Youth Sunday School Lesson: Treasure Your Family

How can I explain the importance of marriage and family/family history to others?


This past Sunday I taught our Youth Sunday School class.  I wanted to do a review of sorts for the topic of the month of August.  I loved talking to the youth about their families and what they are looking for in their own future families!  Eternal marriages lead to eternal families so I wanted them to make sure to recognize that!  So we talked about how they can prepare now for the marriage and family they want later.  Which is perfect because they are all 15 turning 16 so dating is in full swing.





We talked about families, our siblings and parents, and how we can make our families stronger now.  We also talked about family history and the temple.  I loved talking about the Spirit of Elijah with the class!





I'm not the best example of doing my own family history, but I love my ancestors and I'm so grateful for what they did for me.  And I'm hoping to get better at family history! It's our job to make sure we do something for them! :)





We talked about how we can research family history and do their work, and also what we could set aside now to do work that will last-not just on earth but in heaven too!





For the handout I could not get this quote from Elder Andersen out of my head, "Families are the treasure of heaven."  So treasure theme it was!  I filled little treasure boxes I found a template for on Pinterest with gold candy, jewels and gold coins.  To make the coins even cuter I topped them with little sayings or quotes to remind them how important their family from the past, now and later in life really are!  I also made a little worksheet for them to write how they can treasure their own families.





I found the gold coins at Winco and the jewels in a big bag at Hobby Lobby, I found a few options online if you wanted to check them out below!


Here are the FREE printables for this lesson: 


Family Coins


How Can I Treasure My Family Worksheet


Online options:


Treasure chests How cute are these?! You could fill them with a few coins and leave them open or fill with any small candies!


Plastic Gold Coins


If you love Disney as much as I do, be sure to check out my last post.  I'm hosting a giveaway with some amazing Etsy shops!  Go HERE to read all the details on how to enter and to see all the fun things the winner will receive!





This post may contain affiliate links, all opinions are my own.

Beauty and the Beast Giveaway *CLOSED*

*Giveaway Closed!  Congrats to the winner Sarah Osborne!  
Check back for more giveaways coming up very soon!*

I am so excited to finally share the giveaway I've been planning for a few months now.  I've collaborated with a few Etsy shops and my favorite violinist to bring you a fun Beauty and the Beast themed giveaway!



The winner will receive all of these products to make up the most magical, Beauty and the Beast filled day or night!  This giveaway is packed with all the things that make that memorable tale what it is, lots of reading, roses and princesses!  To make this giveaway even sweeter one of the sweet Etsy sellers arranged a coupon code for all of you for the duration of this giveaway!  Cute Molly of Avonlea Treasures is offering 20% off your entire purchase on her Etsy shop, simply enter taleasoldastime at checkout and stock up on all of her adorable prints!

Go ahead and browse through each of their incredible shops, each of these sellers have incredibly beautiful and worthwhile gift ideas for yourself or others.

Here's what the winner will receive:

Belle Watercolor print from LaDecorColor Watercolor.-I'm already trying to find a way to incorporate their work in baby girl's nursery. Find them at their LaDecorColor Watercolor Etsy shop and their other Etsy shop LaDecorEU where they put their incredible designs on mugs, mouse pads and pillows!  Any of their products would be such a fun gift!

The Enchanted Rose Soy Candle from Firefly Candle Company.-Jennifer was inspired to create this candle from the iconic rose in Beauty and the Beast.  She has loads of other movie and book inspired, all natural soy wax candles that are sure to transport you to your favorite scene.  She also threw in a few samples of her candle Be Our Guest which smells absolutely heavenly!  Be sure to check out her Etsy Shop, Amazon store and her other social media accounts:  Instagram and Facebook Page.  I already have a list of her candles on my to buy soon list!

Belle Bookmark from Avonlea Treasures.-Molly has such a talent for creating beautiful bookmarks and illustrated quotes.  Her talent is something I could only dream of having!  I could hang any of her quotes on my wall in a heart beat!  Stay up to date with all of her beautiful and unique artwork found at her Etsy Shop and on her Instagram.  Remember to use the coupon code taleasoldastime to get 20% off your entire purchase for the duration of this giveaway in her Etsy shop!

Beauty and the Beast Bath Bomb from Heidi Handmade Designs.-Heidi makes the prettiest bath bombs, each are made to order and loaded with great ingredients.  I'm a huge fan of bath bombs so this definitely caught my attention, not to mention her bath bombs are way cheaper than LUSH.  So if you order from her you can get even more! ;) She also sales adorable custom glassware.  Check out her fun products on her Etsy shop and on Instagram.

