the why

Meghan has to teach again this Sunday. I recommended this article from the December 1980 Ensign. I have used it so many times as a source for talks and lessons.

My favorite part:

Why Covenants?

The purpose of the gospel is to educate, perfect, and sanctify man, lifting him to the status of a god in celestial glory. A person cannot lift himself or herself by individual effort alone but must be lifted by the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. This power does not operate in its fulness unless one is wholeheartedly willing to be so lifted.

One important aspect of a gospel covenant is that it commits the individual to the work of the Lord. A person making and keeping a covenant with God must sort out his values and actually work toward salvation, which is a much more involving process than mere intellectual assent. Furthermore, because gospel covenants are revealed from heaven, they are specific indicators of what God would have us do. Without revelation, we would not know how to please God—we would not know that we should be baptized, pay tithing,  observe the Sabbath and the Word of Wisdom, be ordained to the priesthood, fast, pray, partake of the sacrament, or do ordinances for our dead. These are not the kinds of things men and women would do naturally. They require conscious and deliberate and willfull obedience. Divine covenants mark the path of duty and commit us to walk in it. They more fully distinguish the way of the Lord from the way of the world. They are the only way in which the saving ordinances of the gospel are administered to man, and the most sacred of these can be received only in the temple.

The Lord requires certain duties of all members of his Church, but each must also struggle with his own nature and personality. Timid souls must learn to be brave; overzealous natures must develop patience; rebellious persons must learn to conform; the slothful must become diligent; the spiritually uncultured must be refined; and all must learn self-discipline. The covenant relationship encourages us to deal with these personal weaknesses; every gospel covenant ties the individual closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, who has the power to help us turn weaknesses into strengths (see Ether 12:27).

sophie's blessing

JLW blessed Sophia Sue yesterday. She is precious.

Thanks fam, for supporting and spending the day with us.

It was a great day.

frozen party

Maddie at 4. Favorite party moment: 11 little girls singing Let it Go in unison while they danced and twirled in their Elsa/Anna capes. Oh, the power of Disney.

A few pics from the party. Ld took some of the girls in their capes on the iPad. I'll have to post them later.

Entry way table.

Feed Sven Carrots. A game we didn't have time for.

Olaf out of poster board. We covered the china hutch with fabric my mother had. It's tricot and she used it in her quilt making phase. It has to be over 30 years old at least.

Icicles hung from the mantle.

Icicles everywhere.

Maddie insisted on placing the Frozen figures on the cake herself and wrecked a few snowflakes in the process. She stuck Hans in the back where he can't be seen, because she dislikes him.

Icicles made from plastic dollar store tablecloths.

Since Maddie is obsessed with Anna, an Arendelle castle. Elsa's castle in the background.

I should have made the plastic tablecloth icicles out of blue, they don't show up so well.

Some cardboard frozen trees.

There must have been at least 18 yards of that tricot fabric. Mother must be smiling down.

A view of Anna's Coronation dress. Maddie didn't want the one you see in the stores but insisted on the green Coronation one. I had her stand on a table and just started fitting and snipping fabric to her. She was thrilled with the result. Admittedly, this is a terrible picture. I'll have to post another maybe from my iPhone.

We played some Maddie inspired games and had a great time.  Even though I hate Disneyfied parties, I love this little 4 year old. It brings me joy to see her so happy.

cardboard Sweet Shoppe

When Maddie first saw this she exclaimed, "I love it!" High praise indeed from this child.  It made me so happy to see her reaction. I confess this became one of my favorite cardboard creations. Can't be sure, but maybe it's because my name is Candy. hehehehe.

Here it is, friends. Andie's Birthday Sweet Shoppe:

Some views from the inside:

 And side:

I re-fashioned last years Easter hat parade entry into a cupcake and plopped it on top.

I loved making this. The Grandies and party guests loved it, too. As cheap as it was to make (like next to nothing), it did cost me, though. I had to re-stock it about 3 different times with candy. They sold out pretty quickly, even when Maddie charged exorbitant prices.

andie turns 1

The whole theme for Andie's birthday party came from this little song:

You're my honey bunch, sugarplum
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin
You're my sweetie pie

You're my cuppycake, gumdrop
Snoogums, boogums
You're the apple of my eye.

And I love you so
and I want you to know
That I'll always be right here
And I love to sing sweet songs to you
because you are so dear.

The Grandies love this song so it's fitting we went with a Sweet Shoppe theme. A few pics, then: