How Does Faith Work?

Dedicated to my little Merry and her sisters: Holly, Callie, Hillary, and Brittany, and to my son and husband, and all my loved ones, and to any other person needing a special blessing.

Valentine's Cards Made by You!

Want to be a little different making your own Valentine’s cards, but don’t want to start from scratch? Here are some easy-to-do Valentines that will have that home-made flavor. They’re easy enough to be what I call a “movie project,”—something I can do while watching a video.

Print everything out, get your scissors and glue, and pop in that movie!  . . . Great for school students.

 Or color your own pictures, or even draw your own designs.

Weekly Goal Chart

With the coming of the new year we are all thinking about resolutions and goals.

Here's a weekly goal chart to help you keep those goals visible and remembered.

When you set a goal and commit yourself to the
necessary self-discipline to reach that goal, you will eliminate
most of the problems in your life. Spend your energies doing
those things that will make a difference.
~M. Russell Ballard

There are three different sizes 8x10, 5x7 and 4x6 in a style for girls and boys.

Print the chart from your computer or send it out to a photo printer, then you can choose to

 frame or laminate them.

Use a dry erase marker to write your goal in the open space, then mark it off each day below when you have succeeded in completing your goal that day.

8x10

8x10

5x7

5x7

4x6

4x6

Snowflakes Made Easy!

Don’t you just love snowflakes and the beautiful patterns and shapes they have? Just like people, no two are exactly alike. While it’s always fun to cut out paper snowflakes, sometimes time gets in our way. 

Here are some “Easy-Peazy Snowflakes” to use at home or in school that have simple borders to cut around. They can be taped to a window, or used in classroom or church settings as pick-and-choose items.

Write a question, song, or clue on the back of each snowflake, as needed, and allow children to choose a snowflake.

          Print the snowflakes onto white paper, or onto printed and colored papers.

Chocolate Fondue or Hot Fudge . . . Mmmmmmm

This is a quick, easy recipe with four ingredients . . .  Great for the family on a chilly winter's evening!

Chocolate Fondue or Hot Fudge

Ingredients:

½ C Butter (1 stick)

1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 pkg. (8 or 10 oz.) Chocolate Chips

1 tsp. Vanilla

                                                                       

Directions:

In a saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Add Sweetened Condensed Milk and Chocolate Chips and stir on low heat until melted. Add Vanilla and serve over ice cream as a hot fudge topping, or put in a warming pot and serve as chocolate fondue with cut up fruits, cake, and marshmallows.

Winter Coloring Book Page

Happy Snow Family

Depending on the light, snow does not always look white. Can you shade or use more colors than I did?

Dress the Snowman!

Copy and paste in color, or in black and white, to color.

Help for the Winter Blahs

How to Beat the Winter Doldrums

by Marie Scott, January 2014

Photo by Merry Haymond

Here is my list of things that help. Maybe they'll help you too.

1.               Light a fragrant candle near you. Be conscious of searching for any light in the day.

2.               Check out books on tape from the Library and listen to them while you       work.

3.               Listen to peaceful, comforting, and cheerful music.

4.               Clean the house and feel the uplift.

5.               Pray and study the scriptures.

6.               Watch uplifting Bible videos on the Internet Mormon Channel. (Or listen t the uplifting discussions and messages also found there.)

7.               Go out to lunch with a friend (or friends).

8.                Take a walk or exercise. Search for any signs of natural winter beauty and   take pictures.

9.                 Eat healthy and take a nap with the children or a good book  J.

10.             Do some service or a good deed for someone in need. Try to interact with people.

11.            Count your blessings; you will find there are many.

12.            Do something creative. Creativity is a trusted antidote for depression.

13.            Clean up and SMILE!

NOTES:

Ø It can be hard to do many of the above things when you don’t feel well, so do your best if you are ill.

Ø If your children are driving you crazy, pull yourself together long enough to give each of them a love and a few minutes of undivided attention. Then set them onto some fun little project and feel the contentment in the room for a few minutes.

Ø Plan ahead and be prepared with small projects for children that require only initial help, or a minimum of help.

Ø It’s okay to tell children to spend some time being quiet. Always focus on explaining and “teaching” children about life and situations. Peace needs to be taught, and it can’t be modeled by “losing it.” (As the mother of six, I know.)

Ø Look up and read the article, “Do Not Despair,” in the November 1974 Ensign by President Ezra Taft Benson.

Ø Go to the free lessons in expressive drawing on the website:  profusionart.blogspot.com. Start at the first or second old post and enjoy a little time doing some expressive artwork.

Ø Or, go to the website:  zentangle.com, or zentaglepatterns.com and get hooked on the expressive art of “tangling.”

Don’t sit and endure the doldrums. Fight back! You have only one life---salvage it!

Winter Magic

Everybody Loves a Baby!

Here are some DIY baby shower money cards for those days when you don't want to fight with those registry lists.

