Pinterest is a dangerous place.

I love browsing and looking at all the amazing things people are creating/cooking/baking/etc. but man, it really is a time-sucker. One minute it’s 9:30 and then suddenly it’s midnight. Anybody with me on this? The struggle is real.

One thing I love to look up is traditions that others do in their families, specifically for the holidays. I grew up with a few traditions in my family but am excited to add even more now that I have a little family of my own. I decided to start a new tradition this year based on an idea that I have seen on Pinterest, but actually learned from my sister-in-law first.

A couple years ago I went to her house (around this time of year) and she had a brown paper tree up on the wall in the kitchen. Throughout the month she and her family would write things they were grateful for on little leaves and tape them to the tree. I LOVED this idea and have wanted to do something similar ever since.

I had an idea to do a centerpiece with branches and hang the leaves from there but decided to go with a banner, which could serve as a cute decoration AND a gratitude-based tradition throughout the month of November.

Next year I will try to get some cute, fall-themed decor going on. One step at a time! 

 I really like how it turned out, but I really wish I had a Cricut. Although it wasn’t too hard to trace and cut out the leaves, it would have been much faster to use a machine. (The ivory leaves are actually thin cardboard cutouts that I found at Michaels and I used those to trace onto the gold/brown paper.)

 Also, I think I would rather have little mini leaves to write on instead of circles and I would clip them in-between the gaps of the bigger leaves. This was my original plan with the circles but I didn’t like the look of that. So, I clipped them on top of the leaves instead.

So far, Tate has said he is grateful for Jesus, church, many of his friends here in CT, chicken nuggets, Chick-fil-A, milk, grandparents, Mommy, Daddy, Emmy and “Tate.” (In regards to Tate being grateful for himself, I thought he was just reciting our family prayers because Jordan and I always say we are grateful for him, but I don’t pray about Chick-fil-A, chicken nuggets or milk so I’m not quite sure…)

 All in all I am happy with how it turned out and am glad I can reuse this banner each year! Yay for new traditions!  

The Things I Know

Years ago a friend in high school told me something that shocked me. She said she went to church that past Sunday and the pastor’s sermon was all about the Mormon church - how evil it is, how the members of the congregation need to stay away from Mormons, etc. I was floored. As a member of this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I had never experienced anything like that. I told her my leaders never gave lessons about other churches and although we share testimonies with each other about how we believe our church to be the true church, no other religions are brought up specifically. We would never spend a day bashing on other religions or talking about how evil they are for believing what they do.

Fast forward to a month or two ago... I was browsing the Internet for ideas to compliment one of my scripture study lessons. As usual, I saw many anti-Mormon blogs/websites pop up in the search results. I didn’t click on any but saw what some were about based off the description underneath. I couldn’t help but get sad and feel weighed down, seeing how many people are so adamant to post about and criticize the LDS church. Why do they feel the need to spread so much negativity and hatred? If you don’t share the same beliefs then fine, but why dedicate so much time and energy to keeping others away too? Why not just post about the things you do believe or any other uplifting thoughts and feelings for others to enjoy?

Now news has come out about a new church policy regarding same-sex couples and I think it’s obvious how much negative attention this has received. Once I saw the initial post on Facebook and some of the comments that followed, I got a little depressed once again. Any time I checked my Facebook after that I would get a pit in my stomach. What new article was going to be written next? What were people saying now? What harsh and judgmental comments would be written about my religion that has made me who I am today?

To be honest, some of the comments made me question things myself. But that’s okay. It’s normal to have questions. Elder Uchtdorf’s wise counsel helped me through this. “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.” As I prayed and thought things out for myself, I received the answer that I needed and can now go forward with faith.

I am not a genius. I can’t quote scripture from memory. I don't have a fancy vocabulary. I am not always eloquent in my speaking. However, I do have a simple testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what it has done for me in my life. So, while everyone is focusing on the complicated and controversial aspects of my religious beliefs, I would like to share some basic thoughts and experiences that allow me to cling to my beliefs while others are telling me to abandon them. 

The gospel brings me hope. This past year, Jordan’s family experienced an unexpected and tragic loss. I can’t imagine anyone being able to endure what his family has without the hope that the gospel brings.

