Little Distractions...

Writing yesterday's post was really hard. Since this month's Visiting Teaching changes are a watershed event, I wanted to say something about them. But I'm just me--not a VT authority. Easily solved; quote someone with authority instead.

Life is joyful. I wanted the post to be kind of light-hearted, but definitely not light-minded. It's sometimes hard to find the correct balance. So I decided to try a little thematic approach instead of humor--water; rescue; help. Solved.

Unfortunately, with Sister Beck's theme of rescue so strongly in my mind, the following cupcake image from pinterest kept popping into my head. I could hardly keep my thoughts off it:


This was possibly due more to the frosting factor than from the inspiration factor, but just in case, here they are today...

I think they might have originated here. Unfortunately, there are no detailed instructions, nor frosting recipe!

I had so many concerns, I never imagined that cupcakes, of all things, would end up being the factor that almost derailed my...Hmm. Maybe they'd make a cute VT gift. Since I can't get them off my mind, I might as well think about working on a tag for them...

Enjoy your visit!


Susan

The Day the World Changed

(Quote from "Added Focus on Ministering Strengthens Visiting Teaching", Ensign, April 2012, p. 76.) Click on this link, then click on it again to enlarge it, then right-click to save it. 4 by 6", 300 dpi. You can upload the image file to a photo processor to have it printed as a photo if you'd like.

Did you feel that?

(The standard question always asked in SoCal after a small tremor.)

Not only did we get a brand-new RS general presidency on Saturday, but there was also a perceptible shift in the direction of Visiting Teaching on Sunday, April 1. Better yet, a sea change. And we will probably never be the same again. I teach G. A. Smith in RS so I am not officially trained to assist in this. I admit to feeling a little lost at sea. But remain calm--do not be alarmed. Help is on its way. Actually, help is already here! Look up to the left under the heading "VT Training Resources" for a few official links.

To me, it seems there are basically 2 main changes for us as Visiting Teachers. I'll call the first, A., the emphasis on ministering as more important than just getting the message out; the other, B., what we report:

Essentially the Same, but Different--(A. and B. and emphasis added)

A. "...There have been times when sisters have focused more on completing visits, teaching lessons, and leaving notices when they have stopped by their sisters' homes...Sisters of Relief Society have at times imposed many written and unwritten rules in their desire to understand how to strengthen one another."

"With so much need for relief and rescue in the lives of sisters and their families today, our Heavenly Father needs us to follow a higher path and demonstrate our discipleship by sincerely caring for His children..."

B. "Leaders are now taught to ask for reports about the spiritual and temporal well-being of sisters and their families and about service rendered. "
Julie B. Beck, Ensign, Nov. 2011, as quoted in Ensign, March 2012, p. 29.


How Has Visiting Teaching Been Strengthened?, Ensign March 2012, p. 32. (A. and B. and emphasis added):

A. "Visiting teaching is not just a monthly visit; it is ministering. To watch over and strengthen sisters in their individual needs, visiting teachers have ongoing contact with them through visits, phone calls, e-mails, letters, or other means..."

B. "Visiting teachers are asked to report special needs and service given--in other words, their ministering. Count the caring instead of just counting visits."

Wonder what "ministering" means?
(To save, click on tag, then click on it again to enlarge it, then right-click to save it. 300 dpi.)

So, visiting teaching is kind of the same, but different! It's stronger. And starting this month, we are being trained in some of the ways we can better minister to our sisters.

For instance, in April, the visiting teaching message shares the ways "we can follow that higher path and demonstrate our discipleship." You'll remember seeing the following image in chapter 7 of Daughters in My Kingdom, p. 123. It's the exact same information as found in this month's message. You've already been prepped for this --so, no surprises. It feels very natural.


The reporting part is where I'm a little lost, but I'm sure our ward VT leadership will clarify things for us as it becomes necessary. I came across a report chart by talented Kristin at inkablinka that might help you keep track of your monthly acts of ministry if you'd like one. It's here.

I am inspired by your dedication! Thanks for visiting today.


Susan
P.S. Sorry for all the updates! Reflective thinking at work. Sort of.

Carrot Clone Cones

My high-strung, cranky computer took it to a higher level yesterday. (It doesn't want much to do with Photoshop on a good day!) So, Friday Freebie day came dangerously close to being Friday. Just plain old Friday.

I ran a virus scan. Nothing. I ran a boot scan. Squeaky clean. I ran out of ideas--definitely not a computer guru.

So, while the going is still good for now, here's Friday's Freebie:

The printable link is here. Click on the image that comes up from the link to enlarge it, then right-click on the enlarged image to save it to your computer.

Print the pattern out on card stock for best durability, then cut it out.

Roll the pie-shaped piece into a cone shape to help train it to curve before you apply glue stick, especially curving it near the pointed end.

