Gospel Doctrine/ Vorpahl Life Tidbits

I am officially switching from Gospel Principles to Gospel Doctrine. I have already attended two Sundays of Gospel Doctrine. It is totally different! Gospel Principles is the basics, simple, and plain. I feel like Gospel Doctrine is beyond that and well it is!

I decided to take this plunge when the class approached lessons I had already gone over last year in Sunday school. I may still write some posts on Gospel Principles here and there. I am unsure how I feel about writing about the Gospel Doctrine. It may need to occur after I've gone over the lesson myself and after attending church.

I am enjoying it though. So far I am liking the fact that we are learning about church history( while we read Doctrine & Covenants). Along with this I am also attending Institute every Wednesday. Right now we are studying the Book of Mormon and we are in Alma. I love the Book of Alma! I think every convert to the church or those interested should pay special attention this particular part of the Book of Mormon. It has blessed me immensely and has given me the testimony that I know without a shred of doubt that the words written  therein are truth.

Anyway! Now to Vorpahl life tidbits. Tomorrow fall semester begins. I will be starting up my fashion courses again and majoring in Fashion Design. After a year or so, of trying to find what fit I know this does. I am excited to draw again and learn more about fashion history.

I am also doing my own fashion project on the side. I am working on a trend research analysis. So right now I am reading over trends from this season, then 6 months, and then 1 year. The project is from a textbook of mine " Fashion: from concept to consumer". Trend analysis is one of the key things to being a good fashion designer. You have to be ahead of the game predicting what will come next and get the designs going. I will probably continue this project from now.

Now moving on... today is Lils ( my cat) birthday. She is five years old. I smothered her with love, some treats, new toys, and also sang happy birthday ( yes I know crazy cat lady much). I took a semi hiatus from the internet. Worked on getting myself all ready for school along with farm work as usual. Speaking of which tomorrow I need to do some work even if the semester begins. I've been clearing out some evil wild rose bushes. They consume all around them and suffocate the trees. We have two trees that I had to pull rose bush vines out of and trim back dead branches and limbs.

Can't really blog about much else. That is pretty much it.


Jimmy/ hubs update:

We have four month left until Jim is home and we move to Colorado- Fort Carson. He seems to have days where he likes work and others not so much. He works for a general right now. He had a "mid tour" visit/ leave in July. It was nice to have him home. He spends his days working, sending me a message here or there until our skype date nights. Along with this he has become a crazed diesel truck addict- he has a plethora of diesel magazines and websites he visits- he plans on making Brutus bad *** . ( while he was on leave he souped up our Ford F350- otherwise known as Brutus).


Until next time

-Lexxy

~Labor of Love~

I just reopened my etsy shop vVv Innovations and  I am super excited it about. I closed it some time ago while moving and then injured my right hand that later resulted in tendinitis( which I also somehow managed to have it occur in the left hand as well). As I let my hands heal I slowly worked on my crochet flower pattern. I have to admit, in bias that I am in love with my own design and hope that anyone who purchases these lovely new flower hairpins will see that love and love them as much as I do! I shall also admit to having a heck of time thinking of parting with my lovely flowers but I must share them with the world!

p.s I also have a "lucky four leaf clover" design pictured below

~vVv Innovations~

the Lucky Four Lea Clover hairpin

100 % cotton yarn, wood button, all materials from countries that have ethical labor laws

I love my Ombre Violet hairpin

All of the pictured items can be found for sale at my shop. Along with this I will include my about so you get a quick idea about my shop and me :)

The Birth of vVv

The shop had its early beginnings in Dec 2011 but did not officially open until Feb 2012. As an army wife I wanted a business I could take with me wherever I go. I love anything crafty so spawned the idea of vVv Innovations. I opened my etsy shop Feb 2012 and then a hand injury forced me to put the shop on vacation mode.

July 26th, 2013 my official reopening of the shop after time of letting my hands heal

About the Crochet Flower Hairpins: A crochet pattern I designed myself. These unique flowers are made with 100% cotton yarn, buttons, felt for the backing, and bobby pins. I secure each flower with hot glue for extra hold. With each flower I try to use items made in countries that do not abuse their workers/ that have ethical labor practices.

~Lexxy~

~GOSPEL PRINCIPLES~WORK & PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

 ( A Tumblr post I wrote earlier this week- just re blogging it here)

This post  is a prelude to the Sunday school lesson that we will be having in Gospel Principles ( 2013 Aug 4) on work as an eternal principle. The reason why I write this now is I often try ( being that operate word) to read the lesson beforehand along with the scriptures listed in the lesson. I contemplate the meaning of each principle we learn. Last night ( or early this morning really lol) I began to read.. I wanted to take this principle and apply it to my daily life. 

So here goes: A brief overview

Heavenly Father and Christ are our examples of how working is indeed that eternal principle that I mentioned above. Heavenly Father created the Earth; Christ came to this world to do His Father’s work. 

