that I can someday live with Him and my family together forever. I know that this life is about much more than my time on earth- that I existed before I came here and I will exist after I die. I am a spiritual daughter of God.

Simply put, I love that I have The Truth. Not a truth, not some truth, but The Truth, all of it, simple and perfect. I can question till I'm blue in the face but there's always an answer that brings me joy.

I hope that this post has helped to answer some questions you might have. If you have any more questions or anything you might be curious about, PLEASE leave a comment or e-mail me if it's something you don't want to share with other readers. I love to answer questions and share my joy! :-)

For more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org.

Linking up to:

Goodwill Gold

2011-10-13T12:49:00.005-04:00

I have a dear sweet friend at church who is very fashionable and whenever she sees me, she says, "You always look SO cute, Kasey! Where did you get that??" And she always gets so exasperated because my answer, about 90% of the time, is "Goodwill outlet!"

Let me confess something to you: I used to be a shopping snob. I didn't do Goodwill- whenever I thought of shopping at Goodwill I thought of oversized stained t-shirts, women's suits from the 80's (complete with shoulder pads) and polyester. LOTS of polyester. To be honest, the thought of thrift store shopping repelled me.

Then we started having kids, and we were on a budget. We started checking out Goodwill just for random things we needed that we considered okay to buy used. Then I saw that they had some pretty cute kids clothes, and kids grow out of their clothes practically faster than you can buy them, so I relented. And then an occasion would come up where I would need something specific in a hurry that wasn't in our budget (like a black skirt or something) and so I would go there to see if I could find something just for this one time. Then I found myself putting lots of things in my cart to try on...and I became hooked.

So if any of you out there might feel a little wary of thrift store shopping like I did, I am here to dispel the myth of the Polyester Palace! Here are a few of my favorite Goodwill Outlet finds and some tips for making the most of your own thrift store shopping.

Fashion Show!!

I LOVE the cut of this satin top. So slimming! Incidentally, the skirt I'm wearing is also from the Goodwill outlet- knee-length black satin with wide pleats. I paired this with opaque black tights and a cute pair of satin Steve Madden pumps- also from Goodwill. ;-)

Super soft teal drape-front sweater (Banana Republic) and the perfect pair of black pants (okay, they may be polyester, but they have a great modern style!).

These. boots. are. AWESOME. Are they not? And really, for $2, how can you go wrong??

Love this sheer black drapey top with dolman sleeves. It has just the right amount of sparkle around the neckline to make it perfect for a night out.

Tips on thrift store clothing shopping:

1. Don't go with expectations. It's okay to be hoping to find something, but it's always best to go with an open mind so that the deals find you.

2. Go often. Stock changes constantly, so rather than doing one blowout trip, break it up and go frequently in order to spend less on items you really love.

3. Know your size and what shapes work best on you (not all places have dressing rooms) Shape and fit are FAR more important to me than color and/or pattern. The idea is for the garment to make YOU look good and for people to notice you, not what you're wearing. Also keep in mind that these clothes may have shrunk or stretched from their original size, so try to train your eye to be able to recognize your size.

4. Be familiar with brands. Name brands = quality and style. Once when checking out at a Goodwill store the cashier looked at the clothes I had picked out, including the Steve Madden shoes, a cashmere sweater and a DKNY shirt, and said, "Oh, girl- you knew what you were looking for!" Yes. Yes I did. :-)

5. When in doubt, check it out. You might not always be able to tell what something is at first glance (see last photo!)- things aren't styled like they are in retail stores, so pull it out away from the other clothes to see it alone and get a better perspective. That peach blouse might actually look pretty great once you get it away from that olive green sweater!

6. Don't get too excited over the price and buy things you won't use. You know what I'm talking about. You've done it. Admit it.

7. Look for staple items- they're always there! Basic black skirts & pants, basic button-up blouses, jeans, etc.

8. Evaluate wear & tear vs cost. If an item is damaged, can you- and WILL you- take the time and/or money to repair it? Be honest with yourself!

9. Step outside your box. Thrift shopping is a great opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new without risking too much cash! Try going bohemian or punk. What have you got to lose?

10. Saving $$ on clothes means you can spend extra on accessorizing! Even a very basic thrift store find can look fabulous when paired with the right accessories. Get some pretty new earrings to bring out the color in your new shirt.

Are you a thrift store fashionista? What was your best find??

Ahh....Surreal. Yes, I think that's the word for it.

2011-10-02T23:27:00.003-04:00

Sooo....remember that post I did a little while ago talking about Jason F. Wright's Wedding Letters contest? And then remember my post asking for your help with the voting?

Well, I didn't win. Bummer, right? But I did get a nice e-mail from Jason telling me that he liked my letter, and that made me happier than winning.

And then there's this:

Did he really just call my letter "brilliant"?

Yes, quite surreal. I am...well, pretty much speechless about that. In a good way. Not every day that a New York Times bestselling author goes on tv and talks about something YOU wrote. I take this as a good sign for my writing career.

Surreal. Totally.

:-)

The Splurge

2011-09-21T21:55:00.001-04:00

Have you ever splurged on something and then thoroughly regretted it?

Have you ever splurged on something and then felt not one ounce of remorse?

Have you ever not splurged on something and then regretted it?

These are all common feelings surrounding a splurge (or lack thereof) and they all went through my head as potential outcomes last Saturday night.

The Setting: Girls Night Out with one of my best friends at a high-end shopping mall.

The Store: An adorable little boutique called, appropriately, "Two Friends." Think purses, jewelry, accessories, picture frames, and home decor. As girly as can be.

The Item: A pink/purple pashmina scarf/wrap. 70% genuine pashmina wool, 30% silk. So soft and silky you wouldn't believe it. A delicate, barely-there floral damask pattern woven into it, a slight sheen that allows you to see the faint outline of blossoms. Pretty much the prettiest thing ever made.

So here's the story. My friend and I have been walking around all night, going into stores and perusing the racks of sweaters and blouses that cost about 98% more than I usually spend (I'm a Goodwill outlet shopper, people). We've been fingering their fine fabrics and admiring their detailed workmanship and gasping at the outrageous price tags for over an hour now.

I have reached the point in my life where I'm not miserable doing this: I can accept the fact that my hard-earned money is better spent elsewhere. However, the diva inside me sure does appreciate fine things. And her little voice, every once in awhile, is whispering, Ohh, that would look good on you, and Oooh, this fabric is so soft. But I'm not buying. I'm just looking.

I had already decided that if I found something inexpensive, possibly useful and really nice (clearance racks, anyone?) then maybe- maybe- I could spend just a little. Less than $10 for sure.

So that was my state of mind when my friend and I entered the store. We walk around, appreciatively picking up and putting down various items, making our circuit around the store's perimeter. We're just approaching the opposite side of the front of the store where we had started when I see it: the Scarf. It had been carelessly tossed onto a display table next to its counterparts, all of which paled in comparison. I touch it and discover that yes, it really is as soft as it looks. I hold it draped over one hand and run my fingers down its length, as little cartoon hearts start shooting out of my eyes. The only tag on it reads, "Pashmina, 70% pashmina, 30% wool". No price tag. I sigh, fairly certain it is far out of my price range, and place it back onto the table, puddling it gracefully so that its beauty can be fully appreciated by other shoppers.

I move on to look at other items in the store, but my eyes keep returning to that amazing, lovely scarf. I am walking toward it one last time to bid it farewell when the saleslady calls from across the store, "The pashmina scarves are $22.95."

$22.95????

I have $22.95. Well, not in cash in my pocket, but in my bank account. And it's just at that threshold where it will still be at the eye-roll-and-sigh from-my-husband and not the angry-YOU-SPENT-HOW-MUCH?? from my husband. This I can live with. My mind starts racing, desperate for a good excuse for why I must buy this scarf.

Do I need a scarf? No. I have at least five scarves at home that work perfectly well.

Maybe I could give it as a gift. That idea gets thrown out quickly. I know that once it's in my hands I could never part with it.

Did I do something to earn this scarf? Well...my etsy shop is doing pretty good. After money spent on crafting materials I'd still have to sell a few more items to pay for this, though...

Is it a killer good deal? Well, it's not a bad deal, but killer good? Probably not. I could buy 5 shirts on clearance for what this scarf costs.

My brain goes through every possible scenario, leaving me with only one excuse. And it's not a good one. I just want it. Really bad. Because it's so pretty.

I know what I have to do. It feels strange, unnatural, so not me, and so good.

I buy it. Just because. I have no good reason, other than that I am in love with this scarf and I believe it loves me back. (Okay, I know scarves are inanimate objects and have no capacity for emotion, but this one is special. Really, really special. Trust me.)

As I carry it triumphantly to the register and hand over my card, my hand is shaking a little. I chat with my friend and the cashier about how much I love the scarf and they both agree that we were meant for each other. It makes my high even higher. The cashier carefully wraps my new purpley-pink pashmina prize in a lime green tissue paper and carefully places it into a bright purple bag (it all clashes terribly with my scarf, but I don't care). As I leave the store, my mind is already racing as I try to think of when I will be able to wear it for the first time.

My lovely scarf is now home with me. I took it home that night, showed it to my husband (promptly met with aforementioned eye-roll-and-sigh) and wrapped it around me as we sat on the couch watching tv. Then I took it upstairs and hung it on a hanger in my closet. It still hasn't been quite cold enough to wear it yet, but each morning when I get dressed I finger it lovingly and it just somehow makes me feel special.

So for me, this was a splurge that was definitely NOT a regret. Because sometimes a girl needs to stop pinching her pennies and for once let them make her feel beautiful and special (and purpley pink and soft and silky too).

THE END!

Spiritual Sundays: A Day to Remember

2011-09-11T14:44:00.005-04:00

This is the candlelight vigil held on the evening of September 12, 2001 at Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington) in Fredericksburg Virginia. I was there.

On this day of remembrance I felt I would be remiss if I did not write a special post in commemoration. I have struggled to know what I could write today that has not already been written, what words of wisdom I might share that have not already been spoken, what comfort I might offer that has not already been given. But I believe in situations like this, originality is not the goal; often, God works through repetition to teach us those things we just can't seem to learn on our own.

I was just watching a recorded episode of Miracle Detectives in which the "detectives" were exploring various stories of miracles from 9/11. While one detective believed in miracles, the other was very skeptical. She said that she didn't see God at all in the events that happened that day- all she saw was pain and suffering. It was her opinion that to claim that some survived because of God's plan would be to also say that so many others died according to God's plan. What kind of God would make a terrible plan like that?

I started thinking about how sometimes, as God's children, we want to scream, "It's NOT FAIR!!!!" Then I thought of the many times I have heard my own children say those same three words, and how I can seem like such an unfair and unloving parent to them.

I let my 7-year-old son ride his bike down to his friend's house, but I make my toddler stay in the driveway. It's NOT FAIR!! But if I let my toddler run down the road alone, she could be so seriously hurt.

I give the yummy medicine to my 5-year-old and my 7-year-old is told it's not for him. It's NOT FAIR!! But if I were to give him medicine he doesn't need, it could make him very sick.

I let my 7-year-old use the big scissors to cut off a tag, and tell my 5-year-old that she must wait for me to cut off her tag for her. It's NOT FAIR!! But if I were to let her use the big scissors, her uncoordinated movements might cause a serious injury.

Do any of these situations demonstrate that I love one child more than another? In my adult wisdom, I clearly see that they do not. In fact, it demonstrates just how much I love each of my children, and how mindful I am of their individual well-being. But to my children, I am being grossly unfair. They cannot see what I see. I see them in all their abilities, both advanced and still growing. I see the danger in the world around them, and I know what they can handle and what they cannot. I see the unseen: pitfalls and consequences known only through my personal knowledge acquired through years of experience. I see the bigger picture.