Make your own envelope by tracing this pattern onto some pretty paper, or even plain paper, and fold it up, gluing in the appropriate places for an envelope.  Use a sticker to close the back, or be especially classy and tie a ribbon around the envelope.

Jesus Christ: our Exemplar

 January 2014 Visiting Teaching

Calendar--Setting Goals

Setting Goals -- FHE

                   Setting Goals  — Family Home Evening

Using the Scriptures as Your Guide

  by Marie Scott

January 2014

One of the things we have come to earth to learn is how to be PROBLEM SOLVERS, and goal setting is a tool we can use to solve problems.

Jason

Jason didn’t get up in the morning the first time his mom called him, so he started the day late getting ready for school. He went to put on his clothes, but had no clean shirts in his drawer, so he went downstairs to the laundry room to see if he had, by chance, put anything in his basket to be washed by his mom. While he was down there he got sidetracked by the collection of small toys and coins he found sitting on top of the washer. Before he knew it, his mom was calling him again. He got his shirt on and hurried to find his missing shoe, but his mother scolded him to come and eat, so he went to eat breakfast. He didn’t eat much because he got carried away reading the side of the cereal box, then had to hurry and find his shoe. He was still late getting out the door because his mother made him go brush his teeth, and comb his hair while he was trying to collect his homework. He knew he’d be in trouble with the teacher again today because he’d been too interested in playing his tech-games to finish his homework, even though his dad had asked if he needed help last night. Jason dreaded the day . . . again.

            What are Jason’s problems?

What goals could Jason set to help him solve his problems?

Here are three questions we’ll address to unlock the magic of goal setting:

1)     Why should I set goals?

2)   What goals should I set?  

3)   How do I set goals?

Why Should I Set Goals?

            Setting goals gives our lives direction and motivation to make needed changes. Setting and reaching goals gives us a way to measure personal success. Setting goals gives us more control over our lives so we can manage our time better and accomplish more. Setting goals frees us from our vices and ineffectiveness.

            If we fail to set goals or solve problems, then we drift through life, being pushed and pulled by outside forces, like Jason.

What Goals Should I Set?

            Our first challenge in goal setting, or problem solving, is to define what our problems are. For instance, we might say that Jason’s problem is that he got up late. But that is only one of Jason’s problems, and if he’d been better organized, he could have overcome that problem. Jason also has problems organizing his belongings, prioritizing his activities, and getting sidetracked. He doesn’t manage his time well, he doesn’t understand cause and effect, and he isn’t self- motivated to get things done.  Poor Jason is not alone in his problems, and his problems are not all his fault.

            Have your family brainstorm ways parents, siblings, and teachers could help Jason both learn about his problems, and deal with his problems.

              

In choosing goals, ask yourself three questions:

1)      What do you want to become or where do you want to go with your life?

2)      What steps must you take to get there?

3)       And what tools do you need to reach your goal?

Some other guidelines for setting goals include setting long-range, mid-range, and short-range goals, and in thinking about these four areas of your life:

1)      Physical—eating, sleeping, and exercising

2)      Social/Emotional—creating and maintaining family and other relationships

3)      Mental—getting a good education and continually learning

4)      Spiritual—learning and growing in the gospel and in your relationship with the Lord

How do I Set Goals?

You create a plan, just as our Father in Heaven creates plans. Your goals should be specific, realistic and not impossible. You should have a way to track your progress, and you should set a time limit for reaching your goal.

 Planning is one of our best tools.

Using the scriptures as our guide:  

·         First of all, we know perfection is our ultimate goal.  (3 Nephi 12:48)

·         Then we know that we should be anxiously engaged in a good cause.  (D&C 58:27)

·         We should not be idle, nor should we run faster than we have strength.  (D&C 42:42, D&C 10:4)

·         We should put first things first, and not try to do too much at once. (D&C 19:22-23)

·         And above all, we should remember that out of small things proceedeth that which is great. (D&C 64:33) And that it’s by small and simple things that great things are brought to pass.  (Alma 37:6)

            A good key to setting goals is to follow the above scriptures and break large tasks into small, doable pieces.

            Think of this: Our Father in Heaven has created an entire universe, incomprehensible to us, by putting together tiny particles of matter to build everything He creates. How long must that have taken? And how patient is God? We know God’s long-range goal is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. He has broken that goal into mid-range and short-range goals of time and task that have eventually brought Him to the point of having worlds without end.

            We have one more great tool in our goal setting process, and that is the tool of prayer. We can ask for guidance from the Holy ghost so our goals will be in accordance with the will of our Father, and in accordance with each of our special plans.  Because  “. . . by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”  (Moroni 10:5)

           

Prayer is another of our best tools.

In all of this goal setting, “. . . cheer up your hearts and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves.”  (2 Nephi 10:23)

Let each family member choose his or her own goals. Make goal setting a positive experience, because choosing to progress is a happy choice for all of us.

           

As part of the Family Home Evening, pass out “planning calendars” and set some family goals to model the goal setting process.