In John 9:4 Christ said this-

" I must work the works of Him that sent me" 

( a excerpt from Gospel Principles manual Ch 27)

The lesson goes on to talk about Adam and Eve who also worked from the beginning. It is interesting to the see this. When I thought about it…what really came to mind is working the Earth, tilling the land and enjoying the Earth’s bounty. Without the many different  sources we would not exist. 

While it seems obvious that we must work in order to survive. We should do it filled with joy. Or at least try to ( there are days I would rather not work outside on the small farm I live on but…) If we remember that work is rewarding even when it well, sucks! We will continue on a path filled with positive transformations our ultimate goal is true conversion( true change). 

The lesson soon goes into Personal Responsibility and the family structure. The Individual responsibilities of each family member When I read this I loved this particular part and took a side note… 

" Couples should seek inspiration from the Lord and follow the counsel of the prophets when establishing individual responsibilities.  Creating a home where principles of the gospel are taught daily and where love and order abound is as important as providing basic necessities of food and clothing."

While it was more aimed at those with children. I had to make note for the couples without- which would be my husband and I currently. While we have no children we still need our daily soul food. We can teach each other the principles and be examples to each other. What I really mean by this also is lifting each other up. As a couple we are partners in our continuous spiritual growth as well as the mundane. 

Okay moving on! That was a mild tangent! 

Scripture time: Mosiah 2:17

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God"

When I think about work I tie it to service- this scripture is in the lesson and for very good reason. When we are struggling with our daily work- whatever it may be. We should remember this scripture. Even if you can only take care of your own at the moment this is still being in service. 

Okay now let’s get to the meat and the potatoes of my post..

For the rest of the week I will be pondering this:

" Why is it important to keep a balance of in life between work, recreation, and rest?"

reword this:

How can I actively seek to keep a balance in my life between work, recreation, and rest? 

So for the rest of the week I will concentrate on this. This lesson comes at a time where I really needed it. I struggle with depression, anxiety, and endometriosis. Some days are hard for me to keep a balance; but I have faith if I ponder this and work at this with the Lord’s help- that I will find a balance that works for me. I will post more on this as the week goes by and as I figure things out :) 

~Lexxy~

Self Sabotage

How many of us do this? Seriously there is no way any one of us can say we haven't given in to this monster. And that is exactly what it is! I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I journey on the weight loss wagon. While I have medical conditions that do affect my weight; what can I do to overcome some of my own bad habits. I could blame all my problems on my Severe Anxiety, my Depression, my Endometriosis and the stupid games my Thyroid likes to play on my body ( one month normal the next hypo, the next borderline- my thyroid has some serious bi-polar issues going on- not a stab at those of you with bi-polar disorder) With these come some crazy emotional train rides. I am not without the crazy.

Anyway, while I know I need to take these conditions/illnesses into consideration while working on diet, exercise, and mental/ spiritual well-being. I ought to think about those things I CAN actively work on changing that are in the self sabotaging category. A lot of the work is recognizing denial and accepting you have some weaknesses you gotta work on, but! Also making sure we develop our strengths as well. How we go about this varies per person. I am not about to give advice on how this is done. I am still trying to figure this out for myself. Individual as we are; I can't say I have any right to advise. I can, however share my thoughts.

First is thing is first. Writing down those things which you want to change and how to change them. Change always begins with you, and you alone. Granted I always suggest having a buddy system. For the longest time I let my depression take over; I was afraid to tell anyone... I may have whined and moaned, vented, you name it. But not once did I admit to myself or others I was severely depressed. Part of me was ashamed to admit this. I should have never felt this shame or been afraid to take care of my own well-being by simply stating hey I have depression, and I need your friend.

That right there is self sabotage if  you ask me! Not seeking help, not asking for it, or letting those who love you know what's up. I wish I would have spoken up sooner. So if you are silently suffering as you read this do yourself a favor, talk to someone. We can only help ourselves, our problems, our issues, our health cannot be changed until we take charge. Taking charge sucks! But I think it gets easier as you go along and have success.

So for this week I am working on rectifying some of my most horrid self sabotaging habits. One of them includes nervous/ stress eating or not eating at all. My new goal this week is to eat with purpose( for health, for my endo) and to create a schedule- I need to eat at the same time everyday or at least around the same time. Instead of putting on the pity party because the hubs is gone to Korea- mind you most of the time I pretty positive; I concentrate on our good memories and the present as best I can. But I have my moments.

I also plan on working relaxing and de-stressing. Can I call stress another one of my monsters? Stretching, Yoga, meditation, and Chakra work are in order. Maybe some crystal therapy? I have some ideas! So now I will pose the question... What are you going to do to stop self sabotage?

