scripture thoughts.

01/02/10- Alma 1:
(27) "They did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely."
(29) ..."because of their steadiness...they began to...have an abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need."
(30) ..."they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore, they were liberal to all...having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need."

01/03/10- Alma 2- Prayer strengthens and preserves us!

01/07/10- Alma 3:26 "And in one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one." (27) "For every man receiveth wages of Him whom  he listeth to obey."

01/08/10- Alma 4: 3 ..."they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty."
(why is it that so often we are reminded of what we SHOULD be doing when trouble afflicts us?  We need to remember God and stay true ALWAYS!)

We walk a fine line between wordliness and godliness.  We must not become prideful of our possessions and seeking only temporal things.  When we become so focused on ourselves we fail to see the needs of others!

(19) ..."That he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull them down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among His people, seeing no way that He might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in PURE TESTIMONY against them (A CALL TO REPENTANCE!)

Alma 5: 7 ..."They were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word."

(12) ..."according to His faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart." (TRUE CONVERSION means CHANGE!) Can people tell when they look at me that I love the Lord?

(14) ASK MYSELF THIS: "Have I recieved His image in my countenance? (15) Do I exercise faith in Him who created me? Do I look forward with an eye of faith?

(16) "I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth? ...(18) "...Can you imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?"

(26) "Have ye felt to sing the song of redeeming love?"

(27) "Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, ...that ye have been sufficiently humble?"

(28) "are ye stripped of pride? ...if ye are not, ye are not prepared to meet God.  Behold, ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of Heaven is soon at hand..."

(29) "are ye stripped of envy?"

(33) "Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards [you]...repent and I will receive you!"

(34) "Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely."

Alma 5: 37 "A shephard hath called after you and is still calling after you!  ..."if ye do not hearken unto the voice of the good shephard...behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shephard.  (39) And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shephard, of what fold are ye?"

(45) ..."Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true, And how d ye suppose that I know of their surety?" (46) "Behold, I say unto you that they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God.  Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I MIGHT KNOW THESE THINGS OF MYSELF.  And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by His Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me."

(50) ..."the Son of God cometh in His glory, in His might, majesty, power and dominion.  ...Behold the glory of the King of all the earth; and the King of heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men."

(53) ..."will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel ad setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches?"

Alma 6:6 "The children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God."

01/10/10 Alma 7: 10-14 Talking about Christ- "And behold, He shall be born of Mary at Jerusalem, which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a PRECIOUS and CHOSEN VESSEL, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God." (11) "And He shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith that He will take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses of His people." (12) "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 according to their infirmities." (13) "Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that He might take upon Him the sins of His people, that He might blot out their transgressions according to the power of His deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me [Alma]." (14) ..."have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, WHO IS MIGHTY TO SAVE AND TO CLEANSE FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS."

01/24/10- Alma 9- those who have the light and knowledge of the gospel will be judged more harshly.  We have been given more responsibility and accountability.  God does have matchless love and mercy.

1/26/10- If the wicked do not repent and if they cast out the righteous from among them then the Lord will visit them with famine, wars, and pestilences.  We must be prepared so that we can ride out these "storms."

women's conference may 2007

-be unto others what Christ is to you.  Charity and friendship never faileth!

-protect your home environment.  the home is our sacred place! monitor television, movies and music.  make your home a beautiful haven that your family wants to be in.  temple pictures, Christ, family photos, soothing music, order in the home.

-technology has weakened families. decide together what you're going to allow and not allow in your home!

-when a mother has healthy self-esteem she will be able to pass that on to her children!

-as a mother, take time each day to fill your own well.  read good books!  choose good women as role models and try to adopt things that they do that are good and righteous.  learn lessons from others.  be good to yourself!

-teach your children to be confident in ALL of their abilities in life.

-You have to be IN balance.  balance yourself on a daily basis.  Be a doer of what you say!

-Be a woman of integrity!  Have my thoughts, actions, words and feelings consistent with each other and the principles of the gospel and eternal truth.

-The opposite of integrity is hypocrisy; you can preach the gospel but if you're not living it, it's all for nothing.  (Matthew 5:48)

-We do not always see the fruits of our labors immediately or in this life.  "Stay the course!"

