The Adventure of Life YW Lesson

Plan of Salvation:  What is the purpose of life?

After some unexpected health problems at the end of 2018 I had a little mandatory break from lots of things.  One of them being church activities and teaching the sweet Mia Maids in my ward.  I was so grateful to get back into the swing of things as soon as I felt up to it and I ended up giving my first YW lesson of 2019 in February!  It was a great topic to kick off the year and teach, I felt/feel like I have a LOT of life experience now. haha

I started with telling them about where I had been and what happened.  Maybe one day I'll go into more detail here on the blog, but for right now lets get back to the lesson outline.  I brought a big box of tissues for myself because I was 95% sure I was going to break down during the lesson, and I gave little packets of tissues for each person because life is hard!! It's a great adventure, but sometimes it's just hard and its ok to cry!

We talked about the Plan of Salvation-Our eternal experience can be divided into three main parts:  premortal life, mortal life, and life after death.  We focused on mortal life for the lesson!  When we know we lived with our Heavenly Father before we were born and that we were sent with a divine purpose we act differently, we view trials and challenges differently-with an eternal perspective.  We are able to answer questions like-What is the purpose of life and why are we here?  We came to earth to prepare to have an eternal family, bless others and build His kingdom.  We are here to become more like our Heavenly Father.  Life makes more sense and you're able to answer those tough questions when you understand the plan of salvation.

I made these pictures years ago for a Relief Society lesson and I was so happy I could use them again.    If you've got cardstock, colored pencils and markers and some time
and you could do something like this too!



"You are now experiencing mortal life.  Your spirit is united with your body, giving you opportunities to grow and develop in ways that were not possible in you premortal life.  This part of your existence is a time of learning in which you can prove yourself, choose to come unto Christ, and prepare to be worthy of eternal life.  It is also a time when you can help others find the truth and gain a testimony of the plan of salvation."-True to the Faith

We watched and talked about Bobbie the Wonder Dog! A story about an amazing dog that followed his family home no matter what he went through he still kept going and trying!

Bobbie's journey home is like our own journey back to our heavenly home.  We all go through different adventures in this mortal life.  Life has fun, hard, sad, upsetting, and amazing times, just like any great adventure.We talked about how finding our way back to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ makes our life more meaningful and better!  We build more meaningful relationships, appreciate life and the people in it much more! And how knowing this affects our daily decisions.

Mortal life can be hard.  It can be really hard sometimes and we'll experience things that we don't like, but they'll help us on our journey home.  They'll help us become more like our Heavenly Father and we'll be able to help others while we are becoming like Him.  We just have to keep the end goal in sight and keep an eternal perspective.  We must use this time we have here wisely.

"No, following the Savior will not remove all of your trials.  However, it will remove the barriers between you and the help your Heavenly Father wants to give you.  God will be with you.  He will direct your steps.  He will walk beside you and even carry you when your need is greatest."

Dieter F. Achtdorf 

I am so grateful to know that we are not alone in this life.  

He will help us through this adventurous journey!  I love the scripture Proverbs 3:5-6! Look it up, love it, memorize it!

We then talked about how knowing this can help us deal with challenges and trials that come throughout our lives.  I gave time for the girls to write in their journals and put a little Come unto Christ airplane sticker so they'd remember this lesson.  Along with a little boarding pass that I wrapped in brown cardstock and some cute pink and white twine!  I also had to give some luggage because well I had to! :) I found these on Amazon HERE and then filled them with some Jolly Rancher Jelly Hearts and Dove chocolates.
I hand wrote the Come unto Christ tag for a special touch.

I hope they remember that life really is an adventure.  It's all about perspective and how we choose to look at what happens to us.  We also might not like the stop we are in now or the detour we take, but we need to remember that's not where we are staying.  It's like passing through a town that you don't love, just keep going and remember it's not the end of your adventure or your final destination!  When we follow Christ and come unto him, this mortal life is put into perspective.

Life is different for each of us.  We all have a time of trials, a time for happiness, a time for making decisions, a time for overcoming obstacles, and a time for taking advantage of opportunities.  Whatever our personal situations may be, I testify that our Heavenly Father is constantly saying, "I love you.  I sustain you.  I am with you.  Do not give up.  Repent and endure in the path that I have shown you.  And I assure you that we will see each other again in our celestial home."
Elder Claudio D. Zivic

Shared a little sneak peek on my Instagram of how I set it up for my class.  I used these cute pink decorative luggage cases for even more decor.  And my favorite IKEA frame with a little sign for the Baggage Claim!