Wish Upon a Star CD from Jenny Oaks Baker.-I use to work at Seagull Book for many years and there are a few artists that hold a special place in my heart.  Jenny is one of them.  She is an incredible violinist!  I haven't heard a song from her that I didn't like.  This CD is obviously one of my favorites because it is packed with her talent and lots of Disney magic.  I wanted so badly to include it in this giveaway and was thrilled when she said she'd give a signed CD! Even though this CD is my favorite of hers she has tons of other beautiful work and CD's, be sure to check her out at her following accounts:  website, YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  You can also find this CD on Amazon HERE!

Just for fun I wanted to throw in a few gifts from me! Beauty and the Beast Animation DVD and the Live Action Beauty and the Beast DVD are a must when it comes to a Beauty and the Beast Giveaway!  The release of the live action movie was the kick start of this giveaway after all.  The original was always one of my favorites growing up.  And because Belle is such a book lover-like myself-I thought I'd give a new book too.  Lost In A Book by Jennifer Donnelly is all about Belle in the Beast's library and the adventure she goes on when she gets lost in a book.

I'm already so jealous of the winner!  Each of these contributors were so generous and lovely to work with.  Spread the love and take a look at their amazing accounts, shops, and products-trust me you wont be disappointed! 

Here's how to enter:

Comment below with a book recommendation, a product you found from one of these shops that you can't wait to try, or your favorite Disney princess.  Obviously mine is Belle!  In your comment make sure to include your email address so I can notify you if you're the lucky winner!

For more entries head to my Instagram account.

Giveaway ends September 1, 2017 at 8 PM MST.

Good Luck!!

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Sabbath Day Sundaes

Offer Up Thy Sacraments upon My Holy Day

A few years ago I was one of the Relief Society instructors in my singles ward.  I honestly loved that calling!  I was able to connect with the women in my ward in a way that let me get to know them, and especially their testimonies too!  I've been keeping all my lesson outlines incase if one day I become a RS instructor again, but thought I might as well put them all up on my little old blog! 

Like I said this was a few years ago so even though this specific lesson from a previous Teachings of the Presidents of the Church manual might not exactly line up with your lesson now, I still hope it can be a source of inspiration and maybe spark an idea for you while your planning your own.  For reference I was teaching out of Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  George Albert Smith.  So let's get into it, I hope you find Relief Society as fun as I do!  And expect a few more Relief Society Lesson ideas and helps.

We live in perilous times prophesied by the Apostle Paul.  Those who try to walk the straight and narrow path see inviting detours on every hand.  We can be distracted, degraded, downhearted, or depressed.  How can we have the Spirit of the Lord to guide our choices and keep us on the path?  In modern revelation the Lord gave the answer in this commandment: 'And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day. -Elder Dallin H. Oaks

The Sabbath is designed to direct our thought away from the world and to focus on the Lord instead.  In the beginning, God consecrated the seventh day to represent God's day of rest after He created the world.  After Christ's resurrection, the first day of the week was honored as the Sabbath to commemorate His resurrection and symbolize that it is the Savior who truly gives us rest.

God's commandment that we keep the Sabbath day holy is not a burden but a blessing.

Just think about how the world would change if everyone kept the Sabbath a day of worship.  There's no way of knowing the beneficial change that might come if that happened.  The world would have us think Sunday as Sunday Funday, as if it could be the one day we could completely go against the commandments of God. 

Now is the time to ask ourselves:  Is the Sabbath a holy day or a holiday?  Shall I worship the Lord or worship pleasures and recreation?-Charles Didier

In our class we discussed how society in general would benefit if more people honored the Sabbath day.  We also talked about some appropriate ways to help our families and others see Sabbath-day observance as a blessing rather than a burden.  We need to be prepared to teach our own families to keep this day sacred and special when the time comes.

Sometimes I wonder what activities are appropriate for the Sabbath day and I ask a few questions to see if it will make it a holy day or a holiday.  On the board I made a bigger version of this Sabbath Sundae with questions we could ask ourselves if we are wondering about activities. 

1.  Will it draw me closer to God?

2.  Does it show respect for the Savior?

3.  Does it show love for the Savior?

4.  Will it inspire me?

5.  Will it direct my thought to the Lord?

Once I went over these I gave each person a worksheet so they could make their own perfect Sabbath Sundae with activities they would enjoy doing, but they had to go through these questions before writing it down.  I shared some of the things on my own list and a few ideas from a list I found online of 110 things to do on the Sabbath.  I also had a few items on display to  help them think of things like a little temple to represent a visit to the temple grounds, crochet, read church magazines, make or play church file folder games.  I then asked the class to share what they put on their own Sundaes.

