Signing of the U.S. Constitution by Howard Chandler Christy, in the public domain
Happy Day after Independence Day! Yesterday, we saw the new movie Young Washington. It was so good! I didn’t want it to end. I felt the Holy Spirit confirm to me as I watched the movie that George Washington truly was a man that God raised up to do what he did. God gave him experiences to shape him to become the selfless and magnanimous leader that he was as the Father of America, the first president of the U.S. I’ll be doing a full review of the movie soon, so stay tuned! I highly recommend it as a movie for ages 13 and up. (The violence shown in the movie of the French and Indian War makes it unsuitable for young children.)
July 4, 2026 may be over, but I’m celebrating America’s sesquicentennial all year long. As such, I’m continuing with my series of ideas to Celebrate America 250, until I blog 250 ideas.
Idea #14 is to read the article called “Wise Men Raised Up” by LeGrand Baker and Frank W. Fox. Go here to read it. It is about the signers of the U.S. Constitution, which includes George Washington. The Declaration of Independence, which we celebrated yesterday, paved the way for the founding of a new government, as set forth in the U.S. Constitution.
Here are the first two paragraphs of the article:
In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord said that he had “raised up … wise men” for the “very purpose” of writing the Constitution of the United States. (D&C 101:80.) President George Albert Smith added, “I am saying to you that to me the Constitution of the United States of America is just as much from my Heavenly Father as the Ten Commandments.” (Conference Report, April 1948, p. 182.) President Wilford Woodruff, seventy-eight years ago, reported that a tithe of those “wise men,” those who had also signed the Declaration of Independence, appeared in the St. George Temple with George Washington at their head, and “demanded” temple ordinances. (Conference Report, April 10, 1898, pp. 89–90.)
Who were the men who wrote the Constitution? What personal characteristics qualified them for the task of creating a document which the Lord says he “established”? (D&C 101:80.)
Here are some traits of these wise men raised up. The bullet points below are copied and pasted from the article:
-“The framers of the Constitution were mostly young men, aggressive and energetic.“
-“The Founding Fathers were well educated.“
-“The Convention delegates were natural leaders.“
-“The Convention delegates had few illusions about human nature.“
-“The Founding Fathers were men of vision and hope.“
-“The Framers were religious men—in their own way. But we must be careful about making them religious in ways they were not.”
One of these men was George Washington. I have full confidence the God indeed raised him up to be there at the Constitutional Convention, so people would trust this new government being formed. He had earned trust as a leader because of the way he turned down power after gaining popularity as the general of the army during the Revolutionary War.
I agree with the conclusion of the article, that the establishment of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights prepared the way for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope and pray we can be as wise as these men, and as wary of human nature and the tendency for power to corrupt. I hope and pray we can be defenders of the principle of the importance of limited government with checks and balances, which the Founders put in the Constitution. I hope and pray we will each study the Constitution. Then only elect leaders who vote Constitutionally and kick out those politicians who don’t. Go to the freedomindex.us so you know how they are voting, and vote for them accordingly. You can look up both your state legislators and your Congresspeople. Doing so is one way you can protect the liberty that we celebrate on Independence Day.
Want more Celebrate America 250 ideas? Go here. Celebrate all year long!
Happy Birthday America! 250 years of independence are being celebrated today! One way to stay independent is to save money, and one way to save money is to buy things used instead of new, at thrift stores. You can buy something brand new, like a mop, and pay $30. Or you can go thrifting, and find one for $5, and buy a few books and clothes or other things that you will use and enjoy, and pay $25, and still save. Just remember to only buy things that you will use/enjoy and have a place to store them, and never go into debt to go thrifting.
So, oh yeah, let’s talk thrifting! It’s been over a whole month since I last mentioned thrifting, I’ve been so focused on sharing Celebrate America 150 ideas here on my blog.
The photos in this post show what I got at thrift stores for the month of June 2026. I did two long trips, both times at the same place, then a really short trip at a different store, where I limited myself to ten minutes and didn’t look beyond appliances, books, and games, to make it a short trip.
