CATCHING UP

Aside from a few Visiting Teaching posts here and there, it has been quite a while since I've blogged. Life got in the way.

So I thought I would take a minute and catch up.  We won't go back too far, but just in this year alone we have taken a few trips, had a few surgeries, our oldest son graduated from high school and left to serve an LDS mission to Spain, and we relocated our family from Lehi, Utah to Rexburg, Idaho in July.

Most of my time since then has included getting the kids settled in their new schools and activities, exploring our new surroundings, dreaming of fun projects for the new house, painting the new house, and unpacking an endless supply of boxes from our old house.

We are exhausted, but we are loving our new adventure and are so excited about life.

My goal is to check in here a little more often.

I miss interacting with you all and can't wait to share some fun new recipes, travel experiences, and projects.  I will continue to do a monthly Visiting Teaching message.  You all know that I believe Visiting Teaching is super important.  VT Messages are not going away.  I also spent the past few years in Young Women and am now serving as the Primary Chorister, so I will be sharing some ideas there.  

Although I am not working as a travel agent anymore, I still love travel and hope to be able to share more travel adventures, and tips and tricks.

My appreciation for good food is never-ending.  I hope you will all continue to join me for mmmonday recipe ideas.

And you all know that I will be decorating, demo-ing, painting, and glue-gunning.  A lot.

For those of you who are still reading, I would love to hear what you would like to see more of.  I would love to see your projects and ideas, and if you blog, I would really like to visit.

Also, thanks for your patience as I update the ol' blog.  I am learning as I go, and eventually all of the links will be up and running again.

Have a great day, and a wonderful weekend!

VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE-NOVEMBER 2016

Hello!

Last month was our annual LDS General Conference, which means that it is time for another batch of Conference Preserves!

Conference Preserves help us to remember the wonderful Spirit that we felt as we listened to General Conference and help us to share those moments with those who may not have been able to watch or listen.  If you would like to read or listen to messages from General Conference, click here.

To make and share these preserves with your Visiting Teaching sisters this month, you will need 4 sheets of cute printed double-sided cardstock {per sister}, a jar with a lid, and maybe a little treat to add.

Print the Conference quotes, here, here, and here and also the tag for the top, here.

Next, cut along the dotted lines, fold and assemble.

So easy.

Happy Visiting Teaching!

August Visiting Teaching Message

Hello! For those of you still looking for something easy to share with their sisters this month, here's an idea:

To make the handout, you will need 4 sheets of double-sided 12"x12" cute scrapbook paper (2 of each print), 1 or more Kind brand granola bars and some twine or ribbon.

Cut one of the sheets of scrapbook paper down to 10"x10", vertically fold it in half, and cut down the fold of the paper about 2".  Next, cut across so that it looks like this:

Take another sheet of paper and cut a square that is 10"x4".  This will be your bottom pocket.  Staple it to the bottom of the first sheet.

Finally, take your 3rd and 4th pieces of cute scrapbook paper and cut them down to 8.5"x11", and print the message and the tag.

Wrap it up with some twine or ribbon, and stick your granola bars in the pocket and you're all done!

Happy Visiting Teaching!

P.S.  If you don't have time to grab all of those supplies, you could maybe even just print the tag and tie it to the Kind granola bar, and just deliver the message verbally.  Or, just visit or call.  The most important thing is that we are reaching out to each other and looking after one another.

November Visiting Teaching Message: Conference Preserves

This month for Visiting Teaching, we have the opportunity to look back through the talks from General Conference and remember the words of our leaders.  What a wonderful conference it was!

For the Visiting Teaching Message this month, I compiled some of my favorite thoughts and quotes from General Conference to share, and preserved them in canning jars.  The best part about Conference Preserves is that you can enjoy them every day, and they never go stale or expire.

They are best enjoyed immediately—don’t let them sit on the shelf and collect dust!

If you would like to make some Conference Preserves for the sisters you visit,  you will need some fun paper (two sheets per sister), and an extra for the tag (I used white cardstock). 

