January-April Highlights

I've been slacking on my monthly highlights so I thought I'd do a little catch up.  Life is too fun to not be documented and remembered. 

January

In January I made my first visiting teaching handout and calendar.  It has been so fun, and honestly frustrating sometimes, to come up with these every month. My family and I had a little happy dance over the fact that cute Sheena from Little LDS Ideas shared it on her Facebook page.  Her blog is jam packed with adorable and super useful ideas for any calling you might have!

Dallin and I have been on a mission to find the best chocolate chip cookie and I think we might be getting pretty close!

More Peanut Butter Balls are always in the works.  You can find the recipe HERE!

January I also started our new Instagram account for all our "Strong Finds"!  You can find it HERE if you're interested.  We share all our favorite eats, treats, and places we love to go!

February

February started with all new visiting teaching handouts and they were pretty adorable! 

Dallin made bread from scratch for the first time!  It was great!  I love how he's always up to try new things, and pose for my pictures! :)

We had a movie night with all the fun treats we could think of and watched Trolls!  I couldn't believe how good it actually was, I really enjoyed it!  These cupcakes looked great for about 5 minutes then they all looked like the cupcake on the top left. Droopy hair but still delicious!

These kids are seriously the cutest!  I loved how they were singing and quoting the movie the whole time.

For our special Valentine's Day meal we went to Tiburon in Sandy, it was so fancy and so delicious! Try the crab cakes they were divine!

We also tried our hand at homemade pizzas!  We are loving those delicious yellow peppers so we make sure to throw loads on there every time!

March

March brought some more new visiting teaching handouts and some other cute things to this little blog!

We celebrated Dallin's birthday with the day off, Pirate O's treats in the park and dinner at La Caille. 

And some escargot!

We loved the special touches they had and their birthday treat for Dallin!

Their grounds are breathtaking!  If you haven't been-GO!

We made some donuts for a blog post I had in the works and for some special visitors we had for the day!

We loved having Robyn, Andrew and Mindy see our new home. And playing their fun game that had us all laughing till our heads hurt!

This was the post I had in the works!  It turned out pretty adorable, if I do say so myself.

We've gotten pretty good at crème brulee.

We tried our hand at some meringue tarts, that turned out totally delicious!

And some new slider recipes Dallin found!  The top crust on this one is SO good!

April

With April came General Conference which we totally loved.  Luckily my parents bought some Waffle Love dough balls so we could enjoy them at home!

I made some Peanut Butter Blossoms, these things are addicting and so easy!  I'm hoping to share the recipe soon.

Dallin and I had a fun date night of Gourmandise for dinner and checking out the cherry blossoms up at the capitol.

Dallin always the adorable model!

And even more visiting teaching ideas!

We finally found time to go to Lucky 13 with my little brother.  That boy is busy I tell you, we've been trying to find a date that works for almost a year and a half.  Their celestial burger and fries are what dreams are made of people!

I also made some Coconut Nutella cupcakes for our new Sunday School class we get to teach!

And made one of my favorite handouts/personal progress motivators to date!  Can't get much cuter then this bunny garland!

We celebrated Easter by heading to church and finding our baskets in the afternoon.  Dallin got me good by hiding mine in the little compartment under the stove, it honestly took me hours to find.

Before Dallin headed out on a work trip we went to a Fine Chocolate Tasting Class at Caputo's.  It was so fun, but a tad bit long.

That same week, Dallin got home from his short work trip and we went to Heber Valley Railroad to ride their Chocolate Lovers train!  We had so much fun, just wish there was more chocolate!

These pictures don't do the views justice!  It was beautiful up there!

We ended April by chopping down our almost orchard like trees in our backyard which was quite the ordeal and some great lessons in our Sunday School Class.  You can find the Easter lesson HERE!

And another favorite handout with an adorable fishing pole for the Truth and Error lesson you can find HERE!

We've had a fun year so far and are looking forward to the even better Summer months ahead! 

April Subscription Box Round Up

This might just be the last round up with one of these boxes, and I can't tell yet if I'm ok or upset with that.  I love receiving, trying and testing all these fun products and each box is so different!