Once class ended I told them to remember to get their luggage from the baggage claim and remember their boarding pass so they can be ready for their journey.  I told them that there are a few things we need on this adventure and I packed one necessity for them to make it a little better-something sweet!  

On your journey back to Heavenly Father you will soon realize that this journey isn't just about focusing on your own life.  No, this path inevitably leads you to become a blessing in the lives of God's other children-your brothers and sisters.  And the interesting thing about the journey is that as you serve God, and as you care for and help your fellowmen, you will see great progress in your life, in ways you could never imagine.

President Uchtdorf

I also mentioned how we can and should help and serve others along the way.

This mortal life is a journey.  At times we can feel sad, overwhelmed, mad and not like the place we are in right then but don't focus on that.  If we see life as an adventure and keep a positive outlook with an eternal perspective in mind we will enjoy life.  Change your perspective and change your life.  You'll be able to see your journey through different eyes.  I pray that we may all come unto Christ and focus on our heavenly home as our goal.  This life is a great adventure and I hope we choose to follow Christ all along the way!

Below you can find everything I gave the girls including the FREE Printables!

Eternal Boarding Pass

Come unto Christ Airplanes-will need to print on sticker paper!

Mini Vintage Suitcases

Baggage Claim signage

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

Lost and Found Gospel Treasures-Restoration Lesson

The Apostasy and Restoration-Why was a Restoration necessary?

A few months ago I taught this lesson to my Mia Maids class and totally loved it!  Honestly I love every lesson.  I love to find fun and unique ways to get excited about the lesson and then share them with the girls.  

This lesson was about Lost and Found gospel treasures.  There were many gospel treasures brought to the earth by Jesus, during His mortal life.  We learned how the gospel treasures were found again when Joseph Smith restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth and why it is so important. 

On the board I had all of these little gems/treasures labeled with things that Jesus Christ established while he was on the earth along with writing on the board-Lost and Found Gospel Treasures.  When Jesus Christ died the things he established here on earth went away or were corrupted.  There was a time when the world didn't have the full gospel because of this.

Things we read:

Amos 8:11-12

Apostasy and Restoration of the Gospel in True to the Faith

We talked about how our lives would be different if the gospel had never been restored.  We are so blessed with the treasures the gospel gives us like temples, Priesthood and sacrament.  We talked for quite a while about the jewels and treasures on the board, talking about each one in depth and how it is a blessing in our lives.  We then talked about how we can personally apply what we've learned in this class.  We have journals for each girl so I also encourage them to write in their journal and give them a little sticker to go along with the lesson that they can remember what it was about.  

For a handout I gave chocolate coins and a cute little jewel container full of cadbury eggs.  I had to put it in a treasure box because hello I've got to carry on the theme! haha

Find the free printables below!

'Recognize the treasures you've found..." handout

Lost and Found gem sticker print

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

June Love Notes

Summer is here and it's a busy, but perfect time to drop off something little to someone you have on your mind.  Whether it be your friend, family member, neighbor, ministering/visiting teacher or family, the list goes on and on.

These tags are perfect to remind that someone just how much they are worth to you.

These tags are cute and so unique.  There are a lot of "hidden gems" that you can pair this tag with.  Like these Shimmer Cadbury Mini Eggs.

I found cute gem dishes at the Target Dollar Spot.
Super cute for soap, jewelry, candy or any little trinkets!

My mom got the cutest gem/jewel easter eggs at Walmart a few years ago that worked so perfectly for this!  It's such a good reminder to pick up good deals and pieces when you see them!  Any kind of small container would be so fun with any candy like these jelly beans in jewel shades.

A cute and easy option would be these Ring Pop Gummy Gems or a single Ring Pop!

A treasure box, jewelry, or gem decor would be so cute!  There are so many options!
I love THIS gem baking mold that could be used for candy or chocolate.

I also LOVE these sugar gems!  How cute would they be on sugar cookies!?  Another great option would be plastic jewels for crafting.

I love that these two tags can be paired together.  

Or they could be used separately for the same gift ideas mentioned above!

I always think one little treat is a great idea so it's not overwhelming but it's still thoughtful!

As I always say you don't need a little gift or treat to pair with my printable tags it's just a fun idea if you'd like to pair something with it.

You can find the free printable for both of 

the 'You are a gem!' tags here--SMALL or LARGE FRAME!

