Fantasy General Conference October 2013

Scott introduced this idea to our family at FHE last week and promised DADDY DATES to the kids for getting the best scores.  I asked him if I got a DADDY DATE too for winning and he replied, "of course", so I warned the kids that I am taking them down. And I really hope to, because Daddy Dates are awesome!!! And Daddy/Mommy dates are divine;)

                         

I thought others might be interested in playing too. I can't imagine any teenagers not being interested in playing, and it might make them pay attention to ALL of General Conference! Wouldn't that be great. 

I.

Love.

Conference.

I put together a quick printable for you guys to use. 

Printable Fantasy General Conference

And there are other options like the one found  HERE

And you can view a current list of all Leadership positions  HERE

And my 30 Day Read The New Testament before Conference is going amazing and I will post about that later.;)

Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson: A Book Review & Giveaway

Kate feels as if she is a caged bird, wanting to escape, but completely helpless. She is smart, witty, strong willed, and yet a touch annoying. You love her and yet you want to sort of slap her and wake her up from her limited views of her reality.

"Kitty" is tormented by her flirtatious mother and she has sworn off men for fear of ever being compared to her mother or her sisters.. Her mother is a beast and an embarrassment. Think Cinderella's step mother with a flirtatious air, a loose tongue, and no social graces.

And then enters Henry. He is strong, good, kind, noble and her best friend. They have the kind of history and fondness that makes for the best of relationships...and yet the problems and wheels working against them seem to make it an impossible match. Kate and Henry are powerful characters and I really enjoyed watching their history unfold as the story moved from present time to past throughout the chapters. I read this book nearly in one sitting and stayed up into the night to finish it. I like it more that Edenbrooke.

If I was to give it one criticism it would be that I had other ideas for the ending;)

I recommend this book completely. It is a clean read, the kind you can recommend to your teenage daughter. It will make you swoon and for me it brought back all the tender feelings, excitement and emotions I felt when dating my sweet husband Scott.  The characters felt real and honest and I enjoyed it. 4.5 Stars

You can pick up a copy at Deseret Book at Deseret Book E Shelf or at Amazon.

*****GIVEAWAY
All you have to do to be entered to win my giveaway is Like, Comment or Share my Facebook post.
Like is 1 entry, comment is 3 entry's and Share is 10 entry's.

GO HERE TO ENTER




Good Luck!

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

It is that time of year again when bloggers from allover the world join together to  

So I too must add my voice in celebrating Families. My family. Your family. And our big huge gigantic eternal family. In an effort to join the blog hop going on over at Chocolate on my Cranium (I just love her), I have put together some pictures of my family with wording from the Proclamation to the World. If you have interest in learning more about what The Family: A Proclamation to the World is, you can do so right HERE.

I hope you too hold the family as sacred and want to protect it like I do.

"Say Love" and my interview with Hilary Weeks.

Guess what cool thing happened this week?

Hilary Weeks’ new CD “Say Love” landed on three Billboard charts.

You can buy a copy of her CD Here or  download it Here.

It’s No. 9 on the Top Current Contemporary Christian list, No. 161 on the Top Albums-Billboard Top 200 and No. 2 on the Top Current Albums-Salt Lake City, according to Shadow Mountain Records. This is such awesome news.

My kids and I have her CD memorized and I'm giving away a copy of her new CD on my Facebook Page tomorrow so hurry and enter Here. 

I'm lucky enough to have had a chance to ask her a few questions that were on my mind and I thought I would share her responses with you. Have fun getting to know Hillary as I'm sure you have been enjoying her much for years, just like me.