Ipsy-Sideshow

This bag is all about breaking the normal mold and forgetting the status quo.

The Bag-I mean how cute is this Ticket clutch!  Pair it with a simple outfit for a night at the fair or arcade.  How cute would that be?!

OFRA Cosmetics Blush-This blush is in it for the long haul.  Super long wearing and a super pretty color!

Elizabeth Mott Show Me Your Glow Shimmer Shadow & Highlighter-This multitasking product can be used as a highlighter, eye shadow, and even to add some shine to your legs!  Buildable and cruelty free makes it a winner in my book.

THEORIE Marula Oil Transforming Hair Serum-This oil really does sound like it will transform your locks!  It boasts of being moisturizing, healing, nourishing, softening, adds shine, and protects from heat styling, and is even great for color-treated hair.

Adesse New York Cupuacu Butter Lip Balm-This balm is made with the new sought after product Cupuacu, that helps heal and hydrate.  It can be worn alone or under lip color as a conditioning primer.

ColourPop Cosmetics Crème Gel Pencil-With a creamy, waterproof formula the sky is the limit with this pencil.

Learn more about Ipsy HERE!

Sephora Play!-Step it up!

Beauty Routine Queen-This bag is all about stepping up your everyday routine to make it even better.

Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream-This lightweight moisturizer delivers a burst of hydration, add it to your nighttime routine to wake up and find your skin noticeably softer.

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment-This exfoliator polishes while leaving a natural glow.  I love that natural fruit enzymes are what makes it such a magical product.

smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer-This primer is the perfect base for makeup.  It blurs imperfections, lasts all day and leaves a flawless finish. 

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua XL Eye Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner-This eyeliner is loved by makeup professionals because of it's budge-proof, water proof, glide-able qualities!

Sephora Collection Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover-A makeup remover that gently, and effectively erases your makeup!  I love that this is packed with lash-strengthening ingredients too!

Marc Jacobs Daisy-I've wanted to try this for a while, and I was sadly disappointed. Too much floral for this girl, but it has other notes of strawberries, violet and jasmine too.

Learn more about Sephora Play! HERE!

Allure Beauty Box-Shine On

This box is all about radiant skin and how to get that desired glow!

Ahava Mineral Body Lotion-This lightweight, fast-absorbing lotion hydrates, softens, and protects. Use after the shower for smooth skin that will last for hours.

Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator-A facial exfoliator that leaves skin brighter, dewier and recharged. 

Skin & Co Roma Truffle Therapy Eye Concentrate-I love eye cream!  I don't think I could ever go back to not using one, so when I saw this in my box I was pretty excited.  This cream boasts of hydrating, firming and smoothing benefits!

The BrowGal by Tonya Crooks Highlighter Pencil in 02-This multiuse pencil can help fill in brows with a matte nude side and add a pop of shimmery gold with the other side.

Laritzy Lip Pencil in Cabernet-No matter what you call this deep-red color...Bordeaux, claret cabernet, this is the perfect pop of color for a ultra sophisticated look!

Learn more about Allure Beauty Boxes HERE!

Beauty Box 5-Stay Golden

You're Golden!  Packed with products that will make you glow!

Be a Bombshell Blush-This can be used as a blush, bronzer(?), or highlight for an all over glow.  I think its a tad too pink and shimmery but hey, I'll try anything!

Did Hair Gold Bobby Pins-These bobby pins are super eye catching and perfect to add a pop of color to your hair no matter how simple the style.

BB5 Highlight Fan Brush-I've wanted a fan brush for SO long!  I was oh so happy to see this in my box this month, I finally have one!!

Jean Pierre Vitamin-C Sheet Mask-Packed with Vitamin C, this mask will lighten dark spots and helps with anti-aging all in one!

Sweep Rose Gold Lash Curler-I am loving all these tools!  If only I would have gotten this before I bought my new one.  This one is way more fabulous!

If you'd like to know more about Beauty Box 5 you can go HERE!