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind…

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people…” (Alma 7:11-12)

Christ did not just suffer for our sins. He took upon Himself every form of pain that we will ever experience in this life. No matter what trial or hardship you may face, Christ can help you through it. I can’t imagine losing a loved one and thinking I will never see them again. I can’t imagine losing a child and believing my chance to raise them has been lost. I can’t imagine having a physical or mental ailment and thinking I’ll never be whole again. I can’t imagine believing that once I die, that’s the end.

Sometimes my faith waivers and I struggle to comprehend all that we believe. However, I have come to learn that we don’t have all the answers for a reason. That’s the point of faith. And as I hold fast to my beliefs and the things I do know, I am filled with hope.

The gospel makes me want to be better. As a youth in my church, I participated in a program called Personal Progress. This program focuses on different values and encourages young women to complete different activities pertaining to these values. For example, one value is “good works.” Here is an example of what one activity would be (taken from the Personal Progress book):

“Read Mosiah 18:7–10, and in your journal list three ways you can comfort others or help them bear their burdens. Do the things on your list, and tell a family member or leader about the experience and how your attitude and understanding have changed.”

This book contains dozens of activities and one big project per value that encourages young women to develop attributes that will help them become more Christlike. Church-wise, this is what I was working towards as a youth. Honestly, who wouldn’t want their daughter or son working on developing values like integrity, individual worth, virtue, etc., especially at that stage of life?

After I turned 18, I moved on to join the other women of my ward in what we call Relief Society. Each week I would hear a different lesson on topics like how to develop Christ-like attributes, forgiveness, repentance, strengthening marriage and family, creating a Christ-centered home, etc.  

Now I serve in the primary and am blessed to see children ages 18 months-11 years be taught basic gospel principles. For example, this past Sunday the three-year-old class had a lesson called, “I Can Be Honest.” The children also get together to sing uplifting songs about Christ and the things we believe in like prophets, the scriptures, etc. (We occasionally sing some wiggle songs too because they are kids and they need it!)

I could go on but my point is that from the time I was 18 months, I was being taught about my divine nature and how I can become like Christ. Fine if you don’t believe in the same things I do or if you don’t believe in God, but you cannot argue with the fact that members of our church are just trying to learn how to be good people. I’m not saying the leaders are perfect and we think we are all perfect (in fact, we have lessons about humility and avoiding pride), but the bottom line is that we are striving to be the best we can be. When I go to church I am uplifted. I learn how I can be more kind, more loving, more charitable, more forgiving. I learn how I can become more like Christ. The gospel makes me want to be better.

The gospel provides all that I need. Life is hard. I look at some of the trials that people I know and love have to endure and I often wonder why. I am thankful to have been raised in a church that has a lot of answers to those, “why’s?” As I said before, we don’t have the answers to everything, but even in situations where we don’t know everything, we know enough.

Some times I wonder about how things will work out in the eternities. These are deep-doctrine questions that I won’t go in to, but the things I know help me not to worry about the things I don’t. I do know that God is just. I know He loves all of His children. I know that while He is perfectly just, He is also perfectly merciful. I know He is omniscient. And because I know all of this, I know it will all work out. It may not make sense to me now and I may wonder why things happen the way they do or how they will work out in heaven, but it will all work out for those who follow Him.

The gospel makes things better. I have already mentioned faith-based examples of how the gospel helps bring hope and peace, but I would like to talk about other ways the gospel helps those in need. We believe in being like Christ and being charitable. Not only does the gospel teach us to support and help one another but we also have programs designed to help during times of crisis, both spiritually and temporally.

My sister has a friend whose husband died unexpectedly in his sleep. I can’t imagine the heartache this young wife and mother was experiencing along with her kids. The pain of losing someone you love is enough but can you imagine all the other effects of his death she would have to face?

My sister and I were raised in the church so we have seen the church in action before but she said she was amazed at how quickly things were organized for her. Church leadership came and provided blessings of comfort. Meals were brought on a regular schedule. Members volunteered and took shifts to watch the kids. The mother had constant support and while it did not take the pain away, I’m sure it made it easier for her to cope.

