Sunday, April 15, 2012
MIA
Sorry I haven't been posting much. Between working full-time these last couple of weeks and applying for teaching jobs for next year and battling sickness and working on my FHE blog, not to mention the usual house- and family- and church-related things, I haven't had much time to do any of the other fun things I would normally put on this blog. I'll get a family update here soon, and get caught up on Project 366 scrapping, and I have a fun couple of crafts to do if I ever get a day off. So be on the lookout for fun things yet to come. :)
Crocheted Football Baby Cocoon & Hat
A good friend of mine is pregnant with her first baby, a little boy, due at the beginning of June! I really like to hand-make things for my closer friends, I just think it's something special. So when I saw this knit pattern on Etsy for a very affordable price...
...I decided to buy it and use it as sort of a template (mostly for sizing, as I'm unfamiliar with newborns) to create a crochet pattern. After struggling for quite some time, and trying it a few different ways, I think I got it figured out to my liking. Here's my version (sans baby...maybe I should buy a life-size doll to put in there :) :
AND IT'S FREE! :) Well, except the yarn, of course. And I made it an easy, relatively quick (a few hours), free pattern for you. :)
I love how pointed my ends are--more like a real football. And I have to say, I added an extra row to the hat after taking these pictures, because I wanted to make sure the hat was big enough. And it stretches, so I think we're good. :) Also, I used a smaller hook than you usually would with this weight yarn because I really wanted mine to be firm and keep its shape, unlike some of the cocoons out there. You have to stitch loosely with this hook so it isn't TOO stiff, though. It's still very soft and I can't wait to see her baby boy wrapped up in it!
Finished size of cocoon: 17 inches long (unrolled) and 20" circumference
YOU WILL NEED:
K-sized hook
Bulky (says 6) weight yarn--I used Lion Brand Hometown USA, in Billings Chocolate (2 rolls, or 10 oz) and New York White (1 roll, or 5 oz, although I didn't use NEARLY all of it).
MAGIC CIRCLE=the best way to start anything in rounds (if it's closed, anyway). Check out how to do it HERE!
sl st=slip stitch
ch=chain
st=stitch
sc=single crochet
RD=round (like "row")
*=repeat
(#)=final number of stitches in the round, not including joining sl st or ch 1s.
ALSO, ONE FINAL NOTE: When doing the sc, I only did it through the top/back loop, not both. This is what gave the whole thing its bumpy texture, and it made it more flexible. I like it this way, but you're welcome to pull through both loops in your sc as usual. It will just be stiffer.
HAT:
With brown yarn, Magic Circle. 5 sc in circle, pull to close tightly. Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 1: 2 sc in each st around (10). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 2: [2 sc, 1 sc]* around (15). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 3: [sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (20). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 4: [sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st. Change to white by pulling yarn through loop on hook--this will take place of the ch 1 here. You can crochet over the tail and it will blend right in.
RD 5: sc around with white (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 6: sc around with white (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st. Change to brown in same method as above.
RD 7 & 8: sc around with brown (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 9: sc around (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st, tie off and weave in ends.
FOOTBALL COCOON:
With brown yarn, Magic Circle. 5 sc in circle, pull to close tightly. Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 1: 2 sc in each st around (10). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 2: [2 sc, 1 sc]* around (15). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 3: [sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (20). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 4: [sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 5: [sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (30). Join with 1st sc by sl st. Change to white (see method in hat directions above).
RD 6: WITH WHITE, [sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (35). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 7: [sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (40). Join with 1st sc by sl st. Change back to brown.
RD 8: WITH BROWN, [sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (45). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 9: [sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (50). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1. This is where we stop increasing.
RD 10-33: sc around (50). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1. Should be around 17" long at this point.
RD 34 (or when you've achieved desired length): sc around (50). Join with 1st sc by sl st, tie off and weave in ends.
