With Me, In Every Step

This is an inspirational classic:

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MINI DEVOTIONAL/THOUGHT

Footsteps in the Sand, written by Mary Stevenson

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Main Thought: “He is with you, every step of the way.”

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One night I had a dream--
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
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When the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that many times along the path of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest

and saddest times in my life.

This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,

you would walk with me all the way,

but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life

there is only one set of footprints.

"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,

you should leave me."

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Prince of Peace, by Liz Lemon Swindle 

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The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,

I love you and I would never, never leave you

during your times of trial and suffering.

"When you saw only one set of footprints,

it was then that I carried you."

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written by Mary Stevenson

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*CRAFT ideas - Footprint Inspired

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Sand Cast Plaster Footprints

Capturing footprints doesn't have to be reserved for babies and toddlers.

A tub of sand, plaster of Paris, water, a stick (to stir), and I'm sure a few giggles.

After a 30 minute wait, the girls would have a wonderful personal reminder of His love.

tutorial here, from Noah's Art

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Footprint Art

This would be a fun project for the girls.

Great for display.

Have them each create a footprint, maybe with those things they have been blessed with.

idea found here

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Footprint Pendant

These were crafted in fine silver.

Why couldn't the girls create a miniature footprint

in salt dough and spray paint them silver?

purchase personalized pendants here, from KLMcDesigns

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Candle Art

I would add miniature seashells in place of the flowers and add a sandy base.

You could emphasize that the candle represents the light of Christ in their lives.

idea found here

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Wooden Photo Block

A simple block of wood with a photograph mod podged onto it.

Quick and easy.

purchase original here, from Longshot Galleries

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Footprint Pendant

tutorial here, from the Artful Crafter

One Small Step, One Giant Leap

Tomorrow is Leap Day.  That extra day we are given, only every four years.  I have been thinking about what I can do to make this extra day an extra fun day for my family.

I started with the obvious choice - frogs.  But everything to do with frogs is green, and with St Patrick's Day in the horizon I decided to reserve all the green for then.
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Then I thought about actual leaping.  How fun would it be to have a Leap-O-Thon?  Games and activities with a lot of leaping, jumping, hopping.  Using the trampoline, playing hop-scotch, jumping ropes, playing leap frog, doing the bunny hop, etc..  Even if we don't have an actual Leap-O-Thon, we will definately have to incorporate something active!
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Maybe we have a contest to see who can use the most phrases throughout the day with "leap" in them... like "Leapin' Lizards!" from Annie - I like the way Carol Burnett says it as Miss Hannigan!  :)  Or "By Leaps and Bounds", "Look before you Leap",  _________________ (any more ideas?).  :)
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Or, a Quantum Leap marathon.  Did any of you watch that television series?  Sam Beckett, the scientist, trapped leaping through time, landing in a new time period and different body each week.  I used to love that show!  (watch full episodes here)
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But, it seems that the majority of my ideas are building around the quote, "One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind", by Neil Armstrong - famous words as his left boot touched the surface of the moon.
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I'll give you details - after the fact.  :)  But, here is a teaser of how I plan on celebrating Leap Day this year:
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Moon Inspired GOODIES

The Original MoonPie

all things MoonPie here
purchase here

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Homemade MoonPies

recipe found here

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Jimmy Zangwow's Out-Of-This-World MoonPie Adventure

find book here

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ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE
I wanted to share a talk I came across: One Small Step For A Man; One Giant Leap For Mankind, by Elder Carlos E Asay, General Conference, April 1990.  It would be a great resource when teaching about the restoration of the gospel and Joseph Smith.
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Here are a few excerpts from his talk to give you an idea of the wonderful message:

• On July 20, 1969, astronauts landed on the moon, a planet located some 239,000 miles from the earth. Millions of people the world over witnessed this historic event on television and stared in amazement as the lunar module came to rest on the moon’s surface. All were thrilled when Neil Armstrong exited from the space craft and announced: “One small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind.”
• Joseph Smith’s prayer and first vision in 1820 were no small things, even though they began as “one small step for a [young] man.” Over the years they have proven to be “one giant leap for mankind”.
• Joseph did not emerge from the grove with lunar rocks in his pocket or with moon dust on his shoes. He emerged with a changed countenance and with a gold mine of truth lodged in his mind and heart.
• His prayer was - one small step for a [young] man, [but] one giant leap for mankind. [It proved that] There isn’t a thing that man cannot do, [if he has faith, trusts in the Lord, and] If he takes one small step at a time.

