Relief Society Spa Night

Last month we had a Spa Night for our monthly activity, based on this activity. I didn't take any pictures of the night, but wanted to share the printables with you.

(Download Advertising Poster)

The advertising poster is sized at 11x14 with blank room at the bottom to add your own details.

We used these two talks as a basis for the night:

M. Russell Ballard
"Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children."

Jeffery R. Holland
"Fatigue is the common enemy of us all—so slow down, rest up, replenish, and refill. Physicians promise us that if we do not take time to be well, we most assuredly will take time later on to be ill."




Our goal for our RS activities is to develop friendships and learn from each other. Our ward has a lot of young families and a retirement community, so it seems to be divided between the ages. I wasn't sure this would appeal to the older sisters, but have heard from many of our octogenarians that they really enjoyed the night! The younger sisters also seemed to have loved a night being pampered and eating chocolate!

(Download Get A Massage)

Massage-a massage therapist from the ward talked and taught different types of massage. She brought her massage table and the ladies loved it!

(Download Scrub On)

Sugar Scrub-sister's made their own little containers to take home

A sister who knows something about essential oils (not me!) headed up this table. We had a calming scent (lavender) and this one that seemed to be the favorite. It's called Cheer Up Buttercup and is a citrus blend.

SUGAR SCRUB RECIPE
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. olive oil (or coconut oil)
5 drops of essential oil

(Download Polish On)

Nail Painting-polish, remover and cotton balls and let the ladies paint their own nails and chat 

(Download Remember Him)

Meditation/Scripture reading-remember to take time to feed yourself spiritually

(Download Eat Chocolate)

Fondue Dessert Bar-chocolate fontain and had sisters bring things to dip (pretzels, strawberries, angel food, etc etc).

A sister in our ward is a flight attendant and made up cute little bundles of shampoo, soap, etc that she has collected from boutique hotels and folded it all into a wash cloth for the sister's to take home as they left.

Please download and use these printables! They are sized at 8.5x11" except for the advertising one. And can all be printed at your local print shop.

Five for Friday :: Spring Break Get-Away

Whether you're finishing up spring break or just beginning, here are some of my favorite things to make spring break a little more fun.

1 :: We love the Hotel Tonight app for last minute bookings. Hotel Tonight is just what it sounds like, bookings for tonight (some allow for booking multiple nights, but the first night has to be tonight), and with pretty good discounts. We love the ability to skip town on a whim with the perk of being able to choose what hotel you'll get. No mysteries, just last minute deals. Bonus: use code DHARTWELL and save $25 off your first night booking. Deal + discount = win!

2 :: Pharrell Williams' song Happy. Seems perfect for a spring break soundtrack. Or making the 5:00 hour seem not so bad. Either way.

3 :: Our Best Bites' Terriyaki Chicken Salad Sandwiches. A friend made these for a baby shower we recently co-hosted and they were so good! The fruit makes it feel fresh and springy.

4 :: These He is Risen printables from Jones Design Company. There is a ton included in the download and they are beautiful. A great addition to spring and Easter decorations, beyond the bunnies and chicks.

5 :: Cheerful wallpapers for your phone. These colorful ones from eat, drink, chic are particularly happy. It's tricky to choose your favorite two (I went with stripes and squares, but on second look, those polka dots are pretty tempting!)

Relief Society Birthday Waffle Bar Brunch

Recently, I put together a waffle bar brunch for our Relief Society's birthday party. Waffles are my very favorite food, and it seems I'm not alone in my love for them. The brunch was a ton of fun, really well received, and delicious.

I went with the theme We Will Not Waffle, taken from a quote from from Elder Ballard, "We've got to be so solidly anchored in our testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ that, regardless of what may come next, we will not waffle; we will stand firm in our belief..."

With a little inspiration from Burlap and Denim and Young Living Love I pulled together my ideas. 

