The new year is quickly approaching and as I think back over the past year, it has been a very hard challenging year, but also an amazing year full of miracles. I had a list of grand things I wanted to do this year, very few things are crossed off. Changing states and all the [...]

This is incredible! I love beautiful artwork that inspires you. I’ve been a fan of Liz Lemon Swindle and her artwork for as long as I can remember and always thought it was beyond my budget, but not anymore. I just found an affordable way to get a new Liz Lemon Swindle painting each month [...]

You may also know this great recipe as magic bars. Though I’ve eaten these before I just recently got the recipe from a friend. I will definitely be adding it to  my list of recipes to turn to when asked to bring a dessert or when looking for a simple treat to brighten someone’s day. [...]

Freedom would be the word I would use to set the tone for next year. I make goals each year, but I’d never thought of picking a word to set the tone until reading a post on The Happiness Project. Freedom for me would mean no longer having to check the balance in my account [...]

It is easy to become frustrated by all of the commercialization, the crowds, the earlier and earlier appearance of decorative trinkets sold in stores. One might think that Jesus has been completely forgotten—at least to those who don’t make it a point to remember. But the fact is that Jesus’ birth over 2000 years ago [...]

Luke 2: The Nativity Story 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own [...]

Another of my favorite Christmas stories is called “The Bells of Christmas”… The sun, though screened by winter clouds, was only partway across the sky when Pedro and his little brother Marcos began their evening chores. They sprinkled corn into the coop and raked straw so the chickens would have a warm place to sleep. [...]

Miracles do happen and love can win out—even in the midst of war. The miraculous events that happened around Christmas during the first world war attest to this. As part of my Christmas stories week I am including an excerpt from “The Christmas Truce” by Laurence M. Vance: The Christmas of 1914 was the first [...]

Several years ago, during the Christmas season, President and Sister Hinckley came to BYU for a musical event. Before the program, there was a buffet dinner, and at one point while the men were away from our table, the women began to talk about the frustrations of getting ready for Christmas. Our conversations focused on [...]

This recipe came from a friend: 1 (12oz) pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 Tbsp peppermint extract Green food coloring Melt chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk; add vanilla. Spread half the mixture into a wax paper lined 8 [...]