💗shavonneupdike
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Who Needs A Wreathin To Craft?
Apparently I did... 'cause after searching for cute patriotic wreaths and coming up short I decided to make my own. I wanted something for my double doors so that it would read as an American flag stretched across both wreaths... and I found nada. How is it that none of the fabulous crafters of etsy or Pinterest haven't come up with something?! I mean c'mon it meant I actually had to think up something on my own, which was probably a good brain exercise since I love and use both of those websites a tad excessively I'm pretty sure my brain has lost nearly all activity. ;) I also like the look of horizontal stripes so it would look like an actual flag... but the only wreaths I could find all had the sunburst pattern which seemed overdone and a dime a dozen to me. No offense to anyone, just my opinion. So this was my solution to make a patriotic floral wreath duo that actually looks like an American flag. I'm sure there are cheaper ways than using hydrangeas like I did, though Michael's IS having a big floral sale right now. ;) Since it's kinda different I wanted to keep it semi traditional by using silks, I'm sure the tshirt/fabric scrap or paper/tissue methods could work too. I went and got the cheapest wreath forms michaels had, which were the plastic wrapped hay ones. I think they were $4. Hobby lobby was closed or else I totally would've gone there as their wreath stuff is way cheaper. I think it's $4 for styrofoam ones whereas Michael's are $8. Again just guesstimates but when I'm a woman on a mission I like to strike while the iron's hot and the idea is fresh in my mind. ;) So Michael's it was. I just used chintzy white fabric cut into strips to wrap around my cheap-o hay wreaths so they still look fab from inside my house. Then wielded my hot glue gun like Butch Cassidy in a stick up. And there you have it! Lmk if you have any questions!
It was a laughy, crafty, icedreamy day!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Mother's Day Medley
Love Is Spoken Here, I Often Go Walking,
& We'll Bring The World His Truth
Sorry to disappoint, as this is pretty bare boned folks... but I changed the key to make them all pretty easy for primary pianists to learn quickly. Now let's cross our fingers that the kids will too. :)
Having them flow together also takes out the pause between songs, which often leads to distracted littles in front of the congregation.
Hope this helps!
-Shavonne
UPDATE : Click HERE to download a PDF version of the medley.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Free Conference Printables
Better late than never, right?
These can be cut and used as baggie toppers
for the yummy "gems" that the kids
can use as markers. When they get bingo
they can then eat them as their
reward for listening!
can use as markers. When they get bingo
they can then eat them as their
reward for listening!
There are 12 different cards to mix things up!
Thanks to Rachel Bruner for creating the bingo cards.
You can get a simplified version here.
Hope these help your littles enjoy conference a little more!
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Speak Up...
... even if it's only in the privacy of a sheet covered booth. What an amazing time it is to be alive. To have been given the gift of agency. A gift so important that it literally caused the war in heaven. (Yes, as oxymoronic as it sounds.) So necessary that even our Heavenly Father must've cringed as he turned away 1/3 of his children to defend, honor and protect our gift of agency. We chose a path, other than Satan's, which entailed coercion and force. The path we chose was that of our elder brother Jesus Christ who provided a way for us to be free, he gave us the ultimate gift: the gift of agency. To decide of our own free will and choice which paths we will take in our lives.
Today marks one of the most important paths we may take as a nation. We don't have to be told by a monarchy or a King what we must do, or sit idly by as decisions are made for us. We have the agency to stand up, to cease to be idle, for we know that faith without works is dead. We must act and decide for ourselves what direction our country needs to go in order to get out of the rut we've been in for what seems like ages.
The constitution and the words of our founding fathers has been trampled on by people wanting to retranslate what was originally stated. No foundation has ever been fortified by taking chunks out and rearranging them or taking pieces out all together. Our country was founded by guided and inspired men who laid it's very foundation. It was not by chance that this nation came to be in His promised land. It was not by chance that our first president George Washington raised his arm to the square (and all that symbolizes), while resting his fingertips upon the words he chose in Genesis 49 which says, "Joseph is a fruitful bough, whose branches run over the wall…” it was not coincidence that on a different continent, at a different time, those exact words... that very same covenant and prophesy was also given by Lehi as he let go of everything he knew and moved his family to the promised land. That very same oath and covenant was also directly spoken of by Captain Moroni as he raised the Title of Liberty. Three separate times the oath and covenant were invoked by inspired men. It was not by chance that our nation's founder raised America's own Title of Liberty as he placed his hands upon those covenant words which date marked the day the constitution came into effect. He lived prior to the restoration of the gospel yet he was a man of faith, a man of conviction, a man of prayer, a man of action, a man of God. He was our standard bearer. I know that we also were not placed on this earth, in this country, at this time, to stand idly by and watch as decisions are made for us. No. We were born to make decisions. If we weren't, we wouldn't be here, for there would have been no war that preceded our births, which brought about the purpose of our existence. Something that was deemed so necessary that it was worth fighting for and thus caused the most peaceful place in existence to rumble with dissent. And it's purpose? To give us this right of agency. It is my hope that everyone I know, recognizes this gift, and chooses to utilize it.