Using your crochet hook or large needle, sew in the white lines (I eyeballed it...but I can tell you that I started the long center line 3 rounds up from the white and had the shorter lines 3 stitches away from the center...and I tried to make all 5 of them equidistant. Also, if you are using the crochet hook, you can insert your hook from right side to wrong side and pull a little yarn loop through, then slip stitch your way across the right side. When you're a stitch away from the end, remove your hook and insert it from wrong to right side to pull the loop through the end and sl st there...tie off and weave in ends as usual.
There you have it! I hope the little baby boy in your life enjoys this quick, easy, adorable football baby cocoon as much as I enjoyed making it!
...I decided to buy it and use it as sort of a template (mostly for sizing, as I'm unfamiliar with newborns) to create a crochet pattern. After struggling for quite some time, and trying it a few different ways, I think I got it figured out to my liking. Here's my version (sans baby...maybe I should buy a life-size doll to put in there :) :
 |
| Excuse the yellowy-pink lighting, that's my bedroom light for ya. |
I love how pointed my ends are--more like a real football. And I have to say, I added an extra row to the hat after taking these pictures, because I wanted to make sure the hat was big enough. And it stretches, so I think we're good. :) Also, I used a smaller hook than you usually would with this weight yarn because I really wanted mine to be firm and keep its shape, unlike some of the cocoons out there. You have to stitch loosely with this hook so it isn't TOO stiff, though. It's still very soft and I can't wait to see her baby boy wrapped up in it!
Finished size of cocoon: 17 inches long (unrolled) and 20" circumference
YOU WILL NEED:
K-sized hook
Bulky (says 6) weight yarn--I used Lion Brand Hometown USA, in Billings Chocolate (2 rolls, or 10 oz) and New York White (1 roll, or 5 oz, although I didn't use NEARLY all of it).
MAGIC CIRCLE=the best way to start anything in rounds (if it's closed, anyway). Check out how to do it HERE!
sl st=slip stitch
ch=chain
st=stitch
sc=single crochet
RD=round (like "row")
*=repeat
(#)=final number of stitches in the round, not including joining sl st or ch 1s.
ALSO, ONE FINAL NOTE: When doing the sc, I only did it through the top/back loop, not both. This is what gave the whole thing its bumpy texture, and it made it more flexible. I like it this way, but you're welcome to pull through both loops in your sc as usual. It will just be stiffer.
HAT:
With brown yarn, Magic Circle. 5 sc in circle, pull to close tightly. Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 1: 2 sc in each st around (10). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 2: [2 sc, 1 sc]* around (15). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 3: [sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (20). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 4: [sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st. Change to white by pulling yarn through loop on hook--this will take place of the ch 1 here. You can crochet over the tail and it will blend right in.
RD 5: sc around with white (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 6: sc around with white (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st. Change to brown in same method as above.
RD 7 & 8: sc around with brown (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 9: sc around (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st, tie off and weave in ends.
 |
| This is where you ooh and ahh at your awesomeness. :) |
FOOTBALL COCOON:
With brown yarn, Magic Circle. 5 sc in circle, pull to close tightly. Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 1: 2 sc in each st around (10). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 2: [2 sc, 1 sc]* around (15). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 3: [sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (20). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 4: [sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (25). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 5: [sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (30). Join with 1st sc by sl st. Change to white (see method in hat directions above).
RD 6: WITH WHITE, [sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (35). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 7: [sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (40). Join with 1st sc by sl st. Change back to brown.
RD 8: WITH BROWN, [sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (45). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1.
RD 9: [sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, 2 sc]* around (50). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1. This is where we stop increasing.
RD 10-33: sc around (50). Join with 1st sc by sl st, ch 1. Should be around 17" long at this point.
RD 34 (or when you've achieved desired length): sc around (50). Join with 1st sc by sl st, tie off and weave in ends.
Using your crochet hook or large needle, sew in the white lines (I eyeballed it...but I can tell you that I started the long center line 3 rounds up from the white and had the shorter lines 3 stitches away from the center...and I tried to make all 5 of them equidistant. Also, if you are using the crochet hook, you can insert your hook from right side to wrong side and pull a little yarn loop through, then slip stitch your way across the right side. When you're a stitch away from the end, remove your hook and insert it from wrong to right side to pull the loop through the end and sl st there...tie off and weave in ends as usual.
