Halloween Rules!

 Ahhh!  Halloween, you're finally here.

This morning everyone was up on time, but some how the clock ticked way too fast and I was only half way done with curling Miss "Bat Fairy's" hair when my phone's alarm went off (I have to set an alarm for everything.  If I don't, I lose track of time or I completely forget) informing me it was time to take these littles to school.  We pulled into school right as the bell was ringing. . . So much for being on time.  

 No matter how late we were, I was taking pictures.  I got out my camera, sat the girls down, turned on my camera and . . . .. nothing. 

The battery was dead!  

All I have to say is thank goodness for cell phone cameras.

 They don't take the best quality, but something is better than nothing.

 We practiced for Halloween last night by going to two trunk or treats.  Everyone was able to warm up their "candy bag holding" arm muscles and practice their "Trick-or-Treat" chants.  Now we're all ready for the big night tonight.

The older kids always hang out with friends and Clint and I take the two youngest girls trick-or-treating.  

Happy Halloween.  

Hope you have a safe and fun night.

The Reason for Our Hope

The Reason for Our Hope

by President Boyd K, Packer

President Packer's talk focuses on the Savior, His Atonement, and His mercy.

"The Savior wrought the Atonement, which provides a way for us to become clean. . ."

"Those who repent and forsake sin will find that His merciful arm is outstretched still.  Those who listen to and heed His words and the words of His chosen servants will find peace and understanding even in the midst of great heartache and sorrow.  The result of His sacrifice is to free us from the effects of sin, that all may have guilt erased and feel hope."

Stop feeling guilty!   Turn to the Savior.  He will help drag you out of the depths of despair and you'll once again be able to feel that hope, and happiness you're searching for.

"The mercy and grace of Jesus Christ are not limited to those who commit sins either of commission (when you know it's wrong, but you do it anyway) or omission (when you know the right thing but fail to do it -reach out to the poor, read your scriptures daily, etc), but they encompass the promise of everlasting peace to all who will accept and follow Him and His teachings.  His mercy is the mighty healer, even to the wounded innocent."

President Packer told of an incident where a woman suffered a terrible wrong committed against her.  Justifiably, she felt like someone needed to pay for this thing done to her.  Then came into her heart the realization that "Someone already has paid".  Jesus-

"If we are not aware of what the Savior's sacrifice can do for us, we may go through life carrying regrets. . .The guilt that accompanies mistakes can be washed away."

The Savior, and His merciful Atonement make it possible to heal, to no longer feel guilty.  To make this work, we have to believe it.  We have to remain strong in our testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we must never lose Hope!

This talk reminded me of the talk by Brad Wilcox, His Grace is Sufficient.  In his talk he says,

". . .Don't quit.  Keep trying.  Don't look for escapes and excuses.  Look for the Lord and His perfect strength.  Don't search for someone to blame.  Search for someone to help you.  Seek Christ, and, as you do, I promise you will feel the enabling power we call His amazing grace."

Once we have found this hope, we need to "seek to strengthen the testimonies of the young and old, the married and single."  We need to teach and share with others how to turn to the Savior and draw upon this power.

"We are at war with the forces of the adversary, and we need each and every one of us if we are going to succeed in the work the Savior has for us to do."

"Jack" of all FHE's

Wordless Wednesday

"Pumpkin Pie"

Busy Busy Busy

We've been busy around here.  Clint's Aunt Betty and his cousin Samantha have been here since last Thursday visiting us.  We've been busy playing, hiking, baking, eating, laughing, watching movies, (Samantha just returned from a two year LDS mission to Tulsa, OK and has some catching up to do), shopping, visiting, and sightseeing.

We LOVE (and I mean love) this family.  They are the most genuine, always laughing, funny people you'll ever meet.  We wish they would bring the rest of the family and stay forever.

This past week, I've also tried my hand at refinishing a few pieces of furniture.

I repainted this beat up black coffee table we acquired from my sister (thanks Kim).

It was black but after a few years, the daily wear and tear was really starting to show.

SO. . . .I spray painted the whole table a dark walnut color.  I left the top brown and painted the bottom using left-over Chalk Paint in Old-Fashion White. To finish it off, I sanded the edges just a little.  I'm thrilled with how it turned out.