I once read a quotation that I believe was by G. K. Chesterton (I tried to find it but I couldn't) that said something to the effect of, "We know as much about God as the pancake we're making for breakfast knows about us." I think we could extend that to say that we also probably know just about the same amount about the universe that God created for us. I truly believe that our Heavenly Father is a loving father, and while we may see so many things in life as being awful and unfair, they are such a small part of the greater whole, and we too such a small part of that whole, that we often can't possibly hope to see the purpose behind them.

After I have to tell my children no, sometimes I am able to explain the reasoning behind my actions. Other times, especially when they're very young and I know they just won't understand, the best I can hope to do is to comfort them with a hug and guide them to another activity that might help them feel happy again. Fortunately, our Heavenly Father does the same for us. He gives us explanations when He can, though not always right away. He is more than generous with offering comfort, when we turn to Him. He guides us toward future happiness and peace, easing the pains that come along with growth and trial.

For me, it is the feeling of His love as we work through the grief that helps me to know that He is there, and that He loves me. It is the lessons that I learn from the heartbreak that help me to understand that what, at the time, seems like an all-consuming flame is really just the refiner's fire, making me stronger and better than I ever could have been without it.

Please know that it is not my intention to make light of the events of September 11th, or to downplay the grief and pain that so many suffer. That day was a nightmare, no doubt, for many, and they are entitled to mourn. Their suffering is real. We don't know why God chose to take so many home to Him that day, and why others were left. But as we turn to Him, He can not only salve the raw wounds, but He can help us to see the bigger picture. I truly believe that He loves each and every one of us, and that He wants us to be our best selves. He sees the divine within each of us and He has a purpose for us that is far greater than anything we could ever dream for ourselves. Unfortunately, sometimes that means enduring things that seem far greater than anything we could ever imagine enduring.

I'll leave you with the words to one of my favorite songs by Michael McLean:

All I've ever wanted, all I've ever dreamed of, everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given: I've been given what I need.

Even when I didn't understand, when I thought you had no heart, thank you for rejecting my demands and always giving me the better part.

All I've ever wanted, all I've ever dreamed of, everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given: I've been given what I need.

To learn more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org.

More T-Shirt Fun: T-Shirt YARN!

2011-08-30T14:07:00.004-04:00

Hope everyone made it through the storm okay- we were very blessed that our home was fine and we were all safe and sound. :-)

Check out this old t-shirt! Now, you know how much I get scissor-happy around old t-shirts. And this one was an XXL, so I decided it needed a LOT of cutting! It was the perfect candidate to create t-shirt yarn! I found the tutorial by Polka Dot Pineapple at one of my very favorite sites, So You Think You're Crafty. It's genius, really- since jersey knit t-shirt material doesn't fray, you can get an old t-shirt without side seams and create one looooong piece of material from it.

It took a long time to cut that baby up, but you should have seen the look on my face when I wound my masterpiece into an orb the size of a softball. I was positively giddy.

Now I'm using it to knit this scarf...or neck warmer? (might not be long enough for a scarf, we'll have to see)

I'm planning on getting more side-seam-less t-shirts and making more yarn so I can try out this great No-Knit Scarf from Martha Stewart. Fun stuff! I will be sure to share my results!

Winners PLUS Infinity Scarf & Flower Tutorial!

2011-08-12T06:17:00.005-04:00

And the winners are...

1st Place: Alyssa, of Live. Love. Craft. I'm so glad that Alyssa won! She's a fantastic young lady with a terrific blog and a heart of gold (not to mention oodles of creative talent!)! Congratulations, Alyssa!

2nd Place: Lyness! A great friend and a phenomenal mom. Congratulations, Lyness!

3rd Place: Alicia! Alicia and I go waaaaay back. Like, Dark Ages, seriously. She is also a phenomenal mom and can always make me smile! Congratulations, Alicia!

I will be contacting all of you to choose your prizes!

FYI, winners were selected by making a numbered list of every comment (16), then putting tallies by each for the numbers of entries received. I then wrote the numbers on slips of paper- for example, since my 7th commenter had 3 entries, I wrote '7' on 3 slips of paper and tossed them in the box (there were a few duplicate comments and comments that were 'outside the contest' that I excluded from the box). Numbers were then drawn at random.

Okay, so maybe you didn't win my giveaway. Are ya bummed? Well DON'T BE! Because today I'm going to show you how EASY it is to make your own infinity scarf and flower!! Yes, I know that it makes me a lousy businesswoman to show you how to make something that I'm trying to sell, but I prefer to be a friend first, businesswoman second.

If, however, you prefer to purchase a set (or anything else) from my etsy shop, I'll help you out- For one week you can use the code THANKS300 to get 20% off your entire order in my shop for the rest of the month of August! A little thank you gift from me to you. 'Cuz I love ya. Anything that doesn't get claimed as a prize from the giveaway will be listed within the next few days (plus even more goodies).

On to the TUTORIAL.

For those of you who have been following me for awhile, you will probably see that this is very similar to the Felt Flower Clip tutorial I did a few months ago. If anything seems confusing to you here, just check out that tutorial (I had a few additional photos in that one) and it may help clarify.

Quick, go grab an old t-shirt. Doesn't have to be yours. Raid your husband's drawer. One without side seams is preferable, but not mandatory.

Find one? Good. Now get scissors. Good, sharp ones.

Got 'em? Great. Now plug in your glue gun. Let it heat up. It's time to start cutting! (insert evil laughter here)

Step 1. Shirt. Check.

Step 2. Cut bottom seam off shirt. I cut way above my bottom seam because this shirt had some stains on it. Goodbye stains!

3. Cut off rest of bottom of shirt, usually just below the arms. Now you have a big loop. Stretch it.

Ta-da! Infinity scarf!

On to flower! (Yes, you may wear your scarf while you make your flower.)

Step 1. Use extra shirt material and cut it into circles. I just do this freehand- try it, it's easier than you'd think! They do not have to be perfect. Do several layers at a time. Makes it go faster and the fabric is easier to handle that way. Give me 10 circles, ladies!

2. Glue gun nice and hot? Yes? Good. Stick a dab of glue in the center of a circle. Fold it in half. Put another dab of glue on the halved circle and fold it in half again. When you're done, it should look like this. (Don't they look like they should be hopping around and meeping?) Leave one circle unfolded for the base!

3. Prep your clip. (By the way, you don't have to do a clip. You can always just make the flower and then pin it.) I happened to have felt, but if you don't that's fine. You just need to sandwich the top part of your clip between two pieces of fabric. Clip one piece of fabric in the clip, then put hot glue on it, then stick your other piece on top. This is the underside of my clip.

4. Flip it over and start gluing down your petals! Fit them together just like this. Do your second layer of petals so they overlap the lines between this first layer.

5. For your center, cut off the bottom corner of one of your petals. That gives the glue something to hold on to. Glue it right in the center, standing straight up.

Ta-da! Flower hair clip! Now, if you want to get a little fancy, here's another technique you can try...

1. Take your fabric circles (for your petals) and fold in half.

2. Fold 1/3 over to center.

3. Fold other 1/3 over to center, so they overlap (do you love the dried hot glue on my thumbnail?)

4. Use your scissors and round the corners

5. Open it up and you'll have this! If you use these for your petals, you can use the same method in step #2 of the flower clip instructions- just fold them in fourths. The layering looks really cool and makes for a more flowery flower.

Ta-da! Finished scarf and clip set. Go, my little crafters. Go and make your own and rejoice in your craftiness!!!

Are you going to try one? Leave a comment and let me know how it goes!!

Linking up to...

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

2011-08-11T06:58:00.000-04:00

First, I want to remind everyone of my 300th Post Giveaway Celebration that's going on right now- don't forget to enter to win your choice of infinity scarf & flower set or flower hair clips! 3 winners! Very few entries, so your chances are good!

As I mentioned before, I have been reading a book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. The premise of the book is that the author and her family moved from Arizona to Virginia in a quest to consume only food that is locally grown. If possible, they grow or raise it themselves. If not, they should at least know the name of the person who did, and be able to drive to their farm within 30 minutes.

I always thought I was pretty smart about my food. I try to eat healthy- big on fruits and veggies around here, not too much meat- and I know where my food comes from. Well, I know in the sense that I know that apples don't magically just appear on shelves at the supermarket- they grow on trees (like MINE!). The chicken in my crockpot was once a living, clucking animal, and somewhere a wheat field was mown down to make my crackers. I'm okay with all of that.

What I didn't consider, however, is the point that Barbara Kingsolver is making in her book: lettuce doesn't grow in Virginia in January. Which means if I want to have a salad on New Year's Day (always good to kick off the new year with a healthy start) the lettuce I purchased in the store had to come from someplace where it's springtime- or at least feels like springtime. And last time I checked, that ain't the Midatlantic coast in January.

So yes, it grew on a farm, but what farm? How much gasoline was required to ship that head of lettuce from Springland to my grocery store? Could we maybe make a better choice for our planet by forgoing well-traveled lettuce and stick with more seasonal vegetables? Kingsolver writes, "Transporting a single calorie of a perishable fresh fruit from California to New York takes about 87 calories worth of fuel. That's as efficient as driving from Philadelphia to Annapolis, and back, in order to walk three miles on a treadmill in a Maryland gym."

In her book, Kingsolver recognizes that in order to embrace the "locavore" diet, she and her family would have to be very aware of the seasons and the produce that comes with them. No more peaches in April, no more strawberries in February. But in so doing, she discovered a few things:

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. When it's not there, it just makes you even more excited when it's finally time!
Real fresh is different from grocery store fresh. Ever eaten a strawberry straight from the plant? You know what I mean!
If you can't have what you love, you love what you have. Kingsolver and her family have discovered incredible recipes using only seasonal ingredients that they never would have enjoyed otherwise.

Kingsolver's daughter wrote,

"The first step, shopping, is actually easier. When you peruse the farmers' market for fresh produce, the options are clear. You don't miss what's not there, either, like Skittles placed at a third-grader's eye level at checkout. No wailing kids or annoying tabloids (omg...is Brangelina really over?!). Just wonderful, fresh things to eat.

When I saw giant boxes of strawberries piled on the tailgate of a farmer's truck, I didn't waste ten seconds asking myself the questions I would mull over in a conventional grocery: "Hmm, do I really want berries today? Are these overpriced? Are they going to mold the minute I get them home?" I power-walked past other meandering shoppers and bought a bucket load."

(She had been waiting for those strawberries all winter long!)

Ahh, the joy of the farmer's market. The funny thing is, there are so many people who assume that a farmer's market is pricey, but in truth I've always found farmer's market prices to be quite comparable to that of the grocery stores, if not better. Plus, you know for a fact that you're getting something fresh and, most likely, miles tastier than anything in the supermarket produce department.

On Saturday I stopped by the farmer's market in Ashland, VA to pick up something to take to a family gathering. I found a good sized "passport melon" (cross between a cantaloupe and a honeydew) for $2 and bought a half dozen pears for another $2. The pears were sold to me by a very kind elderly gentleman who insisted that I take a bite of one before I bought any. I had one bite and I was hooked. The sweetness was incredible. Little Boo swiped it from me and by the time I wrestled it out of her little hand all that was left was about a nickel-sized piece of pear flesh with five seeds stuck in it. Not sure where the stem went. Hmm...

My farmers' market shopping experience was lovely. I got to chat with the people who grew the food I was about to eat, and there was even a musician there serenading the shoppers with live music. Little Boo was free to run around in the grass while kind shoppers and vendors laughed at her silly antics. It was a nice day and all in all, I felt happy to be there.

