Confidence in Youth

Sometimes it can be discouraging to think of all the things our children will face. How will they come out on top? How can I possibly teach these little people all they need to know to successfully overcome temptation? Then I read things like this:

Of all the help we can give these young people, the greatest will be to let them feel our confidence that they are on the path home to God and that they can make it. And we do that best by going with them. Because the path is steep and sometimes rocky, they will at times feel discouraged and even stumble. They may at times become confused about their destination and wander after less eternally important goals. These inspired [youth] programs make that less likely because they will lead the young person to invite and receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

The best counsel for us to give young people is that they can arrive back to Heavenly Father only as they are guided and corrected by the Spirit of God. So if we are wise, we will encourage, praise, and exemplify everything which invites the companionship of the Holy Ghost. When they share with us what they are doing and feeling, we must ourselves have qualified for the Spirit. Then they will feel in our praise and our smiles the approval of God. And should we feel the need to give corrective counsel, they will feel our love and the love of God in it, not rebuke and rejection, which can permit Satan to lead them further away.

...and I know it will be ok.

Mother's Day gifts

I just made these.



It was very easy. Here are the steps. I apologize for not taking pics of each step, but like I said, it was EASY!

1. Go to Home Depot and get a 2X6 piece of wood. Have them cut it into 6 inch pieces.
2. Get scrapbook paper, paint, sandpaper, ribbon.
3. Sand and paint your wood.
4. Print out what you want to have on the wood.
5. Glue paper on to wood using Mod Podge.
6. Add embellishments. These flowers are SUPER easy! Cut out circular shapes from coordinating scrabook paper (4 circles of different sizes.) Use an ink pad or marker to darken the edges of the circle. Crinkle, layer, and stick together with a fastener.
7. Add ribbon.

As you can see, there are lots of ways to add variety to this project. And they cost less than $2 each, and take about an hour. Well, it took me about 6 hours to make 8!

Short 'n Sweet Bowtique

Check out this blog. An old childhood friend, who is amazingly creative, started this blog. Her husband is in med school and she has a darling little girl! If you're looking for cute bows for your little girl/niece/sister/cousin/etc, this is a great place to look!