Apron

Yes! I made my first apron. 

I love aprons and use them all the time for cooking, baking, cleaning and painting crafts. 

I studied an apron I had in my pantry. 

I folded it in half and measured it. 

I drew an apron out on poster board, a tad larger than the original. 

Here is my poster board cut out. 

I payed the poster board on top of my ironed fabric. I traced it with my vanishing ink pens. 


Next I line my ruler up with the ink marks. 


You can see the ink marks. This ruler works so good with the cork backing. It doesn’t slide as easily as quilting rulers. I just wish it was longer. 

Here is a picture with just the ink marks.


Using my rotary cutter I cut the fabric. See why I want a longer ruler. (I do have a 24 in sewing ruler and a sewing yardstick that I do use a lot, yet I prefer my pink ruler because of the cork back.)

Me sewing scissors I used to cut the rounded edges.


I used my iron to get rid of the ink markings. Then laid it on my cutting mat to make sure the measurements were good.


To make the neck strap and apron straps I cut fabric strips in 3 inches. I folded one side halfway and ironed.


Here you see the other side folded halfway and ironed.

I folded the two folded sides and ironed it.


I don’t have a picture of the ends that I folded a quarter inch and sewed the ends. I then sewed the long side of the strap as you see here. 


This is the top. I folded over a half inch and then again with my iron. Then I sewed the top. 


A little tricky to fold and iron a rounded edge. 


I sewed the side strap just like the apron I used as a guide. 


The neck strap the same. 


My finished apron.


The back of the apron. 


I modeled the apron but it’s not the whole apron. My husband and children were asleep so I couldn’t have someone either model it or take a picture of me.


I did see the side straps like my apron guide yet I don’t like how it looks. So I did some extra stitches on both straps. You can see in the next picture.

I folded over the strap and sewed the strap on both sides. 


This is before doing the sewing the straps the other way. 


I remembered I forgot to add an apron. Aprons with pockets are awesome. To show off the pocket I put my ink pen in it. 

My finished adorable apron. Thanks to my daughter who modeled the apron for me this morning.

I’m glad to have a use for this pretty floral fabric. 

I absolutely love my new apron. 

Fall Pillow Covers

My fall pillow covers are darling. 

My pillow inserts are 12 in. x 16 in. I bought them at Walmart for $3.94 each and the yard of fabric was $3.97. So that means just for 12 bucks I have two adorable pillows. 

When I am done with fall decor I can take off these pillow covers and add Christmas pillow covers.

At all crafts stores and other retailers cute holiday pillows are for sale yet I think about having to store your pillow or pillows after the holidays are over until next year. 

When you make different pillows covers you can save so much space. I like how I can wash the pillow covers verses many store bought pillows can only be spot washed. 

Gorgeous Wreath

This wreath was easy to put together. 

With my glue gun I added grey ribbon with white polka dots (you can hardly see in these pictures).

I used my glue gun to add the berries and greenery.

The wood bird I added last. I used my small wood stapler and stapled floral wire to the back of the bird then wrapped it around the wreath.

I think it turned out pretty good for the first time putting together.

Quilted Pillow Cover

Look at this beauty...

I had this idea to put different pieces of fabric together and make a pillow cover. I picked different fabrics and sewed them together and used white fabric for the back. 

Usually I made two pillow covers to match but I wanted one to use with my rocking chair. 

This pillow is super pretty to me. I love the variety of colors.

Halloween Pillow Covers

Last week I sewed two Halloween Pillow Covers. 

I plan on sewing more pillow covers for different holidays. 

The nice thing about making holiday pillow covers is you don’t need to store decorative pillows for a year, just the covers. 

Grocery sack holders

I found a tutorial on Pinterest and made this grocery sack holder. 




After I made the teal polka dot bag holder my daughter wanted one. I had her pick material and she picked this  hot pink polka dot material. 




I’m happy with these. They work great. 

The Pizza Song

To the tune of Dō a Deer from Sound of Music

(DO, RE, MI, FA, SO, LA, TI, DO)

Dough – What they use to make Pizza

Ray – The guys who makes the Pizza

Me – The lucky one to get a Pizza

Fa’ – A long, long line for Pizza

So – Now I want a Pizza

La – La la la la la Pizza

Tea – No thanks, I’ll just have Pizza

Which will bring us back to dough, oh, oh, oh

(Repeat one more time)

I was a Bear Cub Leader in 2017 and 2018. For a pack meeting our pack was in charge of having a fun song. I googled songs and found something similar using the Sound of Music song. I adapted the song and printed and made copies. It was fun to sing it. I received a few compliments. 

I have this song added to camp songs to sing when my family goes camping.

What the Temple means to me

This is from a talk I gave in Sacrament meeting in 2015 in Solomon Ward, Mesa South Stake.