So I've decided to try. I can't go totally locavore like the Kingsolver family, but I can try to choose fruits & veggies that are in season and I can try to be more conscious about exactly where my food is coming from, and attempt to make better choices according to my knowledge.

I am also going to try to think of my garden as more of an important food source for our family and not just a nice hobby. I am one of those people who hear about others harvesting their pole beans and I think, Pole beans? When did you plant those? Am I supposed to be planting something now? I recently did some research so that I can stay more on top of this stuff, and I went to the Virginia Cooperative Extension website and discovered this fabulous Vegetable Planting Guide. It gives you nice little formula to figure out when to plant what- you just fill it in on the handy dandy chart!

I am also very fortunate to have a brother who was smart enough to marry a wonderful woman who is a walking green thumb. She blessed me with this bounty from their garden, her kitchen, and their chickens.

That's a dozen free-range organic chicken eggs, 3 zucchini muffins (okay, there were more, but we had them for breakfast!), yellow squash, zucchini, and some kind of strange long purple beans that she says are really tasty. That's a whole meal right there!

After I had gathered the eggs my 7-year-old son looked at a chicken, then at the basket of eggs. He pointed at the chicken, then to the eggs and asked in a worried whisper, "Mom, does he KNOW?"

I laughed. Yes, Monkey, she knows. And so do I. :-)

Help!!

2011-08-09T22:13:00.003-04:00

First, don't forget to enter my 300th Post Celebration Giveaway!

And now, remember that Wedding Letters contest I entered last month? Well, I'm a finalist! Hurrah! The finalists are posted on Jason F. Wright's facebook page (he's the author of The Christmas Jar and several other fabulous novels) and the letter with the most "likes" wins an iPad2.

So come help a sista out and vote for me! Then tell your friends to vote too!! THANKS!

Belated 300th Post Celebration Giveaway!!

2011-08-08T13:19:00.005-04:00

This was my little project this morning. Weird, knit wrap shirt thing turned into a cute vest and flower clip! Woohoo!

It has been a reeeaaally long time since I've done a giveaway on here, and so I decided that a giveaway would be the perfect way to celebrate my 300th post! (it was last week...I kinda missed it, but oh well.) Here are the details!

- There will be 3 winners- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place

- Contest closes at midnight on Thursday. If you comment after that, it won't count!

- Winners will be announced on Friday morning, the 12th

- You have 3- count 'em THREE!- ways to enter:

Leave me a comment. Say hey, what's up, whatever. Just give me some love.
FOLLOW me! I love me some new followers. If you follow me, mention it in your comment (follow me everything is alright, I'll be the one to tuck you in at night and if you wanna leave I can guarantee you won't find nobody else like me....come on, you know you were singing it in your head too!)
Twitter/Facebook/Blog me- just post about my giveaway on one of your favorite places to pontificate and then let me know in that great comment you're going to leave me.

So, for example, if someone posts and says, "Hey, what's up? I am your newest follower and I posted your contest on facebook!" Then they get 3 whole entries! If they say, "Hey, I just posted you on Twitter!" Then they get 2. You get the idea. I would recommend, for your friends' sake, that you not post about it EVERYWHERE, because as much as I would love the publicity, it might annoy people. I don't need human billboards. Just sayin'.

- In your comment, PLEASE leave me your e-mail address so that I can get in touch with you. name(at)whatever(dot)com. No e-mail address = no prize = sad you. :-(

- If you forget to mention something in your comment (like that you blogged about me or started following or whatever) please go back and delete your first comment. I am easily confused.

- Winners will be chosen at random for all 3 spots- first name I pick will be first, second will be second, and so on. Last one's a rotten egg! (just kidding)

- PRIZES! I have gathered a selection of goodies that are going to be listed in my etsy shop (that's right, you'll get a sneak preview!) and the three winners will get to choose their prize from among them. First place winner will get first choice, then to second place, and then to third.

Prizes are as follows:

1. Your selection of Infinity Scarf & Flower set. This baby is so versatile, it's crazy. A big shout out to my bloggy friend Alyssa of Live. Love. Craft. for her fabulous Mum Clip Tutorial that inspired me to do these matching flowers! She is having her own giveaway this week (in which I'm one of the sponsors- so you can win more goodies from me!!) so head over there and give her some love!!

Here I am rockin' the Misty Mint:

You can go long...

You can wrap it up...

Or go relaxed and dress up the hair!

Infinity Scarf & Flower sets are available in the following colors (only have 1 of each right now!): Lemon Butter, Misty Mint (pictured above), Fair Skies, and Berry Blossom (the one on the far right below- no matter how hard I tried, I could not get it to appear the same color that it is in real life- it's purple. Really, honest-to-goodness PURPLE!).

If an infinity scarf isn't your thing, you could choose from these lovely bloomin' hair clips- pick any 2! I have plenty of fabric left over from the scarves above as well, and I could make you one of those flower clips (without the scarf) if you'd like one of those to be one of your two that you choose.

And heck, since I'm feeling generous, take a look in my shop. If you win and you see something there that you'd rather have for a prize, let me know and I'll bet you we can work something out! ;-)

Whew! This contest stuff is COMPLICATED! I am looking forward to hearing from everybody and giving away some FAB prizes!!!

Linking up to...

Moneysaving Mom

Frugal Freebies

Freshly Baked Pita Bread- and my 300th Post! (How did that happen?)

2011-08-03T16:29:00.010-04:00

Hey, guess what...this is my 300th post! And for lack of a better topic, I'm going to show you PITA BREAD MAKING! :-)

(actually, if I'd had my act together I would have had some fun giveaways for you, but alas, I did not. But they're coming soon, I promise!)

So, my husband recently underwent some pay changes at work which have significantly impacted his paycheck- in a negative way. So I have decided to start working my thrifty muscles and try to stretch our dollars once more.

Luckily, for me that means trying my hand at making things that I would normally buy. Chicken salad was on the menu for this week, and we love to eat it in pitas, so I thought hey- why not see if I can make pitas?

I used this recipe for pita bread, and at the end I used the damp towel method for softening the bread. All in all, it was a very simple process- ingredients go into the bread machine set on the dough cycle (takes 90 min) then dough gets turned out, divided into 8 pieces and rolled into circles. They relax on the counter for 30 minutes, then get put into the oven.

Our family has a new pastime. It's called pita races- each child bets on a pita to be the first to poof up and they see which one poofs first. Lots of fun for a 5-year-old and 7-year-old! (okay, I admit it. I was pulling for the one on the left.)

They only take about 4-5 minutes in a 500-degree oven and then they look like this: bread UFOs.

Here's the one we broke open to sample. Mmmm, fluffy pita-y goodness. You can't tell in this photo, but the pockets inside turned out perfectly.

And there are our pitas, all soft and lovely, awaiting the yummy chicken salad that is to be their filling. Today's Thrifty Adventure = SUCCESS! My husband has actually asked if we can just skip buying sandwich bread altogether and just have me make these. Umm, okay!

Have you had any great thrifty successes lately? Leave a comment and share!

Linking to:

Saturday Steal

2011-07-30T14:06:00.004-04:00

You might think that after my recent posts about paring down that I would cut down on the bargain hunting. And I have. But the fact of the matter is, my kids still need clothes! Especially with the fall months approaching. So today I decided to get a jump start and we headed to the Goodwill outlet and I found some good deals on some great name brand clothes!

Here's what I snagged:

- For Starlet: 1 pair Childrens Place jeans, 1 pair Mossimo jean capris, 1 flowery skirt, 1 long-sleeve printed hoodie tee, 1 Forever Orchid short sleeve tee, 1 jacket

- For Little Boo: 1 Circo dress, 1 pair of Childrens Place footie pajamas

- For Monkey: 1 long sleeve pirate tee, 1 short sleeve baseball tee

Total Spent: $6 for 10 items of clothing.

Sweet!

I also bought some books. More books than I need. But I found a hardback copy of The Host, which I've been wanting for awhile (it even has the dust jacket still!) and I found several great chapter books to read with the kids.

For me, clothes and books are the two things that I will allow myself to collect. I love to wear clothes because for me it's a form of self expression, and I love to read books and I want to instill that love in my kids. I will often read a book that I've purchased for $.25 or $.50 and then pass it on to a friend for them to enjoy, so they don't all end up piling up around me. The ones that I really loved, however, I keep.

Done any good bargain hunting lately? Leave a comment and share!

Happy Saturday, everyone! :-)

A Wedding Letter

2011-07-26T01:53:00.001-04:00

As you all may know by now, I love to write. I am always on the lookout for reasons to write (much as I am always on the lookout for reasons to craft) and so when this contest opportunity came along, I decided it would be a fun little project.

The challenge was to write a wedding letter for a fictional couple (Noah and Rachel) about to tie the knot. The letter was to be handwritten and sent via snail mail. I composed a letter on my computer, editing it until I was satisfied, and then, because in a contest like this I think presentation is everything, I decided to get crafty.

I distressed a sheet of linen-finish card stock with some brown ink and a few flourish-y stamps, then I hand wrote my letter on it. I then created the fancy sleeve for the letter, and sealed the paper with a wax seal before sliding it in.

(I purchased this long ago in Colonial Williamsburg, where I used to work)

I then placed the entire thing in a handmade envelope made from the cardboard of a shirt box (because it was too big to fit in a normal envelope and I wanted something sturdy to protect it).

If I end up being a finalist, I will let you know. They will post finalists by August 1st (yay, not too long to wait!) and then the winner will be announced by September 1st. If I am not a finalist, I will be sure to post my letter on here so y'all can read it. :-)

Spiritual Sundays: Beyond Decluttering: Living More Simply

2011-07-24T15:13:00.005-04:00

This is a topic that has been on my mind quite a bit lately. As I'm sure you probably gathered from the post about my dream home, I am a minimalist wannabe. Meaning, my dream is to live in a space that is cleared of clutter, and has only my most special, most beautiful, and most useful objects in it. Because if you actually stop to think about it, how much of your day is consumed by your stuff? It may not seem that way, but I spend so much time getting after the kids to pick up their toys, doing the dishes, rebooting and folding the laundry, general cleaning and picking up of stuff- granted, much of that is a necessity of day-to-day living, but what if we just had less?

I always get a little bit like this in the summer because while we're on vacation for a week we get to experience life with less. Having a family of 5, I only bring clothes for about 4 days, and we just wash while we're vacationing. I do a small load every couple of days and that's about it. We bring the essentials, plus a small box of toys for the kids, and we make do with the sparse pots and pans that furnish our condo. When I tell the kids to pick up their toys, it takes less than a minute. When I "straighten up" it takes a minute or two. When I open the cupboard under the kitchen sink I see trash bags, dishwashing soap, cleaning spray, and paper towels.

Honestly, how much more than that do I really need?

Of course, in a rented condo you don't have to wash your own sheets (that would take a little additional laundry time) or worry about home maintenance or entertaining or holidays, but even all that would require maybe one additional closet's worth of stuff. It was just nice to be able to have free time- really free time- that I could just be, and know that I could read a book, play with the kids, or do whatever I wanted. That is the blessing of living more simply.

Another aspect of this dream of mine is to get back to being human. In the scriptures we are taught that "the natural man is an enemy to God", but I think that we have gotten so far away from the "natural man" what with technology and supermarkets and the internet- we're more in the phase of the "unnatural man" at this point (he's an enemy to God too, by the way).

This was another train of thought that got fueled while on vacation when I took a class called, "Healing Plants and Wildflowers." I was truly astonished at the incredible healing properties of the stuff that usually gets taken out by a weed whacker by the side of the road! Apparently the abundant dandelion crop in my backyard could really do me a lot of good. Our teacher quoted someone who said, "Healing herbs help the body to remember what it was like to be well." I LOVED that! As she was telling us about the various abilities of the different plants, I was just struck by how much God loves us, that He gave us these incredibly efficient and wonderful gifts, just sprouting up out of the ground all over the place. But we're so busy watching tv ads for the next great medicine that can heal us that we don't bother to learn about the ones God put right in our backyards.