For the winner this month I would have to say it goes to Beauty Box 5!  Their theme, products and full size-ness just can't be beat! What did you get in your boxes!?



May Youth Sunday School Lesson: Living Prophets and Apostles

What can I learn from living prophets and apostles?

I always love talking about our prophets and apostles.  It is such a great opportunity to focus on them and their wise counsel. 

For this lesson I started by having one of the youth read 'Prophets' in True to the Faith and another read the definition of seer in Mosiah 8:16-18.

We discussed different roles prophets have and how them fulfilling these roles have impacted our lives.  Then watched a little clip from one of Elder Holland's talk-Foundations of Apostles and Prophets.

I wanted the youth to know how much we can actually gain from listening to the prophets and apostles now, so when I saw this pin I knew I just had to recreate it some way. 

We discussed 4 different things that the prophets and apostles can give you:  Safety, Guidance, Strength, and Answers.  And discussed each of those in greater detail.  We also talked about general conference and how they can apply and remember the prophets and apostles words.  To close the lesson I challenged each of them to think of a trial or challenge that is going on in their lives right now, and turn to the most recent general conference talks and they will find their answers there.  If I had enough time/money I would have bought them all a conference Ensign.

I wanted to let them know just how special the prophets and apostles are with their hand out too, and also add the 4 things we talked about before!  It was so easy to just tape a mini 100 Grand bar on and go!

If you'd like the free print out for this handout you can go HERE!



May Visiting Teaching Handout Ideas

This month we are encouraged to select a message from the most recent General Conference to share with our sisters for visiting teaching.  I loved President Uchtdorf's talk, but I also loved Elder Cook's talk Foundations of Faith.

With Mother's Day around the corner, and planting season in full swing I have been obsessed with all things garden and especially all the beautiful blossoms.  In my mind having a good foundation definitely goes with flowers and gardening. Just like having a good foundation of soil helps your plants grow, we need to have a good foundation of faith for our testimony to grow so we can blossom spiritually!

It reminds me of the parable of the seed and the sower.  Where the seed was the word of God, the sower was the Lord, and the survival of the seed and its growth depended on the condition of the soil-the heart of the person who receives it.  You can find more in Matthew 13:4-9, and even more can be found in this talk from President Eyring!  So many great things about learning and growing from General Conference!

If you listen with the Spirit, you will find your heart softened, your faith strengthened, and your capacity to love the Lord increased.  -President Eyring

For this handout you can attach this tag to so many different things.  Here's just a few that I thought of:  Smart Cookie sugar cookie in the shape of a flower, General Conference Ensign with highlighter, gardening tool or gloves, potted plant, packet of seeds, bouquet of flowers-there are super cheap ones at Trader Joe's, cookie and gum drop flower bouquet, grow kit-I found mine in the Dollar Bins at Target, flower magnets-you can find these wood cut outs at Hobby Lobby and attach a magnet to the back, and even flower pens-I made these years ago for my best friends bridal shower and I still love them.

Or of course pop the calendar in a IKEA frame and you are good to go! 

Which idea is your favorite or do you have other flower ideas?!  Let me know!
Happy Visiting Teaching!

Find the free printables below:

May 2017 Visiting Teaching Calendar

May Visiting Teaching Tags

Find the previous months Visiting Teaching Ideas below:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

Youth Sunday School: Truth and Error

How can I recognize the difference between truth and error?

We know that during the Great Apostasy many of the gospel truths were changed or lost.  Truth was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  We can study the word of God and listen to the Holy Ghost so we can recognize the difference between truth and error.

We started the lesson by taking a TRUE or FALSE quiz, you can find the free printable below.  We made this quiz with common falsehoods and topics that the youth would be at least a little familiar with.  It was so funny to hear the youth talk about each one and say how they knew it was one way or another.  They eventually caught on that every answer was false!  We talked about how even though this quiz was just for fun, we can be mislead to believe truth from error. 

We watched the You Will Be Freed video, but only the first minute and a half or so because then it goes into addiction.  This was a great video to share how just like a fisherman carefully crafts and designs his lures to ensure he can catch and trap the fish, Satan does that to us until we are not able to decide for ourselves and our view of truth and error is skewed. We then read Moses 4:3-4. 

