a crafty peak.

ive been crafting a bit. via some ideas i acquired while in o-hi-o.

my sisters friend had some lovely {seasonal} burlap art in a frame.

she has one for each season. winter, spring, summer and fall.

very cute indeed.

i figured HEY! i could do that.

and so i started.

i was going to copy the season idea, but as i started i just kept finding more and more designs that i liked. here is a peak at a few i have done.

easy.

went to the di. found a lovely little frame. ok not really my favorite ever, but oh well. took out the nice quote inside and painted the frame black.

then i printed out {or you could draw} a picture that you would like and then cut out the shape.
get your cute self some burlap.
wrap it around some cardboard {the size that will fit inside your frame}

and paint on.
they are kinda fun. you can do lots of different designs! these are just a few little cuties. i have LOTs more ideas of fabulous things to do.

so far i like these little sweeties.

{too bad my photos are LOW quality}

and for the grand finale! holy smokes i have the most talented husband in the world!

her is a little SNEAK PEAK of something i couldnt have dreamed up to be better!

it is almost done and then i will share it in all of its glory for everyone to see!
peace and love.

x0x0

do not fear.

i read this quote last night and find it to be incredibly applicable to the time that i find myself and many others {whom i love} in.

"[Today's children] will see many events transpire in the course of their lifetime. Some of these shall tax their courage and extend their faith. But if they seek prayerfully for help and guidance, they shall be given power over adverse things. Such trials shall not be permitted to stand in the way of their progress, but instead shall act as stepping-stones to greater knowledge."

this talk is called "Do Not Fear" and is by President Boyd K. Packer.

amazing.

o-hi-o

the girls of the family couldnt resist seeing queen stella any longer, so we made a quick trip out to ohio over the weekend!

it was oh.so.fabulous as always.

stella is the cutest thing in this world!

she is now crawling! and she is so proud of it. she will crawl for a second then look to see if you were watching, smile and clap! oh she is the stinkin cutest thing. and she has 6 teeth look at those little chompers. i learned- do not put your fingers in her mouth!

while we were there we went to an apple orchard and picked lots of delicious apples. lovely.
we also went hiking to a place called hocking hills. this time of year is so beautiful in ohio! the leaves and the weather were to die for!
my mom is the most amazing person in the world. i do believe she is an angel! thanks for everything mom! we had the best time!
it was so fun to have all of us girls together. ryan was at school a lot of the time and sam couldnt come because of work and school. and well... my dad and jace are just on vacations all of their own :)

i wont lie it was a little strange with just us, realizing that this is how it will be for awhile, but non the less it was a blast hanging out with my best friends!
i just like myself and thought you would too :) we had lots of these leaf pictures!
ohio is seriously beautiful.

we spent lots of time shopping and lounging. the best two things 4 girls can do! it was so fun to spend a few days in taryns stomping grounds. i love ohio.

its funny, never in my life would i have thought i would be visiting and spending so much time in ohio, but its somewhere ive been multiple times now and will go a bunch more im sure. and its so wonderful there. i cant wait to go again... taryn comes home for a month during christmas, so maybe february? yeah that sounds good.

x0x0

beautiful things.

yes. im back again sharing more love. and more beautiful things.

another artist i love is minerva teichert.
her paintings of Christ are amazing.

i was in deseret book last week, where there were minerva prints on canvas of the following two paintings.
they were pretty expensive. too expensive for my college student budget.

however! while i was in SLC this summer i remembered something wonderful. The Pioneer Museum (or whatever its official name is) has these prints along with a few others for only $15! and they are so lovely! they also have prints on canvas for significantly cheaper! so if you love minerva as much as i do... there are cheaper prints than deseret book!

i also LOVE these little cubby organizers from pottery barn. I WANT THAT>>

and an iron bed frame. oh i want one SOOOoOOO bad. i wish that some of the older ones were queen size instead of just made for a full. i do like this one too.. but not as much. i wouldnt be too sad if it were to reside in my home though :)

and these lights. holy smokers. they are beautiful. when i have a home i want these lights. i guess ill just have to wait a little while.

i love beautiful things. i cant help it.

and i covet them. i cant help it.

oops.

x0x0

an illustrated life.

i heart charley harper.
he is my absolute favorite artist.
my brother-in-law nicholas introduced me to this genious of a man.
and finally for my birthday i got a book all about him along with many of his illustrations.
oooh how i love this book. and his art.

he calls it minimal realism and its fabulous.

here are a few of my favorites. i cant just share one.

if i had $15,000 i would by this one. its called musk oxen.

i wont lie, i have been a little hesitant to share my love of charley harper... because im selfish. but i cant resist any longer.

isnt he fabulous?

i want one of every print.

x0x0

we are given this life to learn.

I feel very humble today. Very reflective on my life over the past few months. My dad has been gone for over two months now. Time seems to be racing by, yet standing still. I feel like I have not shared my testimony enough. I feel like I have not allowed myself to learn as much from this experience as my Heavenly Father wishes for me to learn. I guess that is why we have time on this earth, so that we can learn. So that we can make those changes necessary to better our lives and the lives of those around us.

