Monday, August 31, 2015

Last Day of August

To me, September means Fall is here 
(even though the first day of Autumn isn't technically until September 23rd)
so today I'm drinking in the last day of August and gearing up for pumpkins and hay bails! 

What are you going to do to enjoy TODAY?


Friday, August 28, 2015

For YW Leaders: Contact Cards

Today we're mixing it up a little and posting for all of the YW Leaders out there!
(I know girls, I know. We'll get back to you tomorrow!)

Anywho. I just got called to work with the Miamaids in our ward and had to say goodbye to my Laurels....sniff, sniff. So we'll be making the rounds to say hello to all the girls and introduce ourselves. I wanted something to give them so they can have our contact info easily available which led to these cute little contact cards!



I had so much fun making them that I decided to make them for each class and post them on here for whoever might enjoy them as well! Just click on the picture or link and you can print off cards for Beehive, Miamaid, or Laurel Leaders! I chose to laminate mine as well so that they will be a little more indestructible, haha. Enjoy!








Monday, August 24, 2015

The Importance of Temple Marriage

This month in Young Womens and Sunday School, you're learning all about Marriage & Family. You'll probably cover a variety of topics, one of them being about the importance of Temple Marriage. Last Sunday my Laurels and I had a good discussion about it, and I just wanted to share some of my thoughts from the lesson.

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Say hello to my wedding day!
My husband and I were married in the Logan Temple on a FREEZING day in January.
Seriously, don't get married in the snow. Haha.


Even though I remember the biting cold and can see our red noses and frozen fingers in this picture,
it's not what I remember the most about my wedding day.

I remember being in the temple, waiting in a room with my then-fiance.
The Sealer who was going to perform our wedding ceremony came and spoke to us for a few minutes. Honestly, I can't remember much of what advice he actually gave us :)
He left for a few minutes to go see if our parents and other family/friends were all there.
In just those few moments of being alone, a deep feeling of peace came over me.
I knew that I was in the right place, at the right time, and with the right person...those three things that you will hear people say a lot. 

But why does that matter? What does the temple have to offer that a civil marriage can't?

One of the major differences between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religions, is that doctrinally we believe in ordinances and covenants that last after death. Specifically, we believe that to live in the highest degree of glory with our Father in Heaven, we need to be married and sealed in the temple. Marriage is not just a lifetime commitment but an eternal covenant. 
You can read more about this in D&C 131:1-4 and in True to the Faith.

The other difference this creates is that a husband and wife in a temple marriage don't commit "until death do us part" but they make a covenant for eternity! Now this obviously doesn't mean that every temple marriage is perfect and that some don't end in divorce. Everyone has their agency to first MAKE covenants and then choose how to KEEP them. And sometimes a spouse or both spouses don't keep their covenants for various reasons. But if both spouses live faithfully and keep their covenants, their love can last forever!!! Doesn't that sound like the best love story ever!

I found this great story on Pinterest (of course!) from Seth Adam Smith that illustrates the idea of a temple sealing very well - (and if you click on the picture it will take you to Google Drive to download this handout!) I gave each of my Laurels an empty mason jar and then read this out loud to them:



I just LOVE that analogy. Getting to the temple and being sealed to your spouse is VERY important, just like we discussed before. But it is also very important how you keep those covenants. How you build a marriage that you WANT to last eternity. And the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that when you create those good fruits and happy relationships, they CAN last forever. God can seal all good things to last eternally.

Elder Scott gave a beautiful talk entitled "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage" that you should read! Basically during the entire talk he speaks of his sweet wife who had passed away and you can see a glimpse of the beauty and love that comes in a committed and covenant marriage.

Now is the time, as a Young Woman, to decide what kind of marriage that you want. Make the goal now to be sealed in the temple so that there is no question about what you want later on. I promise you the blessings of the temple are real and deep. You will find greater purpose and knowledge within it's walls. You will find joy and happiness. You will feel the love of God.

And the joy and love of your temple marriage can last beyond death...it can last forever!


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Individual Worth Value Experience #4: You are preparing now to fulfill a unique mission on the earth. Read Doctrine & Covenants 88:119. In your journal make a list of your hopes and dreams for your future home, family, and education and some important things you would like to accomplish in your life, including becoming a wife and mother. Then write a plan that will help you achieve your goals. Share this plan with a family member, leader, or friend.





Virtue Value Experience #3: Prepare to be worthy to enter the temple and to participate in temple ordinances. Read Alma chapter 5. Make a list of the questions Alma asks. Answer the questions for yourself, and make a list of the things you can and will do to prepare yourself to be pure and worthy to enter the temple and receive all the blessings our Heavenly Father has promised His beloved daughters.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

You Thought Your First Kiss Was Bad

Okay. I'm not saying kissing boys is okay. Your mom would kill me.
(And I fully believe in and support NO "passionate" kissing and the other standards as found in For the Strength of Youth just FYI...I feel like I needed to cover that, haha.)