Today marks one of the most important paths we may take as a nation. We don't have to be told by a monarchy or a King what we must do, or sit idly by as decisions are made for us. We have the agency to stand up, to cease to be idle, for we know that faith without works is dead. We must act and decide for ourselves what direction our country needs to go in order to get out of the rut we've been in for what seems like ages.
The constitution and the words of our founding fathers has been trampled on by people wanting to retranslate what was originally stated. No foundation has ever been fortified by taking chunks out and rearranging them or taking pieces out all together. Our country was founded by guided and inspired men who laid it's very foundation. It was not by chance that this nation came to be in His promised land. It was not by chance that our first president George Washington raised his arm to the square (and all that symbolizes), while resting his fingertips upon the words he chose in Genesis 49 which says, "Joseph is a fruitful bough, whose branches run over the wall…” it was not coincidence that on a different continent, at a different time, those exact words... that very same covenant and prophesy was also given by Lehi as he let go of everything he knew and moved his family to the promised land. That very same oath and covenant was also directly spoken of by Captain Moroni as he raised the Title of Liberty. Three separate times the oath and covenant were invoked by inspired men. It was not by chance that our nation's founder raised America's own Title of Liberty as he placed his hands upon those covenant words which date marked the day the constitution came into effect. He lived prior to the restoration of the gospel yet he was a man of faith, a man of conviction, a man of prayer, a man of action, a man of God. He was our standard bearer. I know that we also were not placed on this earth, in this country, at this time, to stand idly by and watch as decisions are made for us. No. We were born to make decisions. If we weren't, we wouldn't be here, for there would have been no war that preceded our births, which brought about the purpose of our existence. Something that was deemed so necessary that it was worth fighting for and thus caused the most peaceful place in existence to rumble with dissent. And it's purpose? To give us this right of agency. It is my hope that everyone I know, recognizes this gift, and chooses to utilize it.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Magical Shoes
I can't believe how quickly my babies have grown. Haven just started Kindergarten, ballet (this will be her third yr.) and basketball for the first time. After a rough start to school she's starting to get the routine now, which has seriously encroached upon her beauty sleep. :) (As this girl was used to sleeping in until 9 or 10 or whenever she felt like gracing us with her sunshiny presence, which was been a little less than angelic as of late. :) She has always been my night owl. Even with a bed time of 8:30 we'll sometimes hear her singing in bed to herself with her soft, sweet, & high pitched voice for at least an hour sometimes 2 before she finally drifts off to sleep. I just love her. It's breaking my heart with how fast she's growing up, but leaving me excited and smiling at how proud I am of her as she becomes her own little person reaching all these milestones in such a short amount of time. She's been practicing her dribble, which is one of the cutest things of all time as it bounces off her toes about once every 8 bounces, but she is a determined little bug. She's in half day kindergarten but loves that her and four of her besties get a few extra hours together as my friends and I each get to carry on the curriculum at home. They love their kinder co-op. It's so nice having such great friends.
Drake's been potty trained for over 8 months even while having to get creative during his spica casted experience. He is such a champ, and I was not about to have my potty trained boy regress to diapers, which we were told was our only option, so we figured it out together. (& His doc said in all his years it was the cleanest spica he'd ever seen and asked our advice on how it was done. :) As much as it was a trying experience I'm so grateful that I was able to see a different side to my baby boy. I saw him overcome his frustration of being immobile & unable to move while being couch-bound together for the first few weeks as my hair always had to be within reach. It's his comfort mechanism, he likes to twirl my hair. It's wierd but it's his thing and I still let him twirl it because despite how nappy it's made my hair, it's a guarantee that I'll get a little snuggle from my busy boy for even a few seconds every few hours now that he's out of his cast. During those first few weeks in his cast prison though i couldn't deny him access to his one comfort so we became inseparable and I was able to get captured time with my usually very active boy that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Helping him overcome the pain, to getting ingenuitive in showing him that he could still use things to help him move in the cast like a mechanic's creeper, to watching him learn to walk with his lower body casted and then learning to walk again after the cast was removed and his largest muscles had atrophied. It was a beautifully horrific experience that I hope we never have to endure again but I came out of it realizing what a resilient, optimistic, and strong little man he is. Drake's speech is really coming along, we continue to work on some of his consonants as it's probably hard for others to understand. We however understand him great, and because of which, his temper tantrums are gone! I LOVE that! He is such a sweet and smart little boy and will be starting preschool in a few weeks. He continues to love having his friends over for co-op once a week and this evening will be his first TEEball practice. Where has the time gone?