~Lexxy~

~Stay tuned next blog post is on Fasting- an LDS perspective~

A Gospel Principle- The Sabbath Day

When I was younger before having my stent away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I attended church every Sunday and thought for the most part I knew what it meant to keep this day holy. Turns out I was wrong! Even when I was in the exploratory  stage of my spirituality experiencing other paths I always held Sunday near and dear as the day of rest.

Now that I am going back to church  and attending Gospel Principles during Sunday school I am learning more than I ever did when I was a young perhaps stubborn teen ( yes very stubborn).  A real quick tidbit on Gospel Principles... it is the class for new members or investigators of the church. It covers the basics of the gospel. The foundation of our beliefs in the LDS church. Even when a lesson topic is familiar to me I am grateful for this invaluable class and what we learn each Sunday.

Returning to church is really starting all over. Being inactive as we call it often leaves a person forgetting some ( not all) of the gospel and so I made the decision to attend the class till I know I am ready to move forward to Gospel Doctrine. I figure a back story was needed before continuing on to the topic of the Sabbath day.

I love the first question in our church manuals. The first question is what is the Sabbath day? I was dumbfounded as I stared at this question! My mind went blank! I thought to myself this day is a day I am very familiar with but what is the day about? It is a day of rest. In the beginning the Sabbath day was the day that Heavenly Father rested from creating the earth. He had six time periods that he referred to as days in the bible and the seventh time period ( or day) he rested and blessed this day as a day of rest and worship. ( for scriptural reference see Genesis 2:2-3)

Along with this; the Savior's resurrection is  also commemorated. He arose on Sunday and thus the Sabbath is on Sunday. If you look up the Sabbath it was originally on Saturday and was changed to Sunday when Christ was risen. Which makes absolute sense to me. There are scriptures that also back this up Acts 20:7 and Corinthians 16:2.

Anyway, we covered the origins of the Sabbath day ( the history) and then moved on to the purpose. In the manual it states that the Sabbath day was made for our benefit. It is a day we can solely concentrate on directing our thoughts and actions toward the Lord. We can ponder spiritual matters, read our scriptures, visit friends and family, perform acts of charity ( as would Christ who healed people on the Sabbath day). We can discuss what we learned in Sunday school, invite a friend to attend church with us. Give away a Book of Mormon. It seems like the possibilities are endless.

Which leads me to a question I reworded so I could journal about it:

" What can I do to improve my efforts to keep the Sabbath day holy?"

I gave a list of things we can do on Sunday that keep it holy. Some people would argue that some of these are not in the spirit of the Sabbath. And well I will argue that point! Which I already did really! Like Christ healing... as a christian I seek to follow Christ and His example. So if the Savior healed and helped on the Sabbath, me doing the same would be perfectly okay.

In the LDS church we are asked to rest from our daily labors like work when we can, there are some jobs that call for us to work such as doctor or nurse. Keeping the Sabbath in your mind and heart throughout the day is a way of keeping it Sanctified, keeping it holy even with work. Luckily I get to rest from my labors. We don't do any work that we would do during the week save for feeding times for the animals. There are things that will always have to be done, but this is allowed. My grandma always said this though " Saturday is the day you get ready for Sunday" ( It is also a children's hymn song).

I am a strong believer in this. While farm chores like feeding the animals is something we have to do. We can prepare on Saturday to get things in order and then concentrate on the Sabbath more fully. in the manual it says we could ask ourselves these questions:

" Will it uplift and inspire me?"
" Does it show respect for the Lord?"
" Does it direct my thoughts to Him?"

Not once when I was growing up did I really do this! I was so used to Sunday and how we did things that I did not once remember to ask myself these questions. I want to write these on an index card so I can be aware. What can I do to uplift my soul on Sunday? Pray, attend church meetings.What can I read to inspire me? Church manuals and the scriptures, along with other church materials ( like the Ensign magazine) I can listen intently to the talks( Sacrament) and lessons ( Sunday school and Relief Society) for inspiration as well.

 I feel like these are the meats and potatoes of it all these simple questions. They cover a broad spectrum. I didn't answer each and every one, but I  am sure you get the idea ( smiles). These questions can help me draw closer to the Lord and feed my soul. I believe as I try to keep the Sabbath day holy that I will be blessed. In our lesson we are told that blessing both temporal and spiritual are ours. Sometimes we won't be aware of these blessings.

For me the biggest blessing of the Sabbath day is partaking of the Sacrament and renewing myself for the week. I can take that time during the administering the sacrament to remember the Atonement. To think about what Christ did for me. That right there is a blessing .

I know I haven't covered as much as I could on the Sabbath day. It's a little late but I want to start blogging about my faith and more about my life. I thought each Sunday I could go over what I learned in church. If you have questions comment and I will answer the best I can.