I had a good time brainstorming ideas for waffle toppings and giving them fun church-related names. We take waffle toppings seriously at our house, so it was great to introduce some women to some new ideas. As I was refilling various bowls, I loved hearing the women ooohing and ahhhing over the offerings. I promised "all the trimmings," and I think it delivered! (Well, other than the couple I forgot at home. Darn.)

The women couldn't get enough of the waffles. The speakers, top picture, were awesome and it was an all around great morning.

I'm excited to share the printables with you! Click here to download all the signs.

Man Approved Stocking Stuffers

We asked the guys in our lives to come up with what they would put in their stockings, if they could. It didn't take them long to come up with a pretty hefty list, and here's what they shared.

1. Car Wash Tokens / Pass  

2. Jerky-go fancy with Krave, or just pick up a pack of Jack Links from the grocery store

3. Mini Emergency Radio   

4. C.O. Bigelow Premium Shave Cream with Eucalyptus Oil  

5. Gift Cards to his favorite fast food joint  

6. Smart Wool Socks

Homemade Candy Canes

One of Deidra's favorite Christmas traditions is making homemade candy canes. Every Sunday night after Thanksgiving until Christmas she is likely to be found making candy canes with friends.

She made this short Instagram video a few weeks ago of the process.

And here's the recipe, if you feel adventurous and want to try it yourself!

Merry Christmas! Wish you were all near and could taste a warm, fresh candy cane!

Free Christmas Music

If there is anything I like more than Christmas music, it's new, free Christmas music.

Crate & Barrel offers free Christmas music right now as part of their Get the Download. Hurry on over and get some new tunes (and some fun apps).

It's just what this Monday needs.

Adding Some Spark to Your Mom Uniform

Most moms I know get used to dressing in a uniform. Before I had kids I developed my own personal winter uniform. Trouser-cut jeans, a solid colored long-sleeved tee and some sort of bold accessory, like a long necklace, dangly earrings or a scarf. Not the most imaginative, but it worked for me almost every day.

Truthfully, not much has changed with kids. The days I effortlessly put on a necklace, ring or fun earrings I feel so much more put together. Quickly putting on jewelry is so much easier than doing full-make up. My sweet eight month old is actually really gentle with jewelry, so I'm not afraid to make it part of my everyday style. (It feels silly to admit it, but since it's such a part of my style, I practice with my kids' hand being gentle on my dangling earrings or necklace and saying "oooooh" as we nurse. So far it's a trick that seems to work with both of them!) A mom has to do what she can to preserve her sense of style when her life is overtaken with kid demands!

My husband bought my engagement ring online from Shane Co, without ever having seen it in real life. It ended up being perfectly "me." The husband was pretty proud of himself. We bought our wedding bands from Shane Co as well. We love making trips to our local Shane Co every six months (around our yearly and six month anniversaries) to get our rings cleaned, polished, and, when needed, replated. Shane Co's lifetime guarantee is fabulous (they've replaced a prong on my ring that got a little abused), and we love treating ourselves to cookies and cocoa in their stores. My simple solitaire wedding set is the perfect starting point for accessorizing my outfits.

Building off my wedding ring, I like to put on other meaningful jewelry. These Capri necklaces from Shane Co are perfectly proportioned. Engraved with something personal (initials of your kids, a word of the year, or a family motto would all be sweet). They would go with almost anything, including more necklaces! Layer those babies on, with all different lengths, for a style that's all your own. I'm crushing on this beauty, also from Shane Co.

Direct from Italy, the Capri Necklace is available exclusively from Shane Co. Personalize your Capri Necklace with your initials or favorite saying.


Another meaningful piece I like is this CTR ring with Shane Co's sterling silver and sapphire line. CTR stands for Choose The Right, and it's a message I want to emulate every day, and one I want my kids to know, internalize and do. So wearing that pretty ring would be a great reminder that I have the ability to choose.

It's amazing what a little sparkle can do to an otherwise ordinary mom uniform outfit. Using jewelry with added meaning puts some personality into looking put-together.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.