Kristina {revisited}

I was working on my Christmas cards when I checked out my favorite crafting blog. Another challenge!! Hooray! I love this lady!! :) I love the colors, so the Christmas cards went on the back burner, Numb3rs went unwatched (for a few minutes) and I played.

Here are the supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up Boho Backgrounds
Paper: Sage Shadow, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Whisper White
Ink: Sage Shadow, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Scallop Punch, Pumpkin Pie Striped Ribbon. Paper Piercer

Standing as a Witness

With the past two weeks I have been reminded how fragile life is. What do I want my family, my daughter and my friends to remember about me if something should happen. I am saddened by the way so many people are pulling away from the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our ward Relief Society, my church women's group, has been challenged to write down our testimony of Jesus Christ. I thought I would share what I wrote. I wanted to STAND and STATE what I KNOW!

I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, the Son of God, my King, my friend and my brother. I know He lives. He died and on the third day He was resurrected. Because He was resurrected, I can be also. I look forward to the day when I can bend on my knees before Him and with tears of joy, reverence and love; I can express my gratitude for His love, His sacrifice and His perfect example.

I am so grateful for His Atonement, he overcame death through His resurrection and created a way for me to be forgiven of my sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. I am grateful for His willingness to take upon Him all of my sins, mistakes, pains, and heartaches. He is the one I can turn to when I feel alone, sad, scared or happy. It is such a miracle to me that He willingly took my sins and died for me. When I think of His Atonement I am in awe at His great love for me and all of Heavenly Father’s children. Thinking about His love helps me focus on how I should act and how I should treat others. It also brings my heart back where it should be. Because He took upon Him my sins, if I repent and follow His teachings I can live with my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, my family and my friends.

I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father appeared to Joseph Smith and ushered in this the last Dispensation of Time. I am so grateful for the knowledge revealed to Joseph. I know that he restored the Gospel to the earth through the Holy Ghost. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know that it testifies of Christ and His gospel. No better source of Christ’s teachings can be found anywhere else. I love reading in 3 Nephi when the Savior visits the Nephites and Lamanites. I especially love the passage where He blesses the children. I feel His love for the people and for me. I am grateful for the blessings the Gospel brings to my life and to my family.

What a blessing to have a friend and elder brother like Jesus. He knows me better than I do. He knows my potential and the intents of my heart. He will be my advocate with my Father. I know He loves me. I love Him and will be eternally grateful for His sacrifice and love.

Gratitude

It's been a bumpy couple of weeks for me. Now that life is calming down a bit, I've been thinking about some of the experiences I've had. Saturday morning I attended a funeral for a friend of mine. We've known each other for a rather short time, but she taught me to smile even when life is hard. At her funeral, one of her dear friends mentioned how important it is to let our friends know we love them. I was sitting by a dear friend who has touched my heart many times. She leaned over and told me that she loved me. I can't express how peaceful those three words were to me. I know that I am loved. The power behind that statement is awe-inspiring. Life is too short to forget to let our friends and family members not hear those three little words. So in honor of my friend, I want you to know that I love you! Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for lifting me up when I was down. Thank you for a shoulder to cry on. Thank you for making me laugh and see joy in life.

It is my prayer that we don't forget to let those we love hear those three words from us. :)

A Backyard Visitor

The past couple of weeks, I've been noticing a visitor in the field behind our home. I finally caught a picture of it. It's a Blue Heron, I think. We've seen him in previous years over by the waterway near our home. I have enjoyed watching him walk around the field and then gracefully flying away.

Carving Pumpkins

October brings so many wonderful surprises for Ms. A. She loves collecting all the beautiful leaves and going for walks in the crisp autumn air. She is also very curious about the changing world around her. She'll ask why do leaves change colors or why do they fall off the tree every time we go for a walk. She loves her leaves! :)

Another popular question revolves around pumpkins. I thought it would be fun to take her to a pumpkin patch this year. We opted for the Corn Maze at Lakeview Farms, it was fun, but we left too late to enjoy the pumpkin patch. Instead we picked out our pumpkins at WinCo, which Ms A enjoyed. All week long in-between conversations about leaves, she has been pointing out the pumpkins on people's doorsteps. She also, very proudly, points out our pumpkins to all visitors at our home.

Much to Ms. A's joy, last night we carved the pumpkins. Ms. A liked the carving part, but wasn't too excited about the slippery insides. Ms. A helped daddy carve his pumpkin, then she came over to draw her pumpkin face. She made sure that the pumpkin wasn't scary! Daddy's was. :) It was a fun night. We also put up some decorations.

At the end of the evening, Reed made the comment that Halloween is a man holiday. Men like to scary aspects of the holiday and the candy! How True! :)

Ms. A's Bicycle Accident

Ms. A and I went for a little ride today. She's still new to the bicycle world, but she's getting pretty good at riding. As we were walking, we were talking about bike safety, why we wear helmets, steering, watching where we are going, etc. As we were returning, there was a bump in the sidewalk, instead of pedaling, she stopped mid-bump, lost her balance and she and the bike tipped over. Luckily, she just scrapped her thumb and her pride. She was so brave and climbed back on her bike to finish her ride. the rest of the way home we talked about helmet safety and how her helmet protected her head.

It was perfect timing for a teaching moment. I felt bad that she was hurt, but relieved that she recovered and got right back on her bike.