There you have it! I hope the little baby boy in your life enjoys this quick, easy, adorable football baby cocoon as much as I enjoyed making it!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Just some pre-Easter pics :)
So our church had a really great breakfast and Easter Egg hunt this morning at a local park. I was sooo excited to take pictures of Caida (my niece) as she ran around laughing and looking for the magical eggs that bring such happiness on Easter weekend. But this is what really happened. Caida walked around like a zombie because she was so tired and sad her cousin couldn't make it, not to mention she didn't really know what was going on. And she hadn't done a real Easter egg hunt in a while so she didn't really "get" how to hunt for them...so we would find one and then throw it in front of her and yell, "Look, Caida, you found one!" Then she would slowly pick it up, look at it, open it and decide if she liked what she saw inside...not in a rush whatsoever to find eggs faster than any other kid. Oh yeah, and if she had to get down on her knees and get dirt on her hands to get an egg? Forget it! She slowly wiped the mud off and stood up, leaving the egg where it was and just looking at us like "What is happening?" :) It was an adventure. I couldn't find a good photo moment, so I don't have any. :) We will have to do a practice round next year to prepare her, I think! :)
But afterwards we stopped by my sister's house and decorated eggs, make sugar cookies, and played with Caida's toys while she attempted to tell us knock-knock jokes with minimal success. :) It was a good Satirday-before-Easter. :) And here is some proof:
But afterwards we stopped by my sister's house and decorated eggs, make sugar cookies, and played with Caida's toys while she attempted to tell us knock-knock jokes with minimal success. :) It was a good Satirday-before-Easter. :) And here is some proof:
Friday, April 6, 2012
FYI :)
Just in case you're interested, the first Conference-talk-based FHE post is available on my other blog. It's a long one, but I think there are some good things in there if you're patient enough to wade through it all. :) Click below to find them!
http://givethemheaven.blogspot.com/2012/04/fhe-49-families-are-forever.html
http://givethemheaven.blogspot.com/2012/04/fhe-49-families-are-forever.html
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Melted Crayon Art, Take 2
I got around to finishing my second crayon art! I love it. But what do you think?
Apparently this is not new. Crazy thing about the information age, there isn't a lot of originality out there anymore. But this was my inspiration:
I wanted to do something like this but with crayon art. So I set to work. Conveniently, one of our engagement pictures (that we didn't use) involved the two of us and an umbrella:
So I just traced that outline onto black paper and cut it out. Otherwise, it's actually mostly like all the other crayon art out there, except I covered the silhouette with plastic wrap and pinned it down so it wouldn't blow away in the "wind" of the blowdryer. Like this:
Then, melt away! I love it. The bright colors of the cheap crayons and the way the blue and green "splash" off the umbrella make me happy and remind me of how much I love our marriage. Original or not, I am happy. :)
Apparently this is not new. Crazy thing about the information age, there isn't a lot of originality out there anymore. But this was my inspiration:
 |
| (Source) |
I wanted to do something like this but with crayon art. So I set to work. Conveniently, one of our engagement pictures (that we didn't use) involved the two of us and an umbrella:
So I just traced that outline onto black paper and cut it out. Otherwise, it's actually mostly like all the other crayon art out there, except I covered the silhouette with plastic wrap and pinned it down so it wouldn't blow away in the "wind" of the blowdryer. Like this:
Then, melt away! I love it. The bright colors of the cheap crayons and the way the blue and green "splash" off the umbrella make me happy and remind me of how much I love our marriage. Original or not, I am happy. :)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Give 'Em HEAVEN!
If you've read my recent posts, you'll know I'm excited to plan Conference-based FHEs for the next 6 months and share them with you all. I'm also dabbling with more creative endeavors and creating some fun LDS freebies in the coming months.
