Finding Joy

I had a different post in mind for today, but I've decided to share some words that I've been pondering over lately.

Life is a challenge, isn't it?  We all have our own trials here on  earth.  We may think everyone else has it easy compared to ourselves, but I've heard it said that if you were to go in a room full of people you know, dumped all your problems in the middle of the room, you'd pick your own problems right back up.  Everyone has their down times, and as hard as our own can be, they are meant for us and our growth.

I've had this article saved for quite some time now, and have shared a few quotes from it.  Today, I want to share the entire talk with you.  Here are a few of my favorite paragraphs from Elder Richard G. Scott's talk.  I hope they will draw you in enough to read the whole thing.  I promise it will be well worth your time!

Do you take time to discover each day how beautiful your life can be? How long has it been since you watched the sun set? The departing rays kissing the clouds, trees, hills, and lowlands good night, sometimes tranquilly, sometimes with exuberant bursts of color and form. What of the wonder of a cloudless night when the Lord unveils the marvels of His heavens—the twinkling stars, the moonlight rays—to ignite our imagination with His greatness and glory? How captivating to watch a seed planted in fertile soil germinate, gather strength, and send forth a tiny, seemingly insignificant sprout. Patiently it begins to grow and develop its own character led by the genetic code the Lord has provided to guide its development. With care it surely will become what it is destined to be: a lily, crowned with grace and beauty; a fragrant spearmint plant; a peach; an avocado; or a beautiful blossom with unique delicacy, hue, and fragrance. When last did you observe a tiny rosebud form? Each day it develops new and impressive character, more promise of beauty until it becomes a majestic rose. You are one of the noblest of God’s creations. His intent is that your life be gloriously beautiful regardless of your circumstances. As you are grateful and obedient, you can become all that God intends you to be.

Sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are events in life, not life itself. I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord inspired Lehi to declare the fundamental truth, “Men are, that they might have joy.” ¹That is a conditional statement: “they might have joy.” It is not conditional for the Lord. His intent is that each of us finds joy. It will not be conditional for you as you obey the commandments, have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth.

You are here on earth for a divine purpose. It is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive the additional blessings God has for you. ² The tempering effect of patience is required. ³ Some blessings will be delivered here in this life; others will come beyond the veil. The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you.

Attempt to be creative for the joy it brings. After their noble husbands were called home, Sisters Camilla Kimball, Amelia McConkie, and Helen Richards learned to paint. They not only leave legacies of art, but they will never see a sunset, a face, or a tree the same again. They now perceive subtle nuances of color and form and rejoice in the abounding beauty around them.

No matter how difficult something you or a loved one faces, it should not take over your life and be the center of all your interest. Challenges are growth experiences, temporary scenes to be played out on the background of a pleasant life. Don’t become so absorbed in a single event that you can’t think of anything else or care for yourself or for those who depend upon you. Remember, much like the mending of the body, the healing of some spiritual and emotional challenges takes time.

Here's the link to Elder Scott's whole talk.  I really do hope you'll take 5-10 minutes out of your day, and read through it.  I find so much peace and reassure every time I read this.  I also have a surge of determination to find joy in the trails of life.  

Find the joy today, and every day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

DIY Mother's Day Gift Box

I shared this DIY gift box for Mother's Day last year, and I loved it so much, that I thought it was worth sharing again.  I really do like the colors I used last year, but I can't wait to try another one this year in a different color scheme.

    If anyone deserves a dolled-up box, it's your mom.

These boxes are just the right size to hold a nice gift card, jewelry, or any other small gift you may have in mind for your mom this year. 

Make your box, add some cute ribbon, a flower, and a name to it.  Then put your gift in and fill it with some fun shredded paper.  Then get ready for the little surprise at the bottom of the box.  

I like to add a little message.  This time I added a definition of mother that I found last year, and loved.  So not only will your mom get a great gift in a darling box, but she'll have a little extra bonus in the bottom of the box.  If you attach the quote with just a bit of tape it will come right off and she can keep it somewhere she'll see it.  I love adding small, unexpected touches.

Click here for the full tutorial on how to make your DIY gift box.  These are so easy to make!  If you can fold and cut, you can  make these.  I love experimenting with different papers, ribbons, and toppers.  So many color combinations to use! 