Hope Chest and Testimonies

Maddy, my daughter, asked me to help her with a spiritual thought for mutual.  Her Beehive class activity for the night was going to be focused on the hope chest.  (Yea!)  Maddy said it was her idea.  (Double Yea!)

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We started by reading a few different scriptures to see if anything we found went along with the idea of a Hope Chest.  We began focusing on 2 Nephi 31:20, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of god and all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father:  Ye shall have eternal life."

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Maddy practiced what she was going to say - a few times.  We both, in our own minds could see the correlation, but agreed it was a stretch.  So we tried something else.

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I am a visual learner.  If I can see it - I usually get it.  So, Maddy and I went to the whiteboard.  This is what we drew, as we talked about the correlation between a hope chest and a testimony:

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A hope chest, historically, is a box where a young women collects items:  linens, dishes, a special dress, etc... - in hope/preparation for married life.  The box being portable, so she can take it with her.

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A testimony, is a place in your heart where you continually add to it:  prayer, scripture study, service, etc... - in faith/preparation for eternal life.  A testimony is the one thing you take with you.

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It is amazing what you can learn when you put a some thought into something.  I especially enjoyed the conversation Maddy and I had as we were brainstorming our ideas.  :)

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As for the activity, the girls were asked to bring an item, a momento, to place into their hope chests.  When Maddy came home at the end of the night she was holding a box that her young women leaders had given her to begin her very own hope chest.

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I love that the leaders are encouraging this! 

Willow in the Wind - Trust Lean

 

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How to play: Choose one person to be "The Willow" - anyone who wants to, can take a turn being the willow. They stand in the middle with their feet together, eyes closed, arms crossed and hands on shoulders, keeping body straight. The rest of the group sits in a circle around the willow - heels to the ground, toes pointing up, and feet pressing gently, yet firmly, just above the ankles of the willow.

The group will sit with arms outstretched, elbows locked, fingers loose, ready and alert. The willow will do a "trust lean" and allow them self to be "passed around" the group.

Important: Ensure the group is tight, should-to-shoulder, arms outstretched. In this position, hands should almost touch the person standing in the middle. This ensures that the initial fall will be gentle. Gradually the group can ease back. Distribute large and small people evenly, to avoid weak points.

I Can See

Terrariums: A Tiny Garden Party

This is something I'm working on.  "A Tiny Garden Party".  Wanted to share.  And gather your ideas.

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How fun would it be to host "A Tiny Garden Party" where each guest created and went home with their own Terrarium.  Beautiful little gardens of their own creation.  Small enough to sit on a side table, kitchen counter, or a dresser in their rooms.  As for containers, there are so many choices.  Anything from a 2 litter plastic bottle to a more sophisticated glass vase.

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I would love to teach the young women how to plant their own terrariums, of course coupled with a lesson!

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terrarium by DoodleBirdie

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LESSON

As I read the paragraph below, a number of different analogies came to mind.  Without spoiling your own thoughts...  what gospel centered principles come to your mind when you read this particular version of the story of how the terrarium first began?

"One hot summer day a man walking through an arid field, where all plant life was withered and dry, saw at his feet an unbroken bottle lying on its side.  Inside the bottle was lush green growth. Through wind and rain, soil and seed had drifted into the bottle; and there, protected from the elements, the seed had germinated and grown. The moisture within the bottle condensed each day and fell upon the little plants, and so they grew in their own small hothouse in the parched field."*

SUPPLIES

• 1 or 2 small plants:    Possible plant choices for Open Terrariums -Fittonia, Ivy, Palms, Philodendron, Syngonium, Begonia, Airplant, African Violet, Aluminum Plant, Asparagus Fern, Baby Tears, and Bloodleaf.  And for Closed Terrariums - Fittonia, Palms, Philodendron, Syngonium, Begonia, Bloodleaf, Ficus, and Croton.
• glass jar or plastic container, large enough to hold plants with room for growth
• bag of small rocks or pebbles
• charcoal or fired clay pellets
• sphagnum moss
• potting soil
• wooden skewers or twig, to extend your reach and aid in the planting process
• tiny plastic trinkets, to add interest
• creativity

