Craving Sundays

I have felt pretty busy over the last few weeks. Almost overwhelmed. As you may know, I took a dive into blogging as a career and added my very own site to the plunge a few months ago. I am LOVING it!

It was a dream in my head that I'm so excited to have play out and get to take a shot at making a small (may be large one day!) living off of. I've even endeveared into a free, but intense, 6 week blogger mentorship program. It's so great. It is.

But again...I'm feeling a little too busy at times.

Enter Sundays. The day I have started to truly crave. A day of rest. Of spiritual rejuvenation. A day where I can let go of worldly aspects of my day(work & errands) and put eternal perspective as my focus. A day where my rockstar husband tends even more to us. Have I mentioned how amazing my husband is?! This is partly because he doesn't do school work on Sundays, so he's pretty well all ours! I also take a break from social media on Sundays which I feel makes a huge differene and gives my brain a rest. I love going to church. I love sacrament meeting, listening to such meaningful and inspiring messages to help inspire me to become more christlike. Partaking of the sacrement and singing hymns too! I'm in nursery and love playing with toys and giving little lessons to the littlest and sweetest members of our ward. Little one's put everything into perspective for me.

Basically, Sundays have become my air for the week ahead. It helps turn my wandering heart back to God who in turn gives me such solace in doing so.




Heaven's slice is most definetly Sundays.

The Protection and Peace I Have Found in Reading My Scriptures Daily

Honestly, reading scriptures has always been the key to peace in my life. 

I can get frought with worry and anxiety pretty easily, but when I open my scriptures it just eases off of me. 

If I get a prompting to do something or go somewhere, I tend to overthink it and turn it into too daunting of a task. But I've tried to make efforts to read the scriptures in those times and it always makes the impressions more clear and simple. It brings peace and motivation to do that which I was impressed to do. 

Sometimes after recieving a soft answer to a prayer I start to waver and get confused on if it was really an answer or just something I made up. Reading the scriptures pushes the answer more clearly into my mind, once again, bringing peace with it.

Now as for the protection I have found with scripture reading. I don't mean physically. I mean mentally. My mental state makes a dark turn once my scripture reading stops. I found this the most scary and prominent in my teenage years. The summers where it was not "part of school/seminary" to be reading scriptures daily, I stopped. This is when the depression hit the hardest for me. Once I started reading them again in the Fall, I started seeing lights gradually opening up in my brain. Problems didn't seem as big, and my rational side started behaving correctly. 

There is a great power in scripture reading and study that is kind of indescribable unless you've felt it for yourself. Though I've tried to share a small piece of my experience with it, if you have not tried it in your life, you will not understand this. So, I'm putting out an invitation, as all of us mormons seem to do...

Read the Book Of Mormon. 

Read it daily, be it fast or slow. Just read it. ALL of it. Whether you understand the wording or not, just keep reading it. It's translated from an ancient language so it is a little confusing at times, even from those who have read and studied it all their life. 

Truly you have nothing to lose by reading it, but potentially, you may just have EVERYTHING to gain.

Here's the links for your FREE copy. CLICK

You can even just read it simply online here no downloading or sign up necessary.  Though you can download it too! CLICK

Heaven's Slice is reading scriptures daily and finding out your own truth in the validity of the Book Of Mormon by reading it yourself. All the way through.

Goals: A Final Stretch Review

You can read all about my new year's resolution project I've done this year where I treat every month as a new year by CLICKING HERE.

I thought I'd touch base and let you know how it has gone, so you too can perhaps feel inspired to fulfill your own monthly new year goal this January.

I started this year out, wanting each monthly goal to be a hefty one. A focused drive. A must-be-finished-within-30-days endeavour. And as I started to challenge myself in setting these big monthly goals, it became apparent that I needed to reflect on what I wanted to become after these special 12 months. What I desired of myself to be. The biggest desire. So I pondered upon my priorities. What matters the most in my life. What is at the top of my list. It didn't take long for me to be gently touched as to what that was.

More Christlike.

I simply want to be a better person this year. Better at forgiving. Better at practising patience. Better at serving my fellow man. Most especially my little family.

My faith (my religion) helps me be better. So with that in mind, I prayerfully chose a goal every month that would reflect that desire.

The results?

My eyes have been humbly opened to the long journey I have ahead of me to be what I truly desire to be. There is no finish line, because there is no end to it's progression. And may be, that's what I love the most about these goals - that I can continue them. That I can gain little by little the attributes needed to reach who I was always meant to be.

Instead of your typical physical body health/appearance goals that seem to be such a popular go-to new year goal, I challenge you to break free from the physical obsession and become more concerned with your spiritual nature. This is what I did this year, and it's benefits far suprasses any sort of physical focus I could have had.

The beauty of it is that when you become more fixated on your spiritual self, you're not the sole benefactor. You benefit those around you as well.

Happy almost new year every one! I hope it's been a great to look back on for you, but even more so I hope you can look on the future year with hope and excitement.



Heaven's slice is knowing to what cause you were born.

This December

I am following and participating the LIGHT THE WORLD CAMPAIGN this December.

Here is the link to do it too! (Click a day and join in serving!!)

There is an act of service attached to each day from December 1 - 25. I have read and done at least one thing it suggests to do each day so far and it has been so heart touching.

My life seems to have gotten quite busy lately. And now with the Christmas season upon us there is the added pressure to get all the gift buying done for everyone. A pressureful busy-nesss that I actually kind of resent more and more each year.

For me, it takes away from what the season truly means for me. That great gift of life after death brought forth through our saviour. The hope that that tiny babe born in Bethlehem brought to generations upon generations. The hope it has brought to me. To know I have my family forever through Christ my Saviour.

I LOVE the December season. I do. Everyone, myself included, seems to be more cheery and kind. There is more of an outpoor of service. Of kind words. Of visiting family. Of meals shared with an exchange of laughs and hugs. Of Christmas music filling the air and creating family memories and traditions. It truly is a most wonderful month.

But the STUFF part of this season is distracting for me. I don't need stuff.

No, actually, I don't want stuff. I literally have everything I could every want within the walls of my home.

I want this husband who loves me and whom I love. I want that loyalty and honesty that is between us. I want health for me and my family. I want my children to scream and laugh and run and play with a pure zest for life. I want them to know Mommy and Daddy love eachother and love them too. I want them to know who Jesus is and what prayer means. I want to be financially stable. I want to be allowed the opportunity to progress and thus not be racked with past guilts. I want to explore my talents, to hone in on my passions. I want kind, fun, loyal, and dependable relationships. I want to live in a land of freedoms. I want to live near exteneded family and a temple... Deep down, I don't think anyone really wants "stuff."

This 25 Ways to Follow Our Saviour' shows me what I can do that doesn't entail that distracting checkmark of things to buy to fill a gift bag for someone who doesn't have need for it. It shows me the real ways I want to give. To really make a difference. To take time to truly give of myself and not my debit card.

Everything I want I have. I know Thanksgiving is long past, but December is actually more of a season of Thanks for me. Because this is what rings in my ears all month long:

"Because I have been given much 

I too must give"

Heaven's slice is having this daily opportunity to give as He did.

She Got Married In The Temple???!

This is a sort of question/statement that sometimes slips out from people's surprised tongues on occasion.

This was a statement made from others about me once upon a time after my blissful wedding. And this, was may be, probably, a question/statement that's been said about many of you reading this. Regardless of your gender.

When I heard that this was said about me, was I angry? No, actually I wasn't at all. I saw it for what it was. A misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that hopefully someday would be explained to those whom are unfamiliar with Christ's atonement and temple ordinances. Truly, it was easy to shrug off the rumoured comments, because I had a strong grasp of what Christ's atonement meant for me in my life.

Getting sealed in the temple is a huge commitment. It is an eternally binding ordinance between your spouse and the Lord. A commitment of a forever. This commitment is comprised of many covenants - promises to deity. This is what we believe and strive for as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Because of the deep sacredness and proper authority channels of specific priesthood holders and temple sealers, there is a faith-filled journey of worthiness required in order prepare to make and keep these very serious covenants within the ordinance.