What are some of your favorite Mother's Day gift ideas?

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Watercolor Mother's Day Art

This adorable piece of art come from yet another project we did during my first grade teaching days.  I always loved how these watercolor projects turned out.  Perfectly colorful and flowery for mom!

Just take a plain piece of paper.  Watercolor paper is best.  Then, using a water bottle, we always sprayed our entire paper with water.  You could try just painting the watercolors on the paper, but I like the look the sprayed paper gives to the colors.  They're more blended and muted.

After the paper is sprayed, then let your child paint away!  Still dip the brush in water before the watercolor, but you won't need a ton of water because the paper is wet.  I like to encourage my boys to use a lot of colors, and to not mix them too much, or they'll just end up with brown.

After the whole paper it painted, then allow it to dry.  The final step is adding the black paint (you could do a black marker it you'd like).  Use the finest brush you can find for this.  I could have given my four-year-old a finer brush for his flowers, but I still love how it turned out.  He did all of the same flower, but your older kids could try and do a few different kinds of flowers (tulips, roses, daffodils, etc…).  They can always practice the flowers on a separate sheet of paper first, and then paint them on the watercolor paper.

Oh, and you'll want to have them paint a vase for the flowers to go in.

And there you have it!  The perfect Mother's Day art work for grandma or any other mother.  We've given this in the past, and it's always a HUGE hit with the recipient!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Banana Berry Salad

When you throw a few fruits in a bowl and sprinkle them with raw sugar, does it qualify as a recipe?  Well, I'm going to count it as one because I love quick, simple, delicious recipes, and this one meets all the criteria!

My mother-in-law introduced me to sugar in the raw (or turbinado sugar) many years ago.  I can't believe I lived so many years of my life without it!  I don't use tons of it ever, mostly just for sprinkling.  I love the crunch and texture it adds to recipes!  I put it on quick breads, (here's my hands-down favorite banana bread recipe) cookies, pies, just about any dessert.  It's also a quick sweetener for fruit.  You can throw just about any kind of fruit together, sprinkle a bit of raw sugar on it, and you've got yourself a fresh, easy summer salad.

My boys are berry lovers!  They're probably their favorite fruits, and I love how healthy they are.  Strawberries are very affordable this time of year, so we eat and eat and eat them.  Raspberries and blackberries aren't so cheap to buy fresh, so guess what?  I use frozen.  And they work perfectly!  If you live by a WinCo, then buy your frozen berries there.  I got the blackberries for under $2, and the raspberries for under $3!  I'd used them last week for some homemade triple berry jam, (yes, I use frozen berries in my jam) and had leftovers.  So, they got thrown in the salad.  The tart berry flavors are sweetened up just a bit by the raw sugar, and the bananas add a bit of mild sweetness as well.  The flavors work perfectly together!  But just as I said before, you can really can't go wrong with mixing it up with all kinds of different fruits

Banana Berry Salad

Fresh strawberries (sliced)

Frozen raspberries

Frozen blackberries

Bananas (sliced)

Sugar in the Raw

So, that's the "recipe".  Just cut up your fresh strawberries and bananas, throw in some frozen raspberries and blackberries, sprinkle with sugar, toss, and serve.  You can let the salad sit for 5-10 minutes before serving  to allow the frozen berries to thaw a bit.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

Mother's Day Printable

I found the perfect Mother's Day card for my mom last year.  Cards can be a bit cheesy at times.  It can be really, really hard to find a good one.  But last year, the card I came across was so fitting for my mom, that I not only gave her the card, but I typed it up and framed it for her.

Click to Print

 I've always known my mom is great, (check out yesterday's post) but this card made me realize how much she has shaped me into the person I am today.  My happy heart and good memories come, in large, from her and efforts as a mother.  I'm so grateful for all she's done for me!  And I hope one day my boys will be able to say they have a happy heart and good memories as well!

And here's a Mother's Day printable from last year to share as well.

Click to Print

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

Traits of a Mother

Growing up, I always knew I had a wonderful mom.  Of course, there were a few instances during my teenage years of not seeing eye to eye, but that didn't mean I didn't understand how great she was.