There is a special place

I enter in 

To help bring celestial life

To all women and men

The place is beautiful,

Divine and sacred

While there I am being

Spiritually fed

I knew I would go there since

I was a small child

To be ready we must be

Humble, meek and mild

Repentant and worthy

With a prayerful mind

Answers to questions,

Personal revelations to find

I have gratitude for the blessings

To able to enter therein

To feel close to our Father

While in there the veil is thin

February 7, 2010

As a child the Temple meant to me that when my mom and dad went to the temple they would be gone for-ev-er! I realized as an adult that they probably went to Matta’s after doing an endowment session together. I am thankful for being raised in a home where my parents not just could, but they would go to the temple. That is a powerful example of not just my parents going to the temple; it is also a great example of love. They would spend time together partaking of spiritual, emotional and physical blessings, by going to the temple and then a date afterwards.

The temple means so much to me. I have had many wonderful experiences there and thoughts and feelings about temple work and all the many blessings of temple attendance.

Boyd K. Packer said:  “The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs” I think that is a pretty impressive promise; to be blessed in all things.

He also states:  “Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people.” 

On a Sunday when I was 11 years old I had a wonderful lesson in my Merry Miss Class by Nancy Norris about temple covenants and the sealing power and I came home from church and exclaimed to my mom, “Mom, I’m going to be married in the temple someday!” She replied to me, “Always stick with that goal.” 

Less than a decade later I was sealed in the temple to the father of my sweet daughters and my daughter I had previously was brought in and sealed to him and I. Together we were blessed with 4 more girls who were all born in the covenant. What a precious blessing to have five beautiful, amazing and talented daughters sealed to us. 

At age 13 I was able to do baptisms for the dead for the 1^st time. The young women were each given 45 names and one girl wasn’t able to do her names so another girl took them. I was glad since I thought 90 names would be tough. I had no idea that the 45 names I was given would go by so fast and the whole process was utterly amazing. I wished I had volunteered for those extra names. It is so amazing to think about the fact that by proxy 45 women who had previously died could have the baptism ordinance done for them. 

When I was just two months shy of my 20^th birthday on May 11, 1996 I was able to receive my endowments in the Mesa, Arizona Temple.

On LDS.org you can read:  One ordinance we receive in the temple is the endowment. The word endowment means “gift” or “bestowal.” As part of this ordinance, we are taught about the purpose of life, the mission and Atonement of Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father’s plan for His children.

Back to my temple experience; I love to think about that time in my life and thankful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ for making it possible for me to be worthy to receive a recommend. In preparation of attending the temple I worked hard to be spiritually ready. I increased my scripture study and prayer. I attended temple preparation classes taught by Wanda and Wilbur Woolf. Two of the sweetest people I've ever met.

It was sweet to have the Holy Ghost pretty strong in my life. I had some great experiences. One was I was able to write a poem about the Savior. I felt the spirit so strong that day and the words just came to me as if it was previously written in the preexistence. I had already written a couple poems about Jesus Christ, but this one is the best. Still today the words are so powerful that I am taken back that the words came from me. I owe a lot to the Holy Ghost for helping me write it for I love the Savior. When I think of temples I think of Him! By my efforts of humility and repentance and being converted to Christ I desired to enter the temple to make the covenants with the Lord, and to do the work to be worthy and prepared.

More from Elder Packer: “With great effort we urge every soul to qualify and prepare for the temple experience. Those who have been to the temple have been taught an ideal: Someday every living soul and every soul who has ever lived shall have the opportunity to hear the gospel and to accept or reject what the temple offers. 

The ordinances and ceremonies of the temple are simple. They are beautiful. They are sacred. They are kept confidential lest they be given to those who are unprepared. Curiosity is not a preparation. Deep interest itself is not a preparation. Preparation for the ordinances includes preliminary steps: faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation, worthiness, a maturity and dignity worthy of one who comes invited as a guest into the house of the Lord.”

  

President Gordon B. Hinckley said:  "I make you a promise that if you will go to the House of the Lord, you will be blessed, life will be better for you... partake of all of the marvelous blessings that are yours to be received there. Now is the time to get your lives in order that you may be worthy to go to the House of the Lord. Get a temple recommend. Get it now. If every man and woman... would make that resolution and go to work to be worthy of a temple recommend, your lives would be blessed, your homes would be blessed, you would feel the spirit of the Lord in your homes."

