Kids Photo Book Tips, Ideas, and Cheat Sheet

Kids grow up so fast, don't they? It seems like just yesterday I was bringing our oldest child (now 11 years old) home from the hospital, earning what it was like to function on no sleep, take care of a newborn, and work (yes, I had to work too!). Back when I only had two kids, or even three kids, I had more time to spend with them and came up with some pretty creative ideas!

I was looking through some old photos the other day and found this mosaic of photos I had taken:



Book of Mormon Reading Challenge from General Conference October 2018

"I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know who I am. I know God's Plan. I'll follow Him in faith." Those are the first few lines from a much beloved Primary song in our church.

This weekend we have been counseled by our Modern Day Prophet, President Russel M. Nelson, and our other church leaders. Last night there was a meeting held just for the women in the church. It included girls ages 8 and up. It is such a sweet experience to have direction from our church leaders given just to us women in the church.

Among the things that we were taught and counseled to do, was a plea from our prophet to read the Book of Mormon in it's entirety between now and the end of the year. We were told to read with purpose, meaning that we should pray about what we read, and take notes of impressions we have and insight we receive from the things we read.

This is a little scary given that we have less than 3 months to read over 500 pages of prophetic messages. I scoured the internet this morning looking for a reading schedule and found this one that I really love! It's a few years old, but it separates the chapters in the Book of Mormon so they can be read in 90 days.  I don't think we quite have 90 days, but for the first few days I plan to combine some of the recommended reading until I can catch up.

One of the things I really like about this reading chart are the blank boxes next to each days' reading assignment. I can fill that in with the date for each box, or I can number the days as a countdown. You could also leave them blank and put a check mark or color in each box as you read them. It's easy to take this printout and customize it to whichever way will work best for you. 

Brightly Street also includes a 6 month version of the reading chart that you can use any time. Head over to their website and grab your reading chart so you can get started today! 



DIY Wood Sign with Vinyl Stencil

Painted wood signs are a hot new trend in farmhouse, rustic, and country style decor. If you go on Etsy and search for "wood signs" you will get upwards of 250 PAGES full of signs for sale. Some have vinyl lettering on painted wood, but those aren't nearly as popular as the all painted wood signs.

BUT, if you struggle like I do with painting a straight line, it can be a daunting task to try and make your own wood sign. That's where products like our vinyl stencils come in to play. They make wood signs an "easy peasy lemon squeezy" kind of project!

Want to see just how easy it is to use one of our vinyl stencils to create your own hand painted wood sign? Check out the latest video we added to our YouTube channel and see for yourself!






Now do you believe me? Whether you buy a vinyl stencil from us, or use your own vinyl cutter and design to create your own sign, I hope that you have discovered just how easy it can be to add a little homemade farmhouse touch to your decor!






* If you would rather purchase a painted wood sign, you can find them in our Etsy Shop.