Attending church is an important part of keeping the Sabbath day holy.

We learn and gain so much when we come together as a ward and share our thoughts, feelings and testimonies.  We especially go to partake of the sacrament and say spoken and unspoken prayers.

It is a sacred privilege to partake of the sacrament on the Sabbath day. 

We have to recognize how important the sacrament really is and what a privilege it is by learning about it.  On the back of their Sabbath Sundae worksheet I put a summary of a talk by John Bytheway where he talked about some of the symbolism of the sacrament.  Hopefully before the next sacrament meeting they can read all of these and make the ordinance of the sacrament a more meaningful part of their lives. We then discussed how we can make the sacrament a more meaningful part of our lives.

With so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent reflective moment.  It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions.  As such it should not be rushed.  It is not something to "get over" so that the real purpose of a sacrament meeting can be pursued.  This is the real purpose of the meeting.  And everything that is said or sung or prayed in those services should be consistent with the grandeur of this sacred ordinance.-Elder Holland

Worthily partaking of the Sacrament renews our spiritual strength.

It's so important to worthily partake of the sacrament.  We discussed how worthily partaking of the sacrament increases our spiritual strength.  The Sabbath day is an opportunity to show the Lord that we put Him first in our lives. 

"How can we have the Spirit of the Lord to guide our choices so that we will remain 'unspotted from the world' and on the safe path through mortality?  We need to qualify for the cleansing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  We do this by keeping His commandment to come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and in that wonderful meeting partake of the emblems of the sacrament and make the covenants that qualify us for the precious promise that we will always have His spirit to be with us."-Elder Oaks

I ended the lesson by giving them each a mini Sabbath Sundae complete with a little cherry on top!  These are super easy to make too!  I got some cute decorated mini muffin liners at Gygi's here in Utah (find a similar version online HERE) and some little ice cream spoons (online option HERE).  I had my dad drill a hole into all the spoons and tied a little quote to the spoon.  It was so fun to see all of these on little cupcake stands waiting for the girls to grab them!  I filled them with a small handful of assorted Sweet's taffy, used a little bit of plastic wrap to help mold them into a ball and then cut a toothpick and put one end in a cherry sour for the cherry on top and the other end in the middle of the taffy.  It was seriously one of my favorite handouts! 

 

You can find the FREE printable for the Here's the Scoop! tags, and all the Sabbath Sundae worksheets HERE!

Helpful Resources:

Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  George Albert Smith

Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament By Dallin H. Oaks

This Do in Remembrance of Me By Jeffrey R. Holland

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.



Loaded Nachos and a Bonus Snack

I wanted to do a quick post today to share some great new products I tried thanks to My Sharing Network! They sent me a free sample of Tostitos Splash of Lime Salsa and their Simply Organic Tostitios Scoops!  

We love nachos and knew we had to make some loaded nachos to go with these new, free finds!  

So here's what we did!  Layer chips with lots of fresh cheddar cheese.  Add refried beans, rotisserie chicken, jalapeños, diced avocados, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa.  Layer the ingredients to make the nachos last even longer and broil them in the oven for a few minutes.  Seriously this is one of my favorite snacks and can be even a quick meal!  Thanks for the free sample My Sharing Network!

I also recently received some new VEA snacks for free.  I love that they have globally inspired flavors and are called 'World Crisps'.  Unfortunately I wasn't the biggest fan of the Tuscan Herb, but give them a try and see what you think of them yourself.  

Youth Sunday School Lesson: Keeping a Record

How will keeping a personal journal bless me and my family?


I love journals, even if I'm not the greatest at keeping one myself, I love the idea of them and reflecting on and remembering your life and the little events that its made up of for years to come.  And this lesson made me love journal keeping even more!





We talked about how we can Make the Most of our memories and write them down!  I shared a story about looking back at my own personal journals and journals my ancestors left my family and I have learned so much from past experiences both my own and theirs.  It has made me grow closer to those family members I didn't know in this life, but now feel like I know personally.  Moses 6:45-46 was the perfect addition to this topic.


I found the cutest journals at Walmart for just 50 cents!  I attached a little paper to cover the front with washi tape incase if they already had a journal they could remove it and use it for the new school year.  The quote will hopefully remind them of this lesson and help them think of how the Lord has blessed their life each day.








I also gave a pen to each person so they would have no excuses to start writing!  It's a perfect time to stock up and find good deals on all these things while back to school sales are in full swing.  I found the pens also at Walmart, but you can really find great sales anywhere.





