General {Conference Countdown}

Our kids love General Conference. 

It is a blessing to see the traditions we have for Holidays(and yes, conference is like a Holiday at our home) make such an impact on them. I made this Countdown to further their excitement for the big weekend. I was inspired by the September issue(pg. 11) of the Friend. I took about 1/2 of the ideas then added some of my own. Sorry this is so late in coming.

I decided to start the Countdown at 15 (12 apostles and 3 in the First Presidency) because each night we  focus on one of the men. It  just helps them remember who they will be watching. You can purchase the 8x10 photos here.

Cut a backboard 8"x11" (paint black) and a piece of beadboard 6"x9 1/4".

Paint the whole board a lighter color(I had cream).

Sand it.

Glue (Mod Podge) paper strips to fit the flat grooves of the beadboard. Add the vinyl title & hammer 2 nails( I used finishing nails 8d 2 1/2" from Home Depot)into the wood. *TIP: I predrilled the holes for the nails so when I hammered it wouldn't split the wood. Drill holes in the JUMBO sticks. Go slow because they split easy. I did a few at a time.

Use JUMBO sticks for the countdown numbers & activities.

After doing the activity(the backside of the stick), turn the stick over & place on "right" nail.

I have a printable here. I will list it here as well:

#15 Sing "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet (hymn pg 19) and
talk about why we have General Conference

#14 Scavenger Hunt or Scripture Chase verses about Prophets

#13 Play Temple matching game

#12 Read about the righteous Nephites in 4 Nephi 1: 1-13, 16-18

#11 Do a Service. This one is a great idea for Home/Visiting Teaching Families.

#10 Read an inspirational story from the Friend. I found this one.

#9 Sing "Follow the Prophet" (Children's Songbook pg 110-11)

#8 Talk about this teaching from Elder M. Russell Ballard: "Today I make you a promise. It's a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living Prophet and the Apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray."

#7 Read about King Benjamin speaking to his people (Mosiah 2: 1,5,9,41).
How is this meeting like General Conference? Coloring page here.

#6 Play a game. This one seems fun.

#5 Read about Lehi's Liahona (1 Nephi 16: 10, 28-29 & Alma 37: 38-40). How are the words of the prophets like a Liahona for our family today?

#4 Pick out snacks to enjoy while watching Conference. We usually pick out snacks for everyone to share but I let them choose a candy that is just for them. They still have that choice to share though.

 #3 Write in your journal specific question and thoughts you have.
Pray to have your mind focused and heart opened.

#2 Play "Prophets and Apostles" matching game.

#1 Sing "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" (hymn pg 19)

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"Try Me" Lotions

The stores have "Try Me" lotions so I wanted to do that same thing for our guest bathroom. 

I found this container (at Goodwill for $1.00) to hold different lotions.

This one of [my favorite things]!

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My BSU Spirit

Go BOISE State Broncos!

We do some concessions(selling pretzels & funnel cakes) at the BSU stadium. Tonight is another home game. Along with my painted fingernails, I made some things to wear to show my football spirit.

Ribbon Beaded Necklace.

I am using almost 3/4"  inch wooden beads(I found at the second hand store) to thread onto the ribbon(72" long).

 Put 1 wooden bead( I only did it on the orange ribbon cause the blue was too thick) then tie a knot. Thread bead. Tie knot.  Continue this process till it is the length you desire. Mine ended up being 28"  inches round.

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Puffy Paint Quote Board

 My friend gave an amazing lesson in church a few weeks back and the message just spoke to my soul. I decided to make something special for her to show my thankfulness. I knew the quote I was going to do and when I found this idea to do the puffy paint in a scroll pattern- it just fit.

Using my stencil, I traced a design. Then use the puffy paint to go over the pencil line design. 

*TIP: use the color of puffy paint close to the same color of paint you are going to paint the board (as a trial, we did white puffy paint and yellow board paint-you could totally see the white puffy paint, it didn't look as good)

After the puffy paint has dried (I did this at night so it could dry overnight) then paint your whole board the color of your choice. When the paint is dry, add your vinyl quote.

It turned out so beautiful, I made one for my SIL's new home and now I need to make one for our home.
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Angel Food Cake Dessert

I made this yummy dessert for my friend's birthday.