I debated about whether or not to have all these LDS freebies and thoughts on the same blog as everything else in my life, and while I don't want to start compartmentalizing everything, I think I'm going to have my Conference- and gospel-related LDS art, FHE ideas, and more on a separate blog. That will help make it easier for anyone else who's interested in finding free Mormon printables, FHE ideas, and more, I think. If I change my mind I'll let you know. :) SO. If you want to have access to these things (yet-to-come), here's the new blog:
http://givethemheaven.blogspot.com/
Everything else will still be here, from family stuff to crafts and recipes. I was just having a hard time blending the two, in my mind. :) This other, new blog has a very distinct purpose in my mind, while the one you're reading right now is my "anything and everything" blog. So be a follower of both and you'll have the best of both worlds. And if you're not LDS yet, this will make THESE posts more pertinent to you.
Thanks!
I debated about whether or not to have all these LDS freebies and thoughts on the same blog as everything else in my life, and while I don't want to start compartmentalizing everything, I think I'm going to have my Conference- and gospel-related LDS art, FHE ideas, and more on a separate blog. That will help make it easier for anyone else who's interested in finding free Mormon printables, FHE ideas, and more, I think. If I change my mind I'll let you know. :) SO. If you want to have access to these things (yet-to-come), here's the new blog:
http://givethemheaven.blogspot.com/
Everything else will still be here, from family stuff to crafts and recipes. I was just having a hard time blending the two, in my mind. :) This other, new blog has a very distinct purpose in my mind, while the one you're reading right now is my "anything and everything" blog. So be a follower of both and you'll have the best of both worlds. And if you're not LDS yet, this will make THESE posts more pertinent to you.
Thanks!
Project 366--March 26-April 1
Click HERE to get your very own blank .png version of this page for personal use!
WEEKLY THEME: The Little Things :)
My iPhone camera actually does its best work when in macro mode. So I decided to get up-close and personal this week and celebrate the little things that make a big difference in my happiness and my life!
Mar 26--little puppy dog eyes from my little puppy...her little kisses are the best, too. :)
Mar 27--little crafts/projects to keep me sane...especially when they're cheap and have lots of COLOR!
Mar 28--making music
Mar 29--children's books--some of my FAVORITES are in that picture. :)
Mar 30--beautiful flowers/nature's beauty
Mar 31--good food
Apr 1--marriage (Okay, I know that's NOT a little thing, but all the little things in marriage make me happy, too--the hand-holding, the stolen kisses, the fun date nights...you get the picture)
Project 366--March 19-25
Click HERE for your own BLANK .png version of this page for personal use!
WEEKLY THEME: THE DAILINESS OF OUR MARRIAGE
March 19--Okay, this is NOT normal dailiness for us, but one way I know Paul loves me is that he knows things about me that I didn't even know about myself, and he is always working hard to surprise me on my birthday with something *extra* special--like tickets to see "Beauty and the Beast" off Broadway, or an expensive dinner at Fogo de Chao. Today, we went to a COOKING CLASS together! I didn't even realize I've always wanted to do this with my hubby until he said it aloud. It was a Mediterranean Islands-themed cuisine, and it was DELICIOUS. Next month we get to go to a Lebanese cooking class...since my father-in-law is Lebanese, I'm extra excited. :)
March 20--We love the few family traditions we've started together--like our picture book Christmas countdown, the cook-kisses and shouting "NOW!" when we cross state borders. Another one we just started was to plant a fairy garden on the first day of spring. :)
March 21--We are both "physical touch" people. So there's a lot of hugs, kisses, cuddling, etc. in our home.
March 22--We "veg" in front of the TV almost every weeknight. Monday night: How I Met Your Mother and Castle (and soon Bones!)...and sometimes watching Once Upon a Time from the night before. Tuesday: Glee and New Girl. Wednesday: Psych (if we had cable, anyway). Thursday: Bones & The Office. Nothing on Friday/Saturdays. Sometimes I wish we did more exciting things, but mostly I really enjoy that we can watch the same shows and look forward to just relaxing together each night after a hard day of work.
March 23--HUNGER GAMES! If you can't see the caption, it says, "We love movies, and we love books, but we REALLY love movies based on books we love." I think that about sums it up. We're big book people and love especially movies based on our favorites. I think the Ender's Game movie next year is the next one we're really excited about.
