Rejoice! Rejoice! Easter Activities

This may be too late to share, but we are making the most of our shortened school day today to spend time reflecting on Easter. Probably would have been better to stretch it out over several days, but we are really enjoying ourselves today.

1) Resurrection Eggs - For the past several years we have been using a set that I put together with plastic eggs and the help of a website. This year, I decided to buy an actual set. I have to say, it has been totally worth it. We started it on the 20th of this month. Each day, the blessing leader of the day gives us a summary of the previous days eggs and then we open a new one. HERE is a great deal for one for next year if you don't already have one. ;)

2) Object Lesson on Forgiveness - I found this idea HERE and then added a little to it.

I cut a coffee filter into the shape of a heart. 

We talked about this being a representation of our heart. 

Then we talked about ways that we sin (disobey God) and how it makes our heart unclean. 

For each sin the boys mentioned, I scribbled a little mark on the heart to make it dirty. 

Then I poured red food coloring on the heart and said it symbolized Jesus

blood being poured out to cover over our sins. We read Isaiah 59:2 and Romans 6:23

We watched it spread over the whole heart. 

Psalm 103:12 and Revelation 1:5

We are forgiven because of Jesus blood on the cross!

Then I poured a cup of bleach over the heart and described how because of 

Jesus blood and resurrection we are washed clean and given new life. 

We only need to repent of our sins and ASK for forgiveness to have our 

dirty hearts cleaned and He forgives us!

3) Resurrection Rolls - I found the recipe HERE.  We enjoyed this for snack time today - a very special treat. The marshmallow symbolizes Jesus and the crescent roll symbolizes the tomb. After it is baked, the tomb is empty!

4) Easter Cards - I got this idea from HERE.  We used a cardboard template, painters tape and pastels. We marked the edges of the template with the pastels, attached them to the card stock and then smeared the pastels. Then we removed the template. 

Aaron's sweet handwriting and we chose a verse to glue to the inside. 

Phew, we've been busy. I have a couple more activities planned for after rest time and we're planning to try out this cross activity tomorrow with Daddy. We'll see how it goes!

Really struck today by how we should take time every day all year long to reflect on the cross. It is because of our sin that He died and it is because of His resurrection that we have hope and new life! Rejoice! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Inspired

I'm beginning to realize that I am a "Jack of All Trades, Master of None." I love crafting, sewing, knitting and being artistic but I never really stick with any one thing long enough to be exceptional at it. But, I'm okay with that. :)

Recently, I've been itching to do a painting. It's kind of funny to see in writing.  I have zero painting experience. Darin doesn't even like me to paint our walls because I'm not careful enough. However, the boys keep bringing home great artwork from art class and I think, "Gosh, I want to try that too."

And then my inspiration struck... dear friends are moving to Pennsylvania to pastor a church there. The wife, Kristen, is very dear to me and as I thought of a gift to give her, I thought about how encouraging her relationship with the Lord has been to me. Immediately, Colossians 2:6-7 popped in my head.

"So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness."

I lived for a long time with shallow roots. I wasn't studying God's word and although I believed in Him, I wasn't seeing the fruit of a close relationship with Him. My friend Kristen is the epitome of deep roots. She loves the Lord and His Spirit overflows from her. The perfect verse for what I wanted!

Quickly, I had a vision of what I wanted my painting to look like and called my artist dad to see if what I was wanting to do was even possible for a beginner like me. I decided that if the painting looked terrible, I could easily come up with a different gift. After three days of working on it, I finished my painting last night. My dad was so gracious to talk me through how to make my sketch on regular paper and then transfer it to the canvas. He came over two times to help coach me through the painting. It was super special time for me and I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did!

So, without further ado... here is my first painting. Not spectacular, but from the heart and I can't tell you how much joy it brought me to create this for my friend. I probably shouldn't quit my day job, but I'm pleased with the result. It was just what I envisioned. Notice the Bible verse is the "deep roots."

We will miss you very much Purdy Family!

Cracker Case

While picnicking with a friend, I noticed she had an adorable re-usable snack bag that she received as a gift. Since I had extra fabric from the boys sunglass cases, I decided to make three. I did some searching on the web for a tutorial and I liked THIS ONE best. I wanted to find one that had minimal seams inside so there would be less places for crumbs to get stuck.

I'm pretty impatient, so I had to adjust the size of the snack bags to suit the short strip of velcro that I already had on hand. I settled on 5.5 inches by 6.5 inches. I saw some cool interiors made out of a wipeable material, but also saw conflicting opinions about how food safe the other materials are so I stuck with cotton fabric inside and out.

Instead of grabbing a ziplock baggie for snacks when we're on the run, I feel good about grabbing our re-usable snack bag.  (Or "cracker case," as Aaron calls it.) When we're done with our snack, I shake out the case and wash it once a week. (I'm not using them for anything sticky or gooey... that's just too messy!)