UPDATE: You can make the cardstock more flexible by holding the cone piece between both hands, right-side up, and pulling it back and forth against the edge of a door or table. Kind of like shining a shoe. Make sure to concentrate on the pointed end because it needs to make the tightest turn to form the cone.

UPDATE: It might be easier to tape it instead of gluing it.

Next, apply glue over the light peach-colored section on one side. Overlap the side edges, the light peach-colored section going underneath the side that's the main color. I used glue stick to glue my cone together, but I had a lot of gaps and had to use a toothpick smeared with glue stick to apply glue inside those gaps. I also held a pencil inside the cone, up against the seam I was gluing, providing a firmer surface for pressing the two sides together.

Once the glue has dried, use a hole punch to create holes near the top of the cone, where the X's indicate.

Cut two 36" pieces of curling ribbon. I folded each piece in half, then used a lark's head knot to attach each ribbon to a side of the cone.

I brought all four pieces of ribbon together into a single overhand knot, centered roughly 7" from the top of the cone. Use the edge of a pair of scissors to lightly curl the loose ends of the ribbon above the knot.

Sign the tag. I stapled the tag to the front of the cone, but you can punch a hole in the tag and slide it onto one of the ribbons before you tie them together in an overhand knot. The ribbon on top of the cone is made from 9 pieces of ribbon stapled together at the center, curled, and attached.

(Thankfully, creating a cone is pretty basic to figure out on your own if the rambling of my computer-tortured mind didn't make any sense!)

Since I'm not sure about the suitability of printer's ink being so close to food, I also created a liner by cutting a plastic sandwich baggie diagonally from one bottom corner across to the opposite top corner. This bag bunches up inside the cone, a little ruffled, but I'm fine with that and also with its pointed uneven ends.

The cone can be hung from a doorknob like a May Day basket. Or not. Fill it and personalize it any way you want. I think I want mini carrot muffins. Or Annie's Cheddar Bunnies (shown) make a nice savory change of pace. (Wait. I actually posted something before the holiday?)

Enjoy your visit--and have a wonderful conference weekend!


Susan

Conference Call

General Conference starts on Saturday, March 31st. I've never met a VT opportunity yet that wasn't covered by some clever blogger (thankfully!), so I've collected an idea or two from across the web that you might consider sharing with your sisters.


Up first, a great tag titled, Make the Most of General Conference, with the tag cleverly attached to a bag of M&Ms--credit goes to Marci Coombs for the idea. The information on the tag comes from suggestions found in the September 2004 New Era. This idea was posted at sugardoodle.net, and I also like the tag version that was posted at makoodle. (It's the one in the photo above.)

Download this printable here. It's 150 dpi

The March 2012 Ensign shared an article titled "Follow the Prophet" by Elder Randall K. Bennett. His great suggestions under "Learning to Listen to the Prophetic Word" were desperately crying out for attention so I compassionately obliged and created a bold statement with them. The printable is shown--three to a page. It's a bookmark! It's the back of an invitation to your house for a session of conference? It's a little reminder handout for your sister that General Conference is this weekend! It's an IFC (inside front cover or bookplate)! IFC for what, you are undoubtedly asking yourself...For (dramatic pause)

a conference journal for your sister!

Conference Journals:

Here is one method for covering a composition notebook from loraleelewis.com to beautify and personalize it for your sisters. Or, you can leave it as it is. I kind of like the classic B&W covers (no surprise there!) Or...


...you can add tabs to the pages~The above photo from a Bushel and a Peck, shows some tabs with the names of the apostles added to the journal pages. Apparently, the download at the original site at sugardoodle.net is outdated, but someone commented there that they had created an updated set of tabs and (best of all) they are willing to share it.

I liked the suggestion to write the inspiration that come to you during conference in a place that's separate from your regular conference notes--maybe inside the journal margins. That way it won't get lost and overlooked.

Conference Goodie Kits/Baskets/Bags:

These offerings appear to run the gamut from practically mini-van-sized baskets to a travel-sized package of tissues. I picked out a couple of the more "adult" versions for you to consider. Don't feel obligated to re-create the whole kit. IMHO, even just one of the items makes a thoughtful gesture:

The Conference Kit shown above can be found here.

With some repeats, the Conference Kit shown above (and two others!) can be found here.

The Conference Goodie Bag shown above can be found here.

It's very possible you've already tried these suggestions before (except for the bookmark/IFC/invitation/reminder since I just finished it yesterday), so try checking out either sugardoodle.net for Conference ideas or Andrea's pinterest board of 50+ General Conference ideas here--both are amazing collections. (I wish I'd found these two links first instead of last!)

Enjoy your visit!