I could go on forever about all the good that the church does. Google “LDS humanitarian aid” and you will get a glimpse. While the media focuses on the bad, there really is SO much good. Again, I’m not saying members of the church are perfect, but the gospel is.

I am blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I will not try to force anyone to believe what I believe, but I will share it. The gospel brings hope and peace; it helps me be my best self; it makes life sweeter. Amidst all the negativity, these are the things I’m choosing to focus on.

http://chrisandpaigemcnulty.blogspot.com/2013/10/free-printable.html

Up Family Costume

I have a weird memory. I can’t tell you what I wore a couple days ago but I can tell you about that one time my sister called me “pig nose” when I was five. I can’t tell you much about my college graduation other than I did indeed graduate, but I can tell you about the time my sister flung food across the table and it got stuck in my dad’s chest hair (TMI? #sorrynotsorry). I can't tell you much about my wedding day, but I can tell you about the time when I crimped my hair in fourth grade and a girl named Ashley told me it looked like I got electrocuted. I can’t tell you very many things about the big, important days in my life but I can tell you about the silly, small and/or unimportant things like the time my sister threw up blueberry pancakes or when I jumped off the high-dive during swimming lessons and did a belly flop.

When it comes to Halloween, this same, weird memory kicks in. I can’t tell you about memories I made trick-or-treating or even what costumes I wore (I remember the ones I have pictures of) but I can tell you how I would pick out my costume each year.

A month or so before Halloween, my mom would take us to Jo-Anns and we would sit at the tables with the catalogs, sift through the pictures and pick out whatever we wanted to be. Any time I go to Jo-Anns now I am reminded of this memory. It was something I didn’t fully appreciate then but now I realize how spoiled we were. Any costume that had a pattern, my mom would make for us – and they always turned out amazing. Now that I have my own kids I have a hard time buying costumes. I have this urge to make them, but then I realize, “Oh yeah, I can’t sew.”

That is why my mom is awesome (and my dad, too, but we will get to him later).  I called her up, explained that I wanted to do an “Up” family costume and that I wanted her to make a Kevin costume for Emery. Of course she was happy to help. The poor woman didn’t have much direction from me but after a few phone calls she got her vision for what Emmy’s costume should look like and it turned out AWESOME.

Now, let me pause and tell you about another memory from my childhood: during the month of October my dad was always MIA. If you needed him, your best luck was to search in the garage. Each year my dad’s company holds a costume contest and each year my dad wins. He spends the entire month crafting/sculpting/sewing/gluing/etc. his costume and his creativity always blows everyone out of the water. He has dressed up as so many crazy unique things, I can’t begin to explain them now - that will have to be a post for later on. The bottom line is my dad loves Halloween. Also, he’s a kind of a genius.

My dad basically invented a machine that cuts Styrofoam. In his words, “it’s a CNC hot wire cutter that ‘prints’ out an image created from the computer.” When he tries to explain to me how he made it and how it works, my brain overloads and I feel kind of dumb. And by kind of I mean really. Anyways, a girl doesn’t have to know how the machine works to know she wants it to make something for her – in this case, Kevin’s head.

Long story short: my dad made Kevin’s head, long neck included, but it wouldn’t stay on Emmy’s head (too top-heavy) so it got chopped (RIP Kevin’s neck) and became an adorable, feathery head piece. The combination of the Kevin head and the poofy, feathery costume was just too perfect. My mom and dad make quite the pair.

Emery HATED her costume when we first tried to put it on. And then she hated it the next ten times too. I actually said a prayer that she would wear her costume for at least a little bit for our church’s Trunk-or-Treat; I didn’t want my mom and dad’s hard work to go to waste! My prayer was answered because that cute little nugget wore her costume for almost the whole night. I took the headpiece off occasionally just so she would stay in a good mood, but she really was such a trooper.

As for Tate’s costume, I may not be a great seamstress, but I do know how to use a glue gun! For his Russell costume, I found and followed this tutorial online. However, I didn’t use transfer paper like she did. I just printed the little merit badges to cardstock, cut them out and stuck them to the furniture pad things that she recommends (to the sticky side). Then I found brown fabric in the remnants section at Jo-Anns, hot glued the fabric so it appeared to be sewn and hot glued the badges to it.