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conference thoughts- 2013.

-have a grateful heart in life and with your spouse and children
-satan is working HARD to break up marriages
be on your knees- be seeking for wisdom and guidance
-you have to prepare your mind so that the Lord can pour His spirit into your vessel and aid you
-to succeed in this endeavor (your marriage) your model must be Christ!  He taught us characteristics that we need to join a society of Celestial people where couples love each other. How could a marriage fail if each spouse possesses these qualities?  Such attributes would make us nore attractive, loveable and competent marriage partners. IF we follow Christs' example and counsel, our marriage will be strong and our children will accept our values.

-Prepare BEFORE sacrament.  Prepare BEFORE attending the temple.

-Mosiah 3:19:  Become submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love.  Yield to the enticings of the Spirit, put off the natural man, become like a child, become a saint.

-Be aware of our worldy appetites/tempations, power & wealth (turn your back on the things of the world, overcome pride and humble yourself

-Be aware of:  trying to do TOO much, being vain, wanting worldy things, not seeing my full potential and the potential of others.

The Temple:  If we understand our covenants than we will be protected all of our lives!

-Have your will be God's will

-Your marriage needs nourishment!  If you don't feed it, like anything else it will die.

-Key Practices:  Prayer, Trust, Virtue, divine presence (the presence of the Divine in your marriage), tithing, parenthood (brings the greatest of all happiness.  Fathers learn how to take care of families; mothers learn how to forget themselves).

-marriage is the joint quest of the beautiful, the good and divine.

-our greatest gift that we can give to our children is a strong marriage.

-sometimes in our lives we have to endure some "bumps" before we can have the greatest joy

-to have constant enrichment in marriage: think about your spouse first!  support them!  love them! serve them!

-how deep is my commitment to my companion aside from my other interests?

-Is Chris my best friend?

-When the hard things come you must lean on each other!

-Do I have respect for the dignity of my spouse as a person of worth and value?  How do I speak to my spouse?

-Keep selfishness out!

-Work as a couple.  Think like a couple.

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thoughts.

i have papers, papers everywhere!  I am a note taker, a list-maker...but then i end up with piles and piles of papers!  i am sorting through, trying so hard to clean up this mess and i don't want any more piles to file, or notebooks filled with random notes from random places...so i'm starting to add them into my blog.  then i can look them up whenever i want, they will be organized, and i will have no more papers!

in ward council a few weeks ago we were talking about missionary work and catching "the spirit" of sharing the gospel with others.  this is not the missionaries' job, they are here to assist us, in sharing with our people and strengthening our people.  why didn't i ever look at it this way?

the work of salvation is given to all of us to harvest the Lord's souls until the day of His coming

the most effective missionaries serve out of love

Pres. Monson- "when we act in faith, the Lord will show us HOW."

livy-isms.

july 2013-

olivia- "i need a drink of water" (as we are driving home from a BBQ)
mom- "we are almost home, you'll have to wait a few minutes"
olivia- (holding a kitchen timer in her hands) "well then i'm going to set this timer and if you don't get me a drink by the time it goes off then i'm going to put you right in time out missy"

Christmas eve 2012.

we got together with our good friends, Quinn and Natalie on Christmas eve to eat good food (we have a new tradition of doing a "Feliz Navidad" mexican dinner) and read the Night Before Christmas to the kids.  For dessert we have doughnuts with Mexican hot cocoa (delish!!)

this was the best picture we could get of the kids: olivia, allyson, lily, brady, zach and noah

we have a family tradition of giving the kids new Christmas jammies on Christmas eve.

and before we go to bed we must write Santa his letter and leave him and the reindeer special treats!!!

priorities.

just a few thought i had written down in my notebook...

- how do i spend my time?  What can i/we cut out to make the Spirit stronger?

-do not confuse NEEDS and WANTS

-do not become a part of the world around us.