The cute glassware saying "Happy Birthday" was at the Dollar Store(DollarTree). Its the perfect container for the Angel Food Cake Dessert.
I got the recipe for the Angel Food Cake here.[sorry I can't get "Heavenly Angel Food Cake" to come up only the reviews] It is so good I will never make another angel Food Cake Recipe!

ANGEL FOOD CAKE RECIPE:

Beat together:

12 eggs whites

1 1/2 tsp. cream of tarter

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

then slowly add:

1 cup sugar until soft peaks are formed

Fold in:

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

Gently spoon into a tube pan. I did mine in a 9 x13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 33-35 mins.

[The Pudding mixture was a combination of my mom's recipe & my own.]

PUDDING TOPPING RECIPE:

mix together:

2 (3.4 oz.) cheesecake pudding

3 cups 1/2 & 1/2

then add:

the zest of 1 orange

1 small tub of cool whip

Directions: Layer the dessert with cake and then pudding. Top it off with fresh strawberries and coconut or white chocolate shavings.

ENJOY!


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Hair Accessory Wall Mount

After lots of thinking, I finally figured out what could hold all my hair accessories and scarves in one place.

My How To:

I started with ruff fence wood(WRC Flat Top 5/8"x5 1/2"x6' @ Home Depot). Its really light weight compared to pine or other wood. I cut the boards to fit on my wall(32" long). Then painted and sanded them.

Nail all the plank boards together with 2 pieces of wood on the back side.

Attach the "hardware" onto the front. (top left) bars are magnetic. They are used for tools but I got them for half price(Harbor Freight), cup hooks in the middle, (top right) are fence post brackets I found at a second hand building store(Restore)for only $0.25 each, (bottom) is a curtain rod from Walmart that I spray painted brown.

Hair Clips on the magnetic bars.

 Headbands on the cup hooks and fence post brackets.

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ToothBrush Organizer

I found this ToothBrush Organizer idea here & it is GENIUS!

I found this utensil drawer organizer at the second hand store(Goodwill) for only $0.69. Then I added the kids' names in vinyl.

It fits perfectly in the drawer and now they have no excuse to Brush their teeth!
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Audra's Wall Art

There is a store downtown Boise that has amazing designs(other inspiration ideas will be coming in future posts). They did a simple circle wall art and our daughter, Audra realized this would look great in her newly decorated room.

I built a frame using 2"x2" wood pieces(38"x61") to fit the $3.00 fabric I found on clearance(Home Fabric store).

She used the paint we had by putting some on a plate and dipping the top rim into the paint then applying it to the fabric. When it was all dry we then stapled it to the wood frame.
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T-Shirt Rug

My SIL moved into a new home so I thought this would be a nice homecoming gift: This RUG is made out of recycled t-shirts. I was inspired with this detailed tutorial, go here.

Cut 1" x 4" strips of t-shirt(found at second hand store). I cut up 4 men's XL shirts and used the whole shirt of each.

Sew them on a hand towel(which I also found at the second hand store)along the drawn lines. I got about 30 strips on each line.

It feels so comfortable and looks so cool! Now I need to make me one.
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Cream Cheese with Fresh Salsa

I've been craving this "Salsa" I had at my niece's bridal shower. I made it this last weekend for the holiday with our family. So easy and oh so tasty!!!

This recipe actually calls for cranberries but its not winter time and I didn't have any in the freezer so I will list the original recipe and a second version that is just as tasty.

"Winter" Cranberry Salsa (Original):

12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries

1 jalapeno, no seeds

5 green onions

1 bunch of cilantro

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

 Blend everything together in the food processor until coarsely chopped. Toss in 3/4 cup of sugar. Serve over a block(8 oz.) of cream cheese with Wheat Thins. Best if made 6 hours before needed.

"Summer" Cherry Salsa (my version):

1 pound fresh cherries(pitted)

1 jalapeno, no seeds

5 green onions

1 bunch cilantro

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. lime juice

Blend everything together in the food processor until coarsely chopped. Serve over a block(8 oz.) of cream cheese with Wheat Thins. Best if made 6 hours before needed.

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FingerNail Polish Holder

Our girls love their FingerNail Polish.

Version #1:

This one measures 32 inches so it will fit about 23 colors of polish. 

 I started with some leftover wood and molding from my SIL.

 Sand and paint it.

Version #2:

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