the frock exchange

we had the most incredible relief society additional meeting on the weekend, the frock exchange. our additional meetings coordinator like me, is an opshop lover and had a brainwave of having a frock exchange, to allow the ladies in our ward to bring along their awesome but unworn items and trade them with someone else. i was in opshop heaven... even more so because there was no money required :)

we did have a monetary system that consisted of one button per item checked in, which we then used to "purchase" other items at the end of the evening. 

and a fashion show covering the eras from 60s - now with these epic modest dresses loaned to us for the evening from omika australia worn by some awesome volunteers from our young women and young single adults. 

as you can see, our crew made an amazing amount of effort creating a store and a cafe and i was just blown away when i walked in and saw it all set up. i mean seriously, our activities coordinator even went to the effort of having vintage look signs painted up to place around the hall.

and it's no secret the we mormon ladies love to bake... and just look at the spread we busted out on the evening!!

it was such an incredible night, i can't even tell you how good it was. huge props to the ellenbrook ward additional meetings committe ♥

ice skating!

we had our first kindy birthday on saturday, for madeline's friend isabella and maddie thought all her christmases had come at once, because it was at the ice skating rink!! she is forever asking if we can go ice skating and was thrilled to bits to finally try it out. it has been about 17 years since my last ice skating adventure (back in young womens) and i am proud to say that i didn't fall over once. it certainly took effort to stay on my feet and not end up on my butt, but i managed it.

i forever hear about isabella and charlotte, "my best friends mum!" and today i saw the three of them hanging out together, laughing together and having the time of their lives, so i quickly snapped this pic of them. i love knowing that maddie has made friends at school!

we loved ice skating and can't wait to go again!

family temple night

for the first time in a very long time, dougs parents came to the temple tonight! it was so wonderful to have them there with us and we are so grateful that we were able to go as a family. there is not all that long to go now until dominque will come home and join us... i can hardly wait to go altogether as a family. it's only this year that i've had that opportunity with my family and i am excited to think it will happen with both of our immediate families before the year is out. 

i am so grateful for the temple, for the blessings that the gospel brings and for the blessings of eternal families ♥

aren't we attractive! hahaha

temples are a beacon

it's been almost 2 years since our little family ventured to samoa to visit my parents while they served their mission there. it was an incredible experience that we won't forget in a hurry... the sounds, the smells, the food, the heat... but their solid belief in god, every where we went was what really blew me away. loving the lord is like breathing to them. everyone believes in god there. 

it feels like i took a million photos of this beautiful building, which is a beacon in apia. people constantly give directions using the temple as a reference point because everyone, latter-day saint or not, knows where it is and where it stands for 

that's what i am trying hard to do, make the temple the centre of my life and something i can use to get and give directions ♥

"temples are more than stone and mortar. they are filled with faith and fasting. they are built of trials and testimonies. they are sanctified by sacrifice and service" - thomas s monson (from a talk the holy temple: a beacon to the world)

fill your life with light

i love this quote so much... recently in one of the relief society lessons i did, there was a suggestion of how to guard your home and your family from the dangers of the world. it was quite simply to "fill your life with light!" i have tried so hard to do that, to surround myself with good things... and to surround these little people with good things - or just to surround myself with them!

being a parent can be so hard, especially when you are trying to make sure your children are learning and growing, but learning the good things. there are so many things in todays world that they can pick up so easily and so quickly if i turn my back for even a second... so i need to be trying twice as hard to fill my life with light, to make sure i do the same for them.

train up a child in the way that he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it

-proverbs 22:6

besties mega barn date

i went on a date with my best friend to the mega barn yesterday. it's been so long since we had time with just the two of us... but seeing as just the two of us doesn't exist anymore anyway since we had kids... off we went with our little boys. of course it goes without saying that they whined and messed about and (in my case) ran about the place but we had a good time. i got an awesome haul (i've not had a bad day at the barn yet, must be a good sign that i need to keep going on a regular basis) and we laughed and chatted and just generally had an awesome time! plus we may have even eaten hungry jacks on the way home, which is not something we do everyday and probably haven't done since we were teenagers... perfect bestie date. let's do this more often! ♥

on another note, same topic... how amazing is this lamp and shade that mum picked up as two separate pieces at her local opshop which now has pride of place in my room. on both sides... because there were two! the chances are so slim of something so glorious, but it happened and i am loving it. thanks mama!

christmas in july: vt style

years and years ago when doug and i first moved into dianella ward, i remember my friend speaking with great pride about her grandmother and her 100% visiting teaching record. it was at that very moment that i decided i wanted that too and have tried hard to make it happen, so i am also always scanning blogs, instagram and pinterest for awesome ideas to make it fun. so far, so good...

this time however, i grabbed a few packets of candy canes the week after christmas and stashed them for seven months (yes they were still not past their expiry date) just to give them to the girls i visit teach for a christmas in july treat. what was even better, was that someone i know was having a clean out and gave me these epic christmas plastic cups just in time.

merry christmas in july peeps! ♥