All You Need is Love

Thanks to a reminder from my creative friend, I was able to pull out these hearts I made last year. Thanks Ali!!

We are all set and ready to work on loving and serving one another this month. Real life has been full of sibling conflict, obedience training and lots of ups and downs. We are in need of practicing acts of kindness and thinking of others before ourselves. So, the month of February came just in the knick of time. I'm glad I saved these and actually knew where to find them.

Each day we'll pull a little strip of paper off from behind the heart, read a verse and then participate in some loving act of kindness or service. I simplified some of the tasks from last year so that it doesn't become stressful. I didn't want to add any more stress to the already challenging season we are walking in. I am praying that God's word penetrates our hearts and we learn a little more about how great the Father's love is for us!

All Dressed Up

What a treat to have two date nights in one week! And we even had the opportunity to get dressed up... a rare occasion. I love my children, but it was SO good to have time with my husband without them. I'm very thankful for this handsome guy.

Bag of Blessings

During the month of February we're talking about loving one another. Each day we are doing one act of kindness or service activity. See the post describing it here. Today we made Bags of Blessings.

Back in January, I posted about passing a homeless girl asking for money and how I was drawn to do something but unsure what was wise to do. A friend sent me this link with this super idea! Thanks!

We gathered our materials and got busy making three bags to store 

in the van for the next time we see a person in need. 

We included:

Granola bars, crackers, hand sanitizer, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, 

chapstick, tissues, socks, and a New Testament Bible with Psalms and Proverbs

Other ideas: gloves, hand lotion, gift card to Starbucks or a 

grocery store, gift card to a fast food restaurant (we may add these later?)

They were SOO excited to load their bags. You would think they thought it was for them!

Belatedly, it occurred to me that it would be nice to include an 

encouraging note as well. So we'll add that sometime this week. 

I loved seeing them enjoy putting together this gift and think through what they 

wanted to buy when we went shopping for the goodies. It warmed my heart. 

Love, Love, Love

I'm not exactly sure why, but I completely rebel against the commercialism associated with Valentine's Day. I'm not a fan of the valentine's, candy indulgences or valentine flowers. It all seems so empty. Also, after working at a flower shop for many years, the price increases on flowers during the month of February make me sick. (a little bah humbug... sorry!) So, ever since we got married in 1998 we have downplayed the holiday. Part of the reason is that we celebrate my birthday and the anniversary of Darin proposing just 6 days before and maybe partly we're just lazy? We do have a few special traditions I'll share in a few weeks. :)

As the boys have gotten older though, I cannot ignore the opportunity to talk about God's love and His call for us to love one another. For the past 3 or 4 years, we've made some heart decorations with scripture on them. Very simple. This year though I've been inspired by this and this. Many thanks to these creative ladies!

Here is what we are doing this month. Once again, these ideas are not my own.
1)We're memorizing these scriptures. My poster is quite primitive and the boys have already wrinkled it.  Oh how I wish I knew how to make things fancy on the computer... someday I'd love to take a class and learn. :)

2) Then each day we are unclipping one heart and following the instructions attached.

I selected a verse and activity that corresponds. Many are acts of kindness. Some we will do more than once. Here are our tasks and verses:
* Call Grandma and Grandpa - Read 1 Corinthians 16:14
* Collect trash in the neighborhood - Read Galatians 5:14
* Give food to the food pantry - Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
* Make Bags of Blessings (more on this soon!) - Read John 15:12-13
* Write two things you love about each other and put in envelope for later - Read 1 Thes. 5:11
* Read to someone - Read 1John 4:11
* Prayer of confession activity - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
* Leave flower or plant on someone's doorstep - John 13:34-35
* Write two things you love about each other and put in envelope for later - Read Hebrews 10:24
* Make special treats - Read 1John 5:3
* Deliver treats - Read 1John 3:11
* Hide notes for each other around the house - Read 1 John 3:18
* Hug someone - Read 1Peter 1:22
* Do a family service job for your brother - Read 1 John 4:7-10
* Call Grammy & Poppy - Read 1 John 3:1
* Make cards for Sunday School Teachers - Read Galatians 6:10
* Deliver cards to teachers - Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
* Write/mail a letter to someone that encourages, builds up and make them feel loved. - Read Romans 12:9-10
* Visit nursing home and deliver cards - Read John 13:12-17
* Write two things you love about each other and put in envelope for later - Read 1 John 4:19
* Vacuum out van for Daddy - Read Galatians 5:13
* Hug someone - Read 1 John 4:21

It's the little things...

Years ago I found this little wooden heart. I'm fuzzy on the details, but shortly after Darin and I married we began exchanging this heart. I would hide it in his lunch bag and then a few days or weeks later, he would hide it for me to find at a time we weren't together. We've been hiding this heart for one another for 13 years and I love it! There have been times that the heart was hidden too well and then forgotten, but I'm thankful we've continued this activity over the years. I love putting on a sock to find a wooden heart inside with a sweet reminder.

Brotherly Love

Today during room time, totally unprompted and independently, Luke wrote a special note for Ethan. He was so excited to hide the note by the steps so Ethan would see it on his way downstairs for snack time. This is what Ethan discovered...

The envelope -There was a horse sticker on the seal on the back.

The note inside

I could barely contain my tears when I read this. Luke was beaming and Ethan was so touched. They gave each other a big hug and kiss. This was such a gift for me today. So nice to see how much they love each other in spite of all the sibling squabbles. Thank you God!