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I love using items that I create to make our house look better. It also helps in the financial department since I can usually make something for much less than buying it. I'm not really concerned with the time it takes to complete my project. Crafting is my way to relax and have fun.

In my front room, there is a coat closet that does not go up to the ceiling. The ledge has been bothering me for a while. I had decor up there for Christmas and it has seemed empty ever since. We were at a neighbors house for dinner and I got an idea. I decided to purchase wooden letters that spell family and then find a lantern. I would use ivy as a filler for the back drop. I mis-judged the space and had to exchange both the letters and the lantern. It was quite the process but I am enjoying the results thus far.

I used the wall paint from the dining room to help tie the areas together. I got the lantern from Deseret Book. Here are the letters once they were painted.

I then added papers for embellishment. Some tips from this process:
1. Trace the letters as best as you can and then cut with scissors.
2. Don't worry about tight spaces, this is where your craft knife will come in handy. I struggled with the M the most. I laid the paper over the letter once I cut out everything that was traced. I was then able to cut out the narrow spaces.
3. Add mod podge and then smooth paper on top. Lay the letters paper down and then add weight to the back side. Wait until mostly dry to add the top coat.

All that's left is a bow for the F, the ivy backdrop and a candle for the lantern.

Ladder - Spring edition

I have wanted a ladder for quite some time. I found one at my new favorite craft supply store Wood Creations.

I stained it a beautiful brown. (not to shabby for my first staining project) I then used eye hooks for the decor. Let me tell you. I searched high and low for silver cup hooks (Home Depot, amazon, etsy) but could not find what I wanted. I went back to wood creations for help only to find that they used eye hooks and then opened the eye to form the hook. Brilliance!

I bought a pack of items for the spring ladder which included all of the cut outs and the vinyl lettering. I painted them and added the papers. I was surprised to find that I did not have pink or yellow in my paint collection. Oh well, thankfully the acrylic that I use is only 50 cents at WalMart.

Here is the painting process:

The ladder is now mostly finish but I'd like to add some embellishments.

Getting Organized - Family Binder

As hard as I try, there are some things that I can just never keep my hands on. When tax time rolls around, we are always scrambling to find the user id and password. I am normally good at remembering birthdays but sometimes, they slip past me. I decided to compile a binder to contain all of this necessary information in one place.

The first section is finances. I created a budget sheet that I printed out for this binder. My husband often says that he has no idea what's going on with our bills and bank account. This way, he'll be able to see at a glance where we're at for the pay period.

Here's the sheet I created:

My husband and I get paid on the same day. I chose to split the sheet by pay periods to make things easier. The misc income is for the cakes or crafts that I do. You'll notice that I added date night as part of this sheet. I find myself compromising our dates due to finances. Spending time with your spouse is so important! Just because you're married doesn't mean that you should stop dating.

Now for the other part of this financial sheet: DUE DATES! We get paid every other Friday. These dates change every month. The bills don't have changing dates. They are set. I try to plan according to when we are paid and when the bills are due.

Getting Organized - Command Center

The cabinet next to my fridge is a nightmare. It is where we put everything that has no home. It gets cluttered quickly. Mail gets lost. Coupons are expired by the time I find them again. I've been searching pinterest to find a better option. I now have a few ideas in mind and cannot wait to get started.

Here are a few of the Pinterest ideas that inspired me:


My first priority will be the back of the door. We already have a dry erase calendar on the side of the fridge that will soon live on the door.

This is a work in progress. I'll show you through every step.

To give you an idea of my starting point. Here is a BEFORE photo:

Wish me luck

Craftiness around the house!

 Spring is in the air! Our bulbs are finally peeking through and there are buds on the fruit trees!

My craft space has been moved to the basement. It can be hidden down there. It's also cooler. The disadvantage? The bathroom is up 3 flights of stairs. Oh well!

 4 by 8 piece of plywood cut down to 36 inches deep instead of 48. It's a nice big space!

Leftover paint from the bedroom walls gave my table top the right color! More to come from this project.

