An Accidental Post

It's the last day of the month, and I hadn't planned to post anything, but it's a hazardous world out there today and posting gives me a good excuse to stay home for now. By 10:00 this morning, my car was almost hit twice. Even though I feel lucky to come through it unscathed, that's all the close calls I'd like my heart to handle for the next hour or so!

I know...everyone has already completed their VT this month, but maybe this idea will come in handy at another time.  Practically everyone who posted a handout for January quoted the Elder Uchtdorf selection. And most of us were particularly taken with this part of it:


"Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect someone's life for eternity."

This got me thinking about people who feel hesitant to share testimony because they don't have an earth-shattering-faith-promoting experience to share. That's not the point of bearing testimony. The point is to give the Spirit an opportunity to bear witness of truth. He can do that through any declaration of truth, even short and simple.

And so, here's a short and simple handout that you can tie to a little bag of Hershey's Kisses, along with a full copy of the message.:

 Click on the image, then right-click to save to your computer.

Thanks for visiting today!


Susan






 

Visiting Teaching, A Work of Salvation, the Christmas Version

Click on image, then save full-sized file (4 by 6, 300 dpi) to your computer.

 
I love tying the Visiting Teaching message to a holiday or to an event in the month. This month's message, Visiting Teaching, A Work of Salvation contains a wonderful quote for Christmas, the season the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

 "We are 'to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite [others] to come unto Christ." [D&C 20:59]. --Spencer W. Kimball

In the 2011 First Presidency Christmas Devotional, President Henry B. Eyring gave a talk titled, The Gifts of Christmas. I feel that it complements this month's message extremely well. He said,

"The lesson is that God knows our every need, that He loves us, and that He watches over us.

He gave us the gift of a Savior, His perfect Son, the Lamb without blemish. By personal appearance of the Father Himself and of the Son, and through angels, He has restored the Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days. He has called prophets and apostles to guide us to safety in this life and eternal life in the world to come. Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected that we may live again, that we may be purified and cleansed from sin, prepared for the glory of eternal life.

Those are gifts to us that we can offer to others for Him. We do that by remembering Him and trying with all our hearts to do what He would do and love as He loves.

There was a song in a film years ago with the line 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas.”  Well, you can give a great and wonderful Christmas if you remember the gifts God has given you and, as best you can, offer them to others as He would. That is the spirit of Christmas and of true happiness every day.'

A conclusion I drew from his talk is that Visiting Teaching, as a Work of Salvation, is the spirit of Christmas and of true happiness every day! What a gift to us as Visiting Teachers and those we visit teach!

Wishing you and your sisters a very Merry Christmas!

Thanks for visiting!

Susan

All's Well That Ends Well!

"All's well that ends well". Who am I to argue with the wisdom of Shakespeare? (Especially when there are colder, less forgiving platitudes out there like "Time and tide wait for no man" or "It is what it is".) So, in the spirit of ending the year well, I'm posting a 4 by 6 image that can be used as a tag, a card, a print; fulfilling every possible VT printable need you have--except actually printing it out!
 

Click to access full-sized 300 dpi version, then save that version to your computer. Upload to a photo processor for best results.

For those who have read Daughters in My Kingdom, this quote by Eliza R. Snow will be familiar. It's a perfect thought for the chilly month of December: "Win back those who have gone astray [and] warm up the hearts of those who have grown cold in the gospel." Optional little tie-in gift possibilities are numerous: dollar store mittens, hand-knitted scarf, (and now we're getting to the really good stuff) hot chocolate mixes, hot chocolate stirring sticks, and these...

'

Melting Snowman Smores 

Chocolaty Melting Snowmen Cookies from BHG

Christmas Hot Chocolate Cupcake

Abbreviated Hot Chocolate Cupcake instructions from Catch My Party here.

Easy Snowman Marshmallows from Sweet Sugar Belle

You catch my drift!

Wishing you and your Sisters a wonderful Christmas! Warm them up! Until next time--(Who knows when that will be--maybe next December?)

Thanks for visiting,

Susan

P.S. Please see this post for another December 2012 Visiting Teaching printable!

Summer Vacation?

Yes, apparently I am incorrigible!

I'm misbehaving at this very moment--I'm inside blogging instead of being outdoors, painting landscapes. Our RS lesson yesterday was about Visiting Teaching, and I got so excited, I just had to update my old links for June's message. I also pinned some new free June VT printables at pinterest. Find them in the 2012 Free VT Handouts link to the left under the Pinterest heading.

Changing links was bad enough behavior already, adding to my VT pinterest board even worse, but now I'm afraid I can't keep myself from sharing a few summer theme ideas for your sisters, too--

If a sister is heading out on a road trip, you might adapt a suggestion or two for her and her family from the Road Trip ideas posted at the Dating Divas:

Find instructions here.

If a sister is setting out for the beach, or on a camping trip, S'mores might be a fun way to send her off. It's even a tasteful way of celebrating the fact that Summer is almost here. As long as I'm already misbehaving, this version looks beyond over-the-top decadent:

Find instructions here

 Hmmm. Or is it this one that's over-the-top decadent? Peanut Butter Cup Smores:

Find recipe here

Or maybe a simple version like the one below would be best, slipped into a cello bag?