Shades

I have some pretty cool dudes over here with their shades. 

Of course if you wear shades, you need a case to hold them. :)

So I whipped up some drawstring pouches that I lined in flannel. 

I used the tutorial I had printed out four years ago and it's no longer 

out there on the web. THIS is something pretty similar to what I used. 

 One for each of the boys and a couple extra for their cousins who'll be with us on our beach trip. 

  

Now let's see how long it takes to lose or break the glasses or drawstring bag. Just keeping it real. :)

Growing

It's that time of year to scramble and come up with end of year gifts for teachers. No... not teacher gifts for me :) but we have seven Community Bible Study teachers to thank and celebrate. They have loved on the boys all year long and I'm thankful for the encouragement they have provided. I'm so sad that it is over for the year!

I happen to have many creative friends and found this awesome idea HERE. (Thanks Ali!) I changed it a bit to suit our budget, but the idea is certainly not mine. We chose basil and a basil recipe on the back. I used a glue gun to attach the ribbon and silk flower on the clay pot.  The boys were SO pleased to hand deliver their pots to their teachers.

Ribbon Blanket

I wanted to share with you an easy and great tutorial for a ribbon blanket. I've done a good bit of searching around the web and this one HERE is very detailed for a beginning sewer. Good explanations and pictures! I recently made one for a boy and one for a girl.

 I love choosing the fabric and ribbons. I usually use a minky fabric and a flannel. You have to be careful NOT to iron the minky fabric (has little 3D bumps), or it loses its bumpiness as you can see above. oops!

The only thing I do differently from the tutorial, is that after pinning the ribbons to the fabric I sew them on with my sewing machine. This is BEFORE I pin the two fabrics together. I think it helps me make sure the ribbons are straight and double secures the ribbons -- something really important if a baby is going to be sucking or pulling on the ribbons.

This is a great starter project because it promises somewhat immediate results. Also a great project to set up an assembly line if you have lots of baby gifts to make.

All Tied Up

Thankfully, no one is literally tied up over here! :) (At least not today!)

So, I've been conflicted recently about "dressing up" for Easter. It sort of takes the focus off what Easter is really all about. It's certainly not about how cute my kids are or how much money I'm willing to shell out for coordinating outfits. As much as my goal may be to allow the events of Easter to make an impact on every day life, I do think it is important to really set apart Resurrection Day as a special day of celebration and worship. It seems to me that when the boys are dressed more carefully their behavior tends to be more respectful and a little less wild. Still in process here... or perhaps I'm just justifying my urge to dress them up? hmmm...

Anyway, I wanted to dress them intentionally this Easter but didn't want to spend a lot of money. I suddenly had the inspiration to make them ties. I found a great tutorial HERE. (Just to note... our church is not dressy and Darin never wears ties, but the boys had been asking for a tie so I was excited to indulge them.) I was looking for a spring plaid, but settled on the bike fabric below. I think it's pretty cute.

Since I'm not planning to make them dresses, this was a fun boy project. Most of the tie was made without a sewing machine and really all of it could have been hand sewn. I found some great YouTube videos to remind me how to do a slip stitch. There is so much information out there! Definitely a manageable project for a beginner.

Two things I learned: First,  if you can, find a more slippery fabric. It was tricky to tie the cotton quilting fabric I used. Second, it was not expensive, but also not as cheap as I thought. Since the tie is cut on the bias, you need more fabric then you would think. I shortened the pattern for Aaron's tie so it wasn't too long. 

I thought about making Darin a tie that matched, but decided against it. :) 

I think that was a wise decision. I'm sure Darin's glad too. 

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

Mosaics and Freezer Paper Stencils

Recently we celebrated the birthday's of some dear friends. The boys and I brainstormed a gift that they could help make and this is what we came up with.

1. Personalized Mosaic Stepping Stone

     We bought some supplies from Michael's and Hobby Lobby, although you can certainly buy a kit that includes everything you need. Then we just followed the directions on the box and got busy.

 We used glass pieces, but they were surprisingly dull and I had no worries about Aaron sorting out all the colors. I mixed the cement and helped the boys plan out the stones and they got busy. 

 Luke and Ethan had a pretty long attention span for this project, which was great!

After the stone had time to dry and harden we popped them 

out of their mold and washed them. So easy and so much fun!  

(Also a great idea for a housewarming gift, mother's day gift, father's day gift, anniversary gift, etc.)

2. Freezer Paper Stencils

This idea is NOT my own. I copied this idea from a very creative friend who got the tutorial seen here. You know what they say... "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." :) 

These shirts were given on a 6th and 8th birthday, 

but you could make them with all sorts of designs using clip art. 

How about making a shirt for dad saying, "Best Dad!"? 

A much cheaper option then screen printing. 

The boys were very excited to give their gifts!