We read Alma 37:8-9 and Moses 6:5 and shared lots of quotes I found while studying for this lesson.  I'll post the quote page printable below if you're interested.  We also discussed President Eyring's talk O Remember, Remember and watched this short video.


I love that when we keep a journal we can reflect, recognize and then remember the hand of God in our own lives.





I also gave each person a little bag of some M&M cookies.  If I had a little bit more time I would have made them from scratch, but I needed a quick treat so store bought worked just fine!  My sweet mom let me use some things from her party and handout stock pile, but you can find almost the same brown bags from Amazon HERE (crazy affordable and you get a bunch too) and the mini white clothes pins from Amazon HERE!





Even though at first I struggled with finding new material for this lesson I think it turned out just splendidly, and I hope it does for your class too!  Let's make your lesson easy and print out the free printables below!


Make the Most of your memories! Journal Tag


Make the Most of your memories! Treat Tag


Quote Page


This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Gender Reveal Ice Cream Social

We had a little gender reveal ice cream social to celebrate our little babe!  And oh baby it had some adorable little details.  And a little secret-they were all SUPER inexpensive too! So anyone could throw an ice cream social really.

I got a foam poster board from Dollar Tree and made this little "What's the scoop?" sign to tally guesses from the guests.

I found a simple ice cream clipart and traced scoops on a variety of pink and blue papers.

I found these cute little ice cream pens in the dollar bins at Michael's.  I also found the dot garlands, dot wrapping paper and little pom-poms there too-talk about a score!

I loved watching everyone make their guesses, especially these two cuties!  Can you even handle little Adam and his little shorts and Batman shoes!?!

We had lots of toppings so everyone could create their own special mix.  The toppings included:  mini marshmallows, coconut, mini Reese's, Snicker bites, Butterfinger bits, Twix pieces, baby gummy bears (these were a HIT!), banana slices, rainbow sprinkles, milk chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, chopped walnuts and cherries.  We also had an assortment of cookies and cones.  We had classic flavors of ice cream and different sauces.

The sauce flavors we had:  hot fudge, caramel, strawberry, marshmallow and butterscotch. I'm totally in love with the sauce container, thanks to About a Mom, I'll link it and all the items I can find online below.  I loved the ceramic colored cones I found at Michael's for a steal and the smaller tan ceramic cones I found in the dollar bins at Target.

I love the look of overlapping garlands!  I added a couple cute felt ones to an ice cream cone garland I whipped together real quick!

I think it's safe to say everyone enjoyed the variety of toppings!

I loved having all of my family there and Dallin's parents, we are so grateful for their support!  And these cute little faces made the party even better!

Can you believe there were only 4 people that thought little babe would be a girl?  I was so convinced it would be a boy!

Then for the big reveal!

We found these poppers at Zurchers that were so fun to surprise all of my siblings and our parents with.  They were just hard to twist!

Watch my moms reaction!  Isn't she the cutest!  She also thought it would be a boy and was totally surprised when we found out it was a...

GIRL!

Little babe is a little MISS!! We couldn't be happier!

Well everyone except Adam that is.  He really wanted a boy cousin.  After he started bawling he immediately wanted to start cleaning up all the pink confetti!

As if we didn't have enough ice cream we had an ice cream cake to finish off the night!

Dallin and I live super close to my grandma so we dropped by to tell her the big news!  She also voted boy, but switched to girl right before we told her!

Emma had to get a picture alone with grandma too! haha

As a favor we packed these ice cream cones with our favorite Sweet's taffy!

Adam was pretty excited once he was able to have his own BLUE ice cream cone!

We had so much fun with Dallin's parents and my family.  We are so excited to have our little baby GIRL join us in December.  And throw all the fun parties for her! :)

I just had to mention these baby gummy bears!  They were SO delicious and such a fun find on Amazon!

Look how mini!! I'll give the direct link where you can purchase them below!

Here's where I found all the fun things, with direct links if online:

ice cream garland-made by me

felt dot garlands-Michael's

chalkboard signs-Target Dollar Bins

ice cream pens-Michael's

all toppings, cookies and cones (EXCEPT gummy bears)-Walmart

mini gummy bears-Amazon

colored ceramic cones-Michael's

small tan ceramic cones-Target Dollar Bins

Pom-poms, polka dot wrapping paper, matching ice cream containers, ice cream straws-Michael's

Galvanized Picnic Caddy, perfect fit for the sauces-Amazon

silver trays-Dollar Tree

cupcake stand, used for cones-Target Dollar Bins

gender reveal poppers-Zurchers

ice cream cake-Baskin Robbins

plastic ice cream cones for favors-Dollar Tree

taffy-Sweet's factory

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are-as always my own! :)