Susan

A Father's Plea

There's still opportunity to visit, call, or write your sisters this month! If you'd like to include one of the many free March VT handouts with your message, look under the Pinterest Links heading in the left sidebar for the link, "Free March VT Handouts".

Yesterday, a man I've never seen before came forward to the pulpit during Fast and Testimony meeting. He introduced himself, and told us that he had several children, but only one of them was a daughter. He was here, visiting her, a member of our ward. He shared her name with us--one I didn't recognize--and told us that for his vacation every year, he travels to see her and to go on daddy-daughter adventures together.

You could feel the depth of his love for her as he continued, "I don't know who her home teachers are. I don't know who her visiting teachers are..." And he plead for their continued help in reaching out to her. He admitted it could be challenging, and that care and prayer would be needed. He shared with us a bit of her background, and told us that she still had a testimony deep inside. Before I knew it, she was no longer an unrecognizable name, but a very real person, a beloved daughter, entrusted to our care.

I wish you'd been there. I feel inadequate in trying to share what went through my heart and mind as I listened to him. It was impossible to ignore the similarities between this loving parent, and our first Father, whose love for us is broad and deep. He knows all his daughters perfectly, and completely. He will share with us the things we should know and do to reach out to them in friendship, and to grow in love. All he asks is that we try. We can only extend the opportunity--it is up to others to decide what to do with it. This is His work and He will comfort and help us in ministering to His daughters when we turn to Him.

Thanks for visiting!


Susan

Getting the Message Out--April

The Visiting Teaching message for April is available (see sidebar at the left for links), and since I love numbers (don't get me wrong--numbers, not math), I couldn't resist designing a handout for April. The size is 8.5 by 11, perfect as a VT binder cover or to be kept inside a VT binder, (or as a handout, of course!) in classy black and white form. (Did I get away with the "classy" word? Color is so pretty, but there wasn't enough time, sorry! Black and white is also very obliging, looking good on almost every color of paper. And easier on the budget if you go to a copy store...) I'm sure there are many, many, many more advantages to B&W, but since I'm way too excited to pound that into the ground any longer, I will now unveil today's Friday Freebie!

Ta-dah! Get the free printable here. Click on the picture to enlarge it, then right-click to save it to your computer.

This handout even looks good in landscape orientation. How extremely versatile! I liked how the line of numbers is representative of counting--so I titled it "Counting on Us". (Yes, I am the Queen of Corn". And proud of it. The worse the play on words, the better.) Now, if you're still here after that shameless disclosure and/or play on words, I have a reward for you. Another free printable version of the same principles for your consideration:

Get the free printable here. Click on the picture to enlarge it, then right-click to save it to your computer.

Ahhh! See why I love numbers? These little beauties are counting the ways to love, watch over, and strengthen our Sisters. And since each suggestion is accompanied by a number, I call it, "By the Numbers." (Yes. Serving up more corn. Regret you stayed?) And it's not at etsy, it's not adorned by a Paypal button, but here, free for you, with free shipping, too! (Wink. Actually, the shipping cost is usually the one thing I can afford at etsy!) 24/7 convenience. Both printables are for non-commercial use only.

UPDATE: If you have prayerfully received the impression that you need to focus on something other than ministering through visiting teaching with one or more of your sisters, you might focus on these principles suggested by the RS general presidency as an alternative: increasing faith, strengthening families, or giving service. This suggestion comes from page 76 of the April 2012 Ensign, paragraph 2.

Maybe the following printable, featured here previously, could be appropriate in this type of situation? (Yes, I did post it again after all!)

fr0m Mishmash Mom

So you're all set for April--relax and have a great weekend!

Enjoy your visit!


Susan

VT Grab Bag

It's Wednesday. To celebrate that it's not "chili night" tonight, I'm sharing some various Visiting Teaching helps from across the web.

At the Mormon Channel, "we expand the Visiting Teaching message through quotes and insights from the general Relief Society presidency and other General Authorities." Listen to the current message here. Scroll down the page to find episode 16.

If you're interested in a free VT Visit Reminder Magnet Printable,

jpcreative is happy to set you up with one.

In a twist on a project from Martha Stewart, here's an eye-catching way to share Oatmeal cookies with your Sisters. Save up your 18 oz oatmeal containers! If you don't have a large printer to print the label that wraps around the canister, try Kinkos or Staples. The lid should work with most printers:

from A Bushel and a Peck

For anyone in need of a little inspiration:

Printable from scattersunshine.blogspot.com

If you're a VT Supervisor, you might be interested in a calling card

from scattersunshineprintables.blogspot.com

Or take a look at this VT Organizer, with a list of our responsibilities, along with a place to record phone numbers:

It Works for Bobbi!" here.

For those who have completed their March visits and can't wait to see what's up for April, the link for the new message, Love, Watch Over, and Strengthen, is posted to the left, near the top.

Enjoy your visit!

Susan