Debt Solutions That Work: Your Guide to Get out of Debt and Stay out of Debt for Good Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Over the past year, I have been in charge of the family finances. This is not a role that I had previously held. Not even as a single person. I used to just think that everything would work itself out. I became deep in debt. I dealt with judgments and write offs and my credit was destroyed. My sweet husband has done his best to help me rebuilt my credit and financial standing. I now look for any help I can to teach me more about financial responsibility. I chose to review "Debt Solutions That Work" as a part of this learning process. There are 4 chapters in this book: Common Causes of Debt, Analyzing your Debt, Debt Prevention Tips and Debt Management Options. I appreciated the break down. My favorite chapter was on Debt Prevention. I try very hard to track our spending and bills. I learned that there needed to be a record to help identify and unnecessary spending that could be applied to debt. This book is a must read for anyone, including teens and especially young adults.

. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Invisible Witness: How I Overcame My Family's Legacy of Domestic Violence [Kindle Edition] Review

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.


I was hesitant to apply for this book review. My childhood was complete with two loving parents. I didn't know how or if I could relate. I decided that maybe I would be able to recognize signs in someone else and be able to help them. I began to read "Invisible Witness: How I Overcame My Family's Legacy of Domestic Violence" with an open mind. My heart ached for this little girl and what she was a witness to. It made me think of my first marriage. I then read with the thought that I needed to learn more since my former husband was emotionally and mentally abusive. The author Lisa Kroulik held nothing back. I appreciated her candor and honesty. This book is a must read for anyone.

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Webelos - Blue and Gold

Our theme was camping. Since I was in charge of the Pinewood Derby, my task was less significant for the Blue and Gold Banquet. I searched high and low for ideas for my cake and the cupcakes. I knew that I needed cupcakes since the cake wouldn't serve everyone and there is a boy in our den who can't have chocolate. I think there was about 60 cupcakes in addition to the sheet cake. I was very grateful that I hadn't gone grocery shopping since 4 shelves were full of these desserts. They were a huge hit with the boys. I was excited to share this with everyone!

As Sisters in Zion!

 We were recently blessed to take part in several sessions of General Conference. As I wrote earlier, it began with the General Womens Meeting. I did my best to watch all of the sessions between work and babysitting. Thankfully, my parents recorded it. I know it will soon be available on lds.org as well. One of the news headlines on Saturday was a group called Ordain Women. These women say they are faithful Latter Day Saint women who merely want the blessings of the Priesthood. I honestly think their movement is lacking in faith. Recently, our stake president spoke in sacrament meeting about the women in the Church and our role. He listed some interesting points regarding women versus men. First, men must be ordained of the Priesthood to attend the temple. Second, men must be married in the temple to obtain the highest glory in the eternities. Women, on the other hand, don't need either of these "steps." We can go to the temple when we feel the time is right. There are several wonderful women in my life who are not married. I have no doubt in their exhaulted glory in the life after this. Think of women like Sherri Dew. Do you really think that Heavenly Father is going to reject her because she doesn't have the Priesthood and is not married? No. Our Father has a special place in his heart of all of his daughters. He has since the beginning of time when Eve was created. He knew that Adam needed help and would not be able to complete his tasks alone. In Moses 3:20 we read "...but as for Adam, there was not found an help meet for him." Eve was essential. She knew the Fall was necessary for their true purpose on this earth. In the March 2014 Ensign, there is an article titled Faith and Fortitude: Women of the Old Testament. Eve is highlighted. Elder Russell M Nelson writes " All of the purposes of the world...would be brought to naught without woman - a keystone in the priesthood arch of creation." We as women are key to the exhaultation of men. Sisters, please remember this in your daily lives. Remember that we are here to help and serve others. Our role is set forth. The only thing to stop us from our eternal glory is ourselves. Please know that Heavenly Father was not "holding anything back" when he chose priesthood for the men.

