Challenge #34--Now That's Love

Tomorrow is the official "Day of Love"--Valentine's Day!  So, I thought I'd do a fun little challenge on expressing our love to those we love!

What do you love about your spouse?  (Or child(ren), parent, finance, etc.)

I have found that as each day goes by, I love my husband more and more.  I love my children more and more.  It never ceases to amaze me that my love never stops growing for them!  I tell them often that I love them, but I never really tell them why.  You may be the same way, so now this is your chance to record a few things that you love about your spouse or anyone else that you love! 

Here a few ideas of what you could do to record this challenge:
*Make a list, such as "50 Reasons I Love You", or "How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways!".
*Use the letters from the person's name and write one quality about that person that starts with that letter.
*Write a poem about that person and how your love grows each day for them.
*Make a scrapbook page with a picture of you and the person and write why you love him/her.
*Draw or paint a picture of one thing you love about this person.
*Make a video with pictures and text telling reasons.
*Cut up a few slips of paper and write one reason on each slip of paper.  Put them all together in a special container, inside a favorite candy or in balloons!

How ever you do this, make sure you make a copy of what you've written and put it in a special place!

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What I did:

I actually did this quite a few years ago, but still wanted to share it anyway.   Every night I write in my journal, and in this journal, I added one thing that I love about my husband each night in the back.  I used different pens and font styles.  It reminds me of those "Smash Books" that are pretty popular right now.  I love looking back at some of the things that I wrote--all of which are true still, but I have more to add to it 7 years later! 

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Now I challenge you to record some things you love about someone special in your life! 

Challenge #33—Say a Little Prayer

Today’s challenge is one that I hold near and dear to my heart.  All about prayer!

When has God answered a specific prayer that you’ve had?

Now, maybe He didn’t answer it in the way you had hoped, or would’ve liked, but how did that change your attitude?  Was it something big you had prayed for over and over, or something small but significant?  It could’ve even been something that seemed silly, but important nonetheless. 

God answers prayers, and He answers them in the way that is best for us—and we don’t always know what is best for us.  Sometimes my kids ask for things they don’t need or that are not best for them at the moment.  I tell them no (or sometimes, it’s just a “not now” answer).  It’s not that I don’t love them, or want them to be unhappy.  I have lived a bit longer than them, and I know that some things just aren’t good for them right now.  That is exactly how Heavenly Father is.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows the future and what it holds for each one of us.  Sometimes we are meant to go through the refiner’s fire so that we can come out of it stronger than before.  Sometimes His answer is a right away “yes”…sometimes we have to wait patiently for that “yes”…sometimes we get a “not now” answer…and sometimes it’s a “no”.  No matter HOW He has answered, it’s still an answer!

My very favorite scripture is in Alma 37:37. 

It talks about prayer and how we need to counsel with the Lord in all that we do.  I’ve always taken this to mean that we counsel with him in important matters…not small everyday things like which plates to use at dinner.

You are more than welcome to print off this quote—I just ask that you please follow this blog.  It’s 8x10.  Chalkboard background from How To Nest For Less.  Fonts: Janda Stylish Script, Aargh, Sketch Rockwell.  Flourish: Adobe Photoshop.

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What I did:

This week to record my challenge I was going to make a scrapbook page, but didn’t have time yet, so here’s the story that will soon be put into one.  (And I will post it up on here when I get it done.)

There are many times in my life that God has answered prayers in my life—big prayers: where to attend college, whether or not to go on a mission, if I had chosen the right man to marry.  Littler prayers:  help on a test, comfort in times of trouble and need.  And of course prayers for my family and loved ones in their times of need.  There were also many times I prayed for things that seemed so silly, but it was still important to me. 

One of those times was about a year ago.  One morning I realized I couldn’t find my wedding and engagement rings.  I had never gotten them soldered together, so when I lost them, I panicked, because they could get lost from each other and make it that much harder to find! 

I had looked in my usual three spots that I put my rings.  (I don’t like wearing them to sleep in, and always take them off when putting lotion on my hands.)  They weren’t in any of those places.  I searched high and low—every drawer, countertop, closet, and all over the carpets.  I prayed and prayed that I would find them.  Though, I knew they were just rings and had no eternal value, it was still important to me because it signified two of the most special days in my life.  I knew I could replace them if I had to, but it was a sad thought. 

A week and a half went by and I still couldn’t find them.  I’d decided that they were gone for good.  I was doing laundry, and I rarely check my pockets in the laundry room, because I usually check them before I throw my clothes in the hamper.  But this day, I had this thought come to my mind to check my jacket pocket…and of course I found both of my rings!!!  It came back to my mind, clear as day, that I had put them in my pocket after bathing the kids so I wouldn’t get lotion on them.  I humbly said a prayer of gratitude, and learned the lesson to never give up!  I also realized that day, that even though losing my rings and praying for help to find them seemed trivial in the whole eternal scheme of things, Heavenly Father knew they were important to me.  He does care for us, and wants us to be happy.  And, He does answer prayers!