This back-to-nature kick of mine got even more reinforced with the apple fest that's been going on around our house. I couldn't believe that for almost 10 years I've had that tree in the backyard and this is the first time I've bothered to do anything with it. And the sheer pleasure from the foods I was able to make with those apples was so satisfying, especially knowing that they came from a tree in my backyard. They weren't marketed to me, weren't packaged- they grew as a result of the hand of God, they were joyfully picked by the sweet little helping hands of my children and purposefully (if not joyfully) prepared into delicious foods by my own two hands. That's about as pure and simple as it gets.

I apologize if this post is kind of rambling; I just hope that you kind of get the general idea of my mindset lately. Less people junk. More God beauty and simplicity. More time spent in worthwhile pursuits. More joy in the gifts of the Lord- the bounty of nature, quiet meditation, my wonderful family. More education about being a real human- learning to live off the land and rely on only God and myself, not Wal-mart. It's all a process, but I'm hoping to get there, a little bit at a time.

If you'd like to get into this mindset with me, be sure to check out The Small Notebook, a blog by a true minimalist who shares her beautiful thoughts on living simply, especially this post on organizing (ha!) and this post on paring down. I am also currently reading a very thought-provoking book called, Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping and am about to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.). All in all, I'm thinking more about what I allow into my home and what I truly value. I am also trying to be more conscious and more grateful for what my Heavenly Father has given me (you know, the stuff with no price tag). :-)

Appley Ever After

2011-07-22T22:07:00.011-04:00

When we got back from vacation, I went out to check the garden and I noticed that there was an apple tree on top of it.

Yeah.

Apparently, while we were gone, a strong storm had come along and just kind of tipped the apple tree over (it's the tree in the foreground in the top photo of this post). There were no apparent breaks in the trunk, no roots sticking up out of the ground, just an apple tree leaning at a verrrry sharp angle toward our garden and a big lump in the ground near the base.

So, earlier in the week (before it got hotter than Hades around here) my kids wanted to play outside and they said, "Mom, can we pick some apples?" I said of course, because 1. it would keep them busy and 2. I wasn't sure of the health of the tree so I figured we should get the apples now just in case the tree didn't make it- didn't want the apples rotting and falling off- and 3. I didn't feel like picking them. It was hot.

So an hour later, I come downstairs after doing some upstairs cleaning and I look on my counter and I see this:

And the kids are just coming in with more. How many? Well, for educational value I suggested that we count the apples (gotta keep their minds sharp in the summer, you know) and there were 45 apples. And those were just the ones my 7-year-old and 5-year-old could reach. Forty. five.

And so I got to work. I peeled, cored, and chopped 18 of the apples on the first day (they look a little sketchy in the photo, but under their peels they're perfect, tasty granny smith apples), using 10 for applesauce (shown pre-applesauce in the crockpot):

And then 8 for apple fruit leather (same process as applesauce, only less sugar and I cooked it more quickly in a saucepan and then pureed it in a blender).

Mmm, tasty!!

I would show you the applesauce, but it was so unbelievably delicious that it didn't last long enough for me to get a photo. It was literally so good that my son chose it over chocolate ice cream for dessert one night! Part of the reason was that he knew the chocolate ice cream would still be there the next night. At the rate I was inhaling the applesauce however... (and incidentally, this fruit leather was awesome too. The only reason I have photos is because I made a second batch the next day!)

The third thing I made was "apple peel jelly", which I made by boiling the cores & peels in a small amount of water and then straining it and combining it with sugar and boiling it some more. Turns out apples have their own natural pectin, which is something I learned in this process. My jelly turned out more like syrup, I think because I used too much water and I didn't boil it long enough. But that's okay- I like apple syrup!

Anyway, I had a great time learning what my apples can do for me, and I think that this weekend we will have a little applefest at our house and have a peeling-coring-chopping-cooking spree. After the wonderfully fulfilling experience of enjoying my apple tree's bounty, I wanted to go out into my backyard and hug it (and help it up. Don't worry, we're going to try to gently upright it this weekend).

Have you had a chance to make some delicious dishes from your garden yet this year? Leave a comment and share!

Linking up to...

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Back from my adventure! (aka, family vacation)

2011-07-17T19:17:00.002-04:00

Hey, guess what? That's me! Rappelling down from a verrry high height after completing 4 zip lines and a ropes course. Fun stuff! I just got back from family vacation and I wanted to let y'all know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. Just off the edge of a platform. ;-)

Anyway, I am back and I am hoping to get to some fun projects this week. I'm also trying to get back into couponing, so hopefully I'll get to work on that and have some fun deals and photos to share with you soon.

Can you believe that summer is almost halfway over? Crazy! See ya soon!

Blog Love!

2011-07-05T13:19:00.003-04:00

A few months ago I came across this blog that I just think is tons of fun- it's called So You Think You're Crafty. It is basically an online crafting competition. They start out with 10 crafters and there are 10 weeks of crafting challenges. Each week the readers get to vote for their favorite craft/crafter and whoever gets the least amount of votes is eliminated.

All of the crafters featured are very talented, and I am always amazed at the ingenious ideas they share! This week's challenge was "Dollar Store" and this Girls Night Out serving set got my vote:

She made it from Dollar Store plates, candleholders, bowls, and wine glasses! How cute is that?

Anyway, head on over and check it out. So fun!!

Busy, Busy!

2011-07-03T14:13:00.003-04:00

It's only the end of the second week of summer, but we have been so BUSY! My husband's younger sister came to visit us, so we spent the week having bunches of fun with her and then we went to the beach yesterday. I am well-toasted.

Anyway, I will hopefully get to posting a bit more in the next week, but I also wanted to share some fun news with everyone. In May I entered a little writing contest for the Mormon Mommy Writers blog. One of the reasons I enjoy blogging is to hone my writing skills (along with sharing fun and crafty moneysaving ideas!) and I love to find reasons to write. Well, the theme of the contest was "Totally Cliche" and the challenge was to write a short story utilizing one or more cliches (like "tall, dark, and handsome," or "it was a dark and stormy night"). I decided to go a little extreme and write a story about a writer who falls into a dreamworld full of cliches.

This week they announced the winners and I was very pleased to see my name as the first-place winner! The story will be published in an e-book along with the second- and third-place winners.

Anyway, I was thrilled and I am inspired to continue my writing journey. I will be sure to share more information about the book once it becomes available.

Have a happy and SAFE Independence Day!!

Your Old T-Shirt's Worst Nightmare!!

2011-06-24T12:29:00.006-04:00

This instant-gratification project was inspired by this No-Sew Summer Cardi/Wrap! (aren't you proud of me? I actually remembered to bookmark the link!) But if you know me, you'll know that I'm not going to go out to the store and buy the fabric when I can just recycle an old shirt from the Goodwill outlet!

Sadly, I was so excited to do this project that I have no before pictures. Just envision a blue long-sleeve v-neck t-shirt, then imagine me doing the following:

1. Lay it out flat on table, using sharp scissors cut off sleeves, including seam.

2. Line up side seams so that you find the exact middle of the front of the shirt (the point of the v-neck). Cut along fold.

3. Try it on, decide you like it better with no seams up at the top, then do a little more cutting to remove those and eliminate any corners.

4. Look at the sleeves and start cutting those into little loops, which you stretch and hang around your neck for a matching necklace.

5. Take a couple more loops and wrap 'em around your wrist just for kicks.

Voila! You have a cool rocker-chic outfit. Pair with a white t-shirt (don't let the white t-shirt watch the "operation" you just performed on its cousin- it might run away) and a pair of jeans and you've got a whole new look! Sweet!

Ahh, the joys of instant fashion gratification...

Linking up to:

Schedules, Chore Charts, and Other Summertime Fun!

2011-06-22T22:00:00.008-04:00

I'm not anal, I promise. Not a control freak, not born organized. And it is because I am none of those things that I need something like this:

It's our Summer Schedule!! Yay!! Here's the normal daily schedule and our Scripture of the Week (trying to get us to memorize 1 each week this summer):

I sat down with my kids and we made a list of all the things we needed/wanted to get done in a day, including chores, mealtimes, and daily activities. You can see we also have some quiet time and some one-on-one time with Mom as well (30 minutes for each older child while Little Boo is napping). This schedule is verrrrry flexible. Just a suggestion, really. I will be shocked if we get home before noon most days!! But it's a framework to work from so I don't have kids constantly saying, "What should we do noooow Mooooom???" (that's them whining)

We are already in the habit of sitting down together each morning for our morning devotional, so I've just expanded on that and now we'll have a morning meeting in which we'll go over the day's/week's activities, review Starlet's sight words to help her prepare for kindergarten, and work on our scripture memorization.

Here's the weekly schedule:

This way we can plan fun things for our week and I don't have them saying, "But you SAID we could go to the SCIENCE MUSEUM this week!!! Let's GOOO!!!" Now I can point to the weekly schedule and show them when we're going. I can also find out what kinds of things they want to do and put them on the schedule so I don't forget ("Building a robot out of boxes sounds like lots of fun! We don't have time today, but how does Friday sound?")

And then there's this (insert screeching violins here):

Yes, that is the Tross Family Summer Chore Chart!!! With leeeeetle tiny numbers:

Basically what I did is to make a chart that is me-proof. Let me explain. Every time I try to do some kind of a chore chart with my kids, they are totally into it and do great- it's ME who always screws it up!! So this is why I made this one this way:

1. It covers the ENTIRE summer- only 1 chart needed! That way, I won't forget to print them up week by week or month by month.

2. It has numbers for the dates (starts with the 23rd, which is tomorrow) so that I can't just forget about it for a few days and pretend like I didn't (yes, I do that).

3. Its squares are for coloring in, not for stickers. That way I can't run out of stickers and put the whole chore chart on hold until I remember to buy more.

4. It has a whole section for my chores too!! I need accountability also, and kids are really good at keeping parents accountable.

Here are the kids' chores, divided up by morning, afternoon, and evening:

It may seem like a lot, but some of them are kind of no-brainers. Like putting their shoes on. Kinda hard to leave the house without them, right? Where it says "dishes" it just means that they need to put their dishes in the sink.

I have chore time set apart on our daily schedule for all these to get done so we don't forget. We're also starting up with allowances again: each child will get $1.50/week for completing all of their chores. For any day that they miss 1 or more chores, they will lose $0.25.

You may be wondering what that last thing, "Blue??" means...

This is our behavior chart! I am adopting the system they use in our schools here- each child starts the day on blue, and if they have behavior issues then they move to green, yellow, and so on (no idea how they figured out that color configuration, but whatever). Starlet will be starting kindergarten so I thought she could benefit from getting used to this system. Monkey already snaps to attention the second he hears "Color change!" so it's great for him as well. For ours I just colored on a piece of card stock and we have it attached to the fridge. Each child has their own magnet that they move if they need to.

If the child stays on blue, they get to color in a space on their chart for that day and get a small treat (like an M&M), and if not then they face consequences:

Green = No coloring in, no treat

Yellow = Lose 15 minutes TV time

Orange = Lose 30 minutes TV time

Red = NO TV and time-out in room

As an added incentive for staying on blue, after they have colored in 10 squares, they get to go to the treasure box which has coupons like these:

I am also planning on putting in a few dollar bills and maybe some special treats or small toys.

After the kids reach 25 days of blue then they get a special reward, like a trip to Sweet Frog, our favorite build-your-own-sundae frozen yogurt shop, or a dinner picnic in the living room & movie.

