Book Review - At the Pulpit, 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women

At the Pulpit is a refreshing collection of women’s voices from the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The book contains 54 speeches given by women from 1831 to current day and is an impressive collection that shows the strength of women in the church. After reading the words of these eloquent women, I felt empowered and grateful for their examples of courage, compassion, and faithfulness. 

Life can be very full and busy at times.  I worried that I wouldn't be able to find time to read and review this book at first.  But during quiet minutes, I found myself drawn to it to bring me peace. I loved the stories and I felt stronger and more motivated after reading it.  Sister Jacobs had it right in the infographic below.

In the first chapter, I was impressed with the leadership of Lucy Mack Smith (aka “Mother Smith,” mother of Joseph and Hyrum Smith). In 1831, Lucy Mack Smith was part of a group that was planning to travel to Kirtland, Ohio from Fayette, New York. Two prominent males in the group refused to lead the group during the journey and deferred to Mother Smith. She rallied the troops and handled the finances, food, lodging, and spiritual guidance. At one point, the group was stuck in Buffalo, waiting for the ice to break in the harbor. Another party there encouraged Smith and her group to hide their religious identity to avoid prejudice. Smith rejected the advice and instead “boldly proclaimed her Mormon beliefs” to the townspeople.

Eliza R. Snow’s speech to the Salt Lake City 17^th Ward Relief Society really struck a chord with me in regards to how church callings should work.  She said, “Each member of the society should study to know her place, and honor herself by filling it honorably , and all move forward like machinery that is perfect in all its parts. Let no one overstep her mark or in the least crowd against another… And if this principle shall be carried out in every department, the society will move like clockwork.”  Her beautifully chosen words and appropriate similes describe how callings should be handled not only in just olden days but now as well. Each person is to learn and magnify her calling and not hinder others from fulfilling their responsibilities by enabling them or doing things that are outside their realm of stewardship.

General Relief Society Broadcast 2013

I absolutely loved watching this broadcast on TV tonight.  All the talks were awesome but my favorite talk was given by Sister Linda Reeves at about 40 minutes into the video.  She spoke about enduring adversity and having faith through our afflictions.

The analogy she gave about the Provo Tabernacle (about 46 minutes into the video).  About three years ago, the Provo Tabernacle had a terrible fire that gutted the interior of that building.  Many wondered why the Lord would let this happen.  Ten months later, President Monson announced that that nearly destroyed tabernacle would be the sight of a new temple.  Suddenly we could see what the Lord had always known.  He didn't cause the fire, but he allowed the fire to strip away the interior.  The Lord allows us to be tried and tested.  When we feel like our lives have been burned to the ground, we should remember that God doesn't leave us in the ashes.  He's building our lives into magnificent temples.  This spoke to my heart and I will try to remember this when I am in the midst of a figurative fire.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will help me become something better than I am and better than I can even hope to be.

Quote - “A Little Better Day by Day”

This was a great lesson that I read this week.  Click HERE to read it yourself.

I was inspired and made this handout to put on my fridge and share on my blog.  Enjoy!

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 - A Testimony is Like a Kiss

This cute handout can be attached to some Hershey's Kisses for a fun gift for Visiting Teaching, etc.

(I used Stampin' Up's "My Digital Studio" to design this handout)

Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of the Relief Society

Click HERE to read about "Daughters in My Kingdom:  The History and Work of the Relief Society."  It is a must-read for all women.  You can download a free copy to read.


Here's a part of the book that shows the importance of reading it:
"The teachings, stories, and examples in the book can guide sisters in establishing priorities and practices in their lives that will help them increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help those in need."

"The world's greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ."
(by James E. Talmage, in Daughters in My Kingdom, page 3)

General Relief Society Meeting

Click here for General Relief Society Meeting Highlights.

Relief Society Activity

We had a fun night at church. The ladies got together and we had an evening of "Salads, Service and Sundaes."

We had potluck salads, homemade rolls and ice cream sundaes.

Then we had a PowerPoint presentation about the Church's Humanitarian Center. Did you know they have coordinated the donation of 25 million pounds of clothes to those in need? The Church does so much Humanitarian aid in a quiet way. Click here for more info.

