Today is a special day for rejoicing! A new temple has been dedicated in Brigham City, UT. There are now 139 temples in use across the globe. Temples are a very special places that feel like a little bit of heaven on earth. I always get a special feeling when I attend the temple. I feel peaceful and closer to God. I come away feeling brighter and more dedicated and able to face the challenges of daily life.
In a holy temple of God, we can be sealed together with our families for forever. "'Til death do we part" need no longer apply!
I was able to attend one of the sessions of the dedication ceremony today. An apostle of Jesus Christ, Boyd K. Packer, spoke about how this particular temple is special to him since he grew up and raised his own family in Brigham City.
If you want to learn more about temples and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, visit www.lds.org/church/temples, or mormon.org. If you are not a member of the Church and would like to visit a temple open house before it is dedicated, be quick about it and you can visit Calgary Alberta or Boise Idaho. See templeopenhouse.lds.org/.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Money Tree
If money could just grow on trees, I would plant an orchard.
I created this money tree to give to my brother-in-law for his birthday. To make one, you need one piece of
craft wire for each dollar. This one has 15.
For the leaves, fold the corners in like how you start a paper airplane.
Now fold the new corners in a bit. Repeat on the other side.
Pinch up the middle.
Poof out the leaves to give them a nice rounded shape, so that the folded corners are on the concave side. Alternate which side you fold in on your dollar bills so that you have a variety in your shades of green.
My wire was already cut in a package, so I didn't have to measure, but I'm guessing it was about 14 inches. Put all the wires together, and then twist them together at the middle about four inches. For the branches, divide the wires into two or three sections, twist a bit, then divide again and twist again. Use pliers to bend the ends into a small loop around the middle of one of the dollar leaves.
For the roots, spread all the wires out so they each point in a different direction, then gather a few together and twist. Use pliers to roll up the sharp ends. Adjust the roots so the tree stands up, and each "foot" touches the ground.
To add coin "fruit/nuts," use scissors to cut thin strips of clear tape. Fold a strip of tape over a branch, and attach to both sides of the coin.
craft wire for each dollar. This one has 15.
For the leaves, fold the corners in like how you start a paper airplane.
My wire was already cut in a package, so I didn't have to measure, but I'm guessing it was about 14 inches. Put all the wires together, and then twist them together at the middle about four inches. For the branches, divide the wires into two or three sections, twist a bit, then divide again and twist again. Use pliers to bend the ends into a small loop around the middle of one of the dollar leaves.
For the roots, spread all the wires out so they each point in a different direction, then gather a few together and twist. Use pliers to roll up the sharp ends. Adjust the roots so the tree stands up, and each "foot" touches the ground.
To add coin "fruit/nuts," use scissors to cut thin strips of clear tape. Fold a strip of tape over a branch, and attach to both sides of the coin.
Friday, August 10, 2012
This is going to be the coolest Halloween Ever!
With the growing popularity of Pinterest this year, I have a prediction that this year people all over will be seeing the most awesome decorations ever this year at Halloween! It took me a while to allow myself to sign up for Pinterest because I was warned how addicting it can be. Finally my curiosity overtook me. It is really inspiring! I see so many great ideas that I want to try on there! Yes, it really is addicting, and it seems you enter a time warp zone in Pinterest, so you don't notice how much time has passed while you are scrolling through hundreds of pictures of awesome stuff.
When I get out of Pinterest, I'm thinking to myself, "I gotta get to my sewing machine! I gotta cook that recipe! I can't wait until Halloween and Christmas! I wanna decorate my house like that!" Way to get the creative juices flowing.
Only I've spent all my free time looking at Pinterest rather than actually creating something.
Leave a comment.
When I get out of Pinterest, I'm thinking to myself, "I gotta get to my sewing machine! I gotta cook that recipe! I can't wait until Halloween and Christmas! I wanna decorate my house like that!" Way to get the creative juices flowing.
Only I've spent all my free time looking at Pinterest rather than actually creating something.
Leave a comment.
Monday, July 30, 2012
The Inheritance Series: A Review
The Inheritance series or "cycle" is about a young man named Eragon who lives in a magical land called Alagaesia. He discovers an unusual stone, which turns out to be a dragon egg. The dragon hatches, and the two become spiritually entwined. Eragon and Saphira become great warriors with the power of magic in a battle to overthrow a powerful tyrannical king.
I've seen Eragon in the Scholastic catalogues my kids bring home from school. I was in the mood for a light read, so I picked up this fantasy from the library. I really liked it! I got into pretty well and had a hard time putting it down. This first book introduces many characters and describes a new land full of magic and mythical types of creatures. It's heavy on details and descriptions, which I like. As I was nearing the end, I realized that there was not climax, let along a conclusion to the story, anywhere in sight. I soon discovered that it was meant to be a trilogy, not a novel. So much for a light read. Still I was excited about the story, so I didn't mind.
