When You Just Get It

I just got home from a fantastic Relief Society meeting tonight.
It was titled "Choose To Become" which kinda intrigued me, but since I'm in Primary with teh little tackers these days I was craving some adult spiritual conversation, so I was so there! (Plus it was only one suburb over from where I live...)
My sister-in-law organized it and bot is she full of the spirit. I just feel like when I'm talking to her, or rather when she is talking to me, it just all makes sense. Like she really understands and applies the Gospel, she can see things on a different level to everyone else and it just blows me away! When I was younger (she married my brother when I was 12/13 so she's pretty much always been around) I used to think she was too serious, but now I realize that she's not serious, shes intune! Hopefully this weekend i'll be sleeping at her place for a night... I'm so stoked for it!
Anyways, back to tonight, "Choose To Become", well, become what exactly? To become who we want to be!
I know that seems pretty straight forward and obvious, but She really broke it down wonderfully!
She discussed self-talk or "ants" which is "automatic negative thoughts" which we all have, and how we don't even realize we are doing it, because it'sa automatic. For example, in my job, I am moving into a new role, which is exciting but also nerve-racking, questions like "will I be good enough?" "Do I even know what I'm doing?" "Will I reach my targets?" "Can I even learn this much in this timeframe?" and with these questions come these thoughts... "I'm not good enough." "why did they pick me, I can't even make target." "It's overwhelming, I can't do it." "I'm not on my client's level, I don't understand them" all this negative talk is going on in my head and I didn't even realize untill tonight.
It was discussed how we can turn these negative thoughts into positives and re-train ourselves into believing positive thoughts nad ultimately becoming those positive thoughts. And coupling this with earnest prayer to Heavenly Father on our own individual self worth will bring us a sense of peace, motivation and understanding... Personally, I am all for peace, motivation and understanding!
She showed us what she has been doing recently to combat her feelings of doubt, anxiety and low self-esteem.

In this little bag we have 8 pieces of paper, 8 heart stickers and chocolate... the chocolate goes without saying, it's a daily requirement. But what we were challenged to do is to recognize our "ants" and turn them into power statements using the words "I AM" or "I CAN" rather than "I will" or "I should". Making these positive thoughts become "here and now" so we can visualize them in our heads, so we can see them and feel them.
For example. an "ant" may be that I feel I am unattractive to my husband for whatever reason, a positive power statement may be that "I am a beautiful and attractive woman to my Husband and I love him with an unbreakable bond" or somethign along those lines.
The next step is to seal these statements with real intent (the heart sticker) and every morning and every night to read them out loud to yourself. Yes, you may feel like a doofus to start but perservere! Saying things, not just thinking them often brings a sense of reality to the words and by saying them morning and night, you are prompting yourself to be those things.
I really connected with the lesson. I feel that self-doubt, low morale, feelings of being overwhelmed, all those negative thoughts, they all really stack up against you and they do tear you down. Maybe not all at once, but slowly over time, and these little power statements combined with prayer, really can influence our lives for the better.
Heavenly Father wants to help us, if we ask him to help us be better people, to love harder, to be stronger, to understand clearer, there is nothing to hold us back from asking for his help so long as it is righteous. And if it is, he will not hold back if we ask. I know this to be 100% true... If we reach out to him, for his love, to know of his love for us, he will show us. He wants too. And often, self-confidence can stop us from talking to him "oh he won't mind if I skip my prayers this one time" or "why does he want to hear from me, it's only me" these thoughts can stop us from seeking him out, as silly as it sounds. And these power statements can help us seek him...
I'm going to give them a try, I've got nothing to lose... Only something to gain...
So please excuse me whilst I go away and work out my worst thoughts and combat them with powerful, meaningful positive ones... I'll let you know how I go.

Gettin' Crafty

As part of my 101 things in 1001 days I've decided to cross-stitch my oma's favourite hymn. I stand all amazed. My sister picked up the material for me the other day and now I just have to get to work.
It's funny because doing this reminds me of when I was younger and my mum was Young Womens president. All the young women were doing cross stitches for a quilt for someone's baby. I wanted to do it with them so I was cross-stitching too during sacrament meeting. I would hide my cross-stitching stuff in my scripture case, as if everyone wouldn't know haha.
Ah good times...
Anyways, I've started the writing as back stitch and will cross stitch s pretty border I think...
Here's the start anyway...

CTR Rings

Yeah... CTR!

My class the other week all got CTR rings. So cute, they were all so excited!

Not What You Expect

A certain someone was asked to serve today!
That certain someone being my husband!
I'm pretty sure they'll properly call him next week at church and it is something that you wouldn't usually expect, but it is something I know he'll be good at. Very organized this one...

CTR Rings

Wel, we got new scriptures but I also decided to get something for my little primary kids!
Each kid is getting a CTR Ring!
Earlier we had a lesson that asked the kids to look at thier CTR ring and tell me what it meant to them, no one had one. And convieniently, today's lesson asks the same thing, so I am prepared this time with them.
I really hope they like them, I know a couple who will and will probably wear them for weeks to come as they wore thier missionary badges for a while too :)
So cute!
I'm hoping to get a photo of all the kids with thier fists out with the rings on, so please someone remind me before all teh kids bail from Primary this afternoon!

New Scriptures

My Husband and I recntly went on a trip to Tasmania to visit family and on our way back we came through Sydney.
My awesome sister picked us up and drove us out to the Sydney Temple. We got there just in time to duck into the Distribution Centre to get C a set of scriptures. He was pretty specific in what he wanted nad thankfully they had them! He got a Quad with a button on it to close them, they were black and had thumb indexing.
I already have a quad but it is missing the last section of Revelations, which I discovered in my seminary class when I couldn't find the scripture. So I decided I wanted new scriptures too. I got hard cover triple combinationa dn a hard cover bible. Both black. They have thicker pages (apparently lesser quality) but I think it's better for writing on which is what I wanted. I got a study case as well, it holds scriptures, pens, markers, post-it notes, note pad etc, It's cool.
I also got a CTR ring for each kid in my class too. They are the CTR class so this is cool, they can look back in thier folder where they coloured it in and then get to have one for themselves. I'm pretty excited to give it to them!