Young Women Favorite Things

Even though a lot of Personal Progress requirements can be accomplished as a group in Young Women's, some have to be done at home.  It's always nice when family members help and share with these experiences.  A favorite YW site to begin with is Christy's Young Women Pages, (also known as Christy's Clipart).

The schedule to this YW camp can be found at my post:  Camping, part 1.  The girls camped at one of our family's favorite Georgia State Parks:   F.D. Roosevelt.  They visited the nearby attraction, Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

I wish more of these were kept short and sweet!  With lots of food!!!

I was so disappointed when I went to my first YW camp.  I finally skipped the third year (and had to make it up later), because I expected to really do some camping!!!  Like hikes that were in picturesque locations and fun instead of drudgery.  I wanted to cook real food over an open fire--not just make s'mores.  Most years it was down-right boring--no camp songs, no wide games, no time to make friends.  That's why, even though I was never a Girl Scout, I became a Girl Scout leader where I learned all of the things I always felt were lacking from YW Camp (not the YW Relief Societyish Retreat that they have now become)!  At least my daughters got to do the things (and me too) that I had always wanted to do in Young Women's.  At my post, Camping, part 1, you'll find recipes, etc. for YW or Girl Scouts.

See my post, Camping, part 1, for YW craft ideas.  They never did these at our YW camps so we had fun doing these crafts over the summer at home.

See my post for beautiful knitted hangers that the young women might enjoy learning to make:  Active Meditation.  The shown hangers were store-bought and presented to the young women at a Stake New Beginnings.  There was a poem about wearing a white dress at the girls' temple marriages.

Learn Something New this Summer: Cross-Stitch in 5 Minutes

When pioneer women and girls crossed the plains to settle in the western United States, they brought with them their knowledge of homemaking skills and crafts. Many of them were converts from Britain, Scandinavia, and Europe. Traditional needlework was one of the skills they carried with them.

Learning to use a needle and thread to stitch unique designs on small pieces of cloth was often part of a young girl’s upbringing. In this way, mothers, grandmothers, and schoolteachers taught girls the art of needlework. While the girls were learning different stitches, they also learned numbers and letters by stitching and reciting them. These pieces of creative stitching were called samplers.

Stitchers often sewed a favorite saying, quotation, verse, or scripture onto their samplers. Some samplers were decorated with images of birds, animals, trees, fruits, flowers, temples, schools, or houses. The beehive as well as the likenesses of Church Presidents and other leaders were favorite pioneer designs.

After deciding on a design, the stitcher drew it on cloth with a pencil or pen. Then she began sewing, frequently using cross-stitches, as well as outline, stem, satin, and chain stitches. Quite often the stitcher would include her name, age, and the date the sampler was finished. (Julie Wardell, "Stitch a Sampler," Liahona, June 1998)

Go to this site to learn how to cross-stitch, a favorite past-time for me since Jr. High: http://yarntree.com/007begin.pdfYou'll be able to print out the instructions, but if for some reason the link is

Setting Organizational Goals: organization part 2

In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord told us to "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God." (D&C 88:119) ("Organize Yourselves," Ensign, Nov. 1980).  To me this scripture from The Doctrine and Covenants states the essential purpose of every homemaker.  As homemakers we are to "establish a house."  Our house should have prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, order and God as the foundation.  The word establish is defined as:  "To set up; found.  To bring about; generate.  To place or settle in a secure position or condition; install.  To make firm or secure."

In my opinion, being disorganized is simply a matter of having developed bad habits.  I believe being organized can be developed just as any "gift."  Organization begins with the heads of the household.  We must honestly evaluate whether or not we're truly ready for the challenge of being an "organized person."  Just like any gift, the gift of organization requires consistent effort.  Prayer, research, and study are necessary.  

Hide not your talents, they for use were made.  What's a sun-dial in the shade? ~Benjamin Franklin

When I entered the Young Women program at age twelve, I was given a beautiful Personal Progress book. It was white, full-sized, with a picture of the ideal Latter-day Saint Young Woman on the cover.  Inside were six values and homemaking was one of them, as well as my favorite.  We were given excellent step-by-step instruction on how to plan goals.  By following these simple steps, becoming more organized as a goal can be successfully accomplished.

First Evaluate:  What do I want to have happen in my life now and in the future?  Then make a Plan by setting a date for the goal to be accomplished and how this goal will be accomplished.  By having a Target Date, the goal becomes more real.  The plan needs to be broken down into small steps.  It helps to have someone to Report to.  This can be Heavenly Father if the goal is very personal, or it can be to a family member, friend or recorded in a journal.  Last, begin the process again.  The ultimate goal of an organized household can be broken into smaller, achievable goals.

The noblest search is the search for excellence. ~Lyndon B. Johnson

Gordon B. Hinkley, former president of the LDS church said, "We will not become perfect in a day or a month or a year.  We will not accomplish it in a lifetime, but we can keep trying, starting with our more obvious weaknesses and gradually converting them to strengths as we go forward with our lives."

(The Quest for Excellence," Ensign Sep. 1999)

Becoming organized is a process as well.  It can be fun and even addictive (but in a good way).  You may find yourself organizing where ever you go.  Following the goal-setting process outlined in the old Young Women Manuals helped me to earn my Young Women Medallion twice!  And I have been pretty darn organized ever since.  This has brought me much joy.  I've also taught my own children this process and it has helped them to be successful students and earn their own recognitions at church, school and scouting.

Sometimes we can plan to have a goal accomplished by a certain time and devote a particular time to complete the goal (like cleaning out the shed), but it's also true that the best time to organize is when you catch the mood.  For quite some time I may research the best way to organize the shed, and make an inventory of what needs to be in the shed and what to donate, etc. before I actually feel like doing it.  Don't be upset if you have to change the target date.  When I'm "in the mood" to organize, I do a much better job.

80% of success is showing up. ~Woody Allen