At the end people gathered together to sew homemade baby gowns and make a quilt to donate to the Humanitarian Center.

What a wonderful way to spend the evening.

Enrichment Mid-week Activity - Sew Cool

We have a fun mid-week Enrichment activity in our ward about once a month. It is called "Sew Cool" (yes, a funny pun). Sisters gather at the church to work on their personal sewing projects. Experienced seamstresses are available to give advice. People can bring their own sewing machines or share. Sisters also provide their own fabric and supplies.

This month they are concentrating on sewing on all those pesky Cub Scout and Scouting badges.

Another fun idea is doing Humanitarian projects or making quilts.

Enrichment Night - "Best Kept Secrets"

We had a fun Enrichment night in our ward last night. The theme was "Best Kept Secrets."



We started out the night with a light dinner in the gym. We had a big salad with chicken, strawberries, toasted almonds, etc. and rolls. They served sherbet with a cute cookie for dessert.



Then we moved to the RS room for a great lesson. After the lesson, they put on the music to Mission Impossible and showed a homemade quick video with one of the ladies dressed up in secret mission attire. She said gave a clever little intro and ended with "Your mission, should you choose to accept it...." and then we each took turns sharing tips and things that we have learned. We learned tips on household things, education, food storage, kids, grandkids, healthy & beauty, etc. It was a very fun and interesting evening and I was glad I attended.

This could probably be adapted to be a YW activity as well.

Cinnamon Rolls

We had a mid-week Relief Society Enrichment activity centered on pies and cinnamon rolls. One sister taught how she makes cinnamon rolls. Their family tradition is they make cinnamon rolls every time it rains (which isn't that often since we live in Arizona). Another sister demonstrated how to make a few different pies. It was a great class.

See the Cinnamon Roll recipe above (click to enlarge and print).

Fun Things to Do with Children at Home

We had an Relief Society Enrichment mid-week activity that was centered on children. The purpose of the class was to provide ideas for moms and grandmas.

We passed out lists of things to do with your children at home, local places to go, and children's book list. The kids made froot loop necklaces and we had a story time for them. We let the parents print out practice papers for the kids to write their names and alphabet letters & numbers (see above picture).

Sidewalk chalk- my kids love for me to trace their bodies and let them color their eyes, hair, clothes, etc…You can also do this inside on butcher paper (with markers) they love it!

Fruit loop necklaces or bracelets...fun for kids of all ages. With younger kids you can use this activity to teach colors and also counting. As they get older you can start teaching patterns.

Play dough. Roll out the dough and make “cookies” with cookie cutters!

Give them a bucket with water and a paint brush and send them in the backyard to “paint” the fence.

Turn out all the lights, shut the blinds (I will even put blankets over the windows to make it super dark) pop some popcorn and watch a movie…your own movie theatre at home.

Bake cookies

Have a tea party

Build a fort with blankets and read scary (or not so scary) stories

Make binoculars by hot gluing 2 toilet paper rolls together and stringing some string through…let the kids decorate. Or make a telescope with a paper towel roll

Hide treasures in your backyard (my kids love the 88 cent bag of spiders, snakes, or caterpillars) and let the kids find them with their new binoculars or telescopes.

Play a game…my kids love to play Hullabaloo, memory, Uno, Candyland, Elefun, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Lets Go Fishing

Turn on the music and DANCE…kids love to let loose and be silly with their parents

Go swimming and play a pool game with your kids…what time is it Mr Shark?, Marco Polo, sharks and minnows etc

Get a fun sprinkler attachment or a slip-n-slide that the kids can play in

Any painting or crafting. My kids love to make holiday crafts. Some examples are painting an American flag, making a windsock (by letting them paint white stars on blue construction paper staple the ends of the construction paper together all the way along to make it round than let the kids glue (or staple) red and white crepe paper on one end of the “sock” put string on top and hang windsock, make “firecrackers” by letting the kids paint a toilet paper roll cover one end with construction paper and fill it with confetti then cover the other end and break on the 4th of July.

Finger Paint- you can tape up some butcher paper in your bathtub and let the kids finger paint in there (to reduce the mess)

Have a talent show

Puppet show- let the kids decorate puppets either by drawing their own, printing some off from the computer, or from coloring books then have them make up a puppet show with the characters (bugs, princesses, pirates)

Let the kids make a collage with old magazines. You can give them a theme like things that start with the first letter in their name or things that are red.