Taking the kids to Sport Chalet and picking up the stuff they need ie.: baseball, tee, mitt, bat, mini basketball, and shoes it hit me; that my life or my Saturday's are never going to be the same... and I couldn't be happier about it. I am going to spend countless hours at practices and games watching my little loves as they learn motor skills and life's lessons on the court from people other than me, as I stand on the sideline. I think that has been the hardest pill for me to swallow with all these changes that have occurred this past month; that I'm no longer my babies' only teacher and coach. I'm not their entire world anymore though they'll always be mine. They are now learning from people other than me, and learning to implement what I can only hope that I've taught them. I wish so badly that I could always keep them protected from harsh comments, peer pressure, and feelings of inadequacy. Even though I realize that it's the tumbling of rocks that lead to the shaping of perfectly round ones. I just hope they know that I'll always be their number 1 fan and that I can be half as supportive as my parents, as well as Greg's, have always been of us in our endeavors. I always figured it would be hard watching your child step out on their own I just didn't realize how quickly they do. I realize they're not 18, they're 3 and 5 and in a different world than I knew at their age. I have never been more grateful for nurturing teachers, encouraging coaches or trustworthy friends. I guess I need to take to heart the lessons of sharing that I'm still teaching my little ones. Just as they hold onto their most prize possessions with white knuckles and clenched fists, I too need to learn to share my two greatest joys, my little lovebugs with our world. I need to let them get their footing on different ground, watch them make decisions both right and wrong, and smile as they learn the difference.
Drake's been potty trained for over 8 months even while having to get creative during his spica casted experience. He is such a champ, and I was not about to have my potty trained boy regress to diapers, which we were told was our only option, so we figured it out together. (& His doc said in all his years it was the cleanest spica he'd ever seen and asked our advice on how it was done. :) As much as it was a trying experience I'm so grateful that I was able to see a different side to my baby boy. I saw him overcome his frustration of being immobile & unable to move while being couch-bound together for the first few weeks as my hair always had to be within reach. It's his comfort mechanism, he likes to twirl my hair. It's wierd but it's his thing and I still let him twirl it because despite how nappy it's made my hair, it's a guarantee that I'll get a little snuggle from my busy boy for even a few seconds every few hours now that he's out of his cast. During those first few weeks in his cast prison though i couldn't deny him access to his one comfort so we became inseparable and I was able to get captured time with my usually very active boy that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Helping him overcome the pain, to getting ingenuitive in showing him that he could still use things to help him move in the cast like a mechanic's creeper, to watching him learn to walk with his lower body casted and then learning to walk again after the cast was removed and his largest muscles had atrophied. It was a beautifully horrific experience that I hope we never have to endure again but I came out of it realizing what a resilient, optimistic, and strong little man he is. Drake's speech is really coming along, we continue to work on some of his consonants as it's probably hard for others to understand. We however understand him great, and because of which, his temper tantrums are gone! I LOVE that! He is such a sweet and smart little boy and will be starting preschool in a few weeks. He continues to love having his friends over for co-op once a week and this evening will be his first TEEball practice. Where has the time gone?
Taking the kids to Sport Chalet and picking up the stuff they need ie.: baseball, tee, mitt, bat, mini basketball, and shoes it hit me; that my life or my Saturday's are never going to be the same... and I couldn't be happier about it. I am going to spend countless hours at practices and games watching my little loves as they learn motor skills and life's lessons on the court from people other than me, as I stand on the sideline. I think that has been the hardest pill for me to swallow with all these changes that have occurred this past month; that I'm no longer my babies' only teacher and coach. I'm not their entire world anymore though they'll always be mine. They are now learning from people other than me, and learning to implement what I can only hope that I've taught them. I wish so badly that I could always keep them protected from harsh comments, peer pressure, and feelings of inadequacy. Even though I realize that it's the tumbling of rocks that lead to the shaping of perfectly round ones. I just hope they know that I'll always be their number 1 fan and that I can be half as supportive as my parents, as well as Greg's, have always been of us in our endeavors. I always figured it would be hard watching your child step out on their own I just didn't realize how quickly they do. I realize they're not 18, they're 3 and 5 and in a different world than I knew at their age. I have never been more grateful for nurturing teachers, encouraging coaches or trustworthy friends. I guess I need to take to heart the lessons of sharing that I'm still teaching my little ones. Just as they hold onto their most prize possessions with white knuckles and clenched fists, I too need to learn to share my two greatest joys, my little lovebugs with our world. I need to let them get their footing on different ground, watch them make decisions both right and wrong, and smile as they learn the difference.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Primary Pavilions
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
"Great To Be 8!"
Tonight it was "Great To Be 8!" for our cuties in primary who will be getting baptized this year. It was nice making it special just for them in hopes of building up the anticipation for their big day that they'll be sharing with the other kids in the stake. I think each of them felt so loved tonight as they learned of all the great things they have to look forward to this year. I truly enjoy serving in Primary with these precious little ones. 
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Happily Veggie After
Guess who's on her second bowl of salad? Not just our normal organic salad either, the romaine is topped with broccoli, cauliflower, red bell pepper, avocado, mushrooms, & cherry tomatoes. It's proof that sour salad dressing, Parmesan, Swiss, and crumbled bacon can make even my picky little eater LOVE her veggies as much as her fruits. :) Granted I did chop everything to unidentifiable bits, but she ate her veggies nonetheless. :) Today was a very monumental day for me.
Sour Salad Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
Freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons.
3 cloves garlic
(+Salt & pepper to taste)
Blend together. This keeps in the fridge for a few weeks and makes an amazing marinade too!
Sour Salad Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
Freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons.
3 cloves garlic
(+Salt & pepper to taste)
Blend together. This keeps in the fridge for a few weeks and makes an amazing marinade too!
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