Now They're 16 Going on 17. . .

Turning 16 is the start of a magical time in a young girl's life.

To celebrate the 16th birthdays of two of our Mia Maids,

I thought it'd be fun to try our hand at some DIY magic wands.

Turns out they were super fun AND super easy.

We tried a couple of different tutorials.

This picture shows the use of a wooden dowel rod on top and (get this!) a rolled up sheet of 8x11 printer paper on the bottom:

A close-up of the handles:

A few of our girls' favorite foods:

Before the fun:

The fun:

If you'd like to try to make your own magic wand, you can find more info at the following websites:

Your Life Uncommon

Get Up and DIY

HideousDreadfulStinky!
(this one calls for bamboo but you can use cheapo dowel rods)

Chameleon Girls

Grace's Scrap Attic

You can also check out youtube if you need to see the tutorial documented visually.

Movie Night

Sometimes, it's nice to just kick back with a fun movie and a few delicious snacks.

This "kit" was a little more prep than most boxed and prepared items but it was still super simple and absolutely delicious.

We watched the sweet and very underrated Penelope, a lovely little modern romance about a girl with a pig nose for adventure.

Dating Do's & Don'ts

John Hilton III wrote a fun book for LDS youth and their leaders called,
"I Lost My Phone Number, Can I Have Yours?
Pickup Lines That Don't Work,
Scriptural Advice that Does!"

John has made his book available for free as a PDF download.

Topics from his book include:

• Getting out of bad situations
• Honoring women
• Addressing the question "How far can you go and still not sin?"
• Steady dating
• Dating before 16

There's a fun "guy-girl" relationship quiz near the end of the book as well as some additional "bad" pick-up lines as well.

You can check out more great advice and resources from John HERE!!

The following video is Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's amazing counsel, originally intended for the young men, but still applicable to young women.

We have such an amazing responsibility to keep ourselves worthy as well as conduct ourselves in such a way that young men will do the same.

Please share it with your friends.
Elder Holland has a pretty insightful way of getting to the root of sensitive issues so that friends who may not understand your choices might get a better glimpse.
Check it out!!

Dating, Sunday Lesson
September 2nd, 2012

Car Wash Service, August 14th, 2012

What a beautifully sunny day, perfect for providing impromptu car washing services for some lucky cars in the church parking lot.

Beach Day, August 9th, 2012

Not ideal weather but still a spectacular joint activity with the young men at
Point No Point Lighthouse and Beach.