FHE Lesson {LOVE}

I'm not a fan of Valentines day persay but I am a big fan of hearts, love, telling my kids I love them, and teaching them to love others so I embrace the holiday for these things.
I have a few lessons on love to share in the weeks leading up to Valentines.


Opening Song:  Love One Another

Opening Prayer:

Scripture : John 13:34


Lesson:

Cut out a large heart and stick to floor. Have each family member stand on heart one at a time.
Have the other family members say what they love about the person on the heart.

How can we have better love at home?


Several studies tell us how its important for kids to know their family story.
Tell children how their parents met and fell in love.
Could also share grandparents love stories if you know these too.
You could also talk about how you felt when each child joined your family and you first 'met' them.


Activity Ideas:

Using a heart toy/or cut/sew one out of felt or even just a paper heart hide the heart around the house and play find the heart. Tell children love can always be found at our house.



Make a Valentines Tree:

This is an old one of ours. I used small branches from my yard spray painted red.

You can add:

Pictures of your family
Little paper hearts,decorations
Slips of paper with service ideas you have done, or they could do for eachother




Closing Song: Jesus Said Love Everyone

Closing Prayer:

Treat:
Use a heart cookie cutter to cut heart shapes out of bread and butter and cover in sprinkles

January

Oh January.

You are my black hole
{really starting back on December 26th see here }

I don't know why but I just can't organise myself in January.

Really its best to wait till February.

I feel like treading water - but in a good way?

Don't get me wrong - I'm not sad or depressed or worried...
{January is jokingly known as one of the most depressing  Blue Monday - see here}

it just seems like the world is on one lazy holiday

I seem to forget that shops and businesses  are open - that I could be doing stuff, making appointments, phoning people etc. I feel like everything else {the busy stuff} is missing from my life when perhaps it is just me that is missing... or I'm just missing my brain?

We are having wonderful holidays

just don't ask me to do anything

which is a problem because it was new year, and the Mr's birthday and my birthday and I need to prepare for back to school and paperwork for high school, Australia day, a back to school dinner celebration and another birthday the second week school is back {handing out birthday invites on the first day of school is awesome no?} and what of valentines and a certain 15th wedding anniversary??  Let alone making any new year resolutions {what are they?!}

However, how lovely is it to devote almost a whole month to being at home, being lazy, being with ones family? Very Lovely indeed. A blessed life. It feels so wonderful and rejuvenating.
A treasure.


Perhaps instead of a thinking I'm being sucked into a black hole its best to imagine


I'm just floating ... ebb and flow...


I'll be back soon I promise!
.

A promise to myself more than anything. Life is not all about holidays! {unfortunately}

FHE Lesson {A friend in Jesus}

 

This lesson inspired by part of a Relief Society lesson I taught this week

- idea found here via sugardoodle

 

 

Opening Song: Tell me the stories of Jesus #57

Opening Prayer:

Lesson:

What are some steps we take when making friends? How do we love and care for our friends?

Read out/write down each heading below on how we be a good friend.

Then discuss how we can apply these steps to getting to know more about Jesus.

Is Jesus our friend too?

How can we be a better friend to Jesus?

:: Find out more about them

Why is it important to know Jesus Christ? John 17:3

:: Spend time with them

How do we spend time with Jesus? Reading the scriptures and praying.

Imagine yourself standing there in different scripture stories. How would it be?

eg Mark 10:13-16 (when Jesus asks the little children to come unto him) John 13:3-5 (Washing of Jesus Feet) 3 Nephi 17:5-7 (Jesus healing the sick and tarrying longer with the Nephites)

With young children hold up pictures of scripture stories instead of reading them.

:: Invite them into your home

How do we invite Jesus into our home?

D&C 88:63 - what are we promised when we draw near unto Jesus?

:: Do something kind for them

When we do kindness to others we are doing a kindness for Jesus as he loves everyone.

share one/the following scripture stories and chose a way that you can help others

John 4:5-14 (woman at the well), Luke 15:11-32 (Prodigal Son) Matthew 18:11-14 (The lost Sheep)

:: Introduce them to other friends

Isaiah 43:10 - Stand as a witness. Share a simple testimony with someone you think may appreciate knowing that their saviour loves them.

:: Understand their joys and sorrow

Christ has many challenges and it helps us to know him when we understand how he overcame them

Matt 4:1-11(Tempted by Satan), Matt 26:36-46 (Gethsemane) Matt 26:69-75 (Peter Denies)

:: Love them

Write in your journal or on paper to express your love and appreciation to the saviour.

Share how you are grateful for friends in your life.

Share how it is important to have friends and to be a good friend.

We have a wonderful friend in Jesus and we too should try to be a good friend to Him.

Closing Song: Jesus is our loving friend #58

Closing Prayer:

Treat:

Birthday Tourists

It's not so bad having The Mr's birthday the day before mine.

It often feels like my birthday goes for a week.

This year was exactly that.

Cake and his choice homecooked dinner for his
Breakfast and day out and movies for mine
Grandma babysitting over night which equalled time out for beauty treatments and temple visits
A dinner out with my parents and siblings the night after
A girls night sitting on the deck chillin the next night.

All to celebrate me!

The few times I've travelled to meet up with the Mr at work locations, I've become a sight seer.
see here Newcastle and Melbourne and America


We look at old buildings, museums, war memorials, forts, gardens, lighthouses, churches.
We read plaques.
We walk and walk and walk and look.

