Scriptures Like Cell Phones?

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend my Stake's Relief Society Women's Conference. I'm so glad I went! It was the best women's conference I have been to. The format was very different than what you normally expect. There was the beautiful music and the delicious luncheon, as usual, but they did some really neat things in addition to all that.

They had a reader's theater where women read different parts about strong women from the scriptures and the latter days...how the gospel affected their lives, how their trials and afflictions affected their lives, how their knowledge of Christ affected their lives. It was truly an amazing experience to learn more about the strength of these women...the strength they obtained from the blessings of the knowledge of the gospel and of Christ...the same blessings that we can have today. Blessings of strength, comfort, peace, covenants, love...the list goes on and on.

They also held a Q&A (instead of speakers) about things that were of concern to the women in our Stake (they polled sisters in the various ward relief societies beforehand). We read through scriptures and anyone who wanted to share a thought, a feeling, an experience had the opportunity to do that with the microphones passed around. I really like meetings like that...I think the Spirit is there so strongly when people feel moved to share.

As a gift from the Stake Relief Society Presidency, we all received a bookmark for our scriptures and I have really been thinking a lot about what it reads. One side of the bookmark is as follows:

What if we treated our scriptures like cell phones?

What if we kept them in our purse or pocket?
We spent a half hour using them every day?
We used them for "text" messages?
We used them traveling and in emergencies?
We treated them like we couldn't live without them?

I have been thinking a lot about these questions since yesterday and I would have to say my life would be very different if I treated my scriptures like my cell phone. Sadly, I don't read my scriptures as often as I should or would like to, but the fault is my own. I always say that I don't have enough time but I sure have enough time to watch all my tv shows. However, I am happy to report that I do carry a small Book of Mormon with me in my purse for days that I take the train...which isn't as often as it should be.

The bookmark also shares "The Scripture Plan" which is:

• Unlimited usage
• No roaming charges, lack of reception, or weak signals
• Never disconnected because our Savior already paid the bill!

I have made a resolve to be better at reading my scriptures and to truly feast on them and try to learn from them. I know that they can benefit me in my life...and I do enjoy reading them. The back of the bookmark lists an 'Emergency Scripture List' - 34 different subjects to read about and the scriptures to find them. This list is broad, from Anger to Finding Happiness to Other's Behavior to Courage to Worried About Money...there is even one on Motivation to Clean! Maybe I should start on that one first. I have decided that I'm going to read about at least two of the topics a week...in addition to finishing the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has always been one of my favorites, ever since I took it during Seminary in the 9th grade. Who knows, maybe I'll even blog about my thoughts on the different subjects.

If you have a scripture you really enjoy...one that helps you in your life...please feel free to share! We can all use a little boost now and then. I'll leave you with one of my favorites: John 3:16.

Thanks! Have a great week! :)

New Babies

I know. It's been a long time since I posted. I'm not going to make up excuses or anything like that...I don't have any. I just haven't posted. But I'm going to start again. I've really missed being in blogland. So...this is my return post.

Several babies have been born in my extended family during the past year. I made quilts for all of them. One for baby Hudson but I gave it away before I took a picture...and they live kind of far away for me to get one. It was a rag quilt in blue, red, and tan colors. I thought it turned out very nice.

This one is the quilt I made for baby Mason. It is a snowball pattern in different blue, yellow, and green fabrics. It has a soft flannel back. The binding is blue. I love the way it finished.

I'm almost finished with the one for baby Halle...hope to have it off to the quilter this week! Just need to add the side borders. I'll post a pic after I finish.

I also received a request from one of my friends who will be PTA president for the next school year to contribute a couple of baby quilts for a silent auction to raise money for that school. I already had some baby quilts in the works, not knowing who they would be for, so that works out perfectly. I'll post pics after they are completed too.

I've also been working on some exchanges with a quilt group I belong to...they have been fun. I'm especially looking forward to our next exchange. The fabrics are very modern and I tend to stay more traditional so I'm excited to try something new and I can't wait to see all of the blocks! If you have any suggestions for modern quilt block patterns, please let me know. Thanks!

Well, I'm off to visit all the blogs I've been missing! Good to be back! Enjoy your weekend! :)

Hello Again!

Hello everyone! I'm still here...just really busy the last couple of months. Thanks to all of you that have sent me emails checking up on me...you're all so sweet and I appreciated the concern. Everything has been going very well in my life. During the end of May, I started a new job at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City that I really, really love! I'm so glad that I decided to take the job. I enjoy what I do and I'm lucky that I get to work with some really fun people. We all seem to get along really great. However, it's been a bit of an adjustment to my schedule with the additional drive time...still getting down a routine that works for me.

Another nice thing about my new job is that it allows me to take Trax to work, which has allowed me to read some books I've been wanting to read...I've even renewed my library card! One book that I read during the last couple of weeks was These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 by Nancy E. Turner. I loved, loved, loved this book! If you haven't read it, I would suggest you add it to your list of must-reads. All the while reading the book, I was in such awe that someone could have such an amazing, action-packed life...because, of course, I thought it was the ACTUAL diary of Sarah Agnes Prine. Only when I reached the end of the book and read through the little Q&A section with the author did I find out that although Sarah Agnes Prine did exist, as did a couple of the other characters in the book, the majority of characters and events in the book are purely fictional. So, be forewarned...it kind of made me a little sad to find that out...that this amazing woman didn't exist as portrayed in the book. Well, I'm sure she was an amazing woman in other ways! =)

I'm requesting a favor of you...If you have any suggestions of good books to read, please pass them my way.

As far as quilting goes, I've been working on a few baby blankets, but haven't been able to find the time to actually finish them. This is unfortunate, as one of the babies was just recently born. I guess I really need to get stitching!

Well, hopefully now that things are starting to settle down, I'll be posting on more of a regular basis again. I did notice that I've flown right past my one-year blogging anniversary, so I'll have to think up a fun giveaway...stay tuned! =)

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple Open House

Happy Monday!

If you're interested and you live nearby, or plan to be in Utah during the next couple of months, you can now make reservations to attend the Oquirrh Mountain Utah LDS Temple open house. To make a reservation to tour the temple during the open house, you can visit:

www.lds.org/reservations

Open house tours start on June 1st and go through August 1st, excluding Sundays, the 4th of July, and the 24th of July. We have our reservation for Wednesday, June 10th, and I am very excited to attend! We recently attended the Draper Utah LDS Temple open house a few months ago and it was an amazing experience...I would highly recommend you take the opportunity to attend the open house for the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple if you can.

If you want more information on temples of the LDS church, you can visit:

http://www.lds.org/temples/purpose/0,11298,1897-1,00.html

Thanks! Have a great day! =)

Two G's and One M

A couple of weeks ago, I took a fun class at Just Sew in Highland to make monogrammed letters from scraps and a fat quarter for the background. I have lots of scraps so I thought this would be a great way to use some of them (I even cut a few little pieces from the scraps I received in the scrap swap...leaving plenty to still make my project with them, of course). I made an M...obviously for my last name. It was so fun and easy to make and it went together so quickly, that I decided to make a couple of G's...one for my parents and one for my brother and sister-in-law...all with my maiden last name. I bought a few inexpensive frames at Wal-Mart and viola....

Such a fun and creative way to use scraps! Now, on to make some for my husband's side of the family. =)

Mail Call...

There was a week or so at the beginning of this month where we weren't home very much...we always seemed to be out and busy. In our neighborhood, we have community mailboxes, so it takes a little effort to go and get the mail...well, not so much effort as time...all of about 1 minute since it's just a walk about three houses down from us. Nonetheless, our mailbox went a little neglected for about a week or so. That is, until I came home one day to find this stuck in my door...

I immediately went and got the mail...writing a little note of apology to our mail carrier, too. What, you ask was causing my mailbox to be so full in only one week? Some great mail goodness...All of these wonderful scrap swap packages! These packages come from Anna K, Penny, Stacey, Emily, Lolly, and Jacquie. Anna K even included a cute little charm! Then, a few days later, I received a couple more scrap swap packages! These are from Sheree and Jenn.This was like Christmas for me...or so Rick said. I was so excited...oohing and aahing over all of the wonderful scraps everyone sent me. I'm so excited to start using them, but I need to find the right project first. I know it will be a scrappy quilt of some kind and I have a few in mind. One of the patterns I'm thinking of is the 'Oh My Gosh'. I saw the quilt made up at Broadbent's and it really is an oh my gosh...it's so amazing with all the scraps and the really tiny pieces. We'll have to see if I have the patience for that...I may go with something entirely different!

Chocolate vs. Lemon

My husband loves lemon...lemon bars, lemonade, lemon candy, lemon turnovers...you name it. If it has lemon in it, he's sure to be a big fan. When I first met my husband I was going to school and working in a little bakery in Salt Lake City. He'd often come in to see me...or maybe it was for the lemon turnovers. =)

I've always known about my husband's love of lemon, but I didn't realize how much he really, really loves lemon. About a week or so ago, my husband informed me and some cousins/friends we were with at the time, that lemon is the new chocolate. Lemon replace chocolate!?!? I don't think so! I know lemons are good for you, but chcolate can be too. The way I see it, chocolate will always be chocolate and lemon can never replace it. Well, I guess I'll need to find some recipes that incorporate both lemon and chocolate...then we can both be happy. =)