~Lexxy~

Keeping Busy

Life has a way of keeping me busy and away from the computer these days. I have been working outside caring for the farm with my in laws and enjoying friends celebrations like graduations ( tis the season right *wink*). And as always crafting, though at the present moment it is slow. I had to revamp my box plan for the hubs and sent him a food box and a birthday box- which I did snag a picture of .. but it's really not worth the show.. I simple used sharpies to write things on the inside of the box lids and had his mom, granny and little bro write something as well. Simple yet perfect.

His next box is in the works and now that I have an amazing camera once again and not just my phone; I will be able to take much better photos! My hubs rocks he got me a Nikon 520 for our five year wedding anniversary. I miss and love him dearly but I save that mushy, gushy lovey stuff for another post!

I am trying to plan out my vacation from school and my continuous journey when it comes to losing weight and getting healthy. As of right now I am currently having female issues and on my way to see an ob/gyn to find out exactly what is going on ( suspected PCOS and an unofficial diagnosis of Endometriosis). This shall be interesting, hoping if there is something "wrong" that I can nip it in the butt( and share my experience with others who may also have same issues). So we can start our little family.

There is so much to write and there are days that I tell myself " Hey! Blog time lady! Hop to it!" I should have a blog writing challenge! Haha! Who's in? ( Seriously!) I know I am jumping all over the place.. forgive.. I got to back in the groove of things.

On a more spiritual note. I am working on be ready to go the LDS temple and I am so excited for it to happen... I am preparing myself with prayer, fasting, and as always studying the scriptures. I recently started reading the bible from the beginning. It has been years ( since I was 16 I believe and I will be 27 in July). I also have a few other things I plan on accomplishing or doing.

Well I guess I will leave you all with that stuff.. There are plenty more tangents to be had, but will save those for another time!

~Lexxy~

~LIVING~ Health & Wellness- WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE 2013

I am so excited for this Weight Loss Challenge! Let me give ya'll some background on the group and details of the challenge. LIVING- Health & Wellness is a Facebook group I created sometime ago and it is a group that isn't just about  typical weight loss. We cover the broad spectrum of living for overall wellness. We have members whose goals are to gain weight or eat a certain way. We have people who are Paleo/ Primal, Gluten Free, Vegetarians, and on diabetic diets. These are just some examples of what makes this group unique and individual.

I have the most amazing team of admins as well! Marie, Jessica, and Stephanie have totally changed this group and helped shape what it has become. When it began  it was just lonely me and these ladies are truly a God-send. I wanted this group to be about the people for the people. These ladies make it possible with their varying experiences and views on health matters. A big shot out to them! We are not experts by any means but we have a passion for living healthy and happily.

To view this group go visit this link: 

~LIVING~ Health & Wellness

With this new challenge, we have 3 prizes to give away to those who come closest to meeting their weight loss goal by August 1, 2013. This is what makes this challenge exciting and fun. Weekly updates on weight loss, tips and tricks, and of course a support system! I am participating to a degree. I have a goal of losing weight as well, but no prizes... sadness right! NO! I get to be part of journeys' to health including my own! That right there is suffice enough!

So, for me, let's look at my personal goals of weight loss. I am currently 222 pounds ( Really quick I have managed to keep myself between 218-222 pounds and have kept off 16 to 20 pounds in the last few months- I weighed 238 pounds last year!)  and my goal is to lose 35 pounds by August 1st so the goal is 187 pounds. 

Tips & Tricks I gave to the group:

First one of the tips I gave was announcing your goal publicly to family, friends, and heck! Even strangers. You could create a blog to record your journey, join a site that let's you keep track of food, exercise, and water intake. Personally I love MyFitnessPal.... speaking of this I have slacked, yes,  me I know Sheesh! I need to log in! *chuckles* 

I also gave the tip of tracking your food intake, your calorie intake and whatever else you feel you need to. Some people will not like this idea. Instead of counting calories and getting stressed about the calories you can only have in a certain amount of day; think about it like this: You have energy in and energy out. I have a goal of eating 1500 calories a day, but exercise and activity change this amount. Now this doesn't mean I eat more and more. I look at what my body is using and make a goal of burning 1000 calories a day. I also do different work than most. I'm outside on a farm. Your circumstances will be different.

What I suggest is just seeing how you eat. See what your totals are for carbs, fats, and proteins. Make sure you are meeting your daily limit. If you go over carbs for example and you are lacking protein and fat. Plan to eat more the next day. It's all about nutrients too. When I keep track of all this stuff through MyFitnessPal I lose 1 to 2 pounds a week and more often than not it is 2 pounds! The first half of this year I really struggled between 225 and 230 pounds. Up and down! It was terrible but as soon as I made sure to keep track of my stuff. Viola! Weight loss. 

I know it works! So good luck to those who have joined and for those of you reading- interested- join the group through Facebook. I am leaving sign up open till Monday Morning ( April 8th). 

Over & Out!

~Lexxy~