Due to a few reasons we were stuck close to home for our birthdays yet had some time free from kids {yay! for Grandparents!}

So I suggested we be tourists in our own city.

Sometimes we ignore places to visit, or don't look up at the beautiful buildings or take time to explore things that are right in front of us, or don't find as much beauty in the things 5 mins away from the house. Trips to the city entail dragging 4 extra little ones we only see exactly what we came for then head home. I've often just wanted to wander the streets to have a look around..

I decided to put my tourist mindset on and decided that I was going to visit the museums, the churches, the old buildings, the gardens. I was going to wander the streets of my town.

We walked and walked and held hands and pretended we were somewhere exotic :)

And for a few moments it didn't really matter that we were close to home.

We were tourists on a romantic getaway.




Even though we walked for about 6 hours there were lots we didn't see.
I think I shall have to do this again. Well it is our anniversary soon.

What we did see

:: Breakfast at Cliffs Cafe
:: City Hopper Free Ferry
:: Customs House
:: Brisbane City Gardens
:: The Cube at QUT
:: Old Government House
:: Parliament {Parliament  closed due to heightened security - Bikies? but reopening soon}
:: Commissariat Store  {Oldest Building in Brisbane - built by convicts}
we had the museum to ourselves and got a lovely complementary hour long tour from Colin.
:: GOMA
:: Museum of Brisbane
:: We tried to get up the Bell Tower at City Hall but all booked out :(
:: Lots of other old interesting buildings
:: Dinner and Movies

I commented that it's amazing how much you can see/do in a day when you don't have to stop for school drop offs, pick ups, and cook dinner. Turns out it is ALOT!

 

 

 

And Our birthday is done for another year!

How to make a bleach number shirt {Birthday Shirt}

 

You probably know that we have a cheesy birthday tradition of having a birthday shirt.

 

When I saw this tutorial for bleached out shirts I got excited.

I knew this would be an easy way to create our birthday shirts.

In honour of my birthday this week ~ I bring you the bleached birthday {number} shirt.

 

 

 

 

 

First of all buy a shirt.

Bright or deep colours will work best.

 

 

 

Print out your number in a font and size you like.

Cut out the number.

Using contact or a few strips of packing tape stick the number wrong side down on the sticky side. 

Cut around the number leaving a small sticky edge.

 

 

 

 

Then stick the number on the shirt in your preferred placement.

Place a towel inside the shirt to prevent the bleach from leaking through the other side of your shirt.

 

 

 

Using a cloth dab some bleach all around the number.

If you like the splatter look carefully spray around the number.

 

New shirts come with chemical protectant on them.

Don't worry if it takes a while for the bleach to dye.

My blue shirt turned red first and the pink shirt turned blue.

I added a few layers of bleach on and then let the shirt sit for about 10 mins.

 

 

When you're happy with the amount of bleach dyed area peel the number off and underneath should look like this. ^^ Wash bleach off shirt.  We like how the blue shirt turned out spacey looking.

 

 

 

More birthday shirt ideas here:

 

Paint Stencilled Birthday Shirt

Letters {ONE} Birthday Shirt

Felt and Fabric Birthday Shirt

Reverse Applique Birthday Shirt

Zig Zag Stitched Birthday Shirt  {sewed mins before going to school}

Spotty Reverse Applique

2 Birthday Shirt

Recycled Corderoy Pants 5 Birthday Shirt

Felt and Fabric double layer 10 Birthday Shirt

Felt Cat and Reverse Applique 11 Birthday Shirt

Felt Snowflake and Stitched #6 Birthday Shirt

How to Make a Fresh Wreath

As usual, in life things fall by the wayside.

I had a few other Christmas craft things to share but time just got away.

And once its over, its over. Two weeks later and so much has happened already!

However - after decorating with wreaths for our New Year/Christmas dinner I think these wreaths would make a great addition to any party. Their simple look doesn't have to be kept just for Christmas. Well in my opinion anyway.

So here is how I whipped up these wreaths just a few hours before said party.

 

Go and trim your hedges/trees collecting leaves attached to about 10-15 cms of stem.

Or borrow from your neighbour like I did :)

 

Almost any type of leafy plant will do. I grabbed a variety to see which one I would like best.

Light leaves with bendy stems will work best.

 

Using regular wire from any hardware/craft shop make some circles.

 

Lay out your clippings.

 

 

 

Grab little bunches of your greenery and attach tightly to the wire ring.
I used green sewing cotton, binding several times around the top of the stem.
Thin florist wire would probably work better, but I always seem to be making do with what I have lying around.

It will take quiet a lot of little bunches to go the entire way round the ring.
I was surprised at how many it took especially if you want good coverage.
Keep adding bunches on top of the previous stem, coving it with the next bunch.

When it is full examine your wreath.
You may have to trim bits that are sticking out funny, tie some stems down stronger etc.

Use a ribbon to tie your wreath and hang.

I got a little lazy when it came to wreaths 2 and 3 with the bigger leaves. In their case I just held on small bunches and wound around with the cotton thread not caring if it was showing or not. Those wreaths were made in minutes :)

The wreaths lasted about 3 days in our summer weather.
They started to wilt and leaves curl up a little by the third day.
However they still look passable even days later.


A very easy, cheap and versatile decoration for any party!


(my girls have also put in orders for me to make some for Anzac Day to take to school)