For the rest of it, I bought a cheap white hat at Jo-Anns (thank you coupons!) and dyed it yellow along with one of Tate’s old white shirts. I used felt to make the Wilderness Explorer logo for his hat and flag. Then I got a little bit of orange fabric from Walmart, cut it into a square and hot glued it so the edges looked sewn and used this as his neckerchief. His costume wasn’t nearly as fancy as Emery’s, but in the end I was proud of my glue gun.

 

We found an old suit coat at Goodwill for $5 and that was pretty much all Jordan needed for him to be Mr. Fredrickson. I searched my closet for some clothes that could work for Ellie's character and threw on a pair of fake glasses from Claire’s. We bought temporary white hair spray and followed some makeup tutorials to make us look older.  I will say we definitely looked older. It was kind of creepy.

I am totally into family costumes and this is our third year doing them. I hope to continue the tradition as long as our kids will let us. We have decided that even when they start having their own opinions and want to choose their own costumes that Jordan and I will still do a couple’s costume. I am excited to see what all y’alls are going to be this year so I can ooh and aah and maybe steal your idea for the future. ;) If you need any Styrofoam creations for your Halloween, my dad is your guy!

Happy Halloween!

I linked up at http://www.iheartnaptime.net/

Toddler-Friendly Scripture Study: Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Crossing the Sea

If you haven't read my initial post, read it here. It explains the scripture study plan in a little more detail and gives more information for how to teach it. 

Song: Keep the Commandments, p. 146

Idea for teaching the song found here.

Activity Verse: (I know the last two lines don’t actually rhyme, but it was the best I could come up with! Haha. If you have any suggestions, let me know!)

Lehi’s family sailed on a ship to the promised land. (swerve hand up and down, mimicking waves)

Laman and Lemuel began to be wicked so Nephi took a stand. (stand tall with hands on hips)

Lamar and Lemuel got angry; they tied Nephi up with rope. (fold arms and make an angry face)

The Liahona stopped working and they got lost; repentance was their only hope. (fold arms and bow head)

Nephi’s family cried and begged Laman and Lemuel to let him go. (clasp hands together and make a sad face)

Lehi and Sariah were so sad they got sick, but Laman and Lemuel still said, “No.” (fold arms, make a grumpy face and shake head, “no”)

Four days passed and the storm was so strong, the ship was about to sink. (swerve hand like ocean waves and then go straight down)

Laman and Lemuel were afraid they would drown; they needed to stop and think. (place finger on temple)

They chose to repent and pray to God and then they set Nephi free. (fold arms and bow head)

Nepali was sore but he didn't complain; he was as thankful as could be. (happy face)

The Liahona began to work and Nephi prayed that the storm would end. (fold arms and bow head)

The sea became calm and Nephi guided the ship again towards the promised land. (swerve hand up and down, mimicking waves)

Art/Craft:

1. Coloring pages: There are free activity books here that go along with a variety of scripture stories. You just need to create a free account. For this chapter, I downloaded the “Journey to the Promised Land” book.

2. I didn’t include this in the lesson plan, but I think it would be fun. Make a paper boat. I found a couple resources here and here.

3. I didn’t include this game either but think it would be fun to play for FHE or something.

Scripture Study Outline

Again, if you haven't read my initial post, read it here. My outline is very brief, so this explains the scripture study plan in a little more detail and gives more information for how to teach it. 

1. Preview the chapter with a picture walk. (Explanation found here.) Since this song was already taught during this lesson, review by listening to it and see what your child can remember.

2. Read the story from the manual. Ask questions and take time to look at the pictures as you read. Take as many days as needed to read the whole chapter.  End by singing the song.

3.  Have your child color one of the coloring pages while you read sections of the story from the actual scriptures. Take as many days as needed to read through the passages. End each day by singing the song.

           

4. Do the activity verse a couple times with your child. End by singing the song.

5. Watch the scripture story video for this chapter. End by reading your favorite verse from the story.

6. Do the activity verse with your child. See if they can remember the actions by themselves. Read your favorite verse and then have your child read part or all of it by repeating after you. Share your testimony. End by singing the song.

Watercolor background found here