We then talked about some of the Gospel or everyday lies we encounter.  Especially the youth!  I found loads of good ones in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet.  Common lies or error they see every day included:  dress immodestly, date before your 16, watch rated R or bad movies, cheat in school, don't keep the Sabbath day holy.  This list could go on and on, but I wanted to show them that everyone is surrounded by falsehoods, and they need to be aware of what is actually good for them and what isn't.

I also loved the story in Neil L. Anderson's talk, "Beware of the Evil Behind the Smiling Eyes".  If we had more time I would have read the story about his FBI friend to the class.

It's so important that we can recognize the difference between right and wrong, truth and error.  The best way to do that is stay close to Heavenly Father and study and listen to His words. We read Moroni 7:12-19, to remind them that anything good comes from God, and he can always help us find the truth in all things!

This is seriously one of my favorite handouts to date!  I wanted to incorporate the lure analogy.  I made the cutest little fishing rods with some really thin wooden dowels, twine and super tiny pom poms.  I just hot glued the pom poms on the bottom and it worked like a charm!  Fill the bag with Swedish Fish or Goldfish or any "fish" related snack and you're set.  I love that it looks like the fish is going after the lure! Ah so cute!! 

If you'd like the free printables for this lesson you can find them below:

TRUE or FALSE Quiz

Truth and Error Handout Tag

Watch out for Satan's lures!!



Youth Sunday School Lesson: Easter Lesson

How can I share my testimony of Jesus Christ's Resurrection?

Last year I was able to give the Easter lesson too (you can find it HERE).  I kind of goofed and thought I HAD to teach 2 topics, but I think it worked out pretty well even considering the mix up.

This year there wasn't any mix up in schedules or teachers

so I was able to fully focus on Easter in all it's greatness.

His Life

We focused on our Savior Jesus Christ, His incredible life and His resurrection.

We started the lesson by watching the video Because of Him.  Just a reminder to always download your videos before you get to church.  It makes it such a breeze when you go to play it.

After I asked them for descriptive words about our Savior and wrote them on the board.

The Master not only foresees perfectly the growing power of the opposing forces but also knows what it is like to be mortal.  He knows what it is like to have the cares of life press upon us.

-President Henry B. Eyring

We then talked about how we can always turn to him in moments of joy or sadness because he knows what it's like.  He can relate.

The Resurrection

After talking about His life we went on to talk about the resurrection.  We watched the video Sunday Will Come to introduce it.

And God shall wipe away all tears form their eye; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:  for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21:4

We then talked about how the knowledge of Jesus Christ's Resurrection makes a difference in our lives.  I love this quote from President Monson, "I know that my Redeemer lives!" May the whole world know it and live by that knowledge."  This brought so many new topics like why we do things here on earth, perception of daily challenges, temple work, death of loved ones, and living together in love with our families.

Testimonies of the Apostles

Which led us into testimonies of the apostles.  We watched He Lives:  Testimonies of Jesus Christ, which is really awesome.  It is a perfect compilation of so many amazing testimonies of our Savior.  Then read D&C 76:22-24.

The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it." 

-Joseph Smith


We talked about the importance of having living prophets and apostles that bear witness of the Resurrection and why that's so important, then talked about how we can share our own testimony of Jesus Christ's Resurrection.

We also did this fun marking activity with The Living Christ, find the idea and printable HERE!


The youth love when I bring treats so I made a batch of Rice Krispy Treats, find the recipe HERE!  Along with this little pass along card, which so happens to be one of my favorite pictures, I added a little thought to the back and encouraged the youth to write their testimonies of the Savior or the descriptive words we discussed about Him earlier on the back of the card. I hoped the youth would put this picture somewhere they look often to remind and remember to share their testimony of Jesus Christ.

The talks I used:


I Know That My Redeemer Lives!-President Thomas S. Monson


He is Risen!-President Thomas S. Monson


If you are interested in the printable for this lesson you can go HERE!