So, that's what we'll be doing this summer!

How about you? Chore Charts? Schedules? Come on, please tell me I'm not nuts...

Nature Photo Party

2011-06-13T20:29:00.005-04:00

(click to enlarge)

I love photography, and every once in awhile I get a great shot that I love. I noticed there was a linky party going on at Tracy's Trinkets & Treasures, so I thought it would be a nice opportunity to share this photo I took when we went camping in May. :-) Head over there to link up and share your own favorite nature shots!

Spiritual Sundays: It's 5pm. Do You Know Where Your Purpose Is?

2011-06-12T17:13:00.003-04:00

I was recently watching the sad ending of the Oprah Winfrey Show (oh, how I love her!) and on her final episode she shared many of the things she's learned on her journey so far. I'd heard most of it already from her "Master Class" show on OWN, but it was good to hear it again.

One of the things that she seemed to keep going back to is how important it is to listen to your inner voice and use that as your guide to your true purpose in life. For me, I call that voice the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit. He's my connection to my Heavenly Father, and he's my little inner thermometer that tells me if I'm getting warmer (closer to God) or colder (farther away). The more I listen and act on my impressions, the closer I get to God and His true purpose for me in my life.

I'm not sure if Oprah mentioned this or if it's just something that came to me as she was talking, but I realized that at every moment of every day I am either doing something that gets me closer to a better me or farther away. Like most people (I think!) I often find myself spending time doing things and then asking myself, "What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Should I be doing this? Should I be doing something else?" The constant struggle can be overwhelming and confusing.

However, I've found that if I just pause in whatever I'm doing and ask, "Is this where I'm supposed to be? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Is this bringing me closer to my purpose in life?" I begin to feel those subtle promptings from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, like if I'm lounging in front of the tv or surfing random websites on the net, the answer is, "This isn't helping anyone and it's not making you a better person. Time to refocus." Sometimes it's, "You can do this for a moment just to take a little break, but you know what you should really be doing." And the best feeling is when it's, "You're doing just fine. Right on track. Keep it up!"

Right now as I'm writing this I'm getting a combination of the second two. I know that sharing these thoughts and feelings through my writing is a big part of my life's purpose right now, but at the same time I know that my children are at a special time in their lives and any time I'm at the computer is time away from them. I know how much they cherish and enjoy my presence in their lives so I know I need to put them first.

The beauty of asking that simple question is that when you're not on track you can get back on track, and you don't feel like you're confused about the decision. And what I really love is that it's helped me to focus and be more present when I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. When I'm thumbing through a magazine and my kids are in the other room watching a movie, I can ask myself, "Is this bringing me closer to my purpose in life?" and it's pretty obvious that I need to put the magazine down and call my kids in to read stories with me on the couch. As I snuggle up to them and we read books, I will have complete peace and satisfaction in my heart that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be and doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing at that time.

Really, that's where the true joy in life lies. It's when you know for sure that you are exactly where you're supposed to be and doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing.

So I'll leave you with this simple challenge: this week, as you go about your daily life-cleaning, emptying the dishwasher, helping kids with homework, running errands- ask yourself, "Is this where I'm supposed to be? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing?" You'll know the answer. Trust me. You'll know.

To find out more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org. :-)

My Dream House (no, seriously!)

2011-06-10T17:03:00.004-04:00

Most people imagine their dream house to be a mansion- huge foyer, sparkling chef's kitchen, jacuzzi tub in the spacious master bathroom, and so on. I, however, came across this video about a family that lives in this 320-square-foot home and I fell in love with the idea!

Here is why I loved it:

- You can cut the square footage and use the money you saved to get an awesome piece of property- think waterfront, trees, grass, etc.

- Spend your budget on outdoor space- big deck for entertaining, gazebo or pavilion even, zip line, playground, etc.
- Make the interior gorgeous and feel spacious with high ceilings and skylights
- Put in the best finishes and appliances (little ones, of course)
- Eat on fine china every day (no dishwasher anyway, might as well!)
- Have super high quality linens

- The house would stay clean because it would only take maybe an hour to clean it from top to bottom (and let's face it, it would be virtually unlivable if it wasn't clean!)

- Save money on energy bills

- With no mortgage, super-low energy bills, and tons of extra time you can quit your boring job and start your own business doing what you really love (I do like the idea of a great little crafting studio next door!!)

- Family togetherness would be automatic (ha ha!)

The only snafu would be food storage- but maybe you could just give the house a
decently-sized basement for storage? Hmm...

This is reeeeallly starting to look attractive to me. Probably not 320-square-feet attractive (after all, I do have 3 children), but maybe 750-1000? I'm already drawing up the plans...

In the meantime, my goal this summer is to pretend that I'm moving into my very own tiny dream house and do some serious de-junking around this joint. That way I'll be ready. Ha.

A Twilight Twist on the Magazine Paper Bracelet

2011-06-08T18:49:00.006-04:00

Okay, all you Twi-hards out there. This one's for you (us)! I decided it might be fun to take a little twist on my magazine paper bracelet and use pages from a cheap-o paperback copy of Twilight ($0.25 at the Goodwill Outlet) to make this cool cuff bracelet:

I thought it needed a little something, so I added the flower on there also. I sprayed all the "beads" with a clear coating to harden them and make them more durable and water-resistant. Then I strung the whole thing together using some clear jewelry thread.

Excuse the photo quality- I had to take these using my husband's iPad b/c my camera batteries died.

Anyway, I'm considering making and selling these in my Etsy shop. They're pretty time-consuming, so I'd need to charge enough to make them worth it...So, if you're a Twilight fan, tell me: If you saw something like this on Etsy would you be interested? If so, how much might you want to spend? Leave a comment and let me know!!

Linking to...

I'm Crafty Party! @ So You Think You're Crafty

New Arrivals!

2011-06-05T22:15:00.008-04:00

Okay guys, promise not every post will be about the new etsy shop, but I'm just so darn excited. Here's a peek at what I worked on today. All- except one- are available in my shop!

Me modeling one of my favorites from today!

Getting moody and romantic with a dark plum and rhinestone combo...

Sweet lavender daisy!

And...(drumroll please)...my first sale! This lovely chocolate brown fleur will be shipped off to its new home tomorrow! :-)

I realized today that I can really get creative with these flowers. At first I assumed I'd just pop the flower off the stem and stick it to a hair clip, but the flowers are actually made with multiple layers of petals, and if you mix and match different petals you can create some pretty cool new flowers! Check out my shop for some examples.

I have another exciting project that I'm working on for the shop and I'll give you a hint: it's not a flower hair clip! It is special and unique and time-consuming, though, so I'll post about it later this week.

Have a beautiful and creative week, everyone!

Linking up to...

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!! Grand Opening of Kasey's Beautiful Life ETSY SHOP!!!!

2011-06-03T23:16:00.007-04:00

It's been a dream for awhile, but this weekend it's becoming a REALITY!! I am announcing the grand opening of my etsy shop, "Kasey's Beautiful Life"! I decided that the desire to create was giving me something of a surplus and hey, why not make my crafting addiction pay off and spread a little beauty around the world while I'm at it?

Here are a few of the items you'll see appearing in my shop over the next few days...

White Lotus Flower Hair Clip

Dusty Rose Flower Hair Clip

Chocolate Brown Flower Hair Clip

Pink/White Wildflower Flower Hair Clip

Sorry, this one's not for sale. But the flower on top of her head is. I did say I was trying to spread some beauty around the world, didn't I? ;-)

So if you have a chance this weekend, please stop by and look around! I'm super excited!!! (in case you couldn't tell!!)

Linking up to...

Celebrating Our Freedom

2011-05-30T13:36:00.002-04:00

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a "Patriotic Program" put on by my son and the rest of the first graders in his school. Listening to those sweet voices sing about the blessings of living in a free country just really touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you on this Memorial Day.

I hope you have a blessed and safe Memorial Day!

Spiritual Sundays: Staying with the Light

2011-05-29T13:41:00.005-04:00

I had the fun opportunity on Friday night to go camping with my family and members of our church. We enjoyed a nice potluck dinner and we built a campfire and socialized into the night. As the night went on I realized something- I needed to use the bathroom! There was a port-a-potty nearby, and I knew of its general location, but it was so dark out that I couldn't tell exactly where it was located. I took my lantern and headed off through the woods into the night.

It was very difficult to tell, with the short beam of light provided by my lantern, exactly which way to go. After walking in the right general direction, eventually my lantern caught the blue plastic exterior of the outhouse in its glow, and I could then correct my course to the way I needed to go. Those first few moments, however, were very disconcerting as I made my way into the darkness without really knowing where I was going.

When I was finished, I came out and I could see the campfire in the distance and the many lanterns of my friends gathered around it. I used my lantern to light the path of my feet, but I knew exactly where I was headed, and the light of the campfire illuminated any large obstacles, such as trees, that blocked my path. After my trip out to the restroom, it was such a difference walking toward something I could clearly see, and to know that there was safety there in the gathering of lights. I didn't feel anxious or lost- I knew exactly where I was going and even though my path wasn't entirely illuminated, it was still clear.

I couldn't help but compare this to our spiritual selves. In the book of John, the Savior invoked this beautiful prayer upon his apostles:

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” (John 17:11, 14–15.)

Christ prayed that His believers "may be one" and that the Lord "shouldest keep [us] from the evil." I believe that the Lord is asking us to, quite simply, stick together. There is darkness all around us, and if we venture off on our own, like I did, and leave the light of the other followers of Christ, we put ourselves in a place of anxiety, confusion, and possibly danger.

This is not to say that we shouldn't associate with those of different faiths, or that we should avoid missionary opportunities. I think we should reach out as much as possible, but we should always be sure to keep the light of others close by us.

D&C 87:8 reads, "Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come." Sharon G. Larsen said of this scripture,

"Standing in holy places is all about being in good company, whether you are alone or with others. It’s being where the Holy Ghost is our companion—alone or in a crowd. When we determine within ourselves that we will control our thoughts and our actions and be the best we can possibly be, the best of life will come to us."

The key to "staying with the light", as I titled this post, is to always keep the Holy Ghost as our companion, and to be with others who will do the same. As soon as you find yourself in a certain place or with certain people that are making it difficult to keep the good feelings of the Holy Spirit, you have strayed from the warmth and safety of the light, and it's time to turn around and look for the campfire again.

For me, my campfire is my home, my family, my church congregation, and my friends in the gospel who are wonderful examples to me. I know that when I nurture these relationships that I am building up my campfire to be a beacon to me and to others who might be wandering in the dark.

I encourage you to not rely solely on the light of your own lantern, but to find others and build up your own campfire of safety. There is strength and safety in numbers, along with the peace and joy of having a home in the gospel. Come out of the dark and into the light!

To find out more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org.

Anniversary At Home

2011-05-19T09:05:00.005-04:00

It seems the more kids you have, the harder it is to get out of the house on a real date! I knew that my husband and I would have that problem this year on our 9th anniversary (especially since it fell on a Tuesday night) so I decided to plan a special "date night" at home for us.

I made an early dinner of mac-n-cheese for the kids and had them eating while I worked on a special dinner of steak, roasted red potatoes, and broccoli for my husband and me. I also made a strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

After I had fed the kids, I sent my husband upstairs with them to get them ready for bed (that's usually his job anyway) and I started prepping the kitchen table for our date. I brought in a lamp from our hall table, various flowers (real and faux), faux rose petals, candles, and our wedding photo. I set the table with silver chargers, our nice china, cloth napkins and crystal wine glasses.

Before he came down, I turned out all the lights except for the lamp, I lit the candles, and I turned on "At Last" by Etta James. The result was perfect!

