I've never had a mantelpiece to decorate before. Oh the excitement! I'm planning on printing out a banner but I have to find one I really love or make one. For now I made two Halloween printables that I've framed. Don't you especially love that ornate metal frame? Yeah, I thrifted it for a couple of bucks this morning. That and the candle holder. And the jack-o-lantern box. Oh and all of the raffia pumpkins. I am a thrifting queen!


Using pretty fonts, some graphics from The Graphics Fairy and some pretty paper textures from Lost and Taken it was a snap to whip up something I loved. If you love these printables too, feel free to pin, download, etc. They are free for personal use, no resale. The raven printable has script from Edgar Allen Poe's, The Raven, written on it. Happy decorating!




Yesterday and today was the 183rd Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was really nice to sit down and listen to council from a living prophet and apostles of Jesus Christ. There were many inspiring talks given. One that particularly spoke to me was an address given by Elder Richard J. Maynes.

I love to play basketball and do other athletic activities and over the past year have worked really hard to get fit again and stay fit. Self discipline has been necessary to achieve this goal and it has not always been easy but I know it is necessary to be able to remain healthy and fit. Comparing that concept to our testimonies was just brilliant to me. Below is a free printable of the quote that inspired me so much, maybe it can give you motivation too.



Our bodies, our minds and our spirituality take constant maintenance and dedication to stay in shape. I think of it also as like having to clean a shower. If you take a second to spray and wipe down the glass daily then no water spots build up. It only takes a little bit of time to do this preventative maintenance. But if you skip this simple every day step and let the hardwater spots build up for weeks or months then you have to take much longer and work much harder in order to scrub the build up off. Regular maintenance of our body, mind and spirituality will prevent the build up of health problems and spiritual apathy. Self mastery is not a one time event, it's a continual process and I'm grateful for Elder Maynes for reminding me that it's just as important to practice daily spiritual self discipline as it is daily physical self discipline.


My lack of blogging in a nutshell.


When it comes to using time wisely, I am not the greatest. I have this tendency to always be learning new things or starting crazy projects just because I can. There is not enough time in one life for everything I wish to do and learn and see. I gave a talk on agency and using it wisely in church this past Sunday, not because I'm an authority on the subject but because it was the perfect topic for me to learn from. Blogging has been on the back burner for a while but other things manage to step up in place of whatever I feel I'm wasting too much time on. This has always been and will always be a battle for me. Doing things that are best above things that are just good or amusing is really hard for me. But I am trying. This quote is a good reminder to myself to choose the better part. And hopefully I will be able to do that more and more each day.