Now that I'm a mom myself, I realize even more what an incredible mom she was, and continues to be!  Being a mom is not exactly the world's easiest job, but my mom never seemed liked it was too hard or daunting.  As I remember her from my younger days, and I've watched her recently with my own boys, I've come to notice some of the traits she possesses that make her such a special mom.  And I've come to recongize what a blessing it's been for me to watch her over the years.  I want nothing more than to follow her example as a mother, and develop the traits I've seen in her.

 

I've never know my mom to do anything but look on the bright side of things.  Life is challenging on so many levels, but I honestly can say that complaining is just not in my mom's nature.  She is always faithful and optimistic about whatever life throws at her, and she's passed that attitude on to me and my siblings.  I have my own challenges to deal with in life, but I'm blessed to have had such a great example of optimism in my life.  I don't ever seem to get too bogged down by the hard times.  And I know whenever I talk to her, she will always tells me it will all work out.  She never for one second makes me feel down and out about my problems, and that gives me the strength to know I can pull through whatever it is I'm going through.  And now, I'm trying my best to instill that attitude in my boys.  They already have small challenges in their little lives, but I try to help them stay optimistic about everything.  It will take many years of teaching, but I hope it will stick.

My mom has always been very complimentary of others, but she's especially complimentary when it comes to our family.  My boys probably feel like they're the most perfect boys in the world because of the praise she gives them.  Not to say they don't do things they shouldn't, but she always tells them it's okay, and then turns around with a compliment for them. She's very observant of others and what they do- big or small.  Every time I hear her compliment one of my boys in a moment I have been upset with them, it makes me stop and realize how much better the compliment works than my reaction of getting mad.  If there's good in any situation, she'll find it and let you know it.  She still compliments me every time we talk on the phone, and even though I'm getting older, the compliments never do.

This is the one word that comes to my mind time and time again as I think of my mom.  She has never once been anywhere near a selfish person.  When we were young,  everything was about us kids, and even though we've all grown up and moved on, she still makes everything about us (and of course the grand kids).  My mom (and dad) has been known to make a four hour drive just to follow me and my boys to make sure we're home safely.  She becomes a cooking machine whenever we go stay with them just so I can have recipes to share here on my blog.  Any extra money she has goes towards family activities for everyone.  She sends package after package to my boys, and their cousins in Atlanta.  She works on countless projects for my sister who's a teacher.  She run errands for all of us, comes to our events, and on and on!  We live in a very selfish world, and I feel so blessed to have her selfless example to follow!  It's such a Christlike characteristic, and she exemplifies it perfectly.  I work on it daily, and hope to do be the same some day.

I have one last trait to share.  My mom is a simple person.  Simple in the things of the world, but amazing in the things that matter most.  She's never needed the most expensive car, house, clothes, or anything materialistic.  She always makes the most of what she has, and makes it workable, and wonderful.  I've come to really, really appreciate this trait of hers.  It's helped me remain somewhat simple in my life.  I like to make things special, but that doesn't mean I have to have the biggest, and the best.  Simple things can be made quite extraordinary if you just get a bit creative.

Those are just a few traits that came to my mind.  I could have a post several miles long, as I'm sure you all could about your own mothers.  What traits do you admire most about your mom?  What are you striving to become better at as a mom yourself?  I'd love to hear your ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

DIY Tissue Paper Mother's Day Card

Happy day after May Day!  My grandma's (and in a month my parents') small town celebrates May Day every year.  The first Saturday of the month is filled with Maypole dancing, songs, a May Day queen and royalty, and a program.  It's the perfect way to kick of one of my favorite months.  May means beautiful blossoms, warmer weather, Mother's Day, and the anticipation of summer.  Love it all!!

Anyway, I'm over with Tanya at twelveOeight today.  I'm sharing an extra special DIY card you can make for any or all of the mothers in your life.  I'm thrilled with how it turned out!  It's a project that will take you back to your elementary art days.  Tissue paper and glue.  Remember it?  I remember loving it!  I do have to say it's a bit time-consuming, but any mother is worth some extra time, right?  Stop by to visit, and check out my entire post here.

Have a wonderful weekend!  I wish I was making the two hour drive to Mendon to watch the May Day festivities, but we have a few soccer games that little boys don't want to miss.  Maybe next year!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.