See my other Love Notes below:

January

February

March

April

May 

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

Almond Joy Cookies and Brownies

I have this thing when I have unused food in my house I have to use it up while I still can.  I hate wasting food and money.  I made Cake By Courtney's Toasted Almond Joy Cake for my Dad's Birthday, another birthday cake and a little thank you cake.  I doubled the recipe so I had LOADS of the toasted coconut/almond filling, ganache and buttercream left.  I'll share how the cakes turned out at the bottom of this post but I just had to use up all that extra deliciousness.  I thought about how awesome the peanut butter brownie bites were and couldn't stop thinking about Almond Joy Cookies...and then Brownies!! 

Seriously I'm like if you give RuthAnne a cookie...Have you read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?  It's adorable and describes me pretty accurately.  

I made a simple, but delicious soft chocolate cookie base and topped it with the fluffy coconut buttercream, filled it with the perfectly sweet toasted coconut/almond filling, a drizzle of chocolate ganache and a little sprinkle of toasted coconut.  Are you drooling yet?

Here's a little video from my YouTube channel decorating these dream boats.

I tasted one of these and had to start plating them up for my neighbors and friends.  Much too good to be laying around my house! haha You probably won't believe it but after all those cookies I still had more of ALL those things! So I decided how awesome would all of that be with brownies! I secretly think I like the brownie version more and that's saying A LOT!  I used my sweet friend Jodi's brownie recipe for the base.  How cool is that post!  One of my desserts inspired HER!  Then I topped all the delicious toppings on to the cooled brownies.  

Everything about these desserts are just too good! I'll include the recipe below for the cookies and my rendition on the coconut butter cream, it's so, so good!

Almond Joy Cookies 

-1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix

-1/3 C. vegetable oil

-1 T. brown sugar

-1 T. dark chocolate cocoa powder

-1 tsp. almond extract

-2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.  Sift cake mix. Add remaining ingredients and stir.  Batter will be thick.  Scoop dough into small round balls using a cookie scoop and bake for 8 minutes.  Do not overbake.

Coconut Buttercream
--Adapted from Cake By Courtney

-2 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
-1/4 C. plus 1 tsp. cream of coconut
-6 C. powdered sugar, sifted
-1 T. plus 2 tsp. coconut emulsion
-pinch of salt
-1 T. plus 1 tsp. heavy whipping cream.

Beat butter and cream of coconut until light and fluffy.  Gradually add powdered sugar, coconut emulsion and salt.  Once combined add heavy whipping cream and beat for at least 2 minutes.  Add more of coconut flavoring if you'd like more. Push out bubbles and beat with a large spoon.

Toasted Coconut/Almond Filling from Cake By Courtney 

Chocolate Ganache
-1 C. dark chocolate chips
-1/2 C. heavy whipping cream

Heat whipping cream for 1 minute in microwave.  Pour in chocolate chips and let sit for a few minutes.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted.  Pour in squeeze bottle or plastic bag with a tiny corner cut out for a fancy drizzle.

Toasted Coconut

Let Love Grow Date Night In Box

I think I've said this the past few Date Night Boxes, but this was seriously one of our favorites and I honestly would say the best one yet.  They just keep getting better and better!  

I've loved all things floral or flower related this spring so this growing theme was perfect!

Included in this box:  Eco Playing Cards and Tea, eco-friendly straws, soy candle, one die, DIY basil plant, and Date Night in Date Guide booklet full of conversation topics, games and ideas to further the date night.

We started our date night by lighting our soy candle and planting our basil.  It was so cool that everything we needed was included-even the soil! This little pot is even 100% biodegradable bamboo so when the plant needs to grow larger we can just put it into another pot!  They've seriously thought of everything!

We just had to expand the soil packet and do the fun part, plant and wait and watch it grow.

Then we made our Wild Raspberry Hibiscus Tea.  It was so fruity and had so much flavor-and no caffeine so perfect for date night!  

We loved playing Our Relationship Timeline that was game of dreaming and planning what we want our future to look like together.  It was so fun to set dates and see what each of us had planned and would like to accomplish and do in the years to come. 

We drank our tea and Dallin had to test out his new fancy straw!  I love that they included these in the box.  People waste so much with little things like straws and its good to be aware of even these seemingly small things.

We then asked each other the growth questions that are on the eco-friendly playing cards.  They're eco-friendly because one side has super interesting and conversation starting questions and the other is a normal deck of cards that we can use for many years to come with other games.  So smart!  And those growth questions were so fun!  They got Dallin talking so much!  It was so interesting to see his side of things and his answers to the questions.

We seriously talked for so long and could have stayed there for a lot longer!

We honestly loved this Date Night In Box!  This is the kind of stuff I'm looking for a date night in.  Conversation, connecting and doing fun things together!  If you'd like to try out Date Night In Boxes you can go HERE or click the picture below!

I did receive this box for free for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own.