You can find the quote sheets to print here, and here, and click here for the tag.

Another idea would be that if there was a particular talk that you feel inspired to share with your sisters, you could print that talk and put it in the jar with a treat instead.

I would encourage each of you to study the talks from October’s General Conference.  I know that they are modern-day scripture and that our lives will be better and happier if we read and ponder them.

You can find all of the General Conference talks at lds.org.

Happy Visiting Teaching!

October Visiting Teaching Message-Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Filled With Charity and Love

The Guide to the Scriptures defines charity as “the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love”. It is the pure love of Jesus Christ. As we learn of Jesus Christ and strive to become like Him, we will begin to feel His pure love in our lives and be prompted to love and serve others as He would.

The Visiting Teaching Message this month discusses charity and love, and how we can exercise those attributes to bring comfort to others.

For the handout, I decided to include with the message one of my favorite comfort items—soup. 

To assemble this handout for your sisters, print the message and the tag, and affix to some cute fall-y paper.

I included a soup mug and wrapped everything in clear wrap for mine, but you can certainly just do soup and the handout if it works best for you.  Any soup will do.  Homemade, canned, or a dry mix, like mine.

Happy Visiting Teaching!!

Visiting Teaching Message—September 2015 The Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Powerful & Full of Glory

The Visiting Teaching message this month focuses on the infinite power of God, and how Jesus Christ has that power and uses it to help and bless others.

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead with that power, and created the heavens and the earth with that power.  He performed many miracles with that power and endured the pain of Gethsemane and Calvary with that power.

When we understand and gain a testimony of this power, our faith will increased and we will have more power in our lives to overcome temptation and we will be “armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” (1 Nephi 14:14).

To share this message this month, I created a handout that focuses on gaining power and strength.  The way I see it, the only way to gain power and strength is to exercise.  Physically, we must exercise our muscles and our determination and our hearts.  Spiritually, we must exercise our faith and our charity and our love.

To make this handout for the sisters that you visit, you will need to purchase a set of weights for each sister you visit.  I used 1 pound weights (because they were the cutest and the least expensive).  I also used white cardstock for the message and the tag, as well as a fun autumny 12x12 sheet of cardstock and a ribbon.

Happy Visiting Teaching!

(If you can’t find weights, you could use Powerade, or a type of protein bar that says the word power on it)

Super Easy Teacher Gift

If you are crawling toward the end-of-school finish line like me, chances are you can barely muster the energy to feed and clothe yourself, much less come up with and put together a cute gift for your kids to take to their teachers on the last day of school.

Pinterest feeds our guilt with adorable class yearbooks, baked goods, totes filled with summer rejuvenation activities for the teacher—all so cute and great ideas, but seriously?!  Who has the time/strength/mental energy/cash flow for that?!

Not me.

A few days ago, I wandered the aisles at Wal-Mart.  My plan was to put together an apple-themed gift basket for each of my three children’s teachers in appreciation for the awesome year that we have had.  Apple chocolates, apple flavored beverages, actual apples, mini apple pies….you get the idea.  I wandered approximately 10 minutes before I lost all enthusiasm.  I had this conversation with myself:

“Apples? Do they really like apples?”

“I bet they get a ton of apple stuff.  They are probably so sick of apple stuff.”

“This is going to cost me a fortune”

“But they are worth it!  They are great teachers!”

“When am I going to actually have time to put these together?”

So in the end, we went with gift cards.  Some may say that is the lazy route, but me?  I love a good gift card.  Especially to somewhere fun that I normally wouldn’t go unless I had a gift card.

Packaging these are easy.  Just print my {admittedly cheesy} tag, trim it, and stick the gift card to it.  One of my kids wanted the gift card stuck to the front.  Either way works just fine.  Stick it in a bag if you want.  Or not.  Extra points if there is ribbon involved in the final product.

Or you could just do this.After a summer of recuperation and lots of shaved ice, I will be ready to endow my kids’ new teachers with the love that they deserve.

And I will.

Because by the end of next year, we will be lucky to scrape together whatever we can.