Christmas Jars!

After reading the book,
"Christmas Jars"

I decided

that I wanted to take the opportunity with

my family
to give as the Savior did.

I wanted my boys to have a selfless Christmas.

What an amazing year it turned out to be!

We read the book as a family

and then started filling jars for our neighbors.

Each jar contained 1 roll of pennies....

that was it!

We added a poem to the jar so that

the neighbor's wouldn't be left to wonder

what the purpose of a gift of 100 pennies meant.

Here's the Poem:
A jar of pennies JUST FOR YOU . . .
we really went all out!
But the real meaning of this gift
IS WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT!
A pocket full of change, can be a
heavy thing to pack . . .
So just place it in this little jar,
and remember - NOT TO TAKE IT BACK!
When filled, this jar can CHANGE THE HEART
of someone who is in need.
The story is told in “Christmas Jars”
a book you’ll definitely want to read.
Jars are given in SECRET . . .
NO ONE MUST EVER KNOW,
just where their CHRISTMAS JAR came from,
or the next place it may go.
So we hope this year you’ll FILL YOUR JAR,
AND SEND IT ON IT’S WAY . . .
To follow the Savior’s example,
and make Christmas HIS HOLIDAY!
May the TRUE meaning of Christmas
be with you throughout the year!
Tricia O. Smith

Here's the PDF:

Christmas Jars Labels Green PDF

Green Gift Tag:

Here's the PDF:

Christmas Jars Labels Red PDF

Gift Tag:

Here's the PDF:

Christmas Jars Labels Blue PDF

Gift Tag

Here's the PDF for the Gift Tags:

Christmas Jars Gift Tags PDF

I tied a ribbon to the neck of the jar

and added the gift tag.

.....

This was one of my

favorite neighborhood gifts to give

because I knew it had the potential to

 BLESS

the lives of others in need.

It was truly a blessing for my family!
.....

November Visiting Teaching Message!

I'm running a little late on my Visiting Teaching

this month, but my thoughts have been

with the cute sisters I get to visit with all month.

Isn't that the way it always goes?

You think of them all month, but day after day

gets by us without a call or a visit.

I'm hoping that they will still be able to feel

of my love and gratitude for them...

even if it is the coming close to the end of the month!

November is the month when we get to

choose our own topic from the Conference Messages

to use for our Visiting Teaching.

They were all sooo AMAZING,

I couldn't choose!

So....

I put together a little booklet of tags

with a few of my favorites.

Here they are:

(Cover Page)

(Conference Talk Tags)

There are 22 Conference Talk Tags

A Front Cover

and

A Back Cover

Here's the PDF:

November Visiting Teaching Packet PDF

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

October 2011 Visiting Teaching Message!

It's Here!

I don't know if it's just because I have 4 boys or what,

but this is one of my favorite scripture stories.

(My boys love it as much as I do!)

As a mother, I feel like I am waging a war against

the adversary EVERYDAY...ALL DAY!

Our children need to be stronger than ever

and that means we as mother's and father's have to

work even harder to prepare them.
We have now established the...
Stripling Warrior Training Zone

(Or maybe it should be called a BOOT CAMP!)
in our home.

In Sister Beck's Message

she challenged us to...

"LIVE OUR COVENANTS WITH PRECISION."

She gave some examples of what we can do:

and

As we strive to be precise

in each of these areas, we can with exactness,

be on target with what the Lord would have us do.

I cut and copied each of the cards and then

tied them together with a piece of jute.

I stuck a skewer into a pumpkin and slid the tied

cards on the part that was sticking out of the pumpkin.

Here's the PDF:

October 2011 V.T. Message Packet PDF

If you would like an 8 1/2 x 11 size...

Here's that PDF:

October 2011 V.T. Message Large Packet PDF

Our ward declared October as Visiting Teaching Month!

Our Challenge:

Make a personal visit with each of your sisters

BEFORE the end of the month!

We can do this.

On your mark, get set...

GO!!!

The September Visiting Teaching Message Is Here!

This month's message is

AMAZING!

We all have our

"TO DO LISTS"

in fact, most of our lists never seem to end...

BUT are the things on OUR LISTS the things

that are really going to bring us closer

to the SPIRIT and OUR FAMILIES?

If we want to grow closer as families we can't lose focus!

If we fill our lists to quickly with things that have no value,

we lose the opportunity to work on the things

that matter most....

We have to keep an ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

when we are making our lists,
by doing so we will allow the Spirit to work in

our HOMES and in our HEARTS!
Elder M. Russell Ballard asked this question:
"What can we do to better prepare our children spiritually
for their eternal roles?"
"Perhaps the most inclusive answer is:
Teach them how to live the principles of the gospel."
This teaching comes through...
Daily Prayer
Scripture Study
and Family Mealtimes
as well as
Family Home Evening
and
Church Attendance.
"We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life.
If we are not preparing for eternal life,
we are preparing for something less,
perhaps something far less."
..........

Here's This Month's Message:

I've included a:

Spiritual To Do List

This would be fun to laminate so that

your sisters can use it daily with a dry erase marker.

This Apple Pie Recipe is DELISH!

I'm also including a Blank Check List

for your sisters to use along with their

Spiritual Checklist!

Here's the PDF:

September 2011 Visiting Teaching Packet PDF

Here's a Larger Version:

September Visiting Teaching Packet 2 PDF

(I lost my glasses, so I printed a larger version for myself....

the other one was so small it gave me a headache when I tried to read it.)

I'm going to give my sisters a bag of apples

with this month's message.

Hope your sisters are all doing well!