Spiritual Saturday

On Saturday, I attended two church meetings. I was able to be at my neighbor’s baptism.  E is the oldest son of T and Z. We have become quite close to this family. Our boys love to play together.  The room was packed. Chairs had to be added and there were still people standing in the back. I loved being a small part of this day. I made a bag of treats for E with sayings for each candy. See below:

 

 

I warned T that I had given E a bag full of candy but that there was a meaning for it. She laughed but said it was okay since this was a special occasion. I was able to sit and cuddle Em, another neighbor. I was looking forward to the confirmation by Z. I was sitting on the far side of my row and didn’t see much of the baptism itself. I enjoyed T’s talk on Holy Ghost and her testimony of His comfort in her life.  I know that she was speaking mainly to E but I could feel the spirit of her heartfelt message. I know that T has been through many medical struggles in her life and depression has resulted. Her faith has brought her through it all. I am constantly amazed at her strength. The confirmation of E was incredible. I often wonder how Z is so in-tune with the Spirit. I spoke with T later and we discussed that Z could be a patriarch. She said that he is such a humble person and doesn’t recognize his gift. I always look forward to a blessing from Z. 

 

Later that day, my mom came over for us to attend the broadcast. I missed a text from T asking for a ride. I felt bad that I missed it but my phone was still on silent from the baptism. We joined T and a few other friends at the dinner. We enjoyed visiting over good food that was served by the brethren of our stake. As we moved into the chapel, it filled up fast. We all sat on a small pew. It was me, T, Mom, our cousin and another friend. We were packed tight. Mom threatened to split up T and me because we were talking too much. We had entered the chapel about 25 minutes before the meeting started. It was interesting to hear the immediate silence as the meeting began.

 

The meeting began with Sister Bonnie Oscarson (General Young Women president) conducting. The First Presidency was in attendance as well as the General Boards of the Young Women, Primary and Relief Society. It was announced that the RS General Board had expanded to several countries and the sisters would reside in their native lands as they serve.  There was a combined women’s choir from the Wasatch Front that provided the music. Several of my friends and family applied but none were accepted. The opening hymn was 246. 

 

Sister Rosemary Wixom, General Primary President

·         Always remember the Young Women theme

·         We need to defend and sustain the Kingdom of God

·         She asked for the girls ages 8-11 to stand. I couldn’t believe how many there were. She then asked them to sing the first verse of Teach me to walk. The congregation joined for the 2^nd verse.

·         Elder Hales taught that we must have total allegiance to the kingdom of God.

·         Baptism and weekly sacrament meetings lead us to temple worthiness.

·         As we head to the temple, our inadequacies will fade.

·         Delight in your covenants

·         Listen to the sacrament prayer. Ponder on “may always have His Spirit to be with us.”

·         “Press forward with steadfastness.”

·         Cleave unto your covenants to be able to feel the full lobe of your Heavenly Father and Christ.

I AM A CHILD OF GOD – video presentation

·         The song was sung in 9 different languages across 8 countries.

·         There were groups of women or children in their native dress.

Bonnie Oscarson – General Young Women

·         Sisters share an unbreakable bond

·         Be one

·         Sister Holland once said There is nothing so great to lose

·         Luke 1 – Mary and Elisabeth, common bond of their miraculous pregnancies, regardless of age or life situation

·         There is no age barrier when it comes to Christlike love

·         The errand of Angels is given to WOMEN

·         Ignore each others differences

·         Love each other more, Love each other better

Linda K Burton – General Relief Society President

·         Keep all of the commandments, they are not “old”

·         Lay aside your worldly cares

·         Greek translation of perfect is complete

·         We cannot do it alone, the Atonement provides our path

·         What does it mean to you to be a disciple?

·         Help Wanted – Temple workers, missionaries, true friends, eternal parents

·         Step forward in righteousness

·         Hasten the work of salvation

Medley – Lord I would follow Thee and Love One Another

 

President Henry B Eyring

·         This is a historic meeting for all women ages 8 and older

·         The path to exhaltation is marked with covenants and ordinances

·         Parents are responsible to teach faith and baptism

·         Bear one anothers burdens that they may be light

·         Trials and tests in life were perfectly chosen for me

·         You are more alike as daughters of God than you are different

·         Eve’s great courage and wisdom led Adam to the truth, she recognized the way Home

·         Trust in the Lord – Proverbs 3:5-6

·         The keys to restoration are held by President Monson