It was weird, despite the fact that we were sitting in our kitchen, it still felt almost just like a real night out. I think that the lighting and table transformation really helped. After we ate we slow danced for awhile, and then he helped me clean up and we watched a movie together. It was wonderful!

So next time you can't go out, stay in. It can be just as special. ;-)

Someone Had a Birthday...

2011-05-16T16:14:00.009-04:00

I can't believe my little Monkey turned 7 this week!!!! Here's a photo of him at the Washington D.C. LDS Temple from my sister-in-law's wedding last week. What a cutie. :-)

We had several celebrations and several cakes for him (he thinks it's very important to include everybody...and get lots of presents...and of course eat lots of cake!) and last night we celebrated with my dad, stepmom and grandparents. Here are a few shots of the cake I made for him:

I just made a simple chocolate cake recipe (that link is to my other blog, The Silly Mom) that I chose because it was vegan- no eggs or dairy (we have a nephew with allergies)- and because it's incredibly delicious and very convenient because I pretty much always have the ingredients for it on hand.

I decorated it with well-washed dinosaur toys from my son's room and some leftover easter egg candy. I used cream cheese frosting, which I added green food coloring to, for the lettering and some viney decoration.

I think that decorating cakes with toys is a great easy way to make them look really fun and fabulous, and the kids love that they can keep the toys! (okay, not much excitement there in this case since the toys were already his, but you know what I mean!)

And incidentally, my kids are just so stinkin' cute.

I know it's been quieter than usual around here lately, but I have a bunch of new crafty ideas I'm dying to get to, and I will be sure to post again soon! :-)

Photo Party? Okay!

2011-05-09T21:54:00.004-04:00

I follow a fun little blog called "Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures" and recently she's been hosting some great photography link parties. This week the theme is "Sunset, Sunrise, and Sun Flare". I thought I'd post this lovely photo, but I actually can't take credit for it, other than being the subject (well, me and Chase). My husband took this shot of us back when we were visiting my parents at Thanksgiving. It was close to sunset and I just love this photo because it really takes me back to that chilly November eve, quietly sitting atop a warm horse as he blew steam out his nose. :-)

For another favorite sun-related photo of mine check out my Spiritual Sundays post, "Help From the Source". :-)

Check out Tracy's site for more great sun photos!! She is a talented photographer!

Good Clean Fun

2011-05-06T09:31:00.014-04:00

I was inspired by yet another fabulous idea from Martha Stewart when I saw her make these Fruit & Herb Soaps. She has a fabulous video tutorial on her blog (and step-by-step instructions) so I won't go into a ton of detail here, but I'll give you a basic idea of how it's done! I thought these would be a perfect gift for Mothers Day for my many moms (3!) and alllll of my many sisters-in-law (10!).

I started out with a giganto tub of glycerine soap, which I purchased at Michael's using one of my 40% off coupons. So it was only $24 instead of $40. I popped the whole block out of the tub and started chopping it up. I found that the easiest way to do this was to use a loooong knife and hold the handle in one hand, and then cover the end of the blade with a pot holder, so as not to stab myself, and then just gently rock the blade back and forth until it made it all the way through. I then cut it into cubes for easy melting.

As per Martha's instructions, I used a heat-resistant glass measuring cup to melt my glycerine in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between.

Meanwhile, I gathered my fruits and herbs:

Some fresh lavender from my very own garden (feeling very Martha Stewart-y about that).

An orange and a lemon and my Ultimate Chopper. It is SO ULTIMATE! And it needs to be cleaned on the outside. Yick.

I peeled the orange and lemon and tossed the peels into the chopper, pulverizing them into teeny little bits. Then I added them to my melted glycerine.

I stirred it around for a little while, letting it cool some before pouring it into the greased molds so that the citrus bits would be evenly distributed.

I used applesauce cups as my soap molds.

Then I did the same thing with my lavender, only I had to add water to get the leaves to chop up correctly. Then I just placed a paper towel over a cup and poured the lavender-water out onto it, using the paper towel as a filter. I carefully removed the paper towel, squeezed out the excess water, and left it out to dry some so that the lavender wouldn't stick to it too much. I was then able to sprinkle it into the glycerine. Here I'm using yogurt cups as molds. I also decided to do some strawberry soaps at the last minute.

I let the soap sit in the molds for about 20 minutes before sending them to the freezer (freezing helps release them from the molds).

After 2 hours in the freezer I popped them out and they looked great! One warning though- allow the soap to sit out at room temperature before you try packaging it. Because they've been frozen, they'll develop a layer of condensation. The moisture along with the thin layer of oil (I used olive oil to grease my containers) gives the soaps a slippery coating. Once they were at room temperature (and all done sweating) I just wiped them off with a paper towel and they were fine.

I thought the soaps were so pretty, I didn't really want to hide them with wrapping paper so I wrapped them in cellophane instead. I took a jar that was about the same size around as my soaps and wrapped the cellophane around it, taping it at the seams, then slid the jar out so that I was left with a bag that was just the right size for my soaps. I added the soap and tied it up with a ribbon and tag, and I think they turned out nicely! I love how colorful they are without any food coloring or dyes.

Happy Mothers Day, ladies!!

This week I am linking up to...

Weeks of Weddings...

2011-05-01T17:10:00.009-04:00

It has been a CRAZY weekend for me, but I wanted to check in and share a few of my latest beautiful thrifty projects with you! Did you totally love the royal wedding? It was so inspirational to me as I helped throw a bridal shower for my sister-in-law this weekend (remember those invitations?)! Above and below are the "cake balls" (though I'd really like to come up with a fancier name for them!) that I made. Her wedding colors are dusty rose, green, cream and brown, so I used strawberry cake mix for these and then added some green food coloring to my white chocolate before piping it on the top.

Some simple paper doilies arranged on this silver charger plate make it extra fancy! I found the recipe for the cake balls on a blog (as usual, can't remember which one!) but it's super simple- use a cake mix to bake a cake 13"x9", then dump the cake into a bowl and mix it with half a container of frosting (I used cream cheese frosting). You will end up with a cookie-dough-like consistency; roll the "dough" into 1" balls, then dip in melted white chocolate. Easy and tasty!!!

My pretty paper doilies also came in handy for this project...

Just fold them in half and hang them along the string and you get a lovely bunting that's just perfect for an afternoon tea party! (and yes, in case you were wondering, this is yet ANOTHER idea I borrowed from another blogger who has since become lost somewhere out in the blogosphere! *sigh*) I glued mine also to help them stay put. (sorry it's not a great photo- I forgot to take one of them so I had to crop another photo!)

Last but not least were these pretty little party favors! I picked up several packets of flower seeds from the store ($0.20 each) and wrapped them using scrap paper from my stash. Then I wrote this poem:

Just as these garden seeds you sow,

Each day our friendship grows and grows.

May the beautiful blooms from these tiny seeds

Be as lovely to you as you are to me.

Thank you for attending my bridal shower! Love, (the bride)

And I printed it up and used my Quickutz to punch out a little star burst shape.

Next weekend is the actual wedding which, thankfully, I'm just supposed to show up for!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too! :-)

Linking up to...

DIY Edible Arrangement

2011-04-24T22:23:00.013-04:00

My 2010 Edible Arrangements knockoff for Easter

This particular project started in my usual way: Last Easter I was trying to find something nice to take to the annual Easter gathering at my in-laws' house and I thought, Ooh, those Edible Arrangements sure are nice. Wonder how much they run? So I checked it out, saw the price tag (start at around $40 for a small arrangement- like, big enough for 2-4 people), nearly had a heart attack, and got my thrifty thinking gears going. And of course, those thrifty thinking gears churned me into some classic knockoff action! I scoured the internet and found several sites with tips on how to do my own. So I messed around and got a fairly good Edible Arrangements knockoff out of it!

One warning: This takes time!! It takes time to cut up the fruit, and time to arrange it as well. All in all, plan on about 2 hours of hard labor for one of these babies!

Now I'll share what I've learned with you!

1. Choose your container. Make sure it's sturdy and deep enough that you can weigh it down in the bottom, otherwise your arrangement will be seriously top-heavy. Not good. Here I've used a #10 can (like a coffee can- I liked the simple rustic look of it) and weighed it down with some canned food and stuffed newspaper around them so they don't roll around.

2. Get some floral foam. NOT THIS FLORAL FOAM!!! I discovered after I began that this stuff is waaaaay harder to get skewers into than the real floral foam (that stuff that you can push in with your finger that also holds water). Cut the foam to fit your container- it's okay if it sticks up or is even down below the top of your container- just make sure you have enough foam to put lots of skewers into.

3. Arrange green leaf lettuce or parsley to cover your foam. The skewers you'll stick in will keep this in place.

4. Cut and skewer your fruit!

- cantaloupe & honeydew melon- these will be your "leaves" in your arrangement. Cut them into slices (they will have a half-moon shape) and then in half so each one looks kind of like a claw.

- red grapes- place on skewers 4-5 high, making sure not to poke through the top grape.

- strawberries- stick and you're done! Just don't poke all the way through!

- pineapple/melon "flowers"- cut pineapple into 1" thick slices and cut with a flower-shaped cookie cutter. Use a melon baller to create the centers. Poke skewer all the way through pineapple flower, then place ball on top (but don't poke all the way through it!).

5. Arrange- Use a photo as inspiration! Start at the bottom and work your way around and up. I discovered that in order to get the same look as the Edible Arrangements you have to start putting the skewers in nearly horizontally at the bottom and then gradually have them go up (like the spokes of a lady's fan- horizontal at the bottom then angling up to the top).

6. Fill in- use your lettuce or parsley and tear it into smaller pieces to fill in any areas where the skewers might show.

Here is my rushed masterpiece from this year! If I'd had more time (and had less stupid foam) I would have made it nicer, but at least it was colorful and fun! Total cost for fruit and materials was less than $20, and I had plenty of fruit left over to cut up into smaller pieces and mix together for a nice accompanying fruit salad. All in all, I'd say it's a successful knockoff, and great for Easter, Mother's Day, a birthday, or any kind of spring or summer gathering!

Linking to...

Spiritual Sundays: He Lives!

2011-04-24T13:43:00.002-04:00

To learn more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org. :-)

Just for Earth Day- A Swingin' Makeover!

2011-04-22T17:16:00.009-04:00

This is my swing. My poor, sad, dilapidated swing. I love my swing. It is my special place in my backyard where I sit and glide lazily back and forth as my children run and play. It is where I have cuddled children and read them stories, it is where popsicles are eaten, and where I have fallen sound asleep on many a warm afternoon whilst being pregnant and exhausted. I love my swing.

So, inspired by a wonderful sale at Home Depot a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give my swing some special spring TLC!

- 8 bags of mulch: $13

- 1 roll of landscaping fabric: $5

- 6 flowers: $3.50

- 2 new pillows (splurge!): $16

- 3 hours of sweat and hard labor on a Monday morning: exhausting

- beautiful swing: PRICELESS!

Doesn't it look so much happier now?

A look at the new mulch and flowers (snapdragons and petunias, I believe).

Pink makes me happy.

And of course, yellow is a happy color too.

See how happy and contented I am? Yay for spring! Yay for Earth Day! And yay for really good deals on mulch and flowers!! :-)

Have you been busy in your garden or yard? What projects have you been working on, or do you hope to work on this spring?

Spiritual Sundays: The Garden

2011-04-17T14:10:00.005-04:00

Last night I had the pleasure and privilege of attending a performance of Michael McLean and Bryce Nuebert's "The Garden" put on by members of the Richmond Virginia Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Deseret Book has this blurb about the allegorical oratorio:

"'We've always felt that the single most important work any creative person could do is to create something that would help others come closer to the Savior and have a greater understanding of and appreciation for the atonement,' says Michael. 'But oftentimes the very nature of the subject is a bit intimidating for a composer, songwriter, musician or artist.' The creative group agreed that the best way to accomplish the goal was to seek the Lord's help, and to follow his example of using allegories."

