Monthly Archives: February 2016

Valentine Surprise

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I wanted to share with you one of my favorite ideas that I found on  Oh Happy Day.  It’s simple, easy and memorable, but I love most how it makes them feel when they open the box… loved! (and it isn’t a sweet treat which is good in this overloaded sugar world we live in). Can you tell it’s week two of my eating  clean and healthy?

Simply fill your favorite balloon(s) with helium (or just blow them up with air) and put inside of a box. Leave on porches, mail them to grandkids and loved ones. Perfect for not only Valentines, but birthdays & special days… Kids will love to play with them for days! Can’t find heart shaped balloons? No worries. Round ones make them feel just as special XOXO.

Have a wonderful Valentines Day. This is a good weekend to look around you and see who may need a lift of friendship with a visit, a phone call or a balloon.

Take care, Brenda

Loving Others… When It Isn’t Pretty

There are times when loving others asks a lot of us. When our own hearts are broken because of the choices of others, it can be difficult to extend our hearts to those who have caused us the pain.

The best description I have found on charity comes from Larry Barkdull…

“All of the gospel learning in the world does not compensate for failure to live without charity. Both Paul and Mormon – two witnesses taught us that without charity we are nothing. Charity is a different kind of love; it is the celestial quality of love — saving love. “Charity is the pure love of Christ,” meaning the type of love that comprises the power of Christ to search out, seek, wait patiently, reinstate and rejoice.”

“True sons and daughter of God test their love against the “even if” list:

I will love you even if you . . . lie.

I will love you even if you . . . steal.

I will love you even if you . . . yell at me.

I will love you even if you . . . abandon your covenants.

I will love you even if you . . . drink, smoke, take drugs.

I will love you even if you . . . commit sexual sin.

I will love you even if you . . . choose an alternative lifestyle.

I will love you even if you . . . leave home and don’t talk with me for years.

I will love you even if you . . . betray me.

I will love you even if you . . . are committed to prison.”

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CLICK HERE to open this file as a pdf.
CLICK HERE to open this file as an image.

“We might ask ourselves where our love ceases for a family member. Where does our love cease for a non-family member? Where, would we suppose, does God’s love cease? One of the exacting prices of becoming like God is to learn to love “even if.”

I love the “even if” list and wanted to put it on a little something beautiful to remind me that while loving other’s may not always be easy or pretty, it is how God loves us. He loves us even if

{I happen to be a big fan of Larry Barkdull’s writing and often refer friends to his blog….}

Happy Valentines!

xoxo April

Awesomely-cheap printable Valentines from MeckMom

I really hate store-bought valentines. They’re overpriced and never come in the right quantities. Plus, they’re ridiculously-generic and lame. If I’m going to spend my night helping my kids create cards for their ’28 closest friends’, I want it to be something they’re excited to pass out at school…something that will make them stand out. At the same time, as a mom of six, I need something cheap and mass-producible. In other words, I skip the stores and make my own.

Every year I add a few new budget-friendly valentines to my shop. This year I have a Princess-lover and several Star Wars fans in the house. My goal was to be able to buy one type of candy in bulk that would work for all of them. The end result…the cutest Laffy Taffy Rope valentines you’ve ever seen. Ok, maybe they’re the only Laffy Taffy Rope valentines you’ve ever seen…but still. Aren’t these adorable?

MeckMom Valentine Crown

Valentine Light Saber 2

Creating them is super-simple. Just grab your favorite instant download from my MeckMom.com shop and then print as many copies as you need on white cardstock. From there, you simply fold on the dotted lines, cut on the solid lines and then attach them to the candy with hot glue. You can whip out dozens of cool valentines in no time.

Want to see for yourself? Watch this quick video tutorial on YouTube.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2h7gPs0vtg[/embedyt]

There are several others in my shop as well. All of my best-sellers from previous years are available for instant download for only $3.95. Here’s a quick pin-able list of some of my favorites for my fellow Pinterest lovers…

MeckMom Valentine Pinterest

Every valentine in my shop is on sale for only $3.95 through this weekend. So click here to visit the Valentine section of my new shop and stock up. Happy Valentines Day everyone!

MeckMom Headshot This guest post was submitted by Maria Eckersley. Maria is a stay-at-home mom of six by day and a sleep-deprived graphic designer by night. You can find more of her ideas and printables on her new site MeckMom.com or in her Etsy shop .

Marriage is Ordained of God: A Free Printable for Your February Visiting Teaching

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There were so many beautiful quotes and scriptures regarding marriage and family in this month’s Visiting Teaching message; perfect for this month of love.  I love the 1995 document, The Family:  A Proclamation to the World, that was referenced in the lesson.  It was read from the pulpit only two short weeks after my first child was born, so it had great meaning to me as a new mother at the time, and that meaning has only deepened over the past two decades.  After I read this month’s message, I drew a simple triangle to represent the following analogy given by Elder Bednar.

“The Lord Jesus Christ is the focal point in a covenant marriage relationship. … [Imagine that] the Savior is positioned at the apex of [a] triangle, with a woman at the base of one corner and a man at the base of the other corner. Now consider what happens in the relationship between the man and the woman as they individually and steadily ‘come unto Christ’ and strive to be ‘perfected in Him’ (Moroni 10:32). Because of and through the Redeemer, the man and the woman come closer together.”

I began to visualize what Elder Bednar was describing, and suddenly this triangle turned into the safe roof of a home, which serves as a constant protection for the family from the storms of everyday life, but only if we allow Christ to remain at the apex of the rooftop’s triangle.  Marriage and family are both part of Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness for us.  As we teach our sisters this important message, the spirit can only bear witness of it’s truthfulness, and they will become stronger believers and defenders of the family proclamation.

Warm Hugs,

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Click below for the free JPEG printables:

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cookie tags

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Full Page Print

Click here for PDF of cookie tags

Click here for PDF of full page print

For cookie tags:  After printing out; roughly hand cut around the house shape leaving a 1/4″ border of white.  Tie onto a baker’s box of boy and girl gingerbread cookies or a plate of heart shaped sugar cookies.

 

AimeeFerre profile
This guest post was submitted by Aimee Ferre. She grew up in the desert of East Mesa in Arizona, but married a mountain loving Utah boy. She currently lives in Sandy, Utah and is a mom to 3 daughters. She owns a small crafting business where she creates holiday decor and specializes in hand lettering. You can always find her creating new projects or planning gatherings for friends and family. Follow her on Instagram to see what is currently on her desk or find her at aimeeferre.com.

25 Things I Love FREE DOWNLOAD

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We are counting down to the day of love and made this sweet download  that you can make for everyone on your list. Simply print out,  cardstock or a whole sheet of sticker paper works well. Write in the blank circles, the reasons why you love your special someone, cut out all of the circles inside the line, or punch out with a 3/4″ circle punch (easiest). Glue onto bottom of kiss and fill your jar up. A pint jar will hold a little over 50+ kisses (The bag contains more, but who can complain about chocolate leftovers?) Fill your jar and place the cut out label between the lid and the ring, adding a doily of you wish… the perfect treat activity for everyone in the family, grandparents, friends, neighbors, church groups, teachers and co-workers. Share the love!

Happy Weekend! Brenda