INSTRUCTIONS

• Put about an inch of pebbles in the bottom of the container for drainage.
• Add a layer of charcoal to keep odors at bay.  Note:  charcoal only works for a couple of years.  If you plan to maintain your terrarium for longer, substitute a layer of fired clay pellets.
• Add a layer of sphagnum moss to keep the potting soil from seeping into the drainage level. (If you pack the drainage level tightly, you can skip the moss.)
• Add an inch or two of potting soil and begin planting.
• Top off the landscape with rocks and plastic trinkets. Spritz with water. Sit back and forget about watering for a while.
• NOTE:  Once established, terrarium plants can go weeks or even months on a spritz or two of water. That's because the water evaporates from the plant, but remains inside the container as condensation moistens the soil.
• Open Terrariums need only occassional watering, water lightly.
• Closed Terrariums watering needed only when fogging on the sides stops or plants starts to wilt

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RESOURCES

Twig:  Moss Terrarium and Other Small Worlds
"The Glass Garden", Ensign, November 1972

Faith is like a Seed.

For Family Home Evening (FHE), a lesson was taught on Faith.  We each planted a paper white bulb (absolutely fool proof).  These were placed in multiple locations throughout our home (kitchen, bathroom counter, on the piano, bedroom dressers, bookshelves...).  They have served as a reminder of our own personal faith in our Savior growing each day.

"Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow."
Children's Song Book #96

This would also be a wonderful activity to support the Young Women Value:  Faith.
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SUPPLIES:

bag of bulbs (approximately $15.00 for 25 bulbs - Sam's Club or Home Depot)

pebbles or soil  (I only used pebbles- no soil)

container for each Young Women (they could even bring their own containers to decorate

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This is all we did:  Filled containers with soil/pebbles no more than one inch from the top.  Placed bulbs, pointed end up, on top of soil/pebbles.  Made sure bulbs were secure.  Filled containers with water so that the base of bulb touched water.  Then we waited.  Watched.  Added sunshine and more water when needed.

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I found that paper whites do not smell all that great, but they sure are pretty.  They also grow quite tall and tip over easily when planted alone (great analogy here!).  We found that the bulbs grow better in clusters. 

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I found this tutorial for forcing paper whites, using empty quart sized paint cans from Home Depot.

What about planting a few to give away as neighbor gifts, visiting teaching, mother's day, the possibilities are endless!

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Taffy Pull

printable recipe here

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I don't know if you remember making homemade taffy while we were growing up. I thought it was one of the coolest things! Buttering our hands up and pulling it together to make a wonderful treat.
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This activity might be a stretch (pun definitely intended)... in supporting the Young Women Value:  FAITH...  but, there are so many good analogies that could be taught during this activity!

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Tonight I am using the Taffy Pull to help the girls understand that "...faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."  James 2:17

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Salt Water Taffy

Visit here or for a great tutorial

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INGREDIENTS

2 cups white sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons butter (plus lots extra to butter hands)
1 teaspoon salt
You choose:
1 Tablespoon extract of choice (vanilla, mint, cherry, etc.)
food coloring
-or-

1 - .21oz (6g) package unsweetened, fruit-flavored drink mix

DIRECTIONS

1.  Butter a cookie sheet, including sides, really well.  Prepare more than one if you are planning on making more than one flavor.  Also prepare a buttered spatula for each flavor.  Have flavors and coloring ready.
2.  In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar and cornstarch.  Next add corn syrup, water, butter and salt.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and stop stirring.  Cover pan boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Uncover, place thermometer in pan and cook to 256 - 266 degrees F. The lower temperature will result in a chewier taffy, the higher a more brittle texture. Be patient and watch it closely.
3.  Remove from heat and carefully stir in your desired flavorings, food coloring or drink mix.  Pour into prepared dish/pan.  Allow to cool enough to handle, just about 15 minutes.
4.  Once the taffy has cooled enough to handle, butter hands and begin "the pull!"  It will start out a bit translucent.  Pull the warm candy with fingertips, pulling out to about 12 inches at first. Quickly turn candy back from fingertips of one hand to the other hand, then catch center and pull again. This will incorporate air into the candy. Continue pulling until taffy is light in color and has a satiny gloss.  It could take about 10-15 minutes.
5.  Pull into long ropes, and cut with buttered scissors.  Wrap pieces of taffy squares of waxed paper and give it a good twist on each end.