Back!! Christmas plans

So, I have like 50 logins and passwords for various places and I could NOT remember the one for this blog. I kept trying to sign in over and over with every password I could possibly think of! I just gave up every single time until today when I finally reset the dumb thing.

Now I have one more to remember!

How are your Christmas plans coming along?

We are planning a peaceful Christmas time... we have one daughter coming home to join our youngest in fact we are driving up to Salt Lake City to get her and go see the lights on Temple Square; but all of our other children have other plans. I guess Shaun and Joanna are staying in NY; Chris and Danielle are going to her grandparents in Oregon; Timmy is on his mission still so we will mail him a box.

I decided to do our family newsletter but not mail them out. I will be emailing it to family and friends this year. Hope to get that started this week. I have a made a few gifts for grandbabies, and one each for my daughters and one for Mike but that will be it giftwise this year. It hasn't been an easy year for most people and we are no exception. So peaceful and quiet with just one or two gifts to open sounds like Heaven to me. :)

I am grateful to have food and still have a roof over our heads. So much more than many people in this world; and I have not taken it for granted even once this year. Many of our friends have lost their homes and had to move away to look for work.



Christmas really is not supposed to be hustle and bustle and shopping for lots of bargains. It is supposed to be a time set aside for us to remember the Lord Jesus Christ's birth; Heavenly Father's gift to us. I think we cannot understand the deep value of that gift, but someday we will and we will fall to our knees to thank Him.

Christmas Eve I plan to listen to my husband read Luke 2 from his Catholic Bible and I am going to look up some quotes, talks and scriptures from General Authorities--plus I want to piece together the story of Christ's coming to earth from the Book of Mormon, from Helaman.

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Still making hats for Warming Families as we creep closer to that 25,000 goal!! It's exciting. I will be leaving wf after the hat challenge at the end of the year. It's time for me to move along and I have a new Yahoo group called Cheerful Hearts and hands, to take it's place in my life as my WF chapter will close of course.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cheerful-Hearts-and-Hands/

I will still be able to make things for my 'shelters' and such. Not sure exactly which directions that group will take; but I know I want it to be positive in it's quest to help others with out knitting and crocheting. It will be interesting to see.

I'd love to start something locally again like we used to have with Crafting Angels, but my life has taken such a different direction since those days will several part time jobs filling every waking hour; but it might be nice to take off 2 hours once a month or so. Not sure who would come anymore... but I would definitely call it "Cheerful Hearts and Hands" as I love that name!

Well everyone have a wonderful week! Make it great!

HUG the ones you love,
Bev Q
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com

Some words of wisdom!

"Remember, a good attitude produces good results, a fair attitude fair results, a poor attitude poor results. We each shape our own life, and the shape of it is determined largely by our attitude."
--M. Russell Ballard, "Providing for Our Needs", Ensign May 1981, 85

Diapers needed!

Cappalappa Family Resource Center in Overton, Nevada -
needs:



* Toddler/preschool hats;
* Cloth diapers- handmade are
great;
* Full-sized blankets or
quilts.

Contact Bev Qualheim via
"Warming Families":

More on the Family Proclamation

Part 2:
"In the premortal realm, (where we lived before we came to this earth)

spirit sons and daughters (we were created spiritually by Heavenly Parents before we were clothed in mortal bodies and were born on this earth)

knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father (He is the Father of our actual spirit bodies-- He really IS our literal father)

and accepted His plan (the Plan of Happiness) by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. (This is our whole reason for being here -- it's not to party, it's not to earn tons of money and earthly accolades.)

The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. (Marriage and family do not have to end at death-- there is no 'till death do us part' in LDS marriage ceremonies. That notion is a man-made one, it is not something God ever intended. Adam and Eve were REAL... in spite of what the world and most religions teach. They were married in the garden of Eden-- where there was NO death.)

Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally. "
(This is self explanatory.)

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Hug the ones you love today. Tell them you love them.

Bev
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com

Hats for orphans in China

One of my friends on my Charity Challenge group sent this email to the group today and Kaye Rogers of Warming Families decided this would be a fabulous group to help, and we can count the numbers of hats for our 25,000 Hat Challenge! So let's warm those little ones over in China! Read on...

If you make some hats to send, please email Kaye Rogers:
(uswarmingfamilies AT yahoo.com)

to let her know how many, so we can add them to our counts for Warming Families. Thanks!

--
Email Sent to Bev's Charity Challenge group

"I got an email from a friend this morning. Karen is the owner of a custom scrubs company (Sassy Scrubs) that I have known for quite a few years. She made the scrubs that they used on the TV show "ER", you know, the ones that make the staff look good... she employs 7 seamstresses, and rather than have them sitting idle when they have no order, she has them make baby quilts from the scraps of the scrubs.... she sends them to an orphanage in China (where she adopted her two daughters)

She said the conditions are deplorable.... 4 and 5 children to a bed....and almost all the children there are female.... for no other reason than that they are girls... China's "one child per family" policy has caused many families to surrender their female children so they can try again for a more desirable male child. Karen says that practically the only time you see a boy in the orphanage is if the child has some health issue...

Anyway, she just sent me some new pictures of her last trip to China, and I noticed that this time, some of the children have knitted hats on....I asked her if she has an ongoing need for hats to go with the blankets and I received an OVERWHELMING yes!!!!

If anyone is interested in helping with this need, she collects for children ages NB to teen. She is in upstate NY and ships several times a year. She takes quilts with her, too, whenever she is given permission to travel to China..."

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So it sounds like the orphanage needs mostly baby through teenaged GIRL hats. They can be knitted, loom knitted, crocheted or sewn. If you need patterns I have lots of them linked here:

HAT PATTERNS

PLEASE HELP! Here is where to send the hats:

Karen Bradley

C/O Sassy Scrubs

1Keuka Business Park

Penn Yan, NY 14527

Thanks!!