I also refinished a maple-colored laminate bookshelf by painting the edges (where I planned to sand) a charcoal color, then spray painted the whole thing an aqua blue color.  Then I painted over the blue with the rest of the left-over Old-fashioned White chalk paint.  I finished it off by sanded the edges to give it a vintage feel.  It looks perfect in my girl's playroom.

Have you seen Meet the Mormons yet?  We had the chance to see it this past weekend.  I cried like a baby during one of the segments.  It's an incredible movie.  GO SEE IT!!!  You will be amazed and you'll walk away inspired with a desire to do more and be more.

My family can't get enough of  cutie David Archuleta's song Glorious featured in this movie.  

Listen to it HERE

You can also download this song for FREE 

HERE

I "HEART" life in the country

Wordless Wednesday

Good News, Bad News

1.  The Good News:
My two oldest boys have been taking Driver's Ed together (aww, so sweet).  In in the lovely state of Utah, if you're under 19 years of age, you have to have passed a driver's education class.  It's part of the requirements for your Driver's Licence.

The Bad News:
It starts at 5:30 am.  We're talking half past dark here people.  I thought waking up at 6 every morning was early.  This will go on for roughly 4-1/2 weeks.  UGH!
This will be #1's second time taking this class not because he failed but because he transferred out of the school district before he completed every requirement.  Double UGH!

2.  The Good News:
My parents are still gallivanting around the country, enjoy their life as retirees.  They're in Florida right now having a great time chasing alligators, playing at the beach, and visiting with my brother Will and his family.

The Bad News:
That also means my seamstress is out of town and we have a choir dress that needs to be hemmed by tomorrow!  AHHH!  If you happen to be at the concert tomorrow and you notice one of the girl's dress is lopsided please just ignore it!  Thank you!

 3.  The Good News:
My little girls found a vintage Sesame Street blanket hidden in with the other blankets (this is what happens when you start cleaning out closets- you never know what treasures you'll find).  I'm pretty sure my brother Will (pictured above) had this blanket on his bed when he was little.

The Bad News:
The girls have been looking for Elmo all last night and all this morning.  "Where's Elmo on here, Mom?"
They didn't quite understand when I told them this blanket was made before Elmo's time.

Tender Mercies

Sometimes things happen and you just know the hand of the Lord was in it.

 Last week, out of the blue, our sweet neighbor-friend dropped off a huge pile (I'm talking crammed-packed garbage bag full) of clothes her cute little daughter had outgrown.

It couldn't have come at a better time as I had just (seriously the day before) gone through the girls' closet and assessed that #5 had outgrown most all of her clothes.  Which meant that #6 now had a ton of clothes to wear and #5 was basically down to just her underwear.  (Okay not really, but I was going to need to go buy her some more clothes.)

This girl was giddy with joy going through one by one, each and every single piece of clothing, while her little sister looked on hoping there would be something in there for her.  No such luck!

 After looking at the clothes, there was a few hours spent trying on each and every single thing.  Most of that time was spent posing in the mirror.

 Posing some more, assessing how she looked in each outfit, and then discussing with her little sister  which hair bow or accessory they each thought would look good with it.  Because that's what little girls do.?!?

She's had a blast this past week dressing up in her brand new wardrobe, and Lucky Me -all I had to buy her was a new pair of boots! 

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 

-Philippians 4:19

Be Still and Know that I am God

Psalms 46:10

Sometimes life gets hard, and frustrating, and worrisome, and depressing.  That's been my life the past few weeks.  I know it will get better.  I have the faith to make it through, but let's just face it, sometimes it's a lot to deal with all a once and you wonder if you'll ever make it through.

 Last week I woke up to this:

gorgeous blue sky with bursts of white puffy clouds everywhere.

Then there was this pink sunset 

 That colored every single cloud in the sky from the east to the west.

 The next morning, there was this sunrise.

It was as if the sky was on fire.

All a message to me from God to "Be Still", stop worrying, be happy, let Him be in charge.  He can create a much greater masterpiece with my life than I ever can on my own.

Spiritual Enlightenment HERE

Welcome to Conference

and to General Conference Club!