Shaving cream fingerpainting. Let the kids “fingerpaint” with shaving cream on your kitchen table. Super fun and a good way to clean your table!

(List was compiled by Kyle Bashford - Thanks!)

Speed Friendshipping Activity

We did this with the Relief Society sisters at church. This is based of "Speed Dating" where everyone gets 2-3 minutes to talk to a person and then they ring a bell and you move to the next person to talk to and so on. We had two rows of chairs set up to face each other and then had one row move down a seat each time. All the ladies loved having the chance to get to know each other better and it was fun to hear all that chatting going on! This could be adapted for use with teens, men or even at school, work, or at a neighbor party.

Speed Friendshipping – “Get to Know You” Questions

Names - What is your full name? How did you get your name? Are you named after anyone? What baby names do you like? Which ones do you think are funny?

Food - What is your favorite food? What do you eat when you're happy? What do you eat when you're sad? What is your favorite dessert? What would you never eat?

Callings - What callings have you had? Have you served in Nursery? Primary? Young Women's? Relief Society? Missionary? Stake? What did you learn from your calling?

Books Read - What are you reading right now? What book do you want to read next? Do you prefer magazines? What is the most interesting thing you've learnt from a book?

Places Been - Where were you born? What countries have you lived in? What was your favorite house? Where do you like to go with your family?

Jobs - What was your first job? Where have you worked since? What did you learn from your coworkers? Where would you like to work?

Spare Time - What are your hobbies? Do you spend time by yourself or with friends? What would you do if you had a spare month to fill?

People - Who influences you? What famous person would you like to know? Who has done something you found inspirational? Who do you miss the most?

Pets - Have you had a pet? How did you get it? How long did you have it? Are you an animal person? What is your favorite animal?

Sports - Do you like to play sport or watch? What sport do you like? Have you played on any sports teams? If you could go to an Olympic event what would you choose?

Parents - Are all your grandparents alive? What are your fondest memories of them? Are both your parents living? When did you move out of home? What did you learn from your parents?

School - Where did you go to Primary School? What High School did you attend? What was your favorite subject? Did you finish Grade 12? What did you study?

Music - Do you play an instrument? When did you start? What music do you like to listen to? What is your favorite hymn? Do you like to sing?

Games - Do you like to play games? What games did you play as a child? Do you have a favorite board game? What TV game show do you like?

Weird - What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen? Ever glued yourself to anything? Can you do anything weird with your body (double jointed, roll your tongue)?

Sleep - Are you a morning person? Do you like to sleep in? Can you sleep anywhere? What's the longest you've ever been awake? Do you have favorite pj's?

Dating - Where did you go on your first date? What happened on your best date? What happened on your worst date? What dating advice would you give your daughter?

Dreams - What did you want to be when you grew up? What is your wildest dream? If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Have you had a recurring dream? a prophetic dream? a scary dream?

Weather - What is your favorite season? Have you seen snow? What type of weather scares you? What type of rain do you like best? Can you see pictures in clouds?

Health - Have you ever had an operation? Do you hate going to the dentist? Do you wear contacts? What illness scares you? Have you had measles or chicken pox? Been in a car accident?

Holidays - What is your favorite holiday spot? Where did you go on holiday as a child? What is your favorite public holiday? What do you love about Christmas?

Movies - What is your favorite movie? What was the last movie you saw? If you could make a movie what would it be about? What do you wish they'd make a movie of?

Here's a link to one of my blog reader's posts on how she executed a fun night of speed friendshipping as a RS Birthday activity.  Have fun!

Get To Know You - M&M Game

M&M Game -

People break into groups of 5-7, sit in a circle and we pass out M&Ms and have them take 2-3 each. They then take turns answering the question that matches the color M&M that they received.

Red – If you could spend a day with anyone, who would it be? Why?
Blue – What is one of your biggest achievements?
Green – What gift will you never forget?
Brown – What is one of your favorite childhood memories?
Yellow – What was one of the happiest moments of your life?
Orange – What is your biggest fear? Why?