"A Familiar Spirit"

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said this in General Conference last Sunday...
"The Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the Savior’s gospel and is the only book the Lord Himself has testified to be true. Indeed, the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion.
The convincing and converting powers of the Book of Mormon come from both a central focus upon the Lord Jesus Christ and the inspired plainness and clarity of its teachings.
The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth because it centers upon the Truth, even Jesus Christ, and restores the plain and precious things that have been taken away from the true gospel. The unique combination of these two factors—a focus on the Savior and the plainness of the teachings—powerfully invites the confirming witness of the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost. Consequently, the Book of Mormon speaks to the spirit and to the heart of the reader like no other volume of scripture.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that abiding by the precepts found in the Book of Mormon would help us “get nearer to God” than any other book. Regular reading of and talking about the Book of Mormon invite the power to resist temptation and to produce feelings of love within our families. And discussions about the doctrines and principles in the Book of Mormon provide opportunities for parents to observe their children, to listen to them, to learn from them, and to teach them.
Youth of all ages, even infants, can and do respond to the distinctive spirit of the Book of Mormon. Children may not understand all of the words and stories, but they certainly can feel the “familiar spirit” described by Isaiah."

I've been reading the Book of Mormon to Leilani every day now and this is our what has happened:).....

Well, sorry, that was a little anti-climactic, but I've been trying to upload this video for a week and can't get it to load. But, she just loves it when I read the Book of Mormon to her. She gets so happy and giggles and talks right along with me. It is so fun to see her reaction to that familiar spirit.

Are you crafty? Cuz I'm crafty:)

Being a stay at home mom has been a whole new adventure for me. My entire life I have been going to school or working or just...out! I love being a Mom but staying inside all day long by yourself can be pretty tough (and snow in April doesn't help). I asked my amazing mother how she raised seven girls and she responded, "I had hobbies." So it is now my quest to find my hobbies (without cutting into our budget:)

I enjoy making things so I walked around quilt shops and craft stores only to be sorely disappointed by the price tags. While looking through a darling baby quilt book I had an idea. I would make Leilani a quilt that she could look at, touch, and play with. I asked my mom if I could raid her fabric scraps and went to work. I designed the whole thing and am utterly tickled at the finished project.

Each block has a different purpose at different stages in her life. The black and white one and the striped one are her favorite right now. The upper right corner is a mirror. She absolutely loves mirrors. She smiles and flirts at herself and just thinks she's the cutest thing on the block. The top middle and bottom left have different feeling fabrics and beads to play with and the bottom middle has a zipper and buttons when she starts using her fine motor skills. Pretty cool huh! Well, I thought so anyway:)

Bows for little girls are quite the fad right now, but I was also disappointed that most of the bows in the store are ridiculously priced. So, I also have a friend who is an incredible mother of three girls and quite crafty. She showed me how to make bows. All you need is ribbon and a hair clip. Here are a couple I've made, but I'm sure there will be more to come.

So, if you have any more ideas of fun things I can do to expand my hobby repertoire. Please let me know:)