The musical production is a series of songs sung by various characters who are actually parts of the Garden of Gethsemane. Each one is representative of someone or something in our own mortal lives, and each one is affected by the power of the Atonement of Christ, which takes place in the garden. The production I attended used simple costumes and a single set, along with symbolic art and basic props to convey the essence of each character. The main focus was on the music and its lyrics, which were moving and beautiful. One of the reasons I was in attendance was because my brother played the part of Satan, aka, "The Landlord." Truly, one of the only times I could get away with saying, "My brother is Satan." Heh, heh. His performance was marvelous!!

What I love about allegories and parables is that quite often I find that I learn more in the act of interpreting than I do in the interpretation itself. If someone were to simply tell me what each symbol represents then I would not develop the depth of understanding that I do when I discover the meaning on my own. I had many opportunities to interpret last night, especially since I took my oldest two children, ages 6 1/2 and 5 with me to the show. I had to explain what an allegory was, and teach them how to understand the symbols and how to be like a detective to use the symbols like clues to put the real meaning of the story together.

While I would love to give a detailed song-by-song description of the performance, it would most likely be tedious for both of us, so instead I wish to focus on 4 of the main characters in the show: the Seedling, the Ram, the Barren Tree, and the Millstone. Each of these characters represent us, children of Heavenly Father, and the struggles that we face in mortal life.

The Seedling is the first to sing of her plight- she is "trapped beneath the earth and unable to grow." She doesn't understand why those around her seem to have no problem reach up toward the light- but she is stuck, unable to be what she could be.

Next is the Ram. The Ram is caught in a thorny tangle, unable to get free. He knows he should have listened to his master's voice and stayed close to his side, but now because of his disobedience he is fully ensnared and completely miserable.

The Barren Tree mourns her lack of fruit. She tries and yet is unsuccessful at producing anything of beauty from her barren branches. She aches for a reason why.

The final character is the Millstone. The Millstone sees himself as nothing but a burden- he spreads destruction, crushing everything he comes in contact with, and believes that there is no beauty within him that anyone could possibly love. He feels empty.

As each one of these characters sang, my heart ached for them. I know each of these feelings from various times in my own life, and that is why these characters were so effective in this allegory- because they are the faces of each of us. Have you ever felt trapped, stuck, unable to progress without knowing why, like the Seedling? Have you ever ached with a life full of regrets, knowing your suffering is your own doing, and finding yourself saying, "If only", like the Ram? Have you ever felt like you're spinning your wheels, doing everything right, and yet you see no results from your labors, like the Barren Tree? Have you ever felt like you were worthless, messing up everything you attempt and feeling like you're simply a waste of space, like the Millstone?

I also found it interesting that all but one of the characters' frustrations stemmed from them knowing what they could be, and feeling trapped and unable to achieve their full potential. Only the Millstone didn't seem to understand that he had any kind of value.

Sadly, when we feel this way, there are those who rejoice- in this allegory, it is the Snake and the Landlord. You know that saying, "misery loves company"? This is where that fits in. While the gentle Gardener attempts to prepare the Garden for spring planting, the Landlord storms in, slyly (and sarcastically) asking forgiveness for the intrusion, but claiming the Garden, and everything in it, to be his. He further asserts that the Gardener's efforts are useless and futile, that nothing could ever grow there. And that's the way he likes it. So get out.

To be perfectly honest, this song gave me chills. The Landlord sings,

Don't challenge me, I pray you.
I have the power to slay you!
But please, don't make me hate you-
Just be gone, and all's forgotten.

It's best that you just quietly disappear...

How many times does that voice in our head tell us to just give up? To just, "quietly disappear" when faced with doing the hard thing? Satan tells us it's okay, no one will know.

Just try to clear the weeds.
Try planting newer seeds.
And you'll see thistles breed,
Returning twice as strong each hour.

That voice tells you that it doesn't matter what you do- nothing can change what you are. You're wasting your time even trying. It's a voice in our heads that is all-too-familiar: the voice of the adversary. He tells us our efforts are pointless- even if we know our full potential, we could never reach it because we'll just keep messing up. That's what got us into this mess in the first place, right? We're just not strong enough. And for those who don't believe they have potential to begin with, like the Millstone, Satan's job is even easier. He tells us it's best for us to just "quietly disappear."

Fortunately, the Gardener gives the Garden, and all in it, some very good news. He tells them that there is one who can save them, a Man With Many Names. The Man comes, suffers agony, all the while being mocked by the Landlord who tauntingly asks Him if He's doing this for His Father, then why has His Father left Him alone? He tells Him to give up, that's it's too hard and too painful, that there's nothing worth saving in that Garden anyway. Meanwhile, the elements of the Garden watch His struggle with wonder and awe.

The Man's sacrifice has saved the Garden. The Seedling reaches up through the earth to bask in the sunlight; the Ram's thorns have been taken away and he is free; the Barren Tree bears beautiful fruit on her lovely branches; the Millstone is sparkling with a beauty he didn't know he had.

The Savior's atonement has set them all free from their misery, and the Landlord no longer has power over them, for they have been redeemed in Christ. The Garden is a place of peace and beauty once more.

What I love about this allegory is the fact that it shows us that sin is not just about breaking the commandments and that the Atonement really does heal all wounds. Sometimes our most difficult struggles are with our own thoughts about ourselves and our own self-worth. We see what we could be, but we are convinced that we could never achieve it, so we don't even try. We feel like we're trying but not getting anywhere. Or we feel like we've messed up so many times we're just not worth the effort anymore. It is in those deep depths of despair that the Atonement has so much power. It has the power to set us free from the chains of our own "stinkin' thinkin'" (as Flylady calls it!).

Jesus Christ loves us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knows that Satan will try to put a fun house mirror in front of our faces to distort what we see. If only we look to Him, he will show us our true selves, and when we accept Him into our lives He will set us free.

A good friend of mine gave me a special Christmas gift one year. It was a mirror, and on the mirror was a small picture of Jesus Christ with the words, "The greatest gift I can give you is to see yourself through my eyes."

Today, spend some time with the Man who knows you best. The Man who gave everything for you in the Garden. Ask to see yourself through His eyes, because to Him you are marvelous, beautiful, wonderful, and above all, so worth it.

To learn more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org.

Pretty Felt Flower Clips!

2011-04-15T20:28:00.005-04:00

Please excuse the not-so-great quality of the photos in this post. My DSLR is having issues so I had to resort to my point-and-shoot. I did the best I could, really I did!

I have REALLY got to start taking notes when I start surfing the blogosphere because I'm always finding new ideas to try, and when I find one I usually write it down on my "Crafts To Do" list, but I always forget to note where I found it! So, if you think this might be your craft that I copied and you see this post, PLEASE feel free to let me know!!

So anyway, I saw a tutorial on how to make these super cute felt flowers, and I couldn't wait to give it a try, especially because I have two little girls who happen to love wearing flowers in their hair (and their mom doesn't think it's so shabby either)!

Since I have no idea where I first saw this idea (seriously, if it's yours, TELL ME!) I went ahead and made my own tutorial for you. You will need:

- Felt ($0.25/sheet in the craft section at Wal-Mart)

- Undecorated hair clips ($5.00/box of 100 at Sally Beauty Supply store)

- Buttons, jewels, pearls, other doodads to decorate the center of your flower ($2 for 40 pearls at Michaels- remember from the bridal shower invitations? $3 for 120 acrylic rhinestone jewels at Wal-Mart)

- Hot glue gun & glue

I started out by deciding how big I wanted my finished flower to be. I went with a 2 1/2" diameter and freehand sketched a little flower on some felt with a pen. Then, I cut it out and used it as a template to draw 4 more flowers, being careful to cut inside the pen line so that I wouldn't have flowers with inked edges.

Next, I used my glue gun (why I felt this shot was necessary I do not know) to put some piping hot glue in the center of what will be my first petal.

See the glue? Yep, there it is. Right in the middle.

Then, after I had already burned my fingers about a dozen times doing the other 3 flowers, I finally got smart and used one of the hair clips to pinch the flower in half, holding it for a few seconds while the glue sets. What do they say? "Intelligence is learning from your own mistakes; true wisdom is learning from someone else's mistakes"-? Something like that. Anyway, you're welcome.

Now I have placed a dab of glue in the bottom center of my folded flower and...

...I am once again saving my fingers from a printless existence by using the hair clip to fold the flower into fourths.

Repeat the same process with 4 of your 5 flowers- the 5th will stay unfolded as your base. Here you can see how I'm fitting the flowers on top like the world's simplest puzzle. Add glue to the base to secure your petals and you have...

A petal-y flower. But wait, it gets better...

A button! I added a button. But you can add whatever you like- the pearls, rhinestones, beads- anything your little heart desires.

Once my clip was done being my surrogate fingers, I prepped it to hold the flower. I just used a scrap of my felt and cut it into a pleasing shape (a football? a pair of lips? who knows?), then simply clipped it into the clip.

Then I added the oh-so-helpful hot glue.

And attached my flower! Now it's neat as a pin. Well, neat as a hair clip. Are hair clips neat? Mine is!

See, Little Boo definitely thinks so (don't worry, she's not putting anything dangerous into her mouth).

And I had barely finished with my rhinestone-studded flowers before another little princess practically grabbed them from my hands to put in her hair!

And I admit it- this one was just for me. :-)

I'm thinking, Wow, the grass in the backyard really needs cutting. I don't care. I have a pretty flower in my hair.

But hair isn't the only thing these little cuties are good for...

Look at how they dress up the ends of my Happy Easter banner!! (FYI, Starlet snatched her flower back down from the banner the second I finished taking these photos. She's slightly flower obsessed. I wonder where she gets that from? Hmm...)

Later, I took a photo of me wearing this flower yet another way- check the post below to see (I couldn't seem to add it in after I'd finished this post).

Total calculated cost for 1 flower clip: $0.14 (that's if you use the pearls). Cheap, easy, and beautiful. My kind of project!!

A few ideas:

- You could add a little green felt leaf

- You could make your petals pointy

- You could clip 1 or more flowers to a headband or scarf

- You could make these to match an easter dress (mine matches my easter dress!)

I think I'll go make a few dozen more. :-)

This week I'm linking up to:

Drumroll, please...

2011-04-15T19:26:00.000-04:00

Don't laugh. This is my diva-model look. (Dang, that grass is REALLY getting long!)

(This is just so you can see that I'm wearing my flower clipped to my shirt. Cute, right?)

LDS Writer Blogfest: Guided by the Holy Spirit

2011-04-12T05:00:00.001-04:00

Image from searchpictures.net

Remember my "AAAYYY-MEN!" from my post a few weeks ago? Well I had a lot of those "AAAYYY-MEN!" moments the first weekend in April when I had the opportunity to virtually attend the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which I am a member. To celebrate the magnificent messages and the great joy they brought to all who were able to attend, the online LDS blogger community has decided to participate in an LDS Writer Blogfest, in which each blogger will write about a specific talk they heard that was meaningful to them (see full link list at the end of this post).

It was difficult for me to choose; there were so many talks that simply had me mesmerized. There were so many things that I needed to hear, that really touched my heart and renewed my motivation to be better.

However, one talk stood out in my mind: Boyd K. Packer's talk entitled, "Guided by the Holy Spirit." This talk was rich with the simple truths of what it means to be a Latter-day Saint, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. He spoke plainly and simply, not only reminding those who are members of this church who we are and what we stand for, but spelling it out for others who may be on the outside of our church peering in, wondering what those crazy Mormons are up to!

While rereading President Packer's (he is the current president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) talk, I went through and took notes on it, creating a basic outline. When I was finished, I decided that his talk reminded me of a train.

President Packer began by speaking of the holy scriptures, and how because of the Book of Mormon, many people call the LDS church the "Mormon church". He gently issued a correction, reminding members that we are not "Mormons", but rather members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the entire point of the name of our church is to profess the name of Jesus Christ, for He is our leader and exemplar. The church is our train, and Jesus Christ is the acting force pulling us along- He is the engine.

The main coupling from the engine to the cars was President Packer's next subject: the priesthood authority of Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a new religion- it is the exact same church that was created by Jesus Christ when He was on the earth over 2000 years ago. His authority was passed on to His apostles, among them Peter, James, and John, and those same apostles conferred the priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829. That priesthood has been conferred (through the laying on of hands) to each worthy priesthood holder ever since. My own husband, brother, and father can each trace their "priesthood line" back to Joseph Smith, and thus back to the ancient apostles and Jesus Christ. It is remarkable, and it is real and true. The church could not be run any other way than by the direct authority from Jesus Christ.

Along with this authority came another essential tool for the true church: the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is this gift that has allowed for modern revelation. If God's church is to be on the earth today, it needs to have a way to receive divine revelation from God himself. The Holy Ghost is that conduit through which revelation is received: it is the coupling that holds all the train cars together. It is the only way that an unpaid ministry would be possible- all of our leaders, both international and local, rely on that same power of the Holy Ghost, from the prophet of our church down to the children's Sunday School teacher (that's me!).

President Packer went on to discuss in simple detail the various beliefs that guide a Latter-day Saint's life, each based on principles born of modern revelation through the Holy Ghost. These are the cars on our gospel train:

- Word of Wisdom- This is a health code that dictates that Latter-day Saints abstain from coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol, or any other potentially addictive or harmful substance.

- Law of Chastity- This law dictates that Latter-day Saints abstain from sexual relations before they are married, and that the only sexual relations that are appropriate in the eyes of the Lord are those that are between husband and wife, legally and lawfully wedded.

- Repentance- Those who have sinned are granted the gift of repentance, if they choose to accept it, through the supreme sacrifice and Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

- Mortal Life- The purpose of our mortal life is to be tempted and tested, and thus be made stronger and worthy for eventual exaltation in the kingdom of God.

- Plan of Happiness- Ultimately, our happiness will be complete when we can be with our families in the presence of the Lord. To achieve that end, we must recognize the roles of the husband and wife within the home, their equal partnership and their duty to teach their children and raise them up in righteousness.

- Love and Forgiveness- People will offend us- it's a fact! But if we are to be happy, we must forgive, and "let it go", as President Packer said in his talk. Grudges do not help, they only hurt.

- In the World, Not of It- As Latter-day Saints, we are 14 million strong around the world, but we are still ordinary people. We try to rise above while still lifting up those around us. We are in the world, but we are not of the world. We believe in:

- Honesty

- Cleanliness in appearance, thought, and speech

- Positive & Happy Attitudes

- Mourning With Those Who Mourn

- Comforting Those Who Stand In Need of Comfort

President Packer finished this description of the LDS Church by stating simply,

"If someone is looking for a church that requires very little, this is not the one. It is not easy to be a Latter-day Saint, but in the long run it is the only true course."

Yes, as a member of this church I can attest to this statement. As a teenager, I didn't do many of the things that I saw those around me doing. I often faced ridicule. As a mother and homemaker, I struggle on a daily basis to know what the Lord would have me do, and to often sacrifice my own desires so that I can be the person He needs me to be, and to raise His beautiful children. This is not a show-up-on-Sunday kind of church. It is a get-down-and-dirty, all-in kind of church. It's not where I go each week, it's who I am, day in and day out. It is hard, yes, but so, so worth it. And I do not know where I would be without it.

In light of recent events, President Packer's next words really hit me:

"Regardless of opposition or 'wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places,' no power or influence can stop this work. Every one of us can be guided by the spirit of revelation and the gift of the Holy Ghost. 'As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.'"

And just in case you were wondering, when he said, "Every one of us"- he means you. This gospel is a great moving train pulled by the infinite power of the Savior, Jesus Christ. It will pull you through any trials you may face, and it will give you refuge from the storms of life.

Here is President Packer's- and my- invitation to you:

"If you are carrying some burden, forget it, let it alone. Do a lot of forgiving and a little repenting, and you will be visited by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost and confirmed by the testimony that you did not know existed. You will be watched over and blessed—you and yours. This is an invitation to come unto Him. This church—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 'the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth,' by His own declaration—is where we find 'the great plan of happiness.' Of this I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

AAAYYY-MEN!

Friends, I bear my testimony to you that the things President Boyd K. Packer has said are true. I know that he is an apostle of the Lord, and that he acts by the authority of Jesus Christ. I know that I am a member of the true church of Jesus Christ, and that His church is run by His priesthood authority and by the direction of the Holy Ghost. I have felt the power of the Holy Ghost in my life and I know that as I live my life in the way that President Packer outlined, I find true joy and happiness. I am grateful for this gospel in my life, and I know that by holding fast to the "train" I can get through any obstacles the world might throw at me. I write these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

To learn more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org. To read, watch, or listen more fantastic talks from the General Conference of the LDS Church, click here. To read more of what I have written about my own feelings about the church in my life, please feel free to browse through my Spiritual Sundays posts.

And please, please, share any comments you might have! My faith is strengthened by your words, and I would love to read your thoughts on this topic. :-)

Make sure you visit all the other wonderful LDS bloggers for their posts all about General Conference:

Annette Lyon: “Desire”

Annie Cechini: “The Spirit of Revelation”

Ben Spendlove: “The Atonement Covers All Pain”

Chantele Sedgwick: “LDS Women Are Incredible!”

Charity Bradford: “LDS Women Are Incredible!”

Jackee Alston: “The Eternal Blessings of Marriage”

Jenilyn Tolley: “What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?”

Jennifer McFadden: “Establishing a Christ-Centered Home”

Jessie Oliveros: “Establishing a Christ-Centered Home”

Jolene Perry: “It’s Conference Once Again”

Jordan McCollum: “What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?”

Kasey Tross: “Guided by the Holy Spirit”

Kayeleen Hamblin: “Become as a Little Child”

Kelly Bryson: “The Atonement Covers All Pain”

Krista Van Dolzer: “Opportunities to Do Good”

Melanie Stanford: “What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?”

Michelle Merrill: “The Eternal Blessings of Marriage”

Myrna Foster: “Opportunities to Do Good”

Nisa Swineford: “Desire”

Sallee Mathews: “The Eternal Blessings of Marriage”

Sierra Gardner: “The Atonement Covers All Pain”

Tamara Hart Heiner: “Waiting on the Road to Damascus”

The Writing Lair: “Waiting on the Road to Damascus”

Unique Bridal Shower Invitations

2011-04-10T22:35:00.008-04:00

Recently my sweet sister-in-law asked me if I would mind helping out with the bridal shower for my other sweet sister-in-law, and so of course I said yes! The family knows about my craftiness with paper, so they asked if I would put together the invitations.

I wanted to do something kind of special and unique that was also elegant and classy, especially since we were having a "Victorian Tea Party" theme for the shower. To me, elegant and classy = vellum! But what to use behind the vellum?

Then I had the idea to use the couple's engagement photo (that we had received with their wedding invitation) and do an artsy still life, and use that as my backdrop for the invitation.

The wedding colors were going to be a dusty rose, sage green, and white, so I went around the house and tried to gather girly things in those colors. You might notice I used the tissue paper from my Easter banner, my tissue paper peonies, and a music sheet from my Mod Podge eggs!

I took several photos and this was the one I liked best, so I had them printed up.

Next, I gathered my supplies:

I picked up ribbon in the wedding colors- sage green and brown, and then a jar of fabric flowers in the dusty rose color (sorry, hardly any are left- took this photo after I was done!). The flowers were unfinished in the middle, so I picked up some faux adhesive pearls (which are really half-pearls- flat on the bottom! Sweet!) to dress it up.

I printed up the invitations 4 to a sheet, then cut them to size, scalloped the bottom edge with scalloped-edged scissors, then punched my holes in the top to thread the ribbon through and fancied them up with the flowers and pearls.

I thought the finished product was lovely!

What's your favorite thing to use for fancy stuff? Are you a vellum junkie like me? ;-)

This week I'm linking up to:

Peony Pom!

2011-04-08T18:29:00.005-04:00

I realized earlier this week that back when I posted about my Tissue Paper Peonies I left y'all hangin' with this photo:

What did that crazy bleach-dipped butterfly-like thing become? Well, once it emerged from its cocoon it became what I like to call a peony pom (that's a pom that looks kinda like a peony).

This will probably be my first and last peony pom, because as I mentioned before in the tissue paper peony post, once you dip the tissue paper in bleach it becomes all stuck together and fragile, which made pulling the many layers of tissue paper apart VERY difficult and time-consuming. Beautiful, yes, but too much work for me. I think I'll just stick with standard poms from now on. :-)

Music Paper Easter Eggs & Mod Podge Yarn Nest

2011-04-03T21:38:00.014-04:00

I've been seeing variations on this theme all over the blogosphere, so I was curious to get my hands gooey and see what I could do...

First, I gathered my supplies: Mod Podge, a disposable bowl, brown yarn, a plastic bowl (chosen only for its shape), and an old music book. And plastic eggs!!! Why are they not in the photo? I think my son was trying to swipe them at the time...well, whatever the reason do NOT forget your plastic easter eggs!

Next, I channeled my inner birdie and made a nest. I cut the yarn into LOTS of pieces of varying length, then dipped the pieces into my Mod Podge (which I had poured into my disposable bowl). Then I randomly placed the pieces across the bottom of this bowl, overlapping them, going for a nest-y look. I left the bowl to dry overnight (it takes a LONG time to dry!). Looks like a very peculiar cake.

Then, on to the eggs!

I started by tearing my music paper into strips. Incidentally, I discovered that thin strips are better than thick ones. They wrap around the eggs more easily. I dipped each strip into the Mod Podge...

...then got my little fingers all ooey gooey smooshing the paper all over the eggs.

Smoosh smoosh.

Then I set up the eggs to dry on my special homemade Mod Podged Egg Drying Contraption (aka, another styrofoam bowl upside down with toothpicks stuck in it). I'm clever, I tell ya.

And by the next day, I was able to pry my little nest off its bowl (wait until the Mod Podge looks clear!) and, while it was a little more flexible than I had anticipated, it still looks kinda cool with my eggs!

Soo....if I were to do this again, I'd probably try paper mache instead, because I think that might give me a slightly stiffer result. I think I'd do a few more layers on the nest as well- maybe do 2-3 thin layers and allow each layer to dry in between so it wouldn't take forever to dry. But all in all, it was a fun, ooey-gooey project, and I especially love my musical eggs!! :-)

This week I'm linking up to:

Paper Issues!

Spiritual Sundays- coming later this week!

2011-04-03T19:51:00.001-04:00

CORRECTION: This is coming NEXT week, April 12th!! :-)

[I am itching to post a Spiritual Sundays post (because for those of you who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you know it was a spiritual Sunday for sure!) but I am going to have to wait, because this week I am very excited to be participating in an LDS Writers Blogfest! On Tuesday we will all be joining together to post about our favorite talks from General Conference on our blogs (and if you don't know what General Conference is, be sure to come back Tuesday!!). I will have my own post along with links to everyone else's. So great!

Soo....I'll see you later for a Spiritual Tuesday! :-)]