Author: Nurture Mama

Winter arts and crafts (and books to read in January)

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The theme of January at our house is always winter and snow. We have yet to have any snow flurries land on our doorstep in Florida, so we have to make our own fun with snow. Now presenting: our collections of snowy projects undertaken in January!Our winter art wall!

These three snowman scenes were inspired by the paper tube stamped snowman shared at Make and Takes. We started with toilet paper rolls and white paint and made circles, then we each added our own embellishments.

These little cuties were made by painting one of Little Boy Z’s fingers. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but they are pretty miniature. I added the details with colored marker after the paint was dry. (Inspiration found here).

Salty snowflakes: Draw a simple snowflake shape, outline with glue, then shake some salt on top. (Sorry! I can’t remember where I saw this idea to give them credit)

The ever popular cottonball snowman.

And the equally popular marshmallow snowman–because marshmallows are perfect imitations of snowballs, and are as much fun for children to craft with as they are to eat!

Since the marshmallows were already in the house, we of course had to do some building and designing with toothpicks.

The Ant Bug pulled out her Model Magic one afternoon and shaped this snowman. If you haven’t tried Model Magic material before it is a nice variation along the theme of playdough.

As is my habit, we are also reading winter books!

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft & Richard G. Van Gelder

It’s Snowing! It’s Snowing! Winter Poems by Jack Prelutsky

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Thomas’ Snowsuit by Robert Munsch

Stella: Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

For more wintery and snowy ideas, be sure to check out my winter board on Pinterest.

A few quotes about priorities

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“Some uses of individual and family time are better, and others are best. We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”

Dallin H. Oaks, “Good, Better, Best, ” October 2007 General Conference.

 

“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.”

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Great Commandment–Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988.

 

“Time is one of our most valuable possessions. Use it wisely. Remind yourselves often that things that matter most should not be left to the mercy of things that matter the least.”

O. Leslie Stone, “Making Your Marriage Successful,” Ensign, May 1978.

Keeping resolutions is a daily task

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“Asking for and receiving daily bread at God’s hand plays a vital part in learning to trust Him and in enduring life’s challenges. We also need a daily portion of divine bread to become what we must become. To repent, improve, and eventually reach “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13) is a step-by-step process. Incorporating new and wholesome habits into our character or overcoming bad habits or addictions often means an effort today followed by another tomorrow and then another, perhaps for many days, even months and years, until we achieve victory. But we can do it because we can appeal to God for our daily bread, for the help we need each day.

President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982), First Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day.”

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently taught that consistency in simple daily practices such as family prayer, scripture study, and home evening is crucial in building successful families. “Our consistency in doing seemingly small things,” he said, “can lead to significant spiritual results.”

D. Todd Christofferson, “Recognizing God’s Hand in our Daily Blessings”, Ensign, January 2012.

Setting goals

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“I believe you can train yourself to become a positive thinker, but you must cultivate a desire to develop the skill of setting personal worthy and realistic goals. I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When you learn to master the principle of setting a goal, you will then be able to make a great difference in the results you attain in this life.”

“I would suggest that if you want to have success in the goal-setting process, you learn to write your goals down. I would even put them in a prominent place—on your mirror or on the refrigerator door.”

“Set clear and specific goals. When you set a goal and commit yourself to the necessary self-discipline to reach that goal, you will eliminate most of the problems in your life. Spend your energies doing those things that will make a difference. Then you can become what you think about. If you just have the simple faith that God is in His heaven and He is your Heavenly Father and He does know that you are here and He does love you—and that Jesus is the Christ, that He is your Savior, that He is your Redeemer, and that you love Him with all your heart and are going to do all you can to keep His commandments—then peace comes.”

M. Russell Ballard, “Go for it!” New Era, March 2004.

Merry Christmas!

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This post comes a little after the fact, but that is because I am enjoying the holiday season with my family. I hope you are doing the same! So…Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all the best to you in 2012!

 

Christmas Quotes: A gift and blessing to the world

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“He whose birth we commemorate this season is more than the symbol of a holiday. He is the Son of God, the Creator of the earth, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the fulfillment of the Law of Moses, the Redeemer of mankind the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace….

“’And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“’For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“’That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.’ (D&C 76:22-24)

“This is our testimony to all mankind. It is our gift and blessing to the world. He is our joy and our salvation, and we will find Christmas of greater meaning in our own lives as we share these truths with others.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley, “What Shall I Do Then with Jesus Which is Called Christ”, Ensign, December 1983. 5)

Christmas Quotes: Remember the birth of Jesus

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“Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wisemen.”

–Robert Lewis Stevenson

Christmas Quotes: Spending Christmas

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The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.

–Henry David Thoreau

Ice Cream Cone Trees (and a FHE lesson to go with it)

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I’ve got about 10 different posts I would love to share with you this holiday season. Unfortunately, they are all still just written in my head. Time with my family and other projects are at a higher priority than blogging right now, so you’ll probably have to rely on my Pinterest boards to see the fun ideas we have been trying this year.  But here is quick idea I had to share: Ice Cream Cone Trees

Supplies Needed

Sugar ice cream cones

Frosting (tinted green)

Assorted candy: we used red and green M&Ms, mini marshmallows, and crushed candy canes. For the star on top we used a Reese’s Pieces.

The directions are simple: Spread the frosting on the cone, decorate with candy, and voila–instant Christmas tree! This activity was a hit with the entire family, from the 20 month old to the 31 year old.This little cutie did a lot more eating then decorating!This would make a great addition to a gingerbread house. I’ve been a little intimidated by the effort involved to make a gingerbread house and have yet to attempt that activity, but the trees were a great alternative for our family. You can visit this blog for fabulous patterns and tutorials if you are in the mood to make a gingerbread house.

Prior to doing this activity we had a Family Home Evening Lesson on the symbols of Christmas, provided by A Year of FHE. All around a great family activity!

Christmas Quotes: What will you give?

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“The spirit of giving gifts has been present in the mind of each Christian as he or she commemorates the Christmas season. Our Heavenly Father gave to us His Son, Jesus Christ. That precious Son gave to us His life, the Atonement, and victory over the grave.

“What will you and I give for Christmas this year? Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps. It was said of Him that He “went about doing good.” As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours.”

President Thomas S. Monson “What is Christmas?” Ensign, December 1998, 5