March 24--Speaking of reading, here's a cute picture of Paul, after he fell asleep while reading. :)
March 25--Church stuff. Let's face it, church-related activities and business take up a LOT of our free time, especially with our new callings. It's wonderful to be busy in volunteer service in the Lord's kingdom, though!
I will have to do this again sometime, because there is a LOT more to our marriage than just this. :) But it'll do for now.
Conference Impressions
I've tried a dozen ways to make the most of my Conference experience, but in the end I always come back to something simple. A notebook, with a dividing line down the middle. On the left, I record quotes/content of the speakers; on the right, impressions.
These impressions range from something as simple or silly as "call or write this person" to as grandiose as "how can I apply this in my calling more?" Sometimes I get a vision of a craft or other project I want to take on that is gospel-related. Sometimes I'm reminded of goals I'd forgotten about, or sometimes I just feel excited about something and want to mark it down. And in some talks I don't really get anything. That's okay. But I always allow my mind to wander, just a little, because I'm always led to a desire to DO more good in the world.
Here are *some* of the (less personal) impressions I had during Conference:
1. Crafts/projects I want to take on:
I'm writing this all here because I think it's important to share how we learn, grow, and get inspiration. This is how I do it during Conference, and it's working for me so far. I've got LOTS to do in the next six months 'til the next sessions in October, and I hope I will be more focused on realizing these many goals.
These impressions range from something as simple or silly as "call or write this person" to as grandiose as "how can I apply this in my calling more?" Sometimes I get a vision of a craft or other project I want to take on that is gospel-related. Sometimes I'm reminded of goals I'd forgotten about, or sometimes I just feel excited about something and want to mark it down. And in some talks I don't really get anything. That's okay. But I always allow my mind to wander, just a little, because I'm always led to a desire to DO more good in the world.
Here are *some* of the (less personal) impressions I had during Conference:
1. Crafts/projects I want to take on:
- Something with the words to "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"
- Something with the family proclamation as home decor
- A Blog/post series with Conference message-inspired FHE ideas (soooo excited about this, it's a more major project but one I've been thinking about for a while now)
- More Christ-centered Easter decor, and an Easter FHE activity using part of President Monson's message
- Make a family mission statement
- Nothing wrong with an incentive chart for ME to help with consistent scripture study/prayer!
- Arrange a hymn to share in sacrament meeting.
- What can I do to prepare more for a family? I don't want to wait until we have kids to get these things done, I want to do them NOW so we can be ready at a moment's notice for fostering/adoption/pregnancy/etc.
- Sister Esplin talked about our responsibility to not just teach doctrine, but teach to *understand* the doctrine and feel the Spirit. How can we do this as primary leaders more?
- I used to do family history work more. I need to get on that again.
- I need to JOURNAL again. Something more than this blog and digital scrapping, where I can get more personal about important things. I always helps me sort out my feelings better and find words to express them.
- Use institute manuals to aid in scripture study for now...especially the Book of Mormon. I really miss institute sometimes. :)
- Read/study "Daughters in My Kingdom." I keep meaning to and keep putting it off.
I'm writing this all here because I think it's important to share how we learn, grow, and get inspiration. This is how I do it during Conference, and it's working for me so far. I've got LOTS to do in the next six months 'til the next sessions in October, and I hope I will be more focused on realizing these many goals.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
General Conference!
I love General Conference weekend. Every year, in April and October, we have an entire weekend where we get to hear messages from the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The word of God, from His living prophets right to my living room! It's a peaceful weekend for us (maybe it's just because we don't have small children to occupy for basically 8 hours of church meetings :). Whatever your circumstances, I completely invite you to browse the archives--you can watch, listen, read (soon), or download any talk of interest from the lds.org website, HERE.
I always find I get a whole lot more out of Conference, though, when I come with a question or concern or something that I really need. After praying about this problem and asking the Lord to inspire even just one of His servants to speak to my needs, I am always surprised, again and again, that He actually answers these prayers so directly! He has never let me down, not once, as long as I've done my part to prepare.