But. Can you imagine this being your first kiss? Hilarious!

Friday, August 14, 2015

Personal Progress "P" Parties

Personal Progress is an awesome program and I LOVE it so much!
However, I know that sometimes it can feel overwhelming when you look at how many experiences you have to complete and then with how long the projects can take.

BUT. Believe me when I say it's worth it.
Studying your scriptures and contemplating the gospel of Jesus Christ
will always bring you closer to God.
And that's totally worth it.

However, if you're looking for a way to add some fun to Personal Progress,
think about planning a Personal Progress P Party for a class or combined YW activity!

You can make the party whatever you want, just focus it on the letter "P" and
spend the night having fun while going over each girl's Personal Progress books to see where you're at and set goals for the upcoming month or two.

Here are some ideas to get your brain thinking...and you can mix and match and change these however you'd like. Remember, if you're a YW you can help organize one of these nights and have it count towards your own personal progress or even your Honor Bee...

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Pancakes & Pajamas
Girls wear pajamas for the activity and make yummy pancakes!
This invite was something you could use:

From Freshaire Designs




PIE Night


I love this idea! The girls earned tickets for each experience they passed off before the activity began. And the girl with the most tickets got to throw a pie in the YW President's face!
You can read more details about the activity here









Polka Dot Pizza


Have the girls wear as many polka dot clothing items as possible and eat polka dot pizza...ya know, pepperoni!! You could even make mini pita pizzas. The more P's the better!





Purple People Eaters
Have the girls wear purple clothing and bring treats that start with the letter "P".
This cute idea below is an invite for such a night :)


Thursday, August 13, 2015

2016 Mutual Theme Scripture Memes

The Church announced last week the upcoming 2016 Mutual Theme! 
It's 2 Nephi 31:20 and we found a few cute memes you could use as bookmarks, handouts, etc.
for your Young Women! We'll gather more ideas as the new year draws closer!


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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Integrity Value Project Ideas

Need some ideas for your Integrity Value Project?
Check out 11 ideas below! And if you did something different, we'd love to know about it!


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Share Your Testimony of The Book of Mormon!



That's right! We're looking for Young Women to share their testimonies of The Book of Mormon in one of our upcoming issues of Stand & Shine Magazine. One of the girls will have their picture on the cover of the magazine (read below for photo requirements) and a handful of others will also have their photos and testimonies published within the article.

This is a great way to spread the JOY of the gospel of Jesus Christ and we look forward to reading your amazing testimonies! This could also be one of your Personalized Value Experiences for Personal Progress - just make sure to get the OK from your YW Leader or parent for those.

Read below for the THREE items you must email us!

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1. Write out your testimony of The Book of Mormon.
(Submission for this should be at least 1 paragraph and no more than 1 page in length) 

The following questions might help you as you ponder your testimony:
How has it strengthened your relationship with God?
How has it deepened your understanding of Jesus Christ and His atonement?
How has reading The Book of Mormon blessed your life?
How has it given you direction?


2. Take a picture of you with your Book of Mormon!
No other friends or family in the photo.
No suggestive or inappropriate pictures. 


3. Print out and complete the Parental Consent Form
We must have permission from your parent or guardian to publish 
your first name, state/province, and picture.


NOW YOU'RE READY!!!!


Email us 1, 2, & 3 at standandshinemagazine@gmail.com by FRIDAY AUGUST 15, 2015!


Details: We will publish five to ten testimonies in one of our upcoming issues of Stand & Shine Magazine. We  maintain the right to edit testimonies in regards to grammar, comprehension, length. etc. but will do our best to maintain the spirit and purpose of the testimony. We also maintain the right to edit photos in regard to size, background, etc. as needed. If not enough testimonies are sent in, we maintain the right to cancel the publishing of the article.

Monday, August 10, 2015

National S'more Day

Hey! You wanna s'more?
Some more of what?
No, do you wanna s'more?
I haven't had anything yet, 
so how can I have some more of nothing?

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Haha. Can you name that movie?
We thought it was fitting for today since it's National S'more Day!
And what better what to celebrate than enjoying some ooey gooey goodness!
Perfect for FHE tonight!!!!

And no worries if you can't roast mallows over a fire,
check out this DELICIOUS recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up! for melting the chocolate & mallows in the oven and using like a dip for your grahams. SO GOOD!


Saturday, August 8, 2015

Upcycled Back to School Supplies

It's almost time for school to start!!!! Yay!
Or maybe that's not something to get excited about? Boo.

