Talk - Applying the Atonement

My mom gave this talk on Easter Sunday in Sacrament Meeting.  She wanted to share it on my blog... 

            Brothers and sisters, it is a great honor to have the privilege of sharing with you this morning my testimony of the Atonement of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  What a joy it has been these last two weeks studying and contemplating this transcendent gift of love.

            In 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley declared:  “I believe our problems, almost every one, arise out of the homes of the people...if there is to be a change or return to old sacred values, it must begin in the home.  It is in the home where truth is learned, that integrity is cultivated, that self-discipline is instilled, and that love is nurtured.”  The sacred values he referred to are the first principles of the gospel.  The power that makes it possible for these values to be incorporated into our lives comes from the atoning sacrifice of our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ.  In our world where evil is called good and good evil, the words declared by Mormon (found in Moroni 7) give us hope and confidence as they teach us that “Jesus Christ claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing.”  There is no better place to build faith than in the home, where the lessons and practical applications are realized and lived day to day.

        

Flower Pom Poms

We made a bunch of cute pom pom flowers last night to use for our Teacher Appreciation "Fiesta" Luncheon next month.  I know that it is still a month away, but I am SO not a last minute girl so I wanted to work on them in advance.  A big SHOUT OUT to the ladies at church who helped me make all these last night.  I'll make the rest soon.

The large pom poms were made using 10 sheets of tissue paper.  The medium and smaller pom poms were made using colored napkins from Walmart (dinner napkins and cocktail size napkins).  I used 6 napkins for each pom pom.  The napkins were 24 for $0.99 at Walmart so that means each pom pom cost around $0.25 since I can make 4 from one pack of napkins.

Here's a LINK to see how to make them.

We're going to use fishing line to hang these from the ceiling at our Fiesta Luncheon next month.  Our school ceilings have metal frames on them so I'll use magnets to attach the fishing line to the ceiling.  I'm sure it will look great!  I'll use some of the smaller pom pom flowers for bouquets on the tables.

Paperclip Bookmarks

I found this pack of 500 jumbo paper clips at Staples. There are red, blue, green, yellow and pink.  They have some other colors there as well in smaller packages and sometimes have seasonal colors too.

I saw a cute idea on Pinterest that used fabric and large paperclips to make bookmarks.  I drive my husband nuts because I never seem to have a bookmark for my books so I dog-ear the pages or just lay the book down open to the page I am on.  He is constantly finding me makeshift bookmarks that I find in the book I am reading.  He'll be excited to see this craft.  But my main purpose in making this was for Teacher Appreciation week.

I gathered up some ribbons that I had laying around.  I cut them into smaller strips (experiment to find the length you like).  Then I just looped the cut ends through the end of the paperclip and put the ends through the loop of the ribbon, pulling tight to get it to stay.  Be sure to put it through the correct end of the paperclip so that the paperclip will continue to function.

Teacher Appreciation - We're NUTS about our teachers!

For Teacher Appreciation, we put small treats or gifts in our teachers' boxes each day.  This is a fun little treat for one of the days.  I bought the small nut packages at Smart & Final.

This is the small handout I designed to staple on the nuts bags.  I was going to mount it on colored cardstock but I was just too tired so I just copied it onto white paper and stapled it to the bag of nuts.  Maybe the protein from the nuts will cancel out all the sugary goodies we'll be giving them that week.

Teacher Appreciation - You're o'FISH'ally fabulous!

 

 

 

I bought some bulk bags of small Swedish Fish from Walmart and put them in 3x4 inch ziplock bags that I bought at the craft store.  Then I stapled on a fun tag that I made on the computer. 

I have to tell you that I am a HUGE fan of cheesy puns so when I saw something on Pinterest using the word "o'FISH'ally", I knew I had to use it and make it my own.  I think the original idea used Goldfish crackers instead which would also be cute.  But since Swedish Fish are one of my favorite treats, I couldn't resist using them.

Duct Tape Pens

I found some darling polka dot duct tape on clearance at Target so I couldn't resist purchasing it.   I am in charge of Teacher Appreciation Week at school so I decided to come up with a gift for our nearly 75 teachers that involved duct tape.  So one evening it just came to me to try decorating pens with it.  I loved the results!  So I bought a multi-pack of inexpensive PaperMate pens from Costco to go along with my duct tape project dreams.

I shopped at around at Target, Walmart, etc. and found some other fun duct tape designs and colors to use.

I took a piece of duct tape and measured it to be the length of the pen (down to the part where the pen starts to narrow).  Then I just wrapped the duct tape around the pen, making sure there weren't creases or bubbles.

After wrapping the pens, I used my hot glue gun to add a pom pom to the end of the pen.  I tied a few pieces of ribbon to add color to the pen as well, tied with a double knot.

I am a ribbon hoarder so I had lots of ribbons to choose from (this is just a small amount of my choices).  I buy my ribbon for a great price at Fabric Barn in Long Beach.  It is a dumpy looking store in a bad part of town but OH BOY do they have great ribbon.  They also have Yarn Barn and Party Barn stores right there.

Since these pens are for Teacher Appreciation week next month, I printed out a fun little card to attach to each pen.  Super cheesy, I know but teachers appreciate bad puns and creativity.  I used some of the graphics from Stampin' Up's "My Digital Studio" to design my tag and then printed them on cardstock at school.

So here's a sampling of pens.  I have to make 130 of them (75 for teachers and then more for the aids and other school staff) and we have around 30 done so far.  I think I'll have to put on a good Lifetime movie (my secret indulgence) and start cranking out some more pens...

Quote - Is Rash Worse than Malady?

“Make sure that the medicine you decide on in a rash and desperate moment doesn’t turn out to be worse than the malady.”

Thought of the Day - Busy is not necessarily Spiritual

I fear that some members of the Lord’s Church “live far beneath our privileges” with regard to the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

Some are distracted by the things of the world that block out the influence of the Holy Ghost, preventing them from recognizing spiritual promptings. This is a noisy and busy world that we live in. Remember that being busy is not necessarily being spiritual. If we are not careful, the things of this world can crowd out the things of the Spirit.

 

President Brigham Young spoke of a sacred experience when the martyred Prophet Joseph Smith came in vision to President Young, bringing the Saints one more message. It is a message that Saints need today more than ever before: “[Be sure to] tell the people to … keep the spirit of the Lord,” Joseph said, “and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach you what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it.”

 

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, May, 2003

Thought of the Day - Forgiveness is freeing up our energy

Dr. Sidney Simon, a recognized authority on values realization, has provided an excellent definition of forgiveness as it applies to human relationships:

"Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves."

 

All of us suffer some injuries from experiences that seem to have no rhyme or reason. We cannot understand or explain them. We may never know why some things happen in this life. The reason for some of our suffering is known only to the Lord. But because it happens, it must be endured. President Howard W. Hunter said that "God knows what we do not know and sees what we do not see."

President Brigham Young offered this profound insight that at least some of our suffering has a purpose when he said: "Every calamity that can come upon mortal beings will be suffered to come upon the few, to prepare them to enjoy the presence of the Lord. . . . Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation."

The Healing Power of Forgiveness

President James E. Faust
Second Counselor in the First Presidency