-4 words in the proclamation: preside, provide, protect, nurture

-How are we providing?  Not JUST for temporal needs but spiritual and emotional needs as well?  providing family with security and a sense of well-being, self-worth, education and instruction.  do not shelter your children- teach them truths!

olivia's dollhouse.

i have been wanting to build a dollhouse for olivia since before she was born.  i had a dollhouse when i was a little girl and loved it.  i searched and searched for ideas of what i wanted and had a pretty good plan.  i knew i wanted everything to be wood.  (i just hate plastic...) i wanted it to have a vintage/colorful vibe...so this past fall when i came across this little gem at one of my favorite children's thrift stores i almost died!  i almost walked right by it too!  this was an all-wood open-concept dollhouse just like what i wanted AND it came with all the wood furniture for only $60!!!!

natural wood is just not my taste.  i could envision this exactly how i wanted it when i first laid eyes on it!  my plans began to make an incredible christmas present for my little girl.  this was one of the funnest projects i have ever done!

the sliding doors before (they also double as window frames when the doors are opened)

i had to prime everything at least twice and then do 2-4 coats of paint depending upon the colors i chose.  shawnae helped me into the wee hours of the morning several times painting and priming away!

the finished product!!!

                  

 i had found this little dog house at D.I. months before i found the dollhouse.  originally it was blue.

because the dollhouse didn't come with any dolls, i looked around for quite some time on the internet but didn't find anything i really liked.  i got the idea on pinterest to paint little wooden pegs into dolls of our family!  i think they came out pretty cute!

the bedroom. i love this room.  i added a polka dot "rug," "wood" floors and wallpaper with a bunting on the wall and embelishments.  there is a bunk bed and a single bed as well as a cradle, an armoire, a bookshelf, a nighstand, and a lamp.



             
the livingroom.  i found the cutest scrapbook papers at my favorite craft store, Porters.  i added the "wood floor" and wallpaper, and found cute embelishments for art on the walls and i even added a "rug."

the bathroom.  i had to improvise and make a toilet, which i used part of the broken toilet that came with the set and a wooden block that we had.  

the kitchen.  i had to improvise in here too.  there is no fridge and i used another wood block as a countertop.  i'm going to add a little fabric curtain along the front of it and it will be like a little sink.

don't you love it?!  i do!  olivia doesn't play with it as much as i had hoped, but she didn't play with her baby dolls for a while either and now she plays with them all the time, so i'm hoping maybe she'll be more excited about it in a year or so.

SLC with the sisters & a baby blessing.

we went down to SLC right before Christmas to see Temple Square with the lights and spend some time with Shawnae and Chelsae.  we stayed a few nights at a hotel, ate a delicious dinner at Rodizio's, walked around Temple Square and went to the visitor's centers, shopped at IKEA and had a good old time!

swimming in the hot tub.  i took several pics of chels with the kids in the pool but my lens must have been foggy.

the nativity scene on Temple Square

the Christus inside the visitor's center

Joseph Smith building:

silly aunties and kiddos 

we also were able to take a drive down to Lehi, where my cousin Tara and her family live to be able to meet their two children and see their newest get blessed.  it was so great to see family and spend an afternoon with them and be part of that special day.

Tara and her beautiful family:

with husband Kevin, daughter Kierra and adorable son, Keldon

the priesthood holders:

Tara with her side of the family- The Willnauers

Liz (fiance) to Morgan, Aunt Teresa (holding Chaz and Dessie's baby, Sydnee), Kevin, Keldon, Uncle Paul, Tara, Kierra, Dessie (Chaz' wife), Chaz (holding their oldest daughter, Rylee.  Missing was the youngest daughter to the family, Jessica (who was on her mission at the time)

uncle paul loving cuddle time with his grand-daughter

Aunt Teresa indulged Olivia in pretend play.  Olivia made her lots of "doughnut soup" and other concoctions!

I laugh at this picture because this is before Zach's first haircut and his hair was so crazy!

2nd cousins enjoying "getting to know you" and play time

uncle "Trout" aka paul- looking dapper in his new hat

chris and zach tuckered out for a bit before hitting the road back home!

on the way home we dropped the girls off in pocatello so they could hitch a ride back to burley for Christmas with chelsae's (at the time) boyfriend, Spencer....(he's now her fiance!)  it was a really wonderful weekend and so much fun to have them all to ourselves!