• How do you balance writing and recording with being a wife and a mother?  It has definitely been a learning process!  When I first started receiving requests to do firesides, my husband and I held a powwow.  We discussed the number of requests I could commit to and still feel like I was able to effectively fulfill my first priority - being a wife and mother.  Once I had accepted a certain number of requests in a month, then I would turn down the rest.  I felt a little bad saying "no" to firesides and other worthy requests, but something Stephen Covey said echoed in my heart, "It is easy to say "no" when there is a deeper yes burning inside."  My "deeper yes" is my family.  There have been times when music has needed more attention and it has caused an imbalance at home.  But my family is very supportive and we work together to get through those periods.  Once the commitments have been met, I am able to restore balance at home.  Recently, while recording the new Say Love CD, I rarely had time to make dinner!  We ate out a lot.  Too much.  (But at least the children were fed...albeit with chicken nuggets.)  One night I actually had time to make dinner.  It felt foreign to eat a home cooked meal, and I practically had to explain, "Children, this is a homemade meal.  It is different than Wendy's, Subway, or Cafe Rio.  Most families eat this every night."  We all got a good laugh.

• What music influenced you growing up?  Afterglow, Amy Grant, Michael McLean, Bruce Hornsby and the soundtrack from "The Man from Snowy River."  I remember getting together with my friend Kari Lindquist on Sunday afternoons and singing the music of Janice Kapp Perry.  She was a soprano, I was an alto and we sounded AMAZING together...at least that's what we thought!  I accompanied us on the piano and we sang for hours.  Then we would eat "Crunchies" -  Special K cereal mixed with peanut butter and topped with chocolate.  (My mouth is watering just thinking about it!)   Kari was an expert at making them. Truth be told, Crunchies were the real motivation behind our get-togethers.

• How do you stay grounded when the whole world is singing your songs?  Clean the bathroom!  Haha!  Motherhood and family life take up 90% of my time - music is a smaller portion of my life than you might think.  Folding clothes and doing dishes in more common in my life than signing autographs and taking pictures.  I try to remember why I write and sing and Whom I write and sing for.  That keeps my focus on the glory of God - which is the reason why all of us do what we do. 

• If you could give one message to Christian women and mother's, what would it be? One night while driving home from a YW activity that I had planned, my heart felt sad.  The activity had been a flop.  The girls didn't seem to like me.  I wondered if I was making any difference at all.  The Spirit whispered something to my heart that I have never forgotten because it changed my life.  "Don't worry about what others think of you; worry about what they think of themselves when they're with you."

• Do you ever visit Alaska anymore? My parents have moved to Utah and live seven houses down from me - they are even in my ward!  I love Alaska - I will always be Alaskan in my heart, but I don't visit anymore.  Someday I'd like to take my family on a Disney Cruise to Alaska...but that will take about 50 summer's worth of lemonade stands to pay for!

Can you believe how amazing she is? I can just feel her warmth through her songs. I love singing them at the top of my lungs with my kids accompanying me on our soccer trips. I love it that I can hear my kids singing wholesome, beautiful music...the kind your soul craves...instead of the trash on the radio. What an amazing gift to be able to sing your testimony. I sure try, but my pipes don't sound like hers. I hope you enjoy her CD.

Thank you Hilary!

9/11/2001

I took this picture in New York and I still get emotional thinking about the heroism, sacrifice and love shown on this dreadful day.

We.
Do.
Remember.

Thank you to all who gave their lives.
Thank you to all who lost their lives.
Thank you to the many families left suffering from these losses.

Thank you.

3...almost 4, Violins

On Sunday, Dylan and Kate played their violins with Scott for the first time in Sacrament meeting. I couldn't help taking a quick iphone picture so that I could remember what they looked like forever. I almost joined them and played my violin, but I chickened out. My pride got the best of me and I didn't want to ruin the number for them, especially since I haven't been practicing lately and my skills are beginner anyway. Maybe someday, but probably not. Dylan and Kate already passed me and they have nerves of steel. I am so proud of them for sharing their budding talent with the our ward.

I'll will never forget it. My cup runneth over.

Sunday Thoughts: Sunday On The River

Sunday is my favorite day.

It is calm.

Quiet.

Peaceful.

&.

Spiritual.

Sunday's energize me. It is my weekly recharge. 

Sunday is a Holy day.

Sunday is a day I renew my Covenants with the Lord.

Sunday is a day of Service.

Sunday is a Family day.

Sunday is a day of Rest.