Either way, you have to admit that it's fun getting all of your Back to School Supplies!
And even if buying new supplies isn't in the budget, you can "upcycle" a lot of your existing supplies into adorable and fun items that will help your first day back be awesome.
Who can't tackle calculus with a cute pencil? :)



So check out the ideas below for Upcycling your supplies!!!!
Happy Almost Back to School!


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I am in LOVE with this adorable Fabric Covered Clipboard from Sarah Hearts!
Just find an old clipboard that's laying around and some fabric! Voila! 
You can also find many tutorials on Pinterest to do this with scrapbook paper!






Have some boring old pencils? Make your pencils POP! by adding a little washi tape!
Check out these Washi Tape Pencils from Passion for Savings.






If you're like me, I always seem to have binder dividers laying around but I lose those little white labels...you know what I'm talking about right? Well Amy from Washi Tape Crafts has saved the day with these cute Washi Tape Page Dividers...what can't you do with washi tape?!?!






The Crafty Blog Stalker has this awesome tutorial for Pom Pom Pens!
I think is awesome, especially if you have that FAVORITE pen that you hate losing.
A cute fabric pom pom on top would be the perfect way to keep track of it!






Do you need a pencil case? I love the cute fabric ones, but hello! Who can sew a zipper!! Not me.
And then I saw this AMAZING idea from Aunt Peaches using a Ziploc Bag & Duct Tape.
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! This is just awesome!






An easy way to keep your place in that very-interesting biology book would be these fun Heart Shaped Paperclips. Make your own using the tutorial found at Novelty and Chevron because who doesn't have a few (hundred) paper clips hiding in their desk drawer!






You probably have a few binders for school - you can just reuse old ones by adding a cute new cover! Check out some of the Free Binder Templates from Happily Hope that you can edit to add your own titles and then print off for your binders. So many cute ones to choose from too!!



Thursday, August 6, 2015

Integrity YW Activity Ideas

The value we focused on in our last issue was Integrity!
You can find our article here as well as some personal progress ideas coming soon.

Today we're sharing some YW activity ideas that focus on Integrity.
Any others you would add to the list?


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Being Able to Talk to BOYS!

I know this sounds super silly, learning how to talk to boys.
But seriously, have you noticed that boys do NOT communicate the same way girls do?
Some weird phenomenon eh?

So today we just wanted to share a few ways that you could practice building these skillz in your Young Women's, ya know, so you're not completely awkward around boys for the rest of your existence. Or is that just me? Hehe.



Idea #1
I loved this idea about having conversations with the purpose of becoming friends for a combined YW/YM activity. Because that's our ultimate goal when we are talking to and meeting boys right? To become better acquainted with them through building friendships and talking with them. The idea is from the youth activities page on lds.org.




Idea #2
This next idea is from the Red Headed Hostess and I thought it was a great way to practice being in front of a group and being able to talk about something specific. It will help you build confidence in communicating with your peers as well as boys :) If you did this as a combined activity, you wouldn't  be on "dates", you could just teach the group as a whole.




Idea #3
And last idea for today is another one from the youth activities site on lds.org. This one is a fun game to help you practice communicating by working together as a group. There are a lot of other group games that could help you practice talking with each other as well such as human spider web, building marshmallow and spaghetti noodle towers, trivia games, and more.


Monday, August 3, 2015

Integrity

Enjoy our article on Integrity from our most recent issue!!
And check out our Personal Progress tips at the bottom!






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Integrity Value Experience #2: Conduct a self-assessment of your personal integrity. Ask yourself the following questions: Do I avoid gossip, inappropriate jokes, swearing and profanity, and being light minded about sacred subjects? Am I completely truthful, morally clean, honest, dependable, and trustworthy in my schoolwork and other activities? Pray daily for strength and for the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help you live with integrity. Write in your journal the things you can do to improve your personal integrity and at least one new habit you want to develop.



Integrity Value Experience #3: The Savior is the perfect example of integrity; He did what hE promised the Father HE would do. Read 3 Nephi 11:10-11. Study the lives of other individuals in the scriptures who lived with integrity. Read Genesis 39; the book of Esther; Job 2:3; 27:3-6; Daniel 3 and 6; Acts 26; Doctrine and Covenants 124:15, and Joseph Smith History 1:21-25. In your journal identify the ways these people demonstrated integrity. Think of a time when you had the courage to show integrity, especially when it was not easy or popular. Share your experience and your feeling about it in a testimony meeting or lesson or with a parent or leader.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

August 2015 Calendar

Here is our August 2015 calendar! 
Filled with fun and random holidays to celebrate throughout the month!! 
Happy August Friends!