Month: February 2015

10 Easy Accent Walls

10 Easy Accent Walls

Dear reader, Happy Friday! Maybe you feel like your walls are looking boring. Why not try shaking it up? See ideas for 10 easy accent walls below. 1. Broom—Texture. Different kinds of texture are so great. And this one is peculiar—in a good way! 2. Wood 

Moving Back Home: 4 Things I Learned as a College Student Living with My Family

Moving Back Home: 4 Things I Learned as a College Student Living with My Family

The last two years of my college life I have spent living at home with my parents and three younger siblings. I moved home after I spent some time—and most of my money—on a study abroad in the British Isles. The thought of moving back 

Dating Stinks

Dating Stinks

How much does science play into your love life? According to recent studies, it may be much more influential than you think. An important part of the human immune system involves Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules, which are antigens that coat the cells in the human body. The diversity of these MHC molecules in the body determines the effectiveness of the immune system, but it seems to have other implications as well. Would you believe that it could influence who you crush on, or even more, who you marry?

Picture from here.
Picture from here.

There is evidence that the diversity of MHC molecules in individuals influences mating choice in animals and humans. Natural sexual selection occurs so that humans are attracted to those with dissimilar MHC molecules, which allows them to produce offspring with greater biological diversity, and therefore, a greater chance of survival. So how does this natural law of attraction work? You may be surprised to know that body odor—yes, that rank stank that you always try to cover up—is the key.

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Ideas for Family Fun: Picnic at the Park

Ideas for Family Fun: Picnic at the Park

With this unusually warm weather, spending time outside is a great way to spend time with your family. Eating together means being together—when people share a meal, they get a chance to relax and converse. Provo and Orem have lots of great parks to choose 

Sabbath Message: Whom Will Ye Serve?

Sabbath Message: Whom Will Ye Serve?

“[C]hoose you this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). I’m not sharing this scripture because it is my favorite, or because it changed my life when I memorized it in Seminary. 

Buns in the Oven: Baby Shower Ideas for Twins

Buns in the Oven: Baby Shower Ideas for Twins

During the Christmas holiday, my sister- and brother-in-law made the wonderful announcement that she was pregnant! They gave my mother-in-law a book and written inside was a due date for when the book should be read to a new grandbaby. However, they had yet more news. Another book was revealed, announcing that there was not one, but two babies to be expected. My sister-in-law is having twins!

I cannot wait for the arrival of two new little nephews, but now my mother-in-law is a bit stumped on what theme to choose for the baby shower she is throwing. To help her out (and any mother-to-be who is expecting twins), I did a little Internet research on cute baby shower themes for twins.

Peas in a Pod

When I first started brainstorming ideas, this theme came up first, as it is pretty popular. Due to its popularity, there were many cute ideas that came up while I was searching. There were ideas for green decorations, cakes, cupcakes, cookies covered in frosting peas, and fun games including pinning the pea to the pod. It also has the great quality of being a gender neutral theme. At first, this theme might be overlooked because it is used so often, but it comes with a lot of ideas all ready to go.

peas in a pod theme
Picture from here.

Noah’s Ark

In the scriptures the animals came two by two, just like my little nephews. This theme makes decorating super easy because all you need isa boat and lots of paired animals. Themed food might be a bit more effort, but cupcakes with animals crackers on them would be cute. Also a gender neutral theme, Noah’s Ark could generate lots of cute and creative ideas.

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10 Ways to Decorate with Frames

10 Ways to Decorate with Frames

Dear Stance: Studies on the Family readers, Good morning! Making your own frames can add spunk and color to your space—whether you live in a home, a rental, an apartment, wherever! You can even alter frames to make them unique. Check out 10 ideas below . . 

30-Day Bran Muffins

30-Day Bran Muffins

These bran muffins are the easiest breakfast-on-the-go! They are so delicious and so filling, and don’t even need anything to go with them (although they are delicious with butter or jam).   The best part? The batter literally lasts 30 days in the refrigerator so you 

5 Ideas to Make Learning Fun for the Family

5 Ideas to Make Learning Fun for the Family

President’s Day has come and gone. Maybe you roasted hot dogs on the grill with your family? Maybe you lit a few sparklers? You probably didn’t sit in the library for hours researching why you were celebrating. But learning can actually be fun and can bring your family together. Some of my favorite memories with my family involve us learning together. Whether we were looking at museums in D.C. or reading our favorite stories out loud to each other, learning was always a big part of family time.

Here are a few fun ways you can learn with your family:

  1. Have one person look up interesting holiday facts and while everyone else guesses which facts are true.
  2. Picture from here.
    Picture from here.

    Do a scavenger hunt in a museum.

  3. Go to a library and have everyone find the biggest (or longest, smallest, most colorful, best titled) book.
  4. Play learning/mind games like Scrabble or crossword puzzles.
  5. Read up on your favorite painting and try to recreate it using watercolors or finger paints. Then put all your paintings on the fridge for everyone to see.

—Ashley Smith, Stance

Feel the Savior’s Love

Feel the Savior’s Love

Did you have a good weekend? I did. I’m one of those crazy people who actually enjoys Valentine’s Day. Weird, right? It’s because of my mom. Growing up, my mom made sure that we knew that she loved us on Valentine’s Day. Every February 14th