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Now I challenge you to record a story (or two) of a time when God answered your prayers!

Challenge #32—Gifted and Talented

Hooray, it’s our first new challenge of 2013!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Now it’s time to get back on track…and we’ll start with today:

What are some of your gifts and talents?

I know it’s hard to sometimes admit the things we’re good at, for fear that we’re bragging, but it’s also important to recognize all that Heavenly Father has blessed us with!  Not only does He bless us with things like health, a home, family, and other temporal blessings, but He has blessed us with gifts and talents so that we can help others…contribute to the kingdom and bless His name. 

If you’re not sure what some of your gifts are, read D&C 46, and you may just discover that you have more gifts than you realized!  Also, remember the Parable of the Talents? (Matt. 25:14-30) The man who hid his talent was called by his lord, a “wicked and slothful servant”.  So, I hope that by listing your talents and gifts, you will be better able to use them for good, and the Lord will be able to say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”!  Also, check your Patriarchal Blessing, mine specifically points out a couple of gifts that I’ve been given!

You can simply make a list of the gifts and talents you’ve been given, write them in your journal, make them into a scrapbook page, or even use one of your talents to do something more (like write a poem about it if you’ve been gifted in that area!).  I’ve also made a Fast Form freebie for any of you who’d like to use it!  Just right click and save the image.  (You could use this whole challenge as your next FHE!)

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Now on to our examples!

(I haven’t gotten anything yet from our team members, but if they get it to me, I will put them up!)

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What I did:

I actually decided to twist this one a little bit.  I’m going to print off and fill out the Fast Form, but I thought it’d be fun to do a scrapbook page based on something my old Bishop taught in a lesson a few years ago that has stuck with me.

Credits:  Paper, Die Cuts With a View (Doodlin’ Around Stack—came as is!), Pen, Zig Writer, Pearls, Martha Stewart, Jewels, unknown.

Here’s what the journaling says: 

“Once upon a time…I thought I didn’t have many gifts or talents.  I wasn’t exceptionally good at anything…I didn’t have a “thing” in High School like others did.  I have always been just “alright” at a handful of things.  Musically, I do okay on the piano—not well enough to play for Church.  I also played the clarinet a bit and I can sing well enough for a choir but not any solos.  Artistically I can’t draw, but I am a pretty good photographer and good at scrapbooking.  Academically I was always a B+ or A- student—not good enough grades for scholarships.  I was (still am) a pretty good teacher, but not teacher of the year quality.  I was/am a pretty good dancer, though I never made any special teams.  I feel that I am just pretty average at all that I do.  One Sunday, our Bishop taught a lesson I’ll never forget.  he was using Elder Oaks’ “Good, Better, Best” talk and focused on how if we spend all our time on just 1 or 2 things we become like blocks, but if we are good at many things, we are well-rounded.  That put my life in perspective!  I may not be the best dancer, photographer, or even mom…but I am WELL-ROUNDED!”

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Now I challenge you to record about some of your gifts and talents—and then put them to use!

I Am a Child of God—Digital Paper Freebie!

I am really slow in getting this up, but I promised a freebie when we hit 100 FB fans and 100 blog followers…and here it is! 

I went for something simple that everyone could use, even if you’re not a digital scrapbooker, you can simply print them!  The primary theme this year is, “I am a child of God”, so that’s what this digital paper pack is all about! 

To download the freebie, just click here!  The only thing I ask, is that you are a follower of the blog (just over there on the right) and/or FB page.  Help get the word out to your friends and family about how easy it is to start recording their history!  Then, when we reach 150 fans on the blog or FB page, I will have another little freebie for you!  Thanks for your support, and for giving me a reason to do this! 

12 Ways To Help You Record Your Life This Year

(This was originally posted on the regular TIMC, but I thought I would post it on here as well for anyone who doesn’t read both blogs.)

This year, I thought I would help you all start the new year off by sharing a compilation of ways to help you document your new year!  





 I know lots of people who say they will record what goes on later (honey, are you reading this?) but I know that time dims memories.  How many times have you read something that you wrote down just a few months or years earlier, and you smile because you totally forgot?  Well, I hope this year, you will make a resolution to do better at recording your life!

You can use these ideas for personal or family history.  These are not my ideas (except one), so I’ve included the links for you to click on if you wish to see more!  These are not in any specific order, just in the order I found them.  Ready?  Here we go!

#1:  Perpetual Journal.  You just write the day on top of the card, and every year you write a bit about what you did that day, then start over the next year on the same cards.  I found this here on the Design Sponge blog. 
I’m going to do this with my family starting in a few days, and I’m so excited for the years to come…and what fun it will be to see what we did that same day on the previous year(s).   I didn’t cut my cards in half, and I want to make or find a fun little container for it still.  (I will have to post it on here when I get it all done.) A fun ready option would be to buy those index cards that are already bound together.  There won’t be 365 cards, but you could have 3 or 4 sets.  Another idea I had was to buy the 4x6 index cards and put them in the 6 spot page protectors, but that would require a little extra work in taking out and putting in, but it would also protect from dirty hands and make for easier viewing.