Regardless of who your are or what your past entails, entering the temple requires repentance. It requires you to be a better person. It requires you to build your faith. To use Christ's atonement in making amends and seeking forgiveness for those sins that have so easily besought you in the past. It requires that you strive to know your Saviour more deeply.

Here is a link that will take you further for more insight into our temples if you are curious:

Temples (click)


Also, here's a pretty awesome short video about temples too. It's even in drawing/cartoon form!

CLICK HERE FOR TEMPLE VIDEO

And here is one about temple clothing and garments, that I know lots of people are curious about:



In case the video doesn't work here's the link to click for it.

Feel free to snoop around lds.org for more information on this or any other "mormon" topics you  have desires to know about.



Heaven's slice is making and keeping temple covenants.

Where The Roses Are

I believe everyone has a talent. And these talents show themselves in a very beautiful and positive bloom.

Like a rose.

Sometimes however when we see another's rose we feel the need to put it down.

"That's not real"
"That's totally fake"
"Gag me"

We look at those online photos of their "perfect" family and status updates of how much they are "loving" life.

We get cynical. We get critical. And we start to complain that they aren't being real. That their rose is fake. Instead of being happy for the rose they are displaying and enjoying it's beauty, we desperately search for it's faults. The blooper photo. The vengeful ranting post. The scraps that were edited out.

Why do we do this to people? Especially to other women? Why do we condemn their rose for not being true and real instead of acknowledging the beauty that they have created?

Here is my answer.

We aren't paying enough attention to our own roses. We're not tending to them. We're not sharing them with the world. And we most certainly aren't around them near enough.

For some it's photography. For others it's paintings. Hairstyling. Nails. Humour. Sports. Cooking. Physique. Cleaning. Music... and for me, it's writing.

I really don't consider myself talented. But. I know that writing is my talent. Because that is where my positive outlooks burst through. My excited giddiness manifests. And my effortless energy surges. Also, my perfectionist/detailed side appears. A side which doesn't seem to appear anywhere else. I find great pleasure in trimming paragraphs and spell checking. I like getting to the meat and potatoes quickly and navigating emotion pulls through sentence structures. Grammar, thankfully, isn't actually so much part of the blogging world. It thrives more on how a conversation would stop or start itself. See my point? I could go on forever writing about how much I love writing. Because that is how excited I get about it! It's my rose.

And I've paid a whole lot more attention to my roses than I ever have since having children. I believe that's because when you lose yourself serving others you find yourself.

I've found as I've been developing and sharing my roses more to others, I feel so much joy upon seeing another's rose.

They are not competition. And they most certainly aren't fake.

They are beautiful.

And I am so grateful that they shared them with me. Even if it was only on social media, I am still grateful that there are people out there sharing their roses. The labour of love with detailed perfection of vision. Editting out flaws, and allowing us to see their talent bloom through.



Heaven's slice is being where your roses are and sharing them with not only yourself, but your family and the world.

Halloween Fun

Oh my how I love Halloween!

I'd love to say this pose was planned, but this is my daughter's new 'I forgot how to smile because you've taken too many photos of me' face. It worked out  pretty awesome for our theme though hey?!(Thanks for taking the photo MOM!!)

I had us pegged down to be Goldilocks and the 3 Bears since the beginning of the year (may be earlier). It was my little girl's favourite story to read for a long time and seemed pretty suiting given our family size.

And because my parents are awesome and don't get trick or treaters really anymore out where they live, they came in and handed out candy at our house while we went out with the kids! I must say my mom is pretty much the funnest halloween candy hand 'er outer there is. Someday I hope to be as fun as her!

And then after Goldilocks and Baby Bear went to bed, Momma Bear and Papa Bear watched a classic Halloween movie while looting the little's candy bags.




Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Yes. I know, it's chalk full of early 90's cheesiness and shall we say "ok" acting. But it used to be my favourite and I can still laugh and smile at a lot of the parts of the movie. I can't handle scary movies, so this movie gives me the "sense" of a scary movie without it being scary at all.







Anyways. Halloween was awesome this year!




Heaven's slice is this family of mine and mini chocolate bars.