Finished Derby Cars

The derby cars are finished and we are off to the races...ZOOM!

Sharing the Proclamation

For this weeks FHE (doubling as a blog hop) my family passed out a copy of The Proclamation to the World along with our testimony to all the families in our neighborhood.

The children learned the importance of gender and the responsibilities that coincide with each.  They were taught how the prophet wanted everyone in the whole world to read this proclamation and were thrilled that they helped spread the word.

I encourage anyone who is out there reading this to take the time to sit down as a family and read The Proclamation to the World together, even as a repeat.  There is nothing here on earth more important than our families, may we keep them together and serve each other.

September marks the 15th anniversary of The Family: A Proclamation to the World.  For more information on this fun blog hop visit Chocolate on my Cranium.

Wholesome Recreational Activites

Many, many ideas have come to my mind about this weeks blog hop, a craft about the proclamation or family.  Unfortunately with 5 kids including a baby I don't much time for crafts lately :(  However... it is Pine Wood Derby time!!!  What a perfect "wholesome recreational activity" - thus proclamation craft!  We only have one scout right now but all the kids wanted to make a car too.

The kids have been working on these cars for the past 2 weeks for Family Home Evening.  The first week they designed their cars.  I love the creativity.  Last Monday Dad cut them out with his new (old) scroll saw.  Now it's sanding, paint, and wheels!  I'll keep you posted!

September marks the 15th anniversary of The Family: A Proclamation to the World.  For more information on this fun blog hop visit Chocolate on my Cranium.

Our Earthly Experience

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life.

- A Proclamation to the World

This is one of my favorite pictures of my boys.  They are much bigger now.  The oldest is baptized and the next will be this winter.  We've since moved houses (and states) and added two little girls to our family.  Whenever I look at this picture I imagine my 3 little boys steadily growing up learning "the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ", serving full time missions and "presiding over their families in love and righteousness".

September marks the 15th anniversary of The Family: A Proclamation to the World.  For more information on this fun blog hop visit Chocolate on my Cranium.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Journal Jar

Little Birdie Secrets shows us how to make this adorable Journal Jar over at Make and Takes. She made it to go along with a journal lesson for her Mia Maid class. I'm wishing I was in Young Women's right now. How I miss those callings. I'll have to make a family journal jar that we can work on each Family Home Evening.

Altered Children's Songbook - Part 2

My "next week" turned into "next month or two", but here is part 2 of the Altered Songbook tutorial:

As I play the piano in primary I've had a lot of people ask me how I can find songs so quickly. The trick is to add tabs to each section of your book. Now when the kids want to sing "Book of Mormon Stories" you know it's in "The Gospel" tab and can flip there quickly and thumb through the pages until...viola!

These self-adhesive index tabs can be bought at any office supply store and are very easy to attach. Just follow the instructions. Try your first one on a scrap paper to be sure you get it just right. Remember to line them up just right so that you can easily view all of the tabs.

After the tabs are attached you can either hand write or print the section names on the labels and insert them into the tab. I have tried both hand writing and printing. I prefer the hand written tabs in different color ink. The ink can even match the color of the section. (blue for "fun and activity")

Have fun with this and enjoy easily finding those primary songs!

lady m

Altered Children's Songbook - Part 1

For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart.

During Music Time in Primary it's sometimes hard to find that certain song and we don't always have "Scripture Power" on hand. So I am posting a few tutorials on not only making the Children's Songbook cuter, but also making it more functional. These altered songbooks also make great gifts!

The inside cover of the Children's Songbook is plain, after all it's just the inside cover. Every-time you open up the Songbook you should smile! So for the first tutorial we will be lining the inside cover of the Songbook. Pick out 2 pieces of your favorite scrapbook paper and lets alter that songbook!

Supplies:

• Hardbound Children's Songbook
• 2 12x12 pieces of your favorite scrapbook paper.
• Paper cutter and/or scissors
• Dry glue like a Xyron Cheetah or a permanent glue stick
• Emery board or sand paper

First cut your scrapbook paper to the dimensions shown above. You may want to cut ever so slightly larger to leave room for mistakes. The excess paper will come off when you sand the edges.


Slide the larger paper under the spiral bound part of the book. Match the edges of the paper to the edges of the book.


Close the book while holding the paper, making sure to crease the paper. Afterward take the paper out and lightly fold the paper back and forth on the two creases.


Apply your glue to the wrong side of the paper. If you're using a glue stick make sure to work quickly, it dries fast! Put the paper back in place, under the spiral of the book and line it up with the edges and creases of the book. Then take something that's not too sharp to rub the paper creases into the creases of the book. I used the handle of a butter knife. You could also use the eraser end of a pencil or an emery board. Rub those creases well. The paper will tear in some places which adds to the look of the book.



Now it's time to work on the back of the book with the other piece of paper. I decided it was easier to cut the tabs off the paper and apply them separately. Cut the tabs off then apply lots of glue to the backside and slide them in place under the plastic. Do the same at the top and the bottom. Make sure you apply lots of pressure to get that glue to stick!


Now apply glue to the rest of the paper and slide it under the plastic. Make sure it lines up with the edges of the book. We're almost done!


The final step is to sand down the edges with either an emery board or sand paper. The emery board is a little easier on the hands.


Make sure to sand all the edges, even the creases you've made.


And the lining of your Children's Songbook is finished! Next week I'll post a way to make finding those songs a lot easier.

lady m