HUG THE ONES YOU LOVE!

Bev

Bev's thoughts on The Family Proclamation

Please note, these are MY views, my thoughts on the Proclamation.
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"The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

What this says to me is that this Proclamation was given by Heavenly Father's ordained servants... the Prophet, his Councilors, and the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Just that statement as to who is declaring this proclamation, tells the world that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in the ORIGINAL Church established by Christ.

In the Old Testament we hear of His Prophets... the God of the Old Testament, also known as Jehovah, was Jesus Christ. He IS our mediator with God the Father. After Adam and Eve fell, they no longer walked in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ was chosen before the world was, to be our mediator, our Savior. He is the one who spoke to Prophets anciently. And we know from Amos 3:7 He told us; "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

Prophets will always BE while His Church is on this earth.

When Christ walked the earth and established the fulfillment on the Law of Moses, which He gave to Moses, He set up His Church with Twelve Apostles. The Church of Jesus Christ still follows this plan and we have the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles.

"All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God." We are His Children, created in His image. We look like Heavenly Parents. We do not look like apes. We do not look like goldfish or any other creature. We look like Him.

Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, (We are loved!!) and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. (We have a divine (Holy--divine---because we ARE God's actual spirit Children) nature. We have a special purpose for being here on this earth. Each of our purposes is different- we all have a roll in helping bring to pass his Eternal purposes.)

Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. Is it ok to have sex changes? No it is not. The Lord depends on us being male or female in order to bring about his Plan of Happiness. It's not a punishment. It's a blessing that Satan wants to twist. Satan will never have a body, never! So he wants us to feel badly about our bodies, about who we are, about being male or female, about our unique rolls as such!! And the world is buying that bilge.
Be proud and happy about who you are. Be prayerful to find your purpose. And know that you are loved with a love so great we cannot even understand it.

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God Bless You!
And hug the ones you love!!
Bev

PS more to come...

Marriage - Family

I have wanted to do this for a long time, and I feel now is the time. I want to do some personal commentaries on The Family-A Proclamation to the World. Today, I am posting the actual Proclamation so everyone can read through it, and in days to come, I will post comments and thoughts about each paragraph. Hope you will join me on this journey. No matter what faith you are, no matter where you live, the family is being attacked on all sides. There are those who would redefine what marriage means. I think God has made it very plain what 'marriage' is in this proclamation.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints writes up proclamations like this, very rarely. I believe the words it contains are truth, coming from the Heavens, and it's time to stand up for what we value and hold dear.

HUG the ones you love today. Teach them values and to live truth and be upright honest citizens no matter where you live, and teach them to be an example of good, as the Savior Jesus Christ was, to the world.
Bev
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com

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lds.org
This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

Kids scarf pattern and need TODDLER HATS!

Some of the beautiful hats I have received and made for the Warming Families 25,000 hat challenge! Thanks everyone!

If you wish to make a hat or two and donate them to your local shelter, please do, and then let Warming Families leader Kaye Rogers know how many you donated for our Hat Challenge numbers!! THANKS! You can write to Kaye here: uswarmingfamilies AT yahoo.com
She would LOVE to hear from you. :)

OK- onto scarves:
... if any of you need a simple scarf pattern for children's scarves or even for beginner knitters to make - the idea came from my knitted hat pattern I created to teach some children to knit last week.

Here is the scarf pattern and then the hat pattern:

2-3 oz of nice, warm worsted weight yarn
Size 8 knitting needles
Cast on 30 stitches
Knit every row until 3-4 feet long depending on age of child.
My children didn't start wearing scarves until they were about 2 1/2 or 3 years old.

Cast off. Weave in ends.

That's it!
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Now here is the hat pattern it was based on, with photo!

Bev's Beginner Hat
© Beverly A. Qualheim 2009

This is for a newborn baby hat. Hat height =5" Length= 10.5"
Size 8 knitting needles
1 oz of worsted weight yarn

Cast on 20 stitches (this is the height)
Knit each row for 72 rows (10.5" rectangle - this is the width)
Bind off stitches; fold hat in half widthwise, and whip stitch the side seam.

Weave yarn in and out of the stitches at the top and pull to gather top of hat.

Weave the yarn inside the top of the hat, and tie the strand together, or weave in and out to secure.

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If you love to make hats, and who doesn't (?) I can use some toddler sized hats for my chapter of Warming Families.

Thanks and God bless!

Remember to hug the ones you love today, and express thanks for all they do for you. And don't forget to thank your Heavenly Father for His love and blessings to you. :)

Bev

Just popping in to say HI!

Yeah- I know, it isn't Christmas, but you might want to start on a project or 2!

Also writing to let everyone know, I am still around, just VERY busy! I'm working, and making hats, and something for my son on a mission, who I doubt reads this, but I am not taking any chances. :)

HUG THE ONES YOU LOVE!!

Bev
http://bevscountrycottage.com

Need Chapters for Warming Families

I am putting out the cry once again for MORE Chapters to be formed in all the states where we don't have one:

Here is where there are NO Chapter Area Volunteers:


Alabama
Alaska
Colorado
Delaware
D.C.
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Louisiana
Maine
Michigan -we could use another - it’s COLD THERE!
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
North Dakota
North Carolina
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
South Dakota
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming
Wisconsin

If so please send them here so they can learn how to become one:
http://www.freewebs.com/warmingfamilies/areavolunteerinfo.htm

and if you want to become one but don't see your state listed, it might mean we have ONE already in that state, but we need 3 or 4 in each state ideally! So please don't hesitate to contact Kaye Rogers to let her know you have read that page and want to become one. :)
We need you!!!

HUG the ones you love!
Bev