A Little Yellow Cottage....

I'd love the idea of a little yellow comfy cottage with white picket fence, wonderful garden for fresh produce, large front porch for visiting, big tree with tire swing for kids, bright farmhouse kitchen with large table for gatherings with friends and family, abundance of colorful flowers outside, and...a puppy or kitten or two for the children to play with.

Hopes and dreams are wonderful.  Beauty surrounds us.  We are so blessed to have the modern amenities that we do - even if our circumstances aren't currently ideal.

I'm in the middle of remodeling my sites and...came across these photos which made me happy.  I love yellow and I love country.  So, today I thought I'd post and share with you all.
 

LDS Home "Environment" - Elder McConkie

I read this yesterday and it touched me deeply.  I had read it a few years previously and it moved me back then, too.  But, this time, it meant even more as I'm at the stage of life where I'm truly recognizing the truthfulness of keeping or not keeping these types of values in our homes.  As I see the ramifications of not heeding Prophetic counsel in all areas of our lives and -- because of meeting and mingling with some of the youth that my children deal with - I am even more aware of the reasons that the Lord has given us such counsel.  I share it by way of personal testimony as well as in hopes that others' will be blessed by this powerful insight and .....prophetic warning.

"Environment"

"Two obligations face the saints where the matter of environment is concerned:  1.  To create for themselves and their families the most wholesome and edifying environment possible, so there will be less chance of any member of the family circle being lost through transgression; and 2. To rise above every unwholesome environmental situation that may be encountered during the course of this mortal probation.

"When the spirit offspring of God pass from pre-existence to mortality, they bring with them the talents, capacities, and abilities acquired during a long existence and experience in their first estate.  At the time of mortal birth all children are innocent and pure.  Then as they begin to become accountable, they are swayed by the "tradition of their fathers."  (D&C 93:38-39)  Their lives and destinies are shaped and altered by their environment -- the circumstances, external surroundings, and influences in which they find themselves.  The command to bring up children in light and truth includes a requirement to create for them a wholesome environment.