Above was my first visit of the month to any thrift store. I went to the Provo Deseret Industries (DI). I think the total was around $16. I got a gold polka dot top, some books, and a fun little container thing with handles. If I still had lots of children at home, I would use it contain snacks for picnics. I’m probably going to use it to for crafting, for our Cousins’ Craft Day in the fall. It looks perfect for holding little bits and bobs. I got the Texas board book to give to my Texas grandchildren for Christmas, as they are ages 2 and 0. The Charlie Brown Christmas is to add to my Christmas picture book collection, or I might give it away. The Brave book is a Little Golden Book for my LGB collection, some of which is shown below. I keep these books on a low shelf so my grandchildren can pull them out when visiting. I don’t buy just any LGB I see at thrift stores. I look for the more classic-themed ones and ones about manners, holidays, seasons, Jesus, and hero journeys.
The George Washington book is for my patriotic picture book and chapter book collection, as shown here. The book with the image of the Savior on the cover is the one below. I’ve heard about it years ago from my Veggie Gals girlfriends. It just seems like a great book to have on hand for anyone in my family to learn from, including me. Or I might save it for my Veggie Gal Jolabokkaflod in January. The author wrote it as a combination of Book of Mormon principles with AA’s 12 step recovery program to overcome addiction. Her website is here. Perhaps the author used these truths to overcome a carb addiction? Her story about eating carbs is here. She’s a kindred spirit for sure.
The Book of Mormon Summer looked fun and inspiring. I want to read aloud a little bit of it every night to my husband and 16 year old son after we do scripture reading before bed. The author, Joy Saunders Lundberg, is Janice Kapp Perry’s cousin. Janice is one of my favorite composers. I discovered a bonus in the book after I got home: at the end of the book there’s a song about the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Joy wrote the words and Janice wrote the music. I’m excited to enlarge the music into copies that I put into one of my sheet music binders.
At the beginning of the year our bishop gave us a copy of the Book of Mormon with the invitation to give it away. Maybe this book will inspire us more to do that. The whole book is a story about a family doing missionary work with the Book of Mormon. My 16-year-old son did missionary work with the local missionaries last Saturday and gave one away digitally, using the app. I’ve been wondering if that can count? Probably not, LOL. I think we’ll take the hard copy over to the same person if the missionaries haven’t already.
I also got these books above for my husband for Father’s Day on that same trip. A spiritual, serious book by a prophet of God, President Dallin H. Oaks, and a funny book. Then our children and I pooled our money and got him an Angel Guild membership.
Then I went back a second time to the Provo DI, about two weeks later, and got everything below for $18.
The above photo shows the goods from my second trip. I got more fun books, including one by the Pickerings! That’s Rhonda and Farrell Pickering of propheticappointments.com. The photo above shows a glare on the book, so here it is below. I have blogged about the Pickerings’ last days timelines, many times; go here to see on of those posts. The Keepsake Christmas Stories book has all the stories from the Tabernacle Choir Christmas concerts. I may give it away to one of the sisters I minister to come Christmas time, as it looks like new. The other book is a little book full of Disneyland facts.
Then I got a turquoise/teal shirt. How fun that it matches the bowls. I will be cutting a V-neck out of the scoop neck and making the sleeves a bit shorter to make the T-shirt more femininely flattering and not so hot for summer. I also got some Lincoln Logs for only $2 to add to my collection that I’ve acquired since my oldest was 4. We’ve got a big plastic bin full of them that the grandchildren play with now. This new box will add some fun new pieces, especially with the dog and the guy.
The Lincoln Logs were brand new, with the logs and the figures of the dog and guy still in sealed plastic bags. The guy looks like Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett, two of my favorite American heroes.
Finally, some gorgeous bowls!
The bowls are Geoff Tygert brand. I looked them up and they often sell used on ebay/FB marketplace for about $50 for a set of four. I got them for $2 each! What an amazing find! They are in pristine condition! I absolutely love the teal color and the patterns. Now I have some pretty serving bowls instead of just the stainless steel and glass Pyrex bowls that I have been using for my 30+ years of homemaking. I will use them for my Jane Austen party next year and for Thanksgiving. They look like Pioneer Woman but they aren’t. Here they are below, in their own solitary glory, the top view and the bottom view. I love that the bottom view has a different pattern from the top view. (Ignore the scratches on my table in the bottom left corner. This is a very well-loved table that I keep in our game room/office.)
So those photos show the two big trips to DI in June. I had really hoped to find a slow cooker with a lid to replace my Pioneer Woman slow cooker’s lid. I did find some slow cookers on my thrifting trips in June, but none that had the lid with hooks. I really wanted to keep my PW slow cooker bottom part because of the beautiful flower pattern, and just replace the lid. I finally gave up looking at thrift stores for a lid, and ordered a replacement lid online. It took me weeks to find one because I kept doing a search for “crock pot” instead of “slow cooker” with the model number. It turns out that my thing is Hamilton Beach brand slow cooker, not crock pot brand made by Rival. Once I finally looked in the right place, I found a replacement lid easily. So lesson learned: know the exact brand name and don’t just assume you know when looking for replacement parts.
I saved the turquoise blue handle from the shattered lid in hopes I could swap it out with the white handle on the new lid. My husband says he can’t do it with the tools he has. My hope springs eternal that I’ll somehow find someone who has the tools he can borrow to do it.
Ok back to thrifting. My last thrifting trip of June was to the Orem UT Savers for a quick trip to see if I could find a hand mixer. Someone in my family, who I shall let remain nameless, decided to foolishly try my hand mixer on a jar of natural peanut butter to mix in the oil and broke it. Ugh. If only I had been there to tell this person to not even think of such a thing. Peanut butter is way too thick for a poor little hand mixer. So now I’m in the market for a new one. I found three at the previous DI trip but they didn’t have any beaters, and I forgot to bring one of my old ones to see if they would fit. So no luck with getting a mixer, but I did walk out with these two books below. I’ve seen the Wonder book at the public library and have been wanting to buy it. These two books were $5 together. Kind of steep for thrift store prices but oh well. I’ll add the Cat in the Hat holiday book to my Bright and Early Beginner’s book collection for the grandchildren. The World of Wonders looks brand new. I might save it for Christmas for one of my daughters.
That’s it for June!
Then below is something I saw thrifting at the Provo DI on that first trip. A Kitchen Aid Mixer for only $40! I didn’t buy it because I already have one. I wanted to get it for somebody but didn’t know who I would get it for. Anyway, it just goes to show what you can find at a thrift store. Inexpensive, useful, and beautiful treasures abound!
For more thrifting fun go here. Happy thrifting to all!
Today’s idea to celebrate America 250, on the eve of Independence Day is to watch the video below by a prophet of God. It’s about the Constitution of the United States, which the Declaration of Independence paved the way to be written.
Here’s a fun way to celebrate America 250! Play Patriotic Scattergories! Karyn of teachbesideme.com, has all the details on her website here with a free printable.
What a fun game for playing with friends and family this coming Independence Day!
Photo Credit: Drive Thru History With Dave Stotts YouTube Channel
This is a great video telling the history of Independence Day. Watch it this coming Independence Day in the middle of the day when it’s too hot to be outside. Of course it’s totally OK to watch it any day before or after. The presenter, Dave Stotts, shows many sites in Boston, Virginia, and Philadelphia. It involves maps, trips to some of the basic historical places involved in the Revolutionary War, fireworks, and jokes! It’s a wonderful summary of the events that led to July 4, 1776.
This is something I look forward to every year! It’s the Colonial Heritage Festival, or Colonial Days, in Orem Utah. I missed this so much when we lived in AZ. My Independence Day experience just doesn’t feel complete unless I go to this event on the day or two before the holiday. It’s like a little bit of Colonial Williamsburg gets transported to suburban Utah for a few days every July. It features people dressed up in colonial costumes, showing what life was like back then with printing, cooking, spinning wool, and more. If you go you get to see people dressed up like Minutemen drilling to defend the townspeople. If you live anywhere close, I hope you go! It’s free! My friend Gove Allen is part of it. Hopefully he will be there this year. He used to dress up as a baker and demonstrate bread baking, but in the past handful of years or so he has dressed up as colonial printer Isaiah Thomas and told stories of the Sons of Liberty and the Revolutionary War. His stories are so inspiring. So if you go, be sure to go to the printing press area and listen to Gove/Isaiah! You won’t regret it, he’s amazing!
Hey, it’s time for another Tuttle Twins sale! Just in time for Celebrate America 250! If you believe in the spirit of ’76 and limiting the powers of government, these are the books for you! Read these books with your children/grandchildren to pass on those values.
Here’s what’s going on at tuttletwins.com (all links on this post are affiliate links):
From June 29–July 5 (extended through July 13), everything is:
• 25% OFF sitewide with code USA250 • America’s History Volume 3 — $74.99 (now shipping) • America’s History Bundle (Vols. 1–3) — $179.98 • Family Starter Pack — $249 • Mega Bundle — $529
Two hundred and fifty years ago, ordinary people bet everything on freedom.
That moment is worth remembering—and worth passing on.
That’s why we’re launching the America 250 Mega Sale, alongside the release of America’s History Volume 3 (now shipping).
America’s History Volume 3 Is Here!
This volume covers the years 1791–1849 and brings kids through the defining, often messy chapters of early America—Whiskey Rebellion, Lewis & Clark, the burning of Washington, the Trail of Tears, and the California Gold Rush.
For families who already own Volumes 1 and 2, this completes the set. For new families, the 3-book bundle gives them the full story from start to finish.
But wait, there’s more! A contest for school children to win a trip for their family!
It’s the America 250 Letter to the Editor Contest
Kids can enter our America 250 Letter to the Editor Contest by writing to their local newspaper about what America 250 means to them.
🏆 Prize: Family trip to Charleston ⏰ Entries close July 2 👉 Details on contest are here.
Contest ends July 2! Sale ends July 13! So don’t delay!
Hey did you hear that Donny Osmond recently sang with the Tabernacle Choir at the Hollywood Bowl? My missionary son told me about it today.
Here are some videos about that. I second the witness to the singers below who say there is something about singing that connects you with God and makes you feel happier. Every Sunday after church I get to practice with my church choir. I just always feel so joyful when I can feel being part of a harmony of many voices. Then when we sing for the congregation it feels doubly good as we help them feel the Holy Spirit because we are sharing sacred music that praises and testifies of God the Father and His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. It just feels so good! As Mikey of the old Life cereal TV commercials used to say, “Try it, you’ll like it!”
If you want a collection of religious music that is arranged by season and themes to sing with your family, go get my free family devotionals ebook.
Want more about Donny and the other Osmonds? Go here and read the top 3 posts.
Idea #10 for celebrating America 250 is to read the June 1976 Ensign magazine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is dedicated to the Bicentennial of the USA. You can find it here in full color with all the illustrations. The text without illustrations is here.
Idea #8 for celebrating America 250 is to watch this BYU devotional speech below by Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Perry was asked to head up a committee for the Church for celebrating the Bicentennial of the USA in 1976.
The video above shows Elder Perry announcing the plans of the Church to celebrate the Bicentennial. I wish I could see the posters the Church distributed that he talks about. I was alive at the time but only 5 so I don’t remember seeing any at my church building. How cool it would be to see them today! And the special FHE supplement he mentions, “God’s Hand in the Founding of America.” Anyway, I invite you to take notes and listen to the Holy Spirit as you watch this video to know what God is wanting you to do today to stand for liberty.
Then over here you can watch his report that he gave in October 1976 about the celebrations.
Want more Celebrate America 250 ideas? Go here. My goal is to share 250 ideas to use throughout the whole year of 2026. So come back and check for upcoming ones here on my blog. It’s so important that we keep the legacy of liberty from 1776 alive today!