I want to share a couple of experiences of why the temple means so much to me…

Years ago when my children were quite younger it was hard for this one particular school year for me to attend the temple, at least during the day when my daughters  were at school and I was a stay at home mom. One day I felt the need to attend the temple. It was really strong. Yet I was afraid to go. At the time I had two children seeing an urologist and one daughter seeing a neurologist and she with her asthma was sick a lot. There was other issues as well with my children that I won’t include. I had to many times drive to the elementary school to pick up the girls or assist in other ways. It was not too much of a  burden since I love my girls so much and the school was super close. I had to keep my phone on me and be ready all the time. This day that I wanted to do an endowment session I had to exercise my faith and I prayed several times that my kids would be fine. Even though I was hesitant to go and afraid I would get a missed call and a message from the school nurse, I remembered hearing many times that our families are blessed when we go to the temple. So I went. I had a great temple experience that day and guess what. No one called me while I was gone on my cell phone or home phone.

Another is about the comfort and blessings to others when we attend the temple. A few years ago my friend Becky lost her son. I was so sad for her and kept praying for her. As a mother I could only imagine the agony she was feeling. The next day I woke up and knew that I must go to the temple and put her name on the prayer roll. I had a lot of plans that day, yet I knew this was more important than anything else. Via face book I leaned that several other friends of hers went to various temples in other cities and states to also add her name to the prayer roll in the temple they attended. It was so neat to contemplate how so much temple work was done in behalf of my friend. Three sweet blessings took place; 

First it blessed those who did the work, second it blessed those deceased individuals that had their work performed for them and third it blessed those whose names were entered on sheets of papers to have prayers said for them. 

I love the temples and thankful to be born in this day and age when we have so many temples. As the primary song says,” Families can be together forever, through Heavenly Father’s plan.” I have a testimony of the Plan of Salvation. I know that because of the Atonement and the fact that I can repent of my sins I can be worthy to enter His Holy Temples. I know that Heavenly Father loves all His children. He keeps His promises. If I live faithfully to the Ordinances of the gospel then I can achieve Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom. I have a testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost. Through that power we can gain knowledge and understanding that we can’t get on our own. I pray that those members of the church that are of age can work on the preparation to someday enter the temple. If you have that goal in mind, then think positive and seek for the highest within you.

I have felt my dad at the temple many times.  When my brothers went through.

 I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Waffles

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

6 tbsp melted unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1.  Preheat waffle iron. Gently coat with nonstick baking spray.

2.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Use the back of a spoon to create a "well" in the center.

3.  Whisk the two eggs into the milk until well combined.

4.  Pour the wet ingredients (butter, milk/egg mixture, vanilla) into the well of the dry ingredients and whisk until blended.  (Note: the batter will be slightly lumpy, do not over-mix.)

5.  Scoop the batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook until the waffles are golden brown and crisp.  (About 2-3 minutes, but this will vary wildly depending on your waffle maker.) 

6.  Serve immediately or lay on a wire cooling rack until cool.  Store leftovers in an airtight bag in the freezer.

Pancakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk or buttermilk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup melted butter

Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla

(One time I forgot to add the melted butter and the pancakes were still good, so you can leave it out if desired.)

Instructions

1.  Preheat flat griddle over medium-high heat.

2.  In large bowl mixing bowl , sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3.  Whisk in milk, eggs, and melted butter just until combined.

4.  Scoop 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto griddle. Let pancakes cook until bubbles form before flipping.

5.  Cook other side until golden brown. Serve hot with syrup.

Makes 8-12 pancakes, depending on amount you pour onto the griddle.

Sugar Cookie Rainbows and Unicorns

 I made these pretty cookies for my granddaughter'party.

Pillow Covers

My 20 x 20 in. Pillow Covers.

16 x 16 in. Pillow Covers.

 12 x 16 in. Pillow Covers.

I love all these pillow covers and I am pleased how they turned out. The smallest ones (12 x 16 in.) I made for travel.

Hanging dish towel

Wow. This hanging dish towel took effort and patience. This is a first for me. First time pleating 15 inches into 6 inches. A first time sewing a button hole. 

I made mistakes. I sewed the top part and went to mark a hemline but accidentally grabbed my rotary cutter and cut off the bottom. So I had to cut out two new pieces to sew together and re sew. 

I keep tell myself that practice makes perfect! I do know that the more I sew the better I get.

Easter Banners

I used a bunny template I printed from Pinterest and traced it onto corrugated paper (easier to do tracing with). I then traced bunnies onto my scrapbook paper and cut each one out. 

The bunny tails I used a circle punch and a permanent glue stick. I saw a lot of tutorials of bunny banners where pompoms were used as the tail. I thought paper would be nice to use and easier to store for next year. 

For the bird banner I used one of my bird punches. So much easier than cutting out the bunnies. I used left over scrapbook paper. 

I used a hole punch on the bunnies and birds and put string through the animals to hang up.

It’s fun to add color and cuteness to your home decor. 

Sunflower artwork

This turned out to be lovely. I purchased the metal sunflower from Hobby Lobby. I painted the wood dark green. I stapled twine to the back so I can hang the art work. I used gorilla glue to attach the sunflower to the wood.