Fantastic Christmas/Bridesmaid Gift

I discovered this project (done by none other than Martha Steward) through another blog several months ago and have been excited about trying this project out. I bought enough to do six of these necklaces (four gold and two charcoal grey), and they ended up running me about six to seven dollars each. (Shhhh!!!! Don't tell!) They'll cost more (about ten dollars) if you do just one. It took me 45 minutes to do the first one and only about 20 to 25 minutes to do complete necklaces. It ties in the back with a ribbon. The girls I gave them to LOVE them. I realized they'd make easy bridesmaid gifts or Christmas gifts, so I'm posting this in time for the holidays/upcoming weddings.

p.s. Don't you just LOVE that shirt?! I found it at Banana Republic on sale, and just LOVE it! I don't normally button the top button, though.

A few notes on how to approach this:
1. I don't have time to dye my own pearls, although it doesn't look hard. The problem is that I wasn't sure what color the pearls would end up if I did them on my own, which is important so that they match the tone of the satin ribbon. As a result, I opted for already colored ones.
2. I bought everything for the project from Joanne Fabric (pearls, ribbon, tapestry needles, stretch cord, and crimp beads). I had everything else I needed (pliers and matches) at home. You will probably want to purchase nail glue as they recommend, though. i thought I had some of that at home but didn't.
3. Matches? Yes. Once you're done, make sure you hold the end of the ribbon close to a burning match so that it melts slightly (don't go too close, though, or else the ribbon burn gets clumpy instead of remaining unnoticeable).
4. I crimped mine different than Martha did, but mainly because I didn't have the glue and was afraid the necklaces would come undone.
5. Questions? Call me. I'd be happy to tell you more about what I did, what type of beads I bought, etc. Happy crafting!

Singles Wards

Two very late posts/pictures, and two reasons why I love singles wards:

1. Girl-Ask-Guy activities. I loathe asking guys out, which is one reasons I'm TERRIBLE at it. This also explains why asking my home teacher to go to our stake rodeo may have been THE MOST AWKWARD DISCUSSION/ASK OUT IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. I will not be sharing the story as I would like to retain at least a portion of my pride that it has taken months to recover. Fortunately, he was a good sport about it, and it was a enjoyable evening. (Thank heaven for home teachers, although I bet all of you in family wards will never call on your HT's for the same reason!).

Can you tell I'd been to the lake that day?


JM sharpening his lasso skills.

B showing us how it's done.

2. Talent shows: As you can see (sort of--sorry about the fuzzy photo, but that's just what I ended up with), our ward was well represented at a multi-ward talent show. If you wonder what they are doing, so do I: the speakers weren't working so well. Still, here's a shout out to J,P, and J.

Testimony

Here are a few thoughts from fellow church members who shared their testimony today followed by some of my own thoughts. These messages touched my heart, encouraged me, and lifted me up. I hope they do the same for you.

• God knows our problems and needs. He will clearly answer our prayers.
• One girl carries a Book of Mormon with her every day because she loves it so much that she always wants to be ready and able to share it with others who need it.
• As one man has focused on obeying the impressions of the Holy Ghost, he's found that he is more aware of the Lord's love for him.

Happiness can be found in any moment of our lives as we realize and recognize the Lord's blessings. I've been praying to feel the Lord's love and see His hand in my life. I know that the Lord hears and answers our prayers because of the following:

• Immediately following such a request, I opened a book I've rarely read which discussed this very topic. I was reminded of some unique ways that the Lord is involved in my life. Because of this experience, I know God heard and answered this prayer.
• When I was in college, I found that I was short $1,000. A bishop told me that when he returned from his mission, he also found himself struggling to support his family. He got on his knees and told the Lord he had done all he could to faithfully serve him, including on his mission. He requested the Lord's help. I felt that I needed similar help and decided to try it out. I got on my knees and noted I had faithfully served the Lord and paid my tithing. I told him of my needs. The next day in class we recieved a presentation about how to obtain scholarships, and the presenter commented that many scholarships often went unclaimed. I immediately applied, and on Friday of the day I needed the money I received a one thousand dollar check in the mail.
• I was blessed in high school with good friends, who carried me a bit until I was spiritually strong enough to stand on my own.
• I have felt the love of the Lord in moments when I quiet my soul and listen for His words. I don't always understand what those feelings mean, but I do my best to follow them and believe that I then receive more encouragement and affirmations from the Lord as I do so.
• I was reminded the other day that it's a great blessing to know that our families can be together. I understand why I am here on earth. As I read the Book of Mormon, I receive peace and direction guiding me in my life.

I love the Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have felt their love for me. They love you, too, and I hope that you feel that as well.

AC/DC Rocks! (and the big news!)

My favorite picture EVER of AC/DC (as we loving refer to these two kids):

One of THEIR favorite pictures ever:

A NEW favorite picture (check out the bling-bling!):

See how happy this girl looks? That's sort of how I feel about getting her as a sister. Welcome to the family, A! We're so excited!

You can read his story of the engagement here: New Beginnings

You can read her story of the engagement here: He liked it, so he put a ring on it!