#2:  A Journal Jar.  One of our Team Members, Robin, made a whole jar where you pull out one question a day and write the answer. 
This is great for someone who has a bit more time and wants to record things from the past.  Robin has even typed up 366 questions (go here) that you can get via email for just $5, and print them out.  Write or type up your answers!

#3:  The One Line A Day—A Five Year Memory Book.   If you are short on time and want something all in one place that is easily portable, this looks like a wonderful option! 
The days are already there, and you just write a bit a day!  The journal is $16.95 + shipping.  Check it out here.


#4:  Project Life. I’m sure most of you have heard about Becky Higgins’ amazing brain child, Project Life.  If you haven’t, basically you take a picture each day and do a bit of journaling.  I’ve done this for 3 years now, and I love that it really showcases the regular things you do each and every day…basically, life! Becky says, “Take a picture on each of the 365 days this year. Some pictures will illustrate bigger moments and some shots will be routine stuff in your life. It all adds up to paint the full picture of your life right now.”  (Don’t know what you would take a picture of everyday?  Check out Becky’s list here.)
There is the physical version, the digital goodies to make a digital version, or you can even do it through a photo book.  Check out the details here!

#5:  3-A-Day.  This one is actually my own idea…I have written in my journal faithfully for almost everyday since I was 10, but I went through a period of time when life was “boring” (aka, I had 4 kids and stayed at home all day long feeding said children and changing diapers) and I felt I didn’t have much to write about, nor the time.  So, I decided I would just jot down 3 things that happened that day, and they had to be positive, even if it was a positive spin on something bad that happened.  Now, I don’t feel like I have to do this everyday, so if I have a day where I want to write, I can!  I found a few pages from my journal that doesn’t give away too much, and this is what it looks like.


#6:  Peaks, Pits, Praises & Prayers.  It’s similar to what I do…this is where you write something good that happened, something bad, a praise to God, and a prayer that you have about something in your life or for someone else. 
This is something that you wouldn’t have to do on an everyday basis, but it would be fun to do on a weekly or monthly basis if that is more keen to your style and time available.  You can see how Deana did it here.


#7:  Year in Review Jar.  (This is an idea from Pinterest without a good link…sigh…this is why Pinterest etiquette is GOOD!)  This one had a picture, and I’m posting it on here, though I don’t know who to give the credit to.  (If you know, please let me know and I will put it on here!)
For this one, you have an empty jar and when something happens you want to remember, write it down.  Then at the end of the year, go through and read them all!  I thought this one would be fun to do as a family!  You could write down things kids say, good news, bad news, funny things that anyone does, etc.

#8:  365 Things I’m Grateful For Journal.  Simple and easy…just write down one thing that you are grateful for everyday!  I’ve seen these all over Pinterest, and I’m sure you have too!  They range from super scrapbook-y types to a simple store-bought journal.  I did find one journal by Monika Wright that I really loved here.  Plus you can link through to her store and buy your own journal just for this. 

#9:  A “Currently” Journal.  I thought this was a really fun idea, and I’m totally doing this one this next year!  You have a random list of things or topics and record once a month what you are currently doing/wanting/liking at that time.  Then you compile it at the end of the year and have a cute little album of your life!  It doesn’t have to be scrapbooked…it could just be written or typed up. 
Check out Paula Gilarde’s blog here to see this in more detail. 


#10:  25-Day Photo Challenge.  This is a wonderful alternative or addition to Project Life.  Photographer Katie Evans came up with this wonderful list of ways you can document your life right now in just 25 photos.  You could do them all in one day or one week if you don’t want to do just one a day.  This looks so fun, plus it can help you improve your photography skills!


#11:  Fast Fact Friday.  Of course I couldn’t make this list and not include what we do here on this blog!  The 2nd and 4th Fridays of every month (minus December) we have what is called “Fast Fact Friday”.  It’s just 5 questions that you can answer as quickly or as in-depth as you would like.  If you do every F.F.F. this year, you will have approximately 130 facts and/or stories recorded about you and your life by the end of the year! 




#12:  This Is Me Challenges.  Yes, the whole point of this blog is to help you record about you…because sometimes we forget to do that.  The weeks that there aren’t Fast Fact Fridays, there will be a challenge question to help get your mind going about something that you can record about.  Plus, there are always ideas from Team Members and sometimes there are freebies to help you out!  We hope you’ll join us in writing your story!


Well, there you have it!  Which idea(s) are you going to do this year to get your history written?  I’d also love to hear about any other ideas that you may have, so feel free to leave a comment/link about something that you do that others may benefit from!

Happy New Year, and remember to have fun recording your life!