The second book, Eldest, was quite boring for me for the first 150 pages or so, but didn't disappoint me in the end. It was still awesome. The third book, Brisingr, was too violent for my liking. There are many very detailed descriptions about bloody battles and deaths. Blech. Book three was hard to get through. I started to grow weary of the story and wished it to end, but once again, toward the end of the book, there was no conclusion. In the author's note, Paolini says that he couldn't get everything in the third book that he wanted to, so look for the fourth. Even though I was tired of reading all these thick books when I had just wanted a light read, I still wanted to find out the ending--especially after I had invested so much time in it. The fourth book Inheritance was also gory, but it provided the a satisfying climax and conclusion. Perhaps it wasn't everything I had wished for to happen, but it made sense and worked out.
The series has characters that speaks several different languages. There are often phrase, sentences, and even short paragraphs throughout the books written in these made-up languages. It added depth to the cultures of the characters, but you have to flip to the index at the back of the book to find out what they mean. How annoying. I would have preferred a footnote.
Overall, I am glad I read all the books. The first book was the best, as is often the case in series. Paolini is good with descriptive writing and with conveying the emotions of his characters.
While reading the first book I realized that I had seen the movie. That was not so good as the book.
I give five stars to the first book Eragon. Three stars to the series as a whole.
I've seen Eragon in the Scholastic catalogues my kids bring home from school. I was in the mood for a light read, so I picked up this fantasy from the library. I really liked it! I got into pretty well and had a hard time putting it down. This first book introduces many characters and describes a new land full of magic and mythical types of creatures. It's heavy on details and descriptions, which I like. As I was nearing the end, I realized that there was not climax, let along a conclusion to the story, anywhere in sight. I soon discovered that it was meant to be a trilogy, not a novel. So much for a light read. Still I was excited about the story, so I didn't mind.
The second book, Eldest, was quite boring for me for the first 150 pages or so, but didn't disappoint me in the end. It was still awesome. The third book, Brisingr, was too violent for my liking. There are many very detailed descriptions about bloody battles and deaths. Blech. Book three was hard to get through. I started to grow weary of the story and wished it to end, but once again, toward the end of the book, there was no conclusion. In the author's note, Paolini says that he couldn't get everything in the third book that he wanted to, so look for the fourth. Even though I was tired of reading all these thick books when I had just wanted a light read, I still wanted to find out the ending--especially after I had invested so much time in it. The fourth book Inheritance was also gory, but it provided the a satisfying climax and conclusion. Perhaps it wasn't everything I had wished for to happen, but it made sense and worked out.
The series has characters that speaks several different languages. There are often phrase, sentences, and even short paragraphs throughout the books written in these made-up languages. It added depth to the cultures of the characters, but you have to flip to the index at the back of the book to find out what they mean. How annoying. I would have preferred a footnote.
Overall, I am glad I read all the books. The first book was the best, as is often the case in series. Paolini is good with descriptive writing and with conveying the emotions of his characters.
While reading the first book I realized that I had seen the movie. That was not so good as the book.
I give five stars to the first book Eragon. Three stars to the series as a whole.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Ladybug Egg
My little scientist Belle is always making new discoveries. She loves catching bugs in her free time. This lucky find laid an egg on the grass just after she put it in her bug house. See it? It's yellow. Too bad everything spilled out and was lost (outside, thankfully). It would have been fun to watch it change.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Falling to Heaven: A review
Falling to Heaven: The Surprising Path to Happiness by James L. Ferrell gives some perspectives on age old troubles. I found it very useful and a good exercise of my thinking and state of mind. It repeats the same principle of forgiveness I first read in Ferrell's book called The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Hearts and Homes. (That book was life-changing for me. I wish I could give a copy of it to everyone I know.) The basic idea is that we all sin and are all equally deserving of not being allowed to return to Heavenly Father. Whether one sins more than another is irrelevant in the fact that we all need Christ's atonement. We shouldn't judge or condemn others because they sin more than we do.
Falling to Heaven is written by an LDS author with some content the average LDS churchgoer would understand (including references to scripture stories from the Book of Mormon), though there are plenty of references to the Bible other Christians could relate to enough to get the idea. It reads something like a good church talk. It is easy to read, unlike a textbook, though by the end of the book I found it hard to give a synopsis.
This book was well worth the time I spent reading it. I give it a four star rating.
Falling to Heaven is written by an LDS author with some content the average LDS churchgoer would understand (including references to scripture stories from the Book of Mormon), though there are plenty of references to the Bible other Christians could relate to enough to get the idea. It reads something like a good church talk. It is easy to read, unlike a textbook, though by the end of the book I found it hard to give a synopsis.
This book was well worth the time I spent reading it. I give it a four star rating.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Birthday Cake and Funeral Potatoes
April 6 was a special day this year. It was Good Friday, the day we commemorate the death of Jesus Christ, and also His birthday. We had funeral potatoes for an Easter celebration, and white cupcakes with white frosting to celebrate His birth. Everybody knows we celebrate Christ's birth on December 25; most people know that's not really His birthday. The Doctrine and Covenants chapter 20 verse 1 (D&C 20:1) tells us that God wanted His church to be reorganized on this special day, and though the language is not exactly specific, I believe it means that this is the actual day Christ was born. So I started a tradition with my family a few years ago that I would make a white cake with white frosting (the white symbolic of His purity) or cupcakes to have a birthday party for Jesus. We like to sing "Happy Birthday to You," and then share some of the cupcakes with our neighbors. We still also celebrate in December.
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