For the first time on wednesday, I met a girl who lost her father almost a month ago. I had heard much about her and had spent time with her husband, but it was the first time I had met her. I felt an instant connection with this girl. She knows exactly how I feel. Loosing one of the most important people in your life is a very hard thing, but as we talked I recognized that although I can dwell on those hard things, I can also recognize the blessings that come from them.

Trials will come. They come to all of us.

I was asked to give a spiritual thought in institute last week. As I pondered what I wanted to talk about I thought about all of the unbelievable things people have done for my family. I thought about Charity. I shared with my class Moroni 7:47. The scripture says:

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."

As I shared this scripture, I shared my true belief in its principles. Charity is the pure love of Christ. Charity is different than service. Service can and should be done by everyone, but if we posses charity we posses Christ's love. Charity is wanting to help, wanting to serve, wanting to make someone’s life better. For them, not for us. I cannot express enough thanks to those people who have shared their Pure Love of Christ with my family.

As I talked about my dads death and the amazing people that have prayed for us, loved us, and felt compassion for us, I realized that Charity is one of the purest attributes we can have. I also realized that although my trial at this time is difficult, there are so many others out there dealing with much worse circumstances and situations.

After I shared my testimony, 4 different people came up to me to share the trials that they have each been faced with. The boy sitting directly next to me lost his father 6 months ago, my teacher lost his father at a young age, and another woman recently lost her husband to cancer. I had no idea that there were so many other people so close to me dealing with so many devastating trials of their own.

I have been so selfish in thinking only about myself and how I am feeling. I have been dwelling on my own feelings, not willing to put forth my own Charity to help others. Especially when there are so many others around me suffering pain and sadness. When something hard hits your life, it is so easy to dwell on that thing and only think of yourself and how you are feeling. But I am learning that as we help others and strive to share Christ's love, we are truly helping ourselves heal.

I have a lot to say today I guess.

Conference was amazing wasn’t it? I was able to understand so much more about where my life is and what I need to improve on.

My favorite talk was by Elder Uchtdorf, his talk about slowing down. I feel bad because I don’t have any direct quotes from him, but I loved the attitude he had about taking the time for the things that are most important in life and letting the others go. After this talk I was studying for a psychology test when I read about something called off reservation American Indian boarding schools for children. The segment was talking about how brainwashing tactics were used to convince these kids that their traditions and way of life were degrading and that they should be ashamed of them. As I continued reading about the things they did to trick them into thinking that their families and their traditions were bad, it stated,

"Their days were filled with so many tasks that they had little time to think."

I was hit hard with this statement and I interpreted it in correlation with Elder Uchtdorf's talk. Sometimes I fill my day with so much that I don’t even think about reading my scriptures, I don’t think about how I should be improving my relationships, and when I get into bed I am too tired to pray.

As I thought about this I thought about it in the sense that the teachers of the boarding schools are a lot like Satan. He gives us so much to do that we see as good, that we rarely give ourselves time to think about the better. We don’t allow ourselves the time that we need to reflect on how to be better, how to buoy up others, and how to draw closer to Christ.

Most of the things that I am doing with my days are good, but Satan wants me to think that they are more important than those things that are BETTER. He is using the brainwashing tactic to "fill our days with so many tasks that we have little time to think"!

That is why I love Elder Uchtdorf's talk so much. It has reminded me to slow down. To allow myself that proper reflection time that my spirit and my soul needs. Life gets busy, but I think I am beginning to realize that many of the things that we rate as important in our lives really aren’t so important.

It is such a wonderful blessing to have a modern day Prophet and leaders to teach us the things that we need. Life and the world is changing rapidly, and not all for good. It is so important to listen to the things that they say and take action. Conference time is so wonderful, because it gives me a renewed commitment to do those things I am prompted to do. We are given this life to learn, and I am so thankful we have so many opportunities to do so.

Life is good. All is well.

preachy enough for you?? :)

xoxo

l.a.v.a.

last weekend was a lovely one. it was a weekend spent celebrating our three years of marriage.

what a wonderful accomplishment. marriage itself is something to celebrate. but three years? even better. im sure the longer it goes (eternity... it better be!) the more i will think that.

before we enjoyed a nice weekend away, i took sam up the mountains to celebrate on our actual anniversary.

sam LOVES camping and the outdoors. so do i. so we spent the evening around a fire roasting hot dogs and eating our favorite candy bars.

we love to sleep in our car... REMEMBER?

so we made a night of it and enjoyed a nice movie in the back of the car and a good nights sleep.

it was a really simple night. but i think those are the best.

the weekend was a surprise... except the surprise didnt quite make it to the weekend. my family is bad with needles and blood, but they are worse at keeping secrets! :)

the shag gave it away. but i cant blame her. she really didnt know it was a surprise!

ive done it to my sister taryn too when she was going on a surprise get-a-way for her anniversary one year! oops.

sam took me to lava. oh i love lava. even the little town is so fun to me.

i loved all of the colors everywhere. oh i love fall. i could live in fall forever.

we enjoyed the great thai food of course, lots of movies, ice cream everyday, the hot pools, some frisbee golf, some beautiful drives (we love taking drives...)walking around town, and all that jazz.

it was so nice. and so relaxing. i think couples should get a weekend a month to just go somewhere and do nothing. it makes you so much more patient with each other!

i love you sam. thanks for celebrating a great life together!