I often think about the stress and  anxiety I might feel if I didn't have Sunday to just...

STOP.

LISTEN.

&.

HEAR.

But I do.

And I am so. so. so. grateful for that.

These pictures were taken impromptu on our last Sunday Walk. Something about the water and the waves and my sweet family make these pictures depict how I feel about The Sabbath Day perfectly.

Babies still cry.

Kids still fight.

Dinner still has to be made.

Clothes still need to be ironed.

And yet I find more peace on this day, than any other day.

And I know it is because I attend church.

I take the Sacrament.

I think about the Savior.

And I learn about his gospel.

I love Sundays.

And spending Sunday with the one closest to your heart is magical. meaningful. magnificent.

I love him.

Preparing for General Conference October 2013

I've been trying to decide what I can do to spiritually prepare for General Conference next month. I have decided that I am going to read The New Testament in 30 days.

It will be a challenge.

I will have to average reading 8.67 chapters a day, or roughly 30 minutes of reading.

If I start today I will finish the entire New Testament the morning of the first session of conference on Saturday, October 5.

In order to help me stay on track I have created a 30 Day New Testament Reading Schedule. I would love to have some company if any of you feel motivated to start this challenge with me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

To those who join me...

Here is to increased knowledge, more sincere prayer, more inspiration from the Holy Ghost, a deeper understanding of the gospel, a stronger desire to keep the commandments and a closer relation to Christ.

*These Printable bookmark schedules are PDF files and should print out easily from your computer. There are two color choices. Please let me know how you like them and how your 30 day challenge goes.

Download the Blue Printable Here

Download the Pink Printable Here 

Alright, I finished my day 1 reading.

Now hurry and catch up!!!

The Not Even Once Club

I'm going to tell you about a new book that I think EVERY house should have a copy of. If you have kids, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, if you teach primary or Sunday school, this book needs to be in your home. And I am not just saying this because Deseret Book sent me a free copy to look over. This book was just what my home needed.

We introduced this book at Family  Home Evening a few weeks ago. 

This is usually what Family  Home Evening looks like at our house. We sing songs, share talents, learn a new scripture and have a lesson. We all take turns. Some lessons are well prepared and others are thrown together. But we do it every week and we have been very blessed because of this learning time together.

I was really excited to introduce Wendy Watson Nelson's new book as our lesson.  I read it a few times previous and knew it would be perfect for our family. 

In this beautifully illustrated book, Tyler moves into his new ward and meets his new Primary Class. Tyler's new friends invite him to their Primary class tree house and they give Tyler the secret password: "Not Even Once." Tyler then gets to visit the tree house and discovers all the amazing treasures inside. He is asked to become part of the club, but first he has to pass the test.

My kids were so engaged by this book. They understood it, they got the message and they too wanted to join the club.

From this moment on:

I will never break the Word of Wisdom, lie, cheat, steal, do drugs, bully, dress immodestly, or break the law of chastity. I will never intentionally look at anything pornographic on TV, the Internet, a cell phone, billboards, magazines, or movies. 

Not. Even. Once.

My Family loved this book. In the back of the book there is a guide for parents and children to help introduce these difficult topics in a way that they can understand. These helps simplify Modesty and Pornography for a younger age group like my family. I personally thing that kids are never too young to discuss these topics, but that doing so requires skill and prayer and direction from the Holy Ghost.

I mean it is a 

SCARY

NASTY

GROSS

world we are raising our children in and I want them to be surrounded by

BEAUTY

FAITH

LOVE

RIGHTEOUSNESS

and if we help our children put on the Armor of God, they will be ready for the battles that lay ahead.

There is a LINK included in the book that will allow you to print your own NOT EVEN ONCE POSTER. 

The Peterson Family is saying "NOT EVEN ONCE"!!!!

You can buy your own book at Deseret Bookstore, or you can enter my giveaway and get one for free.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY!!!

All you have to do to be entered to win a copy of this book is visit my Blog's Facebook page and leave a Comment on the Post Titled The Not Even Once Club GIVEAWAY. Good Luck.

Enter>>>Here