Sewing with love

If you've been reading this blog for a little while, you'll remember that I mentioned I was working on one special sewing project for a Christmas gift this year. Well, the recipient finally received it so I can share it with you!

After lots of thought, I decided in December the best gift to send my two nieces (4 years old and 5 months) for Christmas would be a homemade one. Much easier and lighter to mail something to western Canada made from fabric! I decided, somewhat impulsively, to make matching dresses for the girls. I love to sew, but I am definitely a beginner. I've never made any clothing before, unless you count the simple and cheesy skirt I made in high school home economics class. However, I was determined and had a wonderful time stretching my brain and my sewing skills. With lots of help from my sewing mentor, Carla, I learned how to read the pattern and  get started.

I really tried to pick a pink fabric, but I just couldn't do it. I am definitely a blue girl and having boys I've never had to get used to pink. I settled on a lovely aqua floral fabric.

So without further ado... here they are. These gifts were definitely made with much love for my precious nieces I don't get to see nearly enough.

Kid Thanks

Here's a quick simple thank you note idea for kids...

The boys received lots of thoughtful gifts from family for Christmas and I think it's important to have them write notes of thanks. However, one per day is all we can manage on top of our school work. 

(So it's taking us a while to complete them.)

Using the boys fingerprints, I made these cards. Not fancy at all, but cute. (I just colored their fingers with washable marker and made the print. It easily washed off at bath time. I attached the white paper to a folded piece of cardstock, and put the thank you notes from the boys inside.)

Luke did the majority of the writing and Ethan added a word or two and his name. 

Aaron's contribution was just his fingerprint -- which was fine with me. 6 down, 2 to go! 

Nostalgic

Okay... so I know it is now January but I have one more Christmas post to share with you!

My husband is nostalgic. He enjoys the feelings and memories that are associated with Christmas. He is certain to watch the classic Christmas specials (Charlie Brown, Grinch, etc.) and every Christmas, we watch Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. Although he prefers to watch it with his brother-in-law, Michael, who shares a similar sense of humor and really laughs out loud. :) My husband starts playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving and enjoys looking at Christmas lights just as much or more then the kids. He is all about decorating and one year soon I'm going to have to give in and allow some more colored lights to grace our decorations.

As a kid, his parents had a table top ceramic tree that lit up. Last year, he decided we needed one and did some hunting. When he couldn't find one in stores or online, he asked if he could have his parents, but it was missing. So, I decided that this year it would be my mission to find one for him as a Christmas gift. I found one at Color Me Mine (a paint your own pottery store in the area). It turns out that his gift was a gift for me too. I arranged to go one evening after dinner and secretly work on my project. (I knew this would be too difficult of a task for the boys and it would drive me crazy trying to work on it with them!) A kind friend met me there while I painted, and she even helped me paint too. It was a delightful evening painting and chatting!

Here is the finished product and he loved it! 

Hard to tell from this photo, but I did 3 base coats of lighter green
and then added accents in a darker green in the shadows. 

Painting Extravaganza

What do you do if your "to do" list keeps growing and the days keep getting fewer?

Of course, you decide to decorate your own wrapping paper!!!! Why make it easy and buy Christmas wrapping paper?? I was kicking myself as I scrambled to wrap all our extended family presents in brown packing paper, because I knew that once I wrapped them I was not done. This year, I've cut back on making lots of Christmas presents for extended family and I am going through some crafting withdrawal. [I am sewing one special gift which I'll share on here after the intended recipient receives it. :)]

Thankfully, decorating the packages today with the boys turned out to be a really enjoyable activity (as long as I remembered that it was going to be messy no matter what!) I have to add that I rarely have my own creative ideas, but I love to borrow ideas from friends and from online. I got this idea from my friend Carla a couple years ago.

Here is what we did:

1) After wrapping the gifts in brown packing paper, I cut a potato in half. Then I drew a picture of a holly leaf and carved it out to make a stamp. We then used a paintbrush to cover the stamp in green.

2) Then I put Luke to work stamping the holly leaves in groups of two or three on the brown packages. Occasionally,  I had to fill in the leaf if it didn't get covered adequately. 

3) Then Ethan dipped the eraser end of a pencil into red paint and dabbed on some red berries. 

4) Now we just need to add some raffia ribbon once it dries! I love how the boys did such a careful job. 

Since we already had the paint out and a big mess made, we decided to let the painting continue and paint the salt dough ornaments we made yesterday at a home school Christmas party. Aaron stuck with it for a while painting 2 stars, a gingerbread man and a bell. (And as you see, he had fun spreading the red paint on his plate!) Then he played so cooperatively while we finished the rest. This was a gift!

Above is our finished work. Now we'll add some ribbons and hang a few on the tree saving some special ornaments to add to the top of our packages. 

I was quite indulgent and had some fun painting and creating too! :)