Photo source here

I love the tag on this DIY package of s'mores at Pinterest and have been searching to see if there's a download for it. Unfortunately, I didn't come across it, if there is one. It simply says, "Sending you S'more love!" Perfect for VT!

One of the worst-sourced photos at Pinterest?

 And finally, a refreshing way to welcome Summer from Caramel Potatoes, complete with recipe and tag printables. (You'll have to sign up at 4shared to access the printables):

Find instructions here. Yes, it's WofW friendly.

 Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time letting things go! Just one more fun summer gift idea from Caramel Potatoes...Hot Fudge Sauce:

Find recipe here

And maybe combine it with this great quote by Eliza R. Snow from Thankful Me ("Warm her up/hot fudge sauce?):

Find printable here

I would show you my last painting but it's so bad, it wouldn't be very nice of me. You'd definitely tell me to get back out there and get painting. I really hope no more lessons this month are about VT! ;) So, until later...(if not sooner!)

Have a great visit this month!


Susan

Signing Off

This is hard to do because I've enjoyed it so much, but I'm suspending my blog. I told myself when I started it that if it got in the way of plein air painting, I'd have to stop. And it did. Completely. (I'm writing from time-out.)


Hopefully, I'll add things from time to time, but I can't do it on a regular basis anymore. There are a lot of great VT resources out there already (like inkablinka, mishmashmom, visitingteachingsurprise, etc.), so I know I'm leaving you in very capable hands. 

Wishing you the best in your VT calling--
Thanks,

Susan

Indirect Answers

I mentioned earlier this month that if a certain theme keeps intruding itself into my life, it feels like I didn't pay enough attention to it the first time around. And I'd better get with the program. Right away. That happened again this past weekend. I have a degree in art, but for some unknown reason, the David O. McKay School of Education seems to have adopted me--I receive their quarterly magazine. The spring edition recently arrived and I was intrigued with a manufactured conversation by Russell T. Osguthorpe found in Agency and the Pursuit of Learning (which, by the way, reminded me quite a bit of Elder Bednar's book, Increase in Learning, --yet another topic hitting me on the head recently!)

Where you see quotation marks, Osguthorpe has incorporated direct excerpts from The Abundance of the Heart by Arthur Henry King. The last sentence is the crowning jewel of the exchange:

Arthur: “One of the mistakes we make over and over again in life is to go directly for the things we think are important.”
Russ: Are you saying that we should not pursue knowledge we think is important?
Arthur: I said not to go directly for things we think are important.
Russ: You mean like setting our hearts on riches?
Arthur: Yes, but more. “If we aim at self-fulfillment, we shall never be fulfilled.”
Russ: Are you saying happiness is a by-product of something else?
Arthur: Yes, but I don’t like the word by-product. People talk about getting an education, but “if we aim at education, we shall never become educated.”
Russ: Education seems like a fairly important goal to aim for, but you’re saying that we should not go for it directly.
Arthur: Yes. Even “if we aim at salvation, we shall never be saved. These things are indirect, supreme results of doing something else; and the something else is service, it is righteousness, it is trying to do the right thing, the thing that needs to be done at each moment.”

This was strongly on my mind when yesterday, my wonderful VT said something to the effect that feeling the love of Christ helps our testimonies to grow stronger. If we want stronger testimonies, serving others, which develops charity, the pure love of Christ, can do it. (Again, an indirect approach through service...)

Then, today, I came across this quote shared in the March 1995 Ensign article, "Learning to Cherish Visiting Teaching."

"I no longer tried to be the “perfect” visiting teacher—I was too busy being Ann’s friend."

 If you read the whole article, you'll find the same message. It appears that whatever it is that you want to improve in, including visiting teaching, concentrate on serving, on doing the right thing at the moment. The results might not be obvious at first, but almost like the photo at the top that eventually comes into focus as a rose window, miracles can happen.

Thanks for visiting today!

Susan

Grad Congrats!

My niece and her husband graduated from college this week! I thought today would be a perfect time to throw them a little graduation party. Unfortunately, online or by mail. They live over a thousand miles away. But if you have a visiting teaching sister who is also graduating this year, (or you suddenly end up with one fresh from college) these ideas might be a perfect way for you to help her celebrate, too.

First off, here's the ever-popular subway art download that you can turn into a graduation card or maybe a framed gift:

Find this printable from eighteen25 here

 And there are so many cute little gift ideas out there. This tag download is from caramel potatoes--

Find download here.

Check out their site for a couple of cute presentation ideas for this tag--and maybe pick up a couple of cookie recipes while you're at it!

And of course, it couldn't be a real party without cupcakes. I think these are my favorites--from Anna & Blue Paperie:

Find the cupcake tutorial here

That hit the spot! I found a few other ideas I couldn't post today, so I created a small pinterest board of graduation/grad party ideas here for you to check out.

Hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks for visiting today,


Susan