Lately I've been overcome with emotion as I meet with the Primary presidency to discuss various children and their families' needs in our ward. I've worked over the past two years at forgiving others and myself for things that happened in the past. I've struggled with Caida's seizures and fear every night for her safety. I worry always about our own little family--am I doing enough? Are my expectations too high? Will we ever have children? How do I balance the worldly demands and my spiritual yearnings? The list of concerns goes on and on, as I know it does for everyone. I've realized recently that my emotions are almost overwhelming many days, though, to the point that I can't reason through a problem or recognize those gentle promptings of the Spirit as much as I would like. Many times people have asked what I think about something or other and I have found myself speechless, just a bottle of emotion welling up and about to burst, and I have no idea what to do with all of it. As I've struggled to find a voice for my hurt, anger, envy, frustrations, caution, and self-consciousness, as well as my elations and excitement and love, I've realized what it means to WRESTLE with the Spirit. I've realized the many ways my faith falls short and the miles I have yet to travel along this path toward eternal life.
If you are anything like me (and chances are that at least ONE of you are), here are the talks I found particularly and especially inspiring in these sessions:
Elder Richard G. Scott's talk about feeling the Holy Ghost. (Saturday Afternoon Session)
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk about forgiveness. (Sunday Morning Session)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk about justice, mercy, and not being envious of other's successes. (Saturday Afternoon Session)
President Henry B. Eyring's talk about adversity and trials as a means of strengthening our faith. (Saturday Morning Session)
More on all of this later. :) Stay tuned for some more impressions and even some Conference-inspired printable art sure to come soon! Hope you all enjoyed your Sundays, wherever you were and whatever you were doing. But I know that listening to the words of the prophets is the best thing I could've done this weekend, and I'm so grateful to have made the small sacrifices it takes to listen...I always get so much more out of it than I put into it. And that is why I believe.
To the many of you who also participated in Conference weekend--what was your favorite part?
I always find I get a whole lot more out of Conference, though, when I come with a question or concern or something that I really need. After praying about this problem and asking the Lord to inspire even just one of His servants to speak to my needs, I am always surprised, again and again, that He actually answers these prayers so directly! He has never let me down, not once, as long as I've done my part to prepare.
Lately I've been overcome with emotion as I meet with the Primary presidency to discuss various children and their families' needs in our ward. I've worked over the past two years at forgiving others and myself for things that happened in the past. I've struggled with Caida's seizures and fear every night for her safety. I worry always about our own little family--am I doing enough? Are my expectations too high? Will we ever have children? How do I balance the worldly demands and my spiritual yearnings? The list of concerns goes on and on, as I know it does for everyone. I've realized recently that my emotions are almost overwhelming many days, though, to the point that I can't reason through a problem or recognize those gentle promptings of the Spirit as much as I would like. Many times people have asked what I think about something or other and I have found myself speechless, just a bottle of emotion welling up and about to burst, and I have no idea what to do with all of it. As I've struggled to find a voice for my hurt, anger, envy, frustrations, caution, and self-consciousness, as well as my elations and excitement and love, I've realized what it means to WRESTLE with the Spirit. I've realized the many ways my faith falls short and the miles I have yet to travel along this path toward eternal life.
If you are anything like me (and chances are that at least ONE of you are), here are the talks I found particularly and especially inspiring in these sessions:
Elder Richard G. Scott's talk about feeling the Holy Ghost. (Saturday Afternoon Session)
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk about forgiveness. (Sunday Morning Session)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk about justice, mercy, and not being envious of other's successes. (Saturday Afternoon Session)
President Henry B. Eyring's talk about adversity and trials as a means of strengthening our faith. (Saturday Morning Session)
More on all of this later. :) Stay tuned for some more impressions and even some Conference-inspired printable art sure to come soon! Hope you all enjoyed your Sundays, wherever you were and whatever you were doing. But I know that listening to the words of the prophets is the best thing I could've done this weekend, and I'm so grateful to have made the small sacrifices it takes to listen...I always get so much more out of it than I put into it. And that is why I believe.
To the many of you who also participated in Conference weekend--what was your favorite part?
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