I'm changing up how I do General Conference Club.

This time, I'll be going in order, and I'll be posting randomly during the week instead of on Sundays.

WELCOME TO CONFERENCE

by President Thomas S. Monson

Every conference, I feel that the speakers always know and say exactly what I need to hear and do.  This conference was no exception.  I felt the Spirit in every talk,  The speakers definitely "sought heaven's help concerning the messages. . .and. . .felt inspiration regarding [was] said."

It was interesting to note the two anniversaries the October 2014 conference celebrated.

source

1.  The 90-year anniversary of general conference being broadcast by radio.  That must have been an exciting time for the people back in 1924!  I can just imagine how exciting it must have been for families to gather around their large radio and hear the words and messages of the prophet, then Heber J. Grant.

source

2.  The 65-year anniversary of conference television broadcasts.  "In October 1949, the sessions were first televised throughout the Salt Lake area. . . ."  I wonder how many families had TV back in 1949?

I couldn't agree more with President Monson when he said,

"We acknowledge the blessings of modern media in allowing millions of members of the Church to watch or listen to general conference."  

How blessed we are that general conference is now broadcast via not only radio and television, but cable, satellite transmission, and the Internet, including on mobile devices.  Can you imagine what people 90 and even 65 years ago would think if they could see us watching conference on our telephones?  HA!

The next fact I found fascinating is that "when all the previously announced temples are constructed and dedicated, we will have 170 operating temple throughout the world."  What a blessing.  Temples literally dot the earth now.  There were 16 operating temples when I was born in 1977.  There are 143 operating temples to date!  It is incredible to me that 127 temple have been dedicated during my lifetime, and I'm only in my 30's!

In 1982 Elder Bruce R. McConkie prophesied that:  "We expect to see the day when temples will dot the earth, each one a house of the Lord; each one built in the mountains of the lord; each one a sacred sanctuary to which Israel and the Gentiles shall gather to receive the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Perhaps they will number in the hundreds, or even in the thousands, before the Lord returns."[Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1982), 277.]

How awesome would it be to have 1000 temples?

Last but not least, I'm amazed at how quickly the Church is growing.

"The Church continues to grow.  We are now more than 15 million strong and increasing in numbers.  Our missionary efforts are going forward unhindered.  We have over 88,000 missionaries serving, sharing the gospel message the world over."

I think of how proud the early pioneers must be to know that their sacrifice was worth it!  The Church is now over 15 million strong with 88,000 missionaries sharing the gospel to others everyday!  WOW!

Speaking of missionary work, President Monson reaffirmed that "missionary work is a priesthood duty, and we encourage all worthy and able young men to serve.  We are very grateful for the young women who also serve.  They make a significant contribution, although they are not under the same mandate to serve as are the young men."  

As a mother, I pray for the worthiness of all my children.  As I train and teach my children I do so with the goal that they will grow up with the desire and worthiness to serve God as missionaries one day.

During our "club meetings", as we discuss the talks from October's general conference, it is also my desire that ". . . our hearts be touched and our faith increased".

What impressed you the most about President Monson's opening talk or about conference in general?  Please share your thoughts below in the comments.

OR

If you've written a post on a general conference talk please share your link with us in the comments.

Thank you for all who have commented on "General Conference Club" posts or sent me emails.  You insights and comments are always amazing.  I love learning from you.

-Rachael

Pure and Simple Faith

Wordless (more or less) Wednesday

Witch Hunt FHE

 Yesterday for FHE (Family Home Evening) we decided to get into the spirit of the Halloween season by going on a Witch Hunt.  Gardner Village in West Jordan, UT has the cutest witches displayed all over.

 Like this one talking on her "EYE" phone.

 And these two making a brew from their Book of Spells.

There is even a Witch Scavenger Hunt you can go.

 Once you've located where that witch is you write down her location and once you have found them all, you get a discounted chocolate chip cookie from the bakery. 

 My sister and her two boys joined us for the fun.

 Everyone's favorite witch?  

It was a tie between Witchy-Poo, which was popular among those still of potty joke age,

and this witch, popular among the older crowd (mostly